Tl* the contact owns a 2014 fiat 500l. the contact was included in nhtsa recall campaign id number: 14v103000 (transmission shift lever). the contact stated while driving at any speed up a hill, down a hill or flat land the gears slipped forward in drive and backward while in reverse. the contact applied the brakes with force and the vehicle failed to stop. the failure was inspected, diagnosed and repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 250.
When stopped on a upward slope and i take my foot off the brake the vehicle rolls backwards 15 feet or more until i step on the brake again. it has an automatic transmission therefore this should not be happening. i would understand if the vehicle were in neutral or had a manual transmission, but being automatic this is unacceptable. this has happened several times while in slowed to stopped traffic or in parking lots. all the vehicles i have owned in the past with automatic transmissions when i ease off the brake the auto would start easing forward not rolling backward. this feels like driving a manual transmission without the need to shift gears. *tr
First incident in jan. 2014 dead battery, second incident happened while waiting in drive through line for food. car engine began to smoke and smell horrible. people came running to me telling me to get out of car because it could blow up. steering locked . needed to start car again to put into neutral and get pushed out of the way and away from building. towed to dealership. received car 2 weeks later and was told again they never heard of this before but the clutch became engaged and stuck. had clutch, fly wheel and a few other parts replaced. i am 85 and becoming very afraid to drive this car. don't think a car that is not yet 1 year old should be acting this way and dealership seems surprised each time something happens. does something serious have to happen to me before they realize there is a true problem here. *tr
Auto dual dry clutch transmission. manufactured 7/2013, purchased new from dealer 1/14. car shuddered and hesitated on the test drive. told it would smooth out because it was an adaptive transmission. continued to shudder, hesitate and lurch. brought back to the dealer 3 days after purchase. the car has been in 5 times since and still is not fixed. the dealer will no longer take the car for service and said the car will not function properly during heavy, stop and go traffic and there is nothing they can do. the recall was completed but it did not help. they suggested we contact fiat customer care who has opened a case but not responded and not returning phone calls. car is unused because it is unsafe. it lurches constantly and barely misses hitting other cars in traffic. timeline: 1. test drive shuddered and hesitated, told it would get better with driving. 2. day 3 took to dealer. said it was spark plugs and changed out all plugs. car continues to stutter, clutch overheat, lurching. 3. dealer trip, they said it was "just the way the transmissions are and they're sorry but there isn't anything they can do." car continues to stop, not shift in to gear, lurch, clutch overheating. 4. received recall notice. all service performed. 5. 24 hours later, car not functioning, back to the dealer. dealer redid software installation, replaced brakes, clutch and fly wheel. 6. 48 hours later clutch overheats, nearly hits the car in front of us in traffic. dealer refuses to accept car in for service, said "this transmission will not function in heavy stop and start traffic. you need to contact fiat, there is nothing more we can do for you." 7. fiat customer care says they will open a case on may 30, 2014. no responses since. dangerous vehicle should be taken back and refunded or exchanged with a model manufactured after january 2014. *tr
10 incidents so far! 1: the check engine light went on. drove car and automatic transmission hesitates when accelerating. backfires on acceleration. 2: same issue days after 'repair' completed. this time the transmission is not shifting properly 3: same issue as #1 weeks after 'repair' completed on #2. this time the rpm's go very high when it automatically shifts or press on accelerator 4: engine makes grinding noise when shifting. dealer said noise was normal but then fixed it in incident #5. 5: grinding noise on acceleration. car will not move when shifting from park to drive. another time when shifting to drive, car went in reverse. 6: recall on the transmission. thought this would fix the problem but it continued. 7: shifted from park to drive. car went backward and hit a pole. 8: back wheels suspension has a loud noise going over bumps. left rear spring and top mount fell out of place. 9: vehicle will not shift out of park. shifter is not working at all. had to call roadside to tow it to dealership. 10: vehicle will not shift out of park again. shifter is not working at all. had to call roadside to tow to dealership. total days in the shop since 8/30/2013 through 07/18/2014 is 46+. *tr
Driving to go home, vehicle won't shift and unexpected direction and loss of power causing vehicle and myself to collide with light pole. vehicle was a total loss. gas pedal stuck and transmission had very slow selections. vehicle had flashing control lights before accident occurred. my vehicle acted like it froze up and loss of power and didn't shift correctly causing accident. *tr