2015 Fiat 500 Abarth problems

“A recall has been open on this vehicle for over 5 years. I have been waiting for a year and 2 Fiat dealerships cannot complete the recall because the manufacturer has failed to manufacture a spring part for the repair. The spring has been back ordered since May 2023 for my order, but according to the Madison dealership, owners before me were waiting for 8+ months with no parts available. Recall info: Manufacturer Recall NumberS34 NHTSA Recall Number16V-302 Recall Status: Recall Incomplete Summary THE CLUTCH COVER DIAPHRAGM SPRING MAY FATIGUE AND/OR FRACTURE. Safety Risk A FAILED CLUTCH COVER DIAPHRAGM SPRING MAY RESULT IN THE INABILITY TO DISENGAGE THE CLUTCH, SHIFT GEARS AND THE POTENTIAL FOR A LOSS OF MOTIVE POWER WHICH COULD CAUSE A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.”

“The contact owns a 2015 Fiat 500. The contact stated that upon having the vehicle inspected, the mechanic noticed that the front driver’s and passenger’s side headlamps had failed to operate. The brake warning light and the headlamp warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the mechanic reconnected the front driver’s and passenger’s side headlamp connector. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that after the vehicle was started, the contact noticed that the headlamps failed to illuminate. The contact then stated that the rear driver’s and passenger’s side brake lights failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was taken back the independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the lighting wirings had burned out and the connectors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to call the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 52,000.”

“After bringing vehicle to a complete stop at a traffic light, it died and gave a propulsion system warning. After about 20 attempts to turn off and reboot the vehicle, it restarted and behaved as if nothing had happened. This was a very dangerous situation with the vehicle stuck in the middle of the road. There have been two recalls on this very specific issue (and this vehicle has had that related software updates). Vehicle did the exact same behavior for no reason. (NHTSA campaign: 16V303000 & 15V179000). And because the vehicle wasn't sold in Georgia, no local dealers know how to work on it.”

“I was driving our Fiat 500e (31K miles) in late June, when suddenly the HV Battery System (and primarily the PIM/Power Inverter Module that controls the HV battery system and propulsion system) failed, causing my moving vehicle to lose it's ability to use power steering. I was on a steep hill and was barely able to control the car. I contacted my local Fiat dealer, had the car towed there, and it has sat there for 3.5 months, while the dealership and Fiat USA have argued over how to repair it. In the meantime, the 8 year warranty on the HV battery system has winnowed down and will go out of warranty this month. It is my belief that Fiat USA has purposely delayed a resolution so they could not have to pay to repair the car under warranty. The PIM controls the HV system and propulsion and yet Fiat claims that the PIM is not their responsibility to repair. This is an otherwise perfect car with only 31K miles and the idea that it would be junked and sent to landfill over a bad PIM controller (a small component the size of a football) is a tragedy. Via online messaging boards, I have spoken to numerous other owners of Fiat 500e autos who have suffered a similar PIM…”

“I WORK AT AN INDEPENDENT AUTO REPAIR FACILITY. WE HAVE SEEN SEVERAL HEADLIGHT BULB CONNECTOR FAILURES WHERE THE CONNECTOR MELTS. WHEN THE CONNECTOR MELTS, THE LIGHT STOPS FUNCTIONING. THE REPAIR REQUIRES REPLACEMENT OF THE CONNECTOR AND THE BULB.”

“WE HAVE RAN INTO TWO ISSUES WITH THE CAR. THE FIRST ISSUE WAS LAST YEAR THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH THE COMPUTER INSIDE NOT WORKING WHICH IN TURN CAUSE ISSUES WITH THE BLUETOOTH, LIGHTING, AND DASHBOARD. THE MECHANIC SAID IT COULD IN TURN RESULT IN OTHER ISSUES AS WELL. WE RECENTLY STARTED THE CAR AND IT STARTED SHAKING, THE DASHBOARD WENT OUT, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, AND THEN THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT.”