What 394 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth

The vehicle had been stalling out on numerous occasions one being a freezing Xmas eve in Drive thru if it had happened somewhere isolated the driver could have frozen. I rented cars several times and replaced the alternator ,battery and at the final point at the dealership the mechanic suggested I purchase a $600 battery though I had a brand new one. The dealership gave me a $200 credit but it happened again, the mechanic in town said the Bluetooth component was draining the battery. They removed it and no problem since. The dealership mechanic talked around the issue and would not answer my questions about this. The safety issues related to this are dangerous and it appears to be known by mechanics about this model.

NHTSA ODI 11668228

The wiring harness bundle leading to the trunk failed between the trunk & upper drivers side of the car. Upper brake lights stopped working, then rear defroster, then trunk wouldn’t open & I got a license plate light warning on the dash. Mechanic tried to replace switch, still didn’t work, the tried to replace handle (with license plate light). Mechanic broke more wires in bundle, back brake lights stopped working. The wiring harness bundle leading into the trunk is defective.

NHTSA ODI 11621183

In the morning (6AM) of September 19, my car car caught on fire while parked in my driveway. There were flames 3-4 feet height coming from the engine hood area. Once the fire was extinguished by the local fire department, I found the car was extensively damaged in the front outside and inside driver cabin. Upon further inspection I found the fire might have started with or around the battery, as it was completely melted. Further inspection on the back side of the car showed some stripped wiring in the assembly connecting to the rear hatch mechanism, lights, and other. In the days previous to this incident the battery had loss its charge completely twice in the span of a week and a half.

NHTSA ODI 11488743

I bought this car about a year ago, ever since I got the car the first issue started within a month it just started to shut off for no reason first at a traffic light, afterward while I was driving called the dealership who sold me the car I was told to bring it to find out they did not have a certified Fiat Mechanic that would be able to look at the car so it was towed to another dealership. I was told they fixed the issue but once again the vehicle started doing the same thing even more frequently fast forward my car has yet to be fixed I feel like I am going to get rear-ended and hurt really bad and all I get from the dealership is that they can't fix it. My question to them is why I sell me a car that you knew you could not repair or you knew you really didn't check properly as per your words you don't have a certified mechanic.

NHTSA ODI 11462760

Check engine light keeps reappearing after the parts have been replaced with new parts the computer codes stated need replacement. Specifically, the spark plugs and coil packs. They’ve been replaced twice now. And the light keeps coming back.

NHTSA ODI 11460280

THE REAR HIGH BRAKE LIGHT WIRING ON THE CONVERTIBLE WEARS AND BREAKS IN THE DRIVER'S SIDE C PILLAR DUE TO USE OF THE CONVERTIBLE TOP RENDERING THE BRAKE LIGHT NON-OPERATIVE. THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE FIAT 500 CONVERTIBLE.

NHTSA ODI 11390052

THE STARTER MOTOR FAILS TO ENGAGE AT RANDOM TIMES. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND TO LOCAL MECHANICS AND NONE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO REPLICATE THE ISSUE. THE STARTER MOTOR WILL SOMETIMES START RIGHT UP FOR THEM, CAUSING THEM TO RULE OUT A FAULTY STARTER. IF THE VEHICLE IS LEFT OVER NIGHT, IT MAY START RIGHT BACK UP. AFTER SELLING THE CAR ON 2 OCCASIONS, BOTH NEW OWNERS REPORTED WITHIN 24 HOURS OF OWNERSHIP THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AFTER HAVING DRIVEN IT FOR MORE THAN 10MI. I BELIEVE FCA IS WELL-AWARE OF THIS RELATIVELY COMMON ISSUE. A GOOGLE SEARCH FOR THIS PROBLEM YIELDS PAGES UPON PAGES OF OWNERS REPORTING SIMILAR ISSUES. I CAN SHARE YOUTUBE VIDEOS OF OWNER'S EITHER REPORTING THE PROBLEM OR COMMENTS OF OTHERS HAVING A SIMILAR ISSUE HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=L7SOEZKWUT4 HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=PFFVY3ARSVS

NHTSA ODI 11349768

INTERMITTENT EXTERIOR MARKER LIGHT FAILURE. FRONT PASSENGER MARKER LIGHT AND REAR DRIVER'S SIDE BRAKE LIGHT FAIL TO OPERATE ON OCCASION. THE LIGHT SENSOR IN THE GAUGE CLUSTER ALERTS TO FAILURE. WHEN LATER INVESTIGATING, ALL LIGHTS APPEAR TO FUNCTION PROPERLY.

NHTSA ODI 11323042

WE RECENTLY WENT IN FOR A RECALL TO THE SHIFT MECHANISM. UPON COMPLETION, THE DEALER FAILED TO SECURE THE GROUND WIRE BACK TO THE BATTERY. AFTER A FEW SHORT TRIPS, THE LOOSE CONNECTION CAUSED THE ALTERNATOR TO FAIL. THE DEALER WILL NOT TAKE OWNERSHIP OF THIS AND WANTS $930 FOR THE REPAIR. CUSTOMER SERVICE BELIEVES THIS IS SIMPLY AN OLD CAR AND WILL NOT SUPPORT IT EITHER. ULTIMATELY THIS WILL CAUSE US TO THINK TWICE BEFORE ACTING ON THE NEXT RECALL NOTICE.

NHTSA ODI 11319377

CAR SOMETIMES CUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING WITH NO WARNING. ALL GUAGES SPIKE, CAR CUTS OFF. I PULL OVER AND IT STARTS BACK UP. NO CODES WERE STORED. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. CAN'T FIND THE PROBLEM.

NHTSA ODI 11317810

FIRST WIPERS STOPPED WORKING CONSISTENTLY THEN TRUNK AND DOOR LOCKS WOULDN'T RESPOND TO FOB AND TRUNK CAN'T BE OPENED.

NHTSA ODI 11281661

THE WIRING HARNESS GETS CRIMPED WHEN IT GOES FROM THE MAIN BODY OF THE CAR INTO THE HATCH CREATING SHORTS AND MALFACTION OF ELECTRIC COMPONENTS. AS, DOES THE REAR WIPER HOSE. WHICH LEAKS AND EMPTIES INTO THE WIRING HARNESS. THIS HAPPENS EVERYWHERE, AT ALL TIMES.

NHTSA ODI 11277752

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FIAT 500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE LICENSE PLATE BULB WAS OUT AND THE LIFTGATE DID NOT OPEN MANUALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO FLOWER MOTOR COMPANY (2580 N TOWNSEND AVE, MONTROSE, CO 81401, (970) 249-9664) WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE WIRES WERE FRACTURED AND THE LIFTGATE HANDLE WAS REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS. NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 133,000.

NHTSA ODI 11269175

A FEW WEEKS AGO, I WOKE UP AND DROVE TO WORK IN THE MORNING. MY FIAT PARKED, I WORKED, EVERYTHING WAS GOOD. 5 HOURS LATER, I GET BACK TO MY CAR TO DRIVE HOME. I START MY ENGINE AND THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS UP SAYING, "HILL START ERROR ... SEE OWNERS MANUAL". I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, "WELP, L GUESS I'LL GO SEE A MECHANIC NOW.". I LIFT THE E-BREAK, PRESS DOWN THE BREAK PEDAL, AND THEN TRY TO MOVE THE CAR INTO REVERSE, BUT IT'S LOCKED IN PARK. I TURN OFF THE CAR. I USE GOOGLE SEARCH ON MY PHONE TO FIND MY FIAT 500 OWNER'S MANUAL ONLINE. I LOOK FOR THE "HILL START ERROR" AND FIND AN OVERRIDE TO GET MY CAR OUT OF PARK AND INTO REVERSE/DRIVE. I RESTART THE CAR. NOW THE DASHBOARD IS COMPLETELY BLANK EXCEPT FOR THE LETTER 'P' IN THE BOTTOM-CENTER OF THE CIRCULAR DASH PANEL. THE LETTER "P" IS BLINKING CONCURRENTLY WITH A BEEP THAT DOES NOT STOP. THERE IS NO MEASURE OF SPEED AND I'M NOT ENTIRELY SURE IF MY LIGHTS ARE WORKING AT THIS POINT. I'M JUST TRYING TO GET THE CAR TO A MECHANIC ABOUT 10 MILES AWAY. I FOUND AN HONEST-FAMILY SPOT AND THE GUY TELLS ME TO LEAVE THE CAR THERE AND HE'LL LOOK AT IT. BREAK LIGHTS WERE OUT AND A SAFETY FEATURE CAUSED IT TO LOCK UP. A COMMON ISSUE IS A BREAK-LIGHT SWITCH WITH THIS CAR, SO... WE REPLACED THE BLS AND DID A FULL DIAGNOSTICS, BUT STILL NO FIX. WE TROUBLESHOOT ALL WEEK AND FOUND THAT A 5-AMP FUSE BLEW OUT IN THE BODY CONTROL MODULE. HE REPLACED THE FUSE AND FOUND THAT IT BURNED OUT AGAIN BECAUSE OF A LOOSE WIRE SOMEWHERE BEHIND THE STEERING WHEEL. IF I RUN THE CAR, THE LOOSE WIRE WILL CAUSE MORE CONNECTIONS TO BURNOUT AND BREAK. THE CAR SHORTS IF WE RUN IT NOW. THE LOOSE WIRE CAUSING THIS SHORT CAUSED MY CAR'S GEARSHIFT TO LOCK UP COMPLETELY, DISABLED MY BREAK LIGHTS, AND LEAD TO SHORTAGES ACROSS THE BOARD. I CAN'T DRIVE IT AT ALL, LET ALONE START IT. I BARELY HAVE 89K ON THIS CAR AND IT'S PRETTY MUCH COOKED.

NHTSA ODI 11232969

CONCERNS THAT VEHICLE S34 RECALL HAS NEVER BEEN COMPLETE VEHICLE IS NOW FOR SALE AT A CAR DEALERSHIP NO PAPER TRAIL ON THE RECALL.

NHTSA ODI 11165962

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FIAT 500. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO OPEN THE TRUNK, BUT IT WAS UNABLE TO UNLATCH AUTOMATICALLY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRUNK COULD BE ACCESSED BY PULLING THE BACK SEAT DOWN; HOWEVER, WITH THE BACK SEAT LOWERED, THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO LOAD OR UNLOAD A SUITCASE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO FIAT OF EDMOND (14113 BROADWAY EXTENSION HIGHWAY, EDMOND, OKLAHOMA 73013, (405)-696-0631) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE WIRING HARNESS FAILED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE TRUNK WIRES COULD NOT BE REPLACED INDIVIDUALLY; THEREFORE, THE WIRING HARNESS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE WIRING HARNESS WAS NOT REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER PROVIDED THE CONTACT WITH CASE NUMBER: 34994853. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 38,000.

NHTSA ODI 11121311

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FIAT 500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START WHEN ATTEMPTING TO DRIVE. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO RON LEWIS CHRYSLER DODGE JEEP RAM FIAT CRANBERRY (21145 US-19, CRANBERRY TWP, PA 16066, (724) 452-4040) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE STARTER MOUNTING BOLT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO NHTSA. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000.

NHTSA ODI 11120531

TRUNK / HATCH PINCHED WIRE HARNESS CAUSING SHORT. COULD NOT OPEN TRUNK, LICENSE PLATE LIGHT WOULD NOT ILLUMINATE. FIAT DOES NOT MAKE A PIG TAIL REPLACEMENT, SHOP HAD TO RE-WIRE TRUNK COUSTING 180.00 FOR NEW DECK HANDEL, AND 600.00 FOR SPLICING IN NEW HARNESS

NHTSA ODI 11120030

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FIAT 500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR HATCH AND SUN ROOF FAILED TO OPEN. THE DEALER (HARPER FIAT, 10045 PARKSIDE DR, KNOXVILLE, TN 37922, (865) 243-3220) STATED THAT THEY WERE AWARE OF THE FAILURES, BUT NO REPAIRS WERE COMPLETED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY DID NOT HANDLE THOSE TYPES OF COMPLAINTS AND SUGGESTED THE CONTACT CALL NHTSA. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 98,000.

NHTSA ODI 11115067

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FIAT 500. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO UNLOCK THE TRUNK, IT FAILED TO OPEN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO FIAT OF BURLINGAME (2 CALIFORNIA DR, BURLINGAME, CA 94010, (866) 413-7332) TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE TRUNK WIRING HARNESS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 61,927.

NHTSA ODI 11114160

THE HATCH SWITCH HAS HAD TO BE REPAIRED 3 TIMES. ITS A DESIGN FLAW THAT SHORTS OUT THE SWITCH. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL!

NHTSA ODI 11113549

THE CAR WAS DRIVEN TO SHOPPING CENTER, PARKED OK BUT WHEN LEAVING THE VEHICLE STARTED, THEN ENGINE CUT OUT. NOW THE VEHICLE WILL NOT START. ENGINE CRANKS BUT ENGINE WARNING LIGHTS GOES ON. TOWED TO JEEP/CHRYSLER DEALER (DON ALLEN IN NANTUCKET) AND THEY SAID IT WAS ELECTRICAL ISSUE. TOWED TO ANOTHER REPAIR SHOP AND THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T FIX IT (ELECTRICAL ISSUE). CALLED FIAT AND THEY SAID NOT THEIR PROBLEM. CAR HAS 27,000 MILES.

NHTSA ODI 11112295

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FIAT 500. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE, IT FAILED TO START AND ALL THE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE SEVERAL TIMES, BUT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE STARTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT CALLED SAFFORD ALFA ROMEO OF TYSONS CORNER (8448 LEESBURG PIKE UNIT A, VIENNA, VA 22182, (571) 565-2500). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND A COMPLAINT WAS FILED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 90,000.

NHTSA ODI 11099564

THE WIRE HARNESS FROM THE BODY TO THE HATCHBACK BECOMES CRIMPED AND CAUSES BROKEN WIRES CAUSING THE 3RD BRAKE LIGHT, REAR WIPER, LICENSE PLATE LIGHTS, AND REAR DOOR LATCH NOT TO WORK THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH ALL FIAT 500'S AND A SAFETY ISSUE WHEN THE 3RD BRAKE LIGHT DOES NOT WORK AS IF A FUSE BLOWS ON THE REGULAR BRAKE LIGHTS THE 3RD LIGHT SHOULD STILL WORK. ALSO ALL STATES REQUIRE LIGHTS ILLUMINATION THE LICENSE PLATE AT NIGHT. ALSO THE REAR WIPER IS ESSENTIAL ON THIS VEHICLE IN A RAIN SITUATION TO SEE BEHIND THE VEHICLE

NHTSA ODI 11083888

TRUNK WILL NOT OPEN

NHTSA ODI 11066474