10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
104,960 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2014 Fiat 500 drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2014 Fiat 500 Owner Comments (Page 1 of 4)

problem #63

Aug 222022

500

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Vehicle was operating as normal. Came to a stop, shifted car into neutral to rest foot, light turned green, tried to shift back in to gear from a stop and the clutch pressure plate was all wrong, wouldn-??t allow the car to go back in to gear. Luckily this happened at 3am and no traffic on the roads. The clutch it self did not go out, other clutch components are the issue. Lots of other fiat owner are all having the same issue. Gives out with no warning.

- Lakewood, WA, USA

problem #62

May 082022

500

  • 35,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Fiat 500. The vehicle had previously been serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V302000 (Power Train) however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was not able to downshift and the gear shifter was stuck in neutral(N). The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.

- San Francisco, CA, USA

problem #61

Dec 202020

500

  • miles
The clutch is making horrible noises rattling all the time sounds like fork or pressure plate. Seems to be linked to recall but they fixed too late

- Reno, NV, USA

problem #60

Feb 252019

500

  • 48,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Bought my Fiat from 1st owner with 40,000 miles on the odometer. 2nd day of having this car my family and I got in our vehicle & clutch went all the way to the floor & was stuck in gear. 3 months later I found the recall online for my VIN. We had to put dot 3 brake fluid in every other day in the beginning and at this point we put it in at minimum 3 times daily just to be able to shift gears properly. We made an appointment with the Fiat service center to have the recall situation resolved but they had to order the parts which has taken 3 weeks for them to arrive. After a while we could not shift into 2nd gear. About 2 weeks after losing 2nd gear, we lost 3rd gear. Trying to pull onto the highway and merge into traffic going 65 mph is very dangerous. All the while dealing with the loss of brake fluid for the clutch and never knowing when it will just not shift into the next gear. This has happened to us in the middle of a 4 lane highway while trying to downshift to turn. This has happened at stop signs and stop lights & turning in the middle of town. My recall appointment is for 9am February 26th. The evening of the 25th I am leaving my home and exit my drive in 1st gear while I am about to start up a hill, I attempt to shift into 4th gear-nothing. My gearshift just turns in circles freely. I am stranded between two hills in pitch black with only ditches for a shoulder. We could not get it up the hill behind us so we pushed it halfway up the one in front of us across the oncoming lane of traffic into a driveway. Needless to say I can not make my appointment to have the recall parts replaced since my car is non-operational & I am not having it towed 100 miles to my Fiat dealer. I tend to think that the recall issue is the underlying problem with my gears going out. This can not be just a coincidence. These things must be linked.

- Ardmore, OK, USA

problem #59

Jan 152019

500

  • 40,507 miles
I had the clutch replaced on the manual transmission of my 2014 Fiat 500 sport due to the recall in 2016. On 1/15/19, I lost use of the transmission in 1st and 2nd gear just before I got home. As the car limped to the curb outside my house, I could smell the clutch burning. The stick shift felt completely broken and just flopped around on the center console. I had the vehicle towed via flat bed to my Fiat dealer/service department and the diagnosis was that the shifter cables broke and the clutch destroyed. I had everything replace to the cost of $2,436.60. The incident occurred on a city street while in motion. The vehicle has 40,507 miles on the odometer and was purchased new. I find it very hard to believe that after due diligence on my part to have the clutch replaced via the recall, the clutch and transmission would have to be replaced at such low mileage.

- Watervliet, NY, USA

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problem #58

Sep 142018

500

  • 65,000 miles
Clutch pedal sticks to floor when releasing it. Have to manually pull it up. Vehicle is stationary, at a traffic light. Increasing engine RPM seems to pop the pedal up (no longer at the floor) there is no brake fluid leak anywhere. Slave cylinder was replaced and bled properly.

- Sherman, CT, USA

problem #57

Dec 062017

500

  • 95,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2014 Fiat 500. When the vehicle was in neutral or park, the engine would not "rev up" and, sometimes, would not go into gear when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The car pros Fiat seattle dealer (700 S grady way, renton, wa) diagnosed that the transmission failed. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified. The VIN was unknown. The approximate failure mileage was 95,000.

- Rancho Cucamonga, CA, USA

problem #56

Nov 012015

500

  • 66,000 miles
I am seeking answers from Fiat usa. The transmission design for the Fiat 500L trekking is unsafe. I have had three transmission since I purchased the vehicle in February 2015. The first transmission broke apart while I was driving the vehicle. The second and third stopped working after clutch overheating, shifting, and communication loss. Fiat placed a fourth transmission in the vehicle and I refuse to continue to drive it. I have been in some dangerous driving situations because of the faulty transmissions. Fiat response "were going to fix your car regardless if you agree with us".

- Matteson, IL, USA

problem #55

May 102016

500

  • miles
The contact owns a 2014 Fiat 500. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16V302000 (power train); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

- Oceanside, CA, USA

problem #54

Jan 272017

500

  • 10 miles
Fiat told me the problem related to the pressure plate which is not related to the safety recall that Fiat issued to consumer in 2016. Also, the fail symptom is the gear is failed to propulsion when only engine is on but its not when engine is off. Fiat technician deny this cause by the defect of the clutch design. May I have expert to provide the advice on this.

- San Jose, CA, USA

problem #53

Jan 202017

500

  • 60,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2014 Fiat 500. When the vehicle was placed into first gear using the clutch, the rpms increased and a burning odor occurred before the vehicle would gain power. When the vehicle was shifted into second gear, it failed to shift properly due to the clutch slipping. The contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the clutch pressure plate and/or disk failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The failure was related to NHTSA campaign number: 16V302000 (power train). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #52

Jan 052017

500 4-cyl

  • 34,000 miles
Under cold conditions (25 degrees F) and first startup of the day, when driving vehicle in city driving the vehicle's throttle response will stop working intermittently. The issue typically occurs after starting the vehicle in the morning in sub-freezing temperatures and then driving in 1st and 2nd gear to exit residence and enter traffic. Upon stopping at a stop light or sign, and then proceeding to accelerate, the vehicle's throttle will malfunction and the gas pedal will not respond when pressed. The rpms will drop to about 1300rpms and enter what feels like limp mode momentarily until the gas pedal is pumped a few times and then it will resume accelerating as normal. No error codes are thrown and the local Fiat studio cannot get the error to duplicate. This is a safety issue as it typically happens while entering into traffic and the vehicle becomes unresponsive. 2014 Fiat 500L trekking with manual transmission. This has happened each winter I have driven the vehicle. Video evidence has been submitted to Fiat with no resolution.

- Sandy, UT, USA

problem #51

Apr 012016

500

  • 26,640 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Fiat 500. While driving, the vehicle would shift into the neutral gear and the vehicle would decelerate. The dealer discovered that the automatic transmission failed, but there were no failure codes to verify the specific issue with the automatic transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 26,640.

- Los Osos, CA, USA

problem #50

Aug 012015

500

  • 26,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Fiat 500. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the transmission failed to shift into first or second gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission failed. The actuator clutch release, the clutch pressure plate and the disc were replaced. The contact indicated that approximately 25,000 miles later, the failure reoccurred. The contact also indicated that the vehicle had experienced a head cylinder failure and was repaired. No further information was available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 26,000.

- Abingdale, AZ, USA

problem #49

May 162016

500

  • miles
The contact owns a 2014 Fiat 500. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16V302000 (power train). The part to do the repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The VIN was unknown. The contact had not experienced a failure.

- Tembroke Ponds, FL, USA

problem #48

May 222016

500

  • 32,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Fiat 500. While driving various speeds, the gears failed to shift or would delay in shifting without warning. When the brake pedal was depressed, the hazard warning lights illuminated and the radio failed. The dealer was unable to duplicate any of the failures. The radio was replaced on two different occasions. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000.

- Kissimmee, FL, USA

problem #47

Nov 082016

500

  • 46,573 miles
It suddenly loses power. Not the electrical components but as in it will suddenly and with no warning, stop driving. I can be driving down the road and the acceleration will cease to work. There is no sound. The car is running, there aren't any warning lights, no indication at all that something is wrong accept you can push the petal to the floor and the car won't move. Or it will suddenly move very very slowly. The scariest incident was on 11-8-16. I was on old alexandria trnpk trying to cross 2 lanes of traffic on lee hwy to make a left turn and go northbound. When there was a break in traffic, I accelerated to cross the road. As I was crossing the first lane, my car stopped moving. I pressed fractically on the accelerator, mashing it to the floor with no response as I watched the oncoming traffic that I was currently sitting horizontally in front of; hit their breaks and swerve to miss me. I turned the steering wheel to the right as hard as I could and let the car roll over to the side of the road. The tail end of my car was still sitting out in traffic when it rolled to a stop. I put it in park and turned it off then immediately turned it back on. It started with no problem and the accelerator worked as it should. I turned the car around and started back on the road when it happened again. At that point I called a tow truck. It was towed to the dealer where it was purchased less than 2 yrs ago. After 2 days in the shop the dealer mechanic told me that they couldn't say for sure what the problem was but that they thought it might be the clutch. They said that the 2014 Fiat with the 'dual clutch' transmissions had so many problems that they did not make any more in 2015. It's a $5K repair that is not covered by my warranty and there is no guarantee that it will fix the problem. Further research turned up that there are thousands of Fiat owners with this problem.

- Warrenton, VA, USA

problem #46

Sep 302016

500

  • 5,400,000 miles
Air conditioner electrical fire and transmission not shifting or moving while on idle.

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #45

Jul 232016

500

  • 11,000 miles
Transmission overheats, causing an alert on the display to place the transmission in neutral then back to drive. Vehicle is unresponsive until this is accomplished and lacks power. /this occured at various speeds from 35 to 5 mph. According to message boards, this is a known problem. Even received information from the Fiat dealer that they were offering special incentives to replace vehicles with this transmission. This was a sales pitch and not an hones offer to correct the problem.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #44

Sep 012016

500

  • 25,000 miles
While in a drive through, smoke began pouring from the hood. Had vehicle inspected, was told this is normal for Fiat, and clutch was in process of burning out. This is a 2014 with 20K miles. The fact that a clutch burning out is "normal" at this low of miles is shocking. Now experiencing acetone smell from exhaust, which I am still being told is a sign of the 'normal' clutch burning smell.

- Greenwood, IN, USA

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