Fiat Chrysler will pay up to $105 million in penalties and fines, and will buy back almost half a million recalled vehicles after an NHTSA investigation found the automobile manufacturer violated auto safety regulations. The fines include a $70 million cash payment, an agreement that Fiat Chrysler will spend $20 million improving its recall process and an additional $15 million payable if the automaker is found to have committed any further violations. Continue reading
Category Archives: Fiat
2013 Fiat 500 Electric California Lemon Law Buyback
After leasing his 2013 Fiat 500 Electric in January 2014, the owner began experiencing repeated problems with his car. He had been taking the vehicle back in since February 2015 and had given his Fiat Chrysler (FCA) dealership five chances to try and repair his Fiat. His 500E had been out of service for over 32 days within the first 18,000 miles and the problems were still not fixed. Continue reading
Fiat Chrysler Investigated For Recall Deficiencies
In October 2014, the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened an audit query to investigate the delays of recall campaigns 13V-528 and 13V-529, after owners complained about difficulty obtaining service appointments and part availability issues. The NHTSA experienced additional concerns with the administration, execution, and pace of an additional 22 safety recalls as a result of complaints from vehicle owners involving part availability issues, lack of notification, and misinformation from dealers. Continue reading
2013-2015 Fiat 500 Unexpectedly Shifts To Neutral
In April 2015, Fiat’s Vehicle Safety And Regulatory Compliance deportment began an investigation into certain 2013-2015 Fiat 500 battery electric vehicles after receiving warranty reports of loss of driving power. A review of the problem found that rapid operation of the cruise control speed adjustment switch or accelerator pedal application, while in cruise control, may set a diagnostic trouble code in the Elective Vehicle Control Unit (EVCU). This code will will force the vehicle into safe mode and automatically shift the vehicle into neutral. Once the fault code is set, a key cycle is required to allow the vehicle to shift out of neutral. Continue reading
2013 Fiat 500e Powertrain Repeated Repair Attempts
In August 2013, Chrysler opened an investigation into certain 2013 Fiat 500e battery electric vehicles because drivers were experiencing excessive noise from the powertrain and loss of drive capability. The investigation found that due to product, process, and rework anomalies, the half shaft joints on the suspect vehicles may not have been engineered and developed for this application. Continue reading
