FIAT
reviews and complaints

My experience with Fiat Brasil has been a mix of positives and areas for improvement. The process of purchasing a car was smooth, with a good selection and friendly staff. However, I found the after-sales service lacking in responsiveness. The maintenance appointments were delayed, and the communication could be better. The overall quality of the vehicles is decent, but there is room for enhancement in customer service.

November 4, 2018

Chrysler Corporation

I am writting to share my experience and unfortunate disappoinment with the purchase of not one (1) but two (2) of your FIAT SUVs.

When I decided to purchase my very first brand new car, I did not hesitate at all on pursuing my dream car, which just so happened to be a FIAT 500L.

As a single parent and mother of two (2) children and living on a fixed income, I decided to pursue my dream of owning a brand new car. Lttle did I know my dream would turn into a nightmare in the month of March 2015 when I visited FIAT of SAN JUAN located in Puerto Rico and bought a brand new 2015 FIAT 500L Model POP VIN: ZFBCFAAH4FZ031474. The car came equipped with nothing but problems from the very beginning including issues with the transmission and loss of power going up hills among other things.

In order to purrchase my new FIAT 500L, my dad signed over the title of ownership of a Ford Taurus which was the family car I used to drive prior to handing it over as a trade-in that valued at approximately one thousand three hundred dollars ($1, 300.00).

Excited about taking ownership of my very first brand new FIAT 500L, I signed all of the paper work without any hesitation. At the time, I found the monthly payments of four hundred sixty four dollars ($464.00) a bit high, but since I was living with my parents at the time, I felt I would be able to sacrifice and make the payments with no problems.

On or around August 10, 2015, approximately about six (6) months after I bought the car, I had to return to the dealer to repair something that went wrong with the rear windshield wiper. I had to wait until October 3, 2015 in order to get it repaired by the dealer since the work that needed to get done would take a full day and I couldn't leave the car earlier because it was my only means of transportation.

On this same day, The vehicle needed to get the oil changed so I decided to have the vehicle serviced. During the maintenance service, the dealership (FIAT of San Juan), noticed the radiator was leaking coolant, which was suppossed to have been repaired by the dealer.

On October 6, 2015, I had to have the vehicle towed from my work place because coolant continued to leak out.
It was later found by the dealer to have had a problem with the engine which was leaking through a defaulted engine gasket.
This was repaired by the dealer and because they did not have the parts available and because this was going to be a major repair I was given a loaner car. It took about (3) three weeks for thr dealer to finally repair my car.

On or around the month of November 2015, I noticed the sound from the stereo system was generating a "static" effect that made the music sound terrible and unbearable to listen to. So once again after notifying the dealer of this, it wasn't until December 16, 2015 the front right speaker was replaced because it was found to have had a defect from the manufacturer causing the problem. This was repaired with no charge. Then unbelievably, on june 13, 2016 I had to return to the dealer once again to notify I was confronting similar problems with the rear right speaker.

On August 6, 2016 I returned to the dealer to notify I was experiencing problems with the transmission and loss of power while driving up hills, but was so fed up about having to visit the dealer for so many issues regarding this vehicle, I sought to speak with a Sales Representative to see if I could return the vehicle or learn about other options.
I met with Sales Representative Jorge L. Ramos, who seemed pleasant and very knowledgeable and informed me that the transmission on the FIAT 500L POP models were "deffective" and causing problems with other clients as well.
It was very unfortunate to learn that I was sold a car that was known to have a hidden vice in regards to the transmission. If I had known about this before hand, I would have never purchased the car in the first place.
After a couple of hours at the dealer, Mr. Ramos showed me the new FIAT 500X model and talked about the improvements that were made to this new model FIAT which I found to be a suitable option.
I thought at last I would be "trouble free" and I would finally have a reliable and more dependable car with tons of new features, however, I was wrong!
Mr. Ramos introduced me to the Finance Manager Ms. Yaitza Nieves who had prepared all of the paper work and numbers for upgrading to the newer 500X model. Since I was so upset with all of the problems regarding the 500L POP model, I felt upgrading to a newer model was my only option. Although the choice to upgrade to the new 500X model came with a more higher financial burden I felt I had no other option than eitiher accepting to purchase this car or turn in my current FIAT 500L and risk ruining my credit.
So I decided once again to make the sacrifice to upgrade, thus my 2nd neiw car purchase.
The monthly payments increased from four hundred sixtey nine dollars ($469.00) to five hundred forty nine (rt$549.00) dollars.

Nonetheless, I traded in my 500L for the new 500x= Vin: zfbcfxbt5gp402726.

At first all was good, but on January 5, 2017 I had to inform the rear gate latch button was broken, although minor, it was the beginning of having to re-visit the dealership once again. It wasn't until February 18, 2017 the latch was repaired at no cost. On this same day, we had to inform, the car lighter stopped working, the center arm rest needed to be re-secured and the outside flare on the driver's side was loose and falling apart. (see pictures)

On or around June 10, 2018 I noticed the car started to over-heat and on June 12, 2018 once again I had to experience having my car towed from my job to the dealership for repairs.
At this time, I was informed by the dealership that the radiator fan was defective and needed to be replaced.
On June 20, 2018 I had to return to the dealer because the car would suddenly "turn off" while driving and the car would emit a "bad smell" similar to burning smoke. The car needed to be electrically boosted in order to drive once again to the dealer.
I was informed by the dealer that the battery was defective and needed to be replaced.
Upon receiving my car from the dealer I spoke with the manager Mr. Cesar Batista to address the issue with the outside flare molding that is loose and appears to be falling apart. As he went outside to inspect the vehicle, he noticed rust (oxidation) just below the hood of the car on the driver's side. He then proceeded to take pictures and reported the issue internally and later informed the dealership agreed to fix the issue regarding the rust which seems to be a manufacturer defect.

This car owes over twenty nine thousand dollars ($29, 000) because a portion of the balance of my previous FIAT 500L was financed into the new car loan for the FIAT 500X.

All of the issues regarding both vehicles have made me sick. I have experienced so much anxiety, stress and tension due to this.
I find it repulsive to think I was taken advantage of twice and I feel as if I should have never traded-in the Ford Taurus. My old family car never gave me as much problems as did these both cars.

I am writing to you first to seek a resolve.
I do not waive any rights and may at my discretion seek legal action against FIAT of San Juan and Chrysler Corporation.
At this time I am only asking for a full refund of all of the payments made.
It is way too early for a 2016 FIAT 500X to be experiencing rust this soon.
I no longer want this vehicle and would prefer my old car back rather then having to pay for a car with so many problems.
I may be reached at [protected] or you may simply respond to my email [protected]@gmail.com.

Sincerely,
Nayda Menéndez

Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.(Por favor considere nuestro ambiente antes de imprimir el e-mail.)

I purchased my new Fiat 500x on new year's day 2017. Since then I have complained that locations and mapping are incorrect. Locations that were there for 8+ years were wrong or a mile off. I also just took a drive up North and went through Atlanta and wow the maps were so incorrect I had to use my phone and not rely on my 7 month old navigation system in my new car. I seem to have found a competent service department and they told me that my maps are up to date for (2013). What? yes, 2013 is the last time Navteq released a set of maps to the public. So this means every vehicle since 2013 still has the same maps as a 2017 vehicle.
I complained to Chrysler / Fiat and they responded - see below
" I can definitely understand why you wanted to bring attention to this! I have documented your concerns in our system however, we do rely on
Navteq to provide updates for our navigation systems. There is a map
reporting program that would allow you to provide feedback on areas that
need attention. If you would like to take advantage of this feature, you
can do so at mapreporter.navteq.com."
So I spend thousands on a vehicle with navigation to find out the navigation is very outdated with no update on the horizon. I am also told to update the maps for Navteq that never releases updates? Chrysler / Fiat should provide up to date maps for customers for free. They should also change map providers if we depend on them to provide us with up to date mapping. This is absolutely ridiculous and a waste of money for a consumer.

dear sir,
i am an owner of a fiat uno in cairo egypt, i am contacting you with sorrow and sadness for my car, ur authorised dealer in cairo: Alaksa burnt my car!
sir i am begging you to read what happened and help me, i am a 27 year old female, vascular surgeon in cairo umiversity hospitals i have had my fiat uno fire 2006 since its production date i am her first owner and i adore my car, it is excellent and durable and i enjoy it very much, i maintain it well and care for it and it has only ran 80 000 Kms since i baught it.
it started heating this summer so i immediatly took her to be examined and they told me it needed a new radiater so i went to ALaksa to install a new one.

they took in the car and 2 hours latter they said the radiater cant be installed due to technical problems and gave me my car to go home saying i must come another day to get the suitable or compatable radiater..

in the desert road outside Alaksa with my 6 month old baby and my 60 year old mum the car over heates and suddenly stops! i get out to open my motor end to find the radiater LEFT OPEN! and a dirty cloth left to burn in my car! i nearly choked with my son and mum in the car...

i called then for help they said so what stay in the desert until it cooles down then go find WATER! they left us for 2 hours until my son had a sunstroke! until a taxi came along and took us...
my husband then went to borrow a car and took the engineer to go see the damage, they said we dont know anything and they all switched oof thier phones and left us again in the desert to rot...

my car now has damages beyond repair in the engine and i am truly writing this with tears on my face feeling helpless and filled with sadness.. i only ask you to do what is fair.. My husband has a fiat punto and my sister in law has a sienna... u see we are a fiat family! i love ur cars..

the service center is

Center el aksa

Address: Plot No. 62 p part V, Industrial Area, Zahraa Maadi
the name of the person who worked on my car is Muhammad Ali

the engineers who knew the problem and left me in the desert are Eng. hossam and Eng Alaa.

wrong commitment of car warranty(at the time of selling car they commit 2 year normal warranty but now they provide only 1 yr warranty) and very bad service provided by dealer
Car model:- Fiat Linea emotion pack
Dealer Name:- Urmil motors
1-[protected] complain number registered in fiat
Proof:- dealer stamped service manual with 2 year warranty

My email id:- [protected]@yahoo.com

My fiat punto was recently recalled for corrosion of the break pipes. i already new the breakpipes were severly corroded was going to replace them my self untill the recall came through the door.

So phoned our local fiat dealer who is morrisons in stirling who is also the seat dealer.

Morrisons told us to bring the car in and they would check out the condition of the break pipes 1 day later they said they replaced the corroded pipe work. went to pick car up from garage took it home and checked out the bteak pipes to find out they had only rubbed them down and painted them with underseal so i phoned them and told them that the work was not satisfactory and that the car would not pass an mot with pipes in that condition but they didnt want to no.put the car in for an mot and yes it failed on break pipes front and rear severly corroded and during the brake test rear brake pipe burst.but morrisons refuse to take resposability for the pipes.does anyone no how or who we should contact to take this further as mr family could have been killed in this car had the pipe burst out on the road.

i have bought a linea emotion pack on 21st Nov.2009 with regn no.DL 5CE 1996 on a trust that every body is using a fiat technology and lot of my well wishers told me not to buy linea but i over ruled every body and go with my decission but regret to say that i am wrong and others are correct as their is lot of major quality issues in it please note down

1. very less road clearance due to which it stuckup on breakers and path holes even though if they are small whereas verna, ford fiesta and city don't
i have faced lot of problems due this, which you can see from the history card from your systems also

2. Repeated problem of check engine arouses from last three i.e july, aug, sept and yet again yesterday it is towed away by your road asstt.staff. i am not able to understand that why i have spent 9 lacs rupeess on this when i am afraid of driving this car, which can stop anywhere any time in middle of road and it happens four times .

this is the 4th time this car is towed away for the same problem and it has been towed thrice earlier for the same but no improvements.

3. Breaks are not so good when ever i have pressed it on high speed it gives a feeling of jettering due to which again i afraid of pressing it. Also please note that I have to change the break shoe on 30000 kms which is not expected in a premium car so early but the breaks problem remain as it is.

i am fed off with all these daily problems and mental harassment therefore i request you to kindly exchange this car with a new one and take this for your R&D. If no action or permanent solution is done than i dont have any other option but to move to consumer court.

Please note the same problem I have lodged twice or thrice at your customer care centres but I got no response from your team.

The vehicle is lying at Dhingra Motors, Gurgaon, Haryana.

Your early action on the above shall be highly appreciated.

Regards

Tarun Malik
[protected]

H.No-593P sector-10A,
Gurgaon

I want to complain about this dealership on Yaxchilan Ave. that has been a pain in the butt since they remolded the old Dodge site on the avenue. They started remodeling about 2-3 years ago, and kept a cement mixer, and loud construction noise until 5am more than once. Then, for their grand opening, of course, they had a speaker outside with loud music all day long, and since then, we have had constant noise pollution. I live across the street, in an apartment building next to a Hotel, and a kindergarten. Most people I know work at night, and almost all of us work in the tourism industry, which is the lifeblood of Cancun. Myself and many neighbors have complained about this loud music, many times to no avail. At one point, there was an employee (who we personally observed) who intentionally turned the music up to annoy and molest. He was either transfered or fired, but no matter, the problem started up again. We have even called the press, sent emails to the main office, and nobody seems to care at all. The music on this outside speaker is SO loud at times that we can't even listen to our own music on our own stereo. These people are bad neighbors. They don't care about people who have to live and work for a living, just like them. They seem to think they own the entire block. I realize that this is Mexico, but there are limits to anything, and since there is no planning or zoning here like in the US, we have to make do, but this is absolutely ridiculous. If the music is to attract costumers, it's not working, and why should we have to suffer? We're not their customers...Anyway, I hope this might get some attention, so Fiat can retain a better reputation with PR. So far, if I were to buy a car, it would never be A Fiat because we have been permanently turned off and pissed off by their attitude towards their neighbors...Also, in the past, a friend called, asking in english to please turn the music down. Guess how a "professional" answered the phone, and I quote, he said, "Go ### yourself!" This is an example of Fiat's wonderful Public Relations in Mexico...

To

TATA Motors Ltd

Fiat Division

KOLKATA

Dear Sir,

Sub : Complain regarding manufacturing defects & others.

Ref : Fiat Linea. Ch. No. 9000506 Dt. 29.06.09

I want to bring your kind attention on the following facts & problems I am facing from day one of the purchase.

Kilo-meter not working.
Cigarette lighter out of order 100 %.
Noise while switching on AC.
Cooling of AC very poor.
Noise when releasing brake.
Steering Noise.
Suspension noise.
Front Panel button gone inside.
There are Screw driver marks on the panel as if it was opened & repaired.
We feel we have been supplied old stock vehicle or a DEMO car where as we are informed as May’09 manufactured.

I personally feel that I was cheated on this particular car, hence we have differed purchasing 2 more FIAT cars / Linea & Punto ) and have gone for Maruti Dzire & Swift, we can provide you with proofs.

My son called up your sales person at Kolkata what he says why you are complaing now after 1 month secondly he says you must have driven the good no of Kms, so he means a car is a show peace.

Some of the faults were informed to the dealer ( RD Motors Kolkata ) while on way to Asansol after taking delivery.

I request you to replace the car & oblige.

Thanking you

Yours faithfully

Ms. Saroj Dokania

31st July 2009

[protected]

I have a 2007 fiat punto and the gear box has blown, fiat will not fix under warranty as the say the car has been over driven 255 times. This has been flagged up by the cars computer system. This is the third thing that has went wrong. First was the window wiper stopped working and then the drivers door wouldn't open from the inside and now the gear box.

Last year (february 2005) we bought a brand new fiat palio go! (the old shape) and was very excited because it was our first new car we bought as a family. Two weeks after we had to send back the car with minor problems like a squeak here and a rattle there, and one of the complaints was that the steering wheel had? Play? On. Later that day the workshop manager phoned me to tell me that they have to replace the steering rack because it was faulty. A week after all of this happened, I accidentally scratched the car on the fender and had it re-sprayed at a panel-beater. One of the workers who worked on my car there showed me that the car was re-sprayed at the back on the boot, the paint is pealing off and the boot door is not aligned properly. I took it up with ic fiat in kempton park and they said that I will have to wait for the factory manager to have a look, I never saw him! One month later I noted that there was a wining noise and clucking noise at the engine and that I thought it was the gearbox so we took it back again to discuss the matter about the boot and the noise and the car jerked badly. The workshop manager assured me that it was nothing bad but the steering rack was loose so they just tightened the bolts and clean out the throttle body, regarding the boot issue, he just told me that they are still waiting for the factory manager to sort it out (he never looked at my car). About three months later the wining noise got bad and we had to take it back again, the clutch packed up so we had to replace it (luckily it is still under warranty) and the workshop manager explained to me that if they would have to re-spray the boot it would take too long and we will be without a car for at least a week or two and we have no other vehicle, so we had no choice but to have left the matter there.in december I had to take the car back because it was jerking and they cleaned out the throttle body again and replaced a cv boot that came loose and did a minor serbice. I also told them that the cv joint won? T last long and they assured me that there is nothing wrong with the cv joint; 3months later they had to replace the cv joint! Even after I spoke to fiat south africa twice in last year and twice in january and march this year they assured me that the national after sales manager would get back to me and? Test drive? My car, but they never phoned me back, a consultant at fiat sa told me that the car is still under warranty so why not just send it in the whole time so after a while they would have replaced the whole car by then, I did not think that was funny! At the beginning of june the fiat after sales manager, dino, phoned me to tell me that he has spoken to fiat boksburg and arranged for my vehicle to go in for repairs (replace the clutch again!). At that stage we could not go because they cannot accommodate us with a courtesy car or at the time we have to be at work, he then told me that I have to phone him back after my holiday in nelspruit to confirm with him that we have to take the car in but for the last two weeks his phone just goes on to voice mail and he never returns any of my calls. There is a bad rattle noise in front at the steering and there is a lot of play on the steering wheel, my wife and 5 month old baby drives in that car every day and if something would happen to them, I will sue fiat sa for everything they have! I insist on a new or at least give us a deposit for a new/better/reliable car. I do not care if the car is older then one year and has 34000km on the clock, I bought the car brand new and a week after we had to replace the steering rack already! Within one year and four months our car was in the workshop for over eighteen times now and I kept all the job-cards to prove it... We are fed up and when our warranty expires next year feb, who will have to pay for the repairs then?! Fiat, pack your bags because I think you? Re in for a downfall, go back to europe!