2013 Fiat 500: stuck in gear or won't shift

Filed Nov 4, 2025 · Transmission · NY

While driving 40mph, pressed clutch and the transmission would not shift into gear. Car began to slow in traffic ans I was unable to accelerate as the clutch would not engage a gear. Mamaged to sagely get iff road. No fluid leaks found. Would shift into gear with car off. Gear selection works, not a shift cable issue.

Filed Jan 30, 2024 · Transmission · 72,000 miles · OH

The contact owns a 2013 Fiat 500. The contact stated that upon shifting the vehicle into drive, the RPMs increased, but the vehicle failed to move, and had lost motive power. The contact shifted the vehicle to manual mode, and manually shifted the transmission into first gear and drove the vehicle. However, the vehicle would not shift into higher than third gear while in manual mode. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19V817000 (Power Train) but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 72,000.

Filed Nov 16, 2023 · Acceleration, Steering · TX

The car is difficult to accelerate and makes a loud hum over 50. It wont shift into reverse. It is confirmed that it is a transmission issue and the whole thing has to be replaced. I found on a mechanic's site that there is an open recall S34 however my VIN is not included despite the fact that my car has the same issue as the recall. The clutch diaphragm spring fails, the driver may not be able to shift gears or the vehicle may lose motive power, increasing the risk of a crash.

Filed Jun 27, 2022 · Brakes, Electrical · TX

Car break shift lock stuck in park with various different elements illuminating on the dash. Must manually override break shift lock to put car in neutral, start the car, and put it in drive or reverse. Will no go over 40 mph. Power steering will unexpectedly go out in addition to fuel cut off, ABS, and electronic stability control also stopping. Have had brake light switch replaced for temporary fix, and replaced the battery. Has passed multiple 20 point inspections with no visible damage. The same problem has reoccurred and the fiat mechanics only idea is to replace the entire shifter column and see if any other codes are appearing.

Filed Jul 7, 2020 · Transmission · 7 miles · IL

While driving to my house, I put my vehicle in revers (a 5-speed stick shift), and my stick shift cable broke. My vehicle will not shift out of reverse. Luckily, this occurred right outside of my house, but could have resulted in serious injury if I was on the road. The car now is stuck in reverse and cannot be used.

Filed Feb 17, 2020 · Transmission · 96,500 miles · GA

Late in march 2019 I went out to my car at work to drive home (hour commute via mostly highway roads). When I put my car in reverse, the stick shift didn't seem right. When I attempted to put the car in 1st gear it would not go. At that point I only had 2nd and 4th gear available (3rd and 5th would also not work). I drove home at lower speeds due to not being able to shift into 5th gear. I immediately dropped the car off at a tires plus in athens, ga where I live. I thought my clutch had gone out as by the time I got there I could no longer shift gears at all (stuck in 2nd). Over the next few days, tire plus told me they thought it was my transmission and they advised me to look into getting it fixed elsewhere due to them not being able to do the work. One of the techs there did mention the possibility that it could be the shifter cable and that it might be worth it to take it to a chrysler dealership to verify. I then picked the car up and delicately drove it to athens dodge chrysler jeep on 4/1/19. They ran diagnostics and determined sure enough- it was a broken shift cable (invoice attached says they "replaced shifter cables"). I recently became aware of a recall (via mail?) on fiats in the age range of my vehicle (the federal safety agency campaign id: 19v817000 and chrysler recall #vb4) and upon looking into it on both the federal safety agency and fiat sites, for whatever reason my car wasn't under the recall. I called chrysler directly at 800‑853‑1403 and the representative I spoke to said she didn't understand why my VIN # wasn't one that was recalled based on the nature of the malfunction and subsequent repair last april. She said that people call all the time having already had the work completed prior to the official recall seeking (and receiving) reimbursement. She suggested going to this site to request that my specific vehicle be added to the recall so that I could be reimbursed, as well.

Filed Jun 6, 2018 · Transmission · 98,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 fiat 500. The contact stated that the vehicle would not shift gears and remained in neutral while attempting to shift into park. As a result of the failure, the vehicle continued to roll and almost crashed. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. The manufacturer was contacted and stated there were no recalls on the vehicle. The failure mileage was 98,000.

Filed Dec 28, 2016 · 6,800 miles · PA

The fiat has continuous difficulty shifting gears. Many times it won't shift out of 2nd or 3rd gear at all even when going at highway speeds. The RPM stays at 3-4 when this happens. It is also difficult to accelerate without feeling like the car is going to explode. In mid-november I was looking online as to a possible problem and found a recall "s34" that began on 11/10/16 where it is described as "the clutch diaphragm spring can fracture & fail, causing an inability to switch gears". The remedy was to install a clutch pedal limiter & clutch pedal switch. The dealer said that there was no remedy at this time. I went on this website again and now there is no recalls listed? Called several people including the fca recall line and there isn't a recall for this car. When I checked online before I saw many comments and complaints about not being able to get the recall s34 part, so a solution was never reached.

Filed Aug 25, 2016 · Transmission · 59,000 miles · PA

I was driving on a 45 MPH road when suddenly the clutch peddle fell to the floor, became extremely stiff and became unresponsive. The gear shifter stayed stuck in second gear and could not move. This was a narrow, windy road with no shoulder and significant elevation changes running through a densely wooded area of pennsylvania. There was no where to pull over and other cars on the road. There is currently a recall for this clutch but the parts have not yet been manufactured. I have already had the clutch replaced once, so this new clutch also suddenly failed without warning and with no signs of the usual clutch wear and fatigue. Just sudden clutch failure while driving. The car has59000 miles on it and is only3 years old. Fiat expects me to pay in full to have the same defective clutch parts installed a third time. I can then apply for reimbursement for these known defective parts. I will then have to bring the car back for a fourth clutch when the new parts are available under tyre recall.