2014 Fiat 500: stuck in gear or won't shift

Filed May 10, 2022 · Transmission · 35,000 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2014 Fiat 500. The vehicle had previously been serviced under the federal safety agency 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.

Filed Feb 26, 2019 · Transmission · 48,000 miles · OK

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.

Filed Dec 15, 2017 · Transmission · 95,000 miles · CA

Tl* 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.

Filed Jan 23, 2017 · Electrical, Engine · 34,000 miles · UT

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.

Filed Mar 22, 2016 · Transmission · WI

It has the euro twin automatic clutch system, and the transmission is very slow to respond. When trying to accelerate the car will sit for a sew seconds before finally going. It has put us in near-accident situation several times. Its hard to speed up to merge on a highway, or get through a round-about. We never know if the car is going to go or just sit there. It has had the software updates done 3 times, and has been reported to fiat. All they tell us is "its working as it should" instead of acknowledging that the system itself is flawed. We do not feel safe driving it through town or even on the highway because it just does not shift gears like a should and we can't trust it.

Filed Sep 10, 2015 · Engine, Transmission · 3,506 miles · ME

I was pulling into traffic on an extremely busy road. There is always heavy traffic on this road so you must pull out into traffic quickly. When doing so I pressed the gas pedal almost to the floor. The car did not shift into any gear. It was like it went into neutral. The RPM's reved and it would not move. I was almost hit on both sides of the vehical. This happened on saturday sept. 5th. On tues. Sept 8th I was on an on ramp to the interstate. I once again pressed firmly onthe gas pedel to be able to meger into traffic and quickly get up to speed. While doing so, the car acted the same way. It was like it was in neutral. I was once again almost hit by several cars. I called fiat in portland and demanded they look at the car. At first they could'nt get me in as they were over booked. I explained that I have surgery in mass. On friday the 11th and I cannot drive this car on a four lane highway. I feel extremely unsafe in this vehicle. I have many other mechanical problems that they are looking into as well. This is the worst car that I have ever purchaced. I have also contacted fiat USA.

Filed Dec 27, 2014 · Transmission · 9,000 miles · NM

Cold weather problem. 29 degf outside on occurrence. Shifter will not move from "park" position. This has cleared up before after letting vehicle warm up. It is still in this condition presently. I rocked vehicle forward and back, checked fuses, let it warm up to 39 deg f outside with the vehicle running for 20 minutes. Still stuck in park. Last winter the shift lever would move into position, but the transmission would not engage until after the vehicle warmed up. The fiat dealership did a firmware flash update which cleared that up. Now this. This is a 2014 fiat 500l I have seen other reports of the same problem on fiat owner blogs indicating this is a "common" problem which needs to be addressed. One blog suggested it may be voltage related.

Filed Mar 7, 2014 · Engine, Transmission · 6,400 miles · TX

Does not shift into gear. Vehicle came to a complete stop while driving, very dangerous being on the expressway with family. After several attempts vehicle began to shift again. Repeated problems occur sporadic throughout the week.

Filed Feb 7, 2014 · Transmission · 800 miles · VA

While in motion, vehicle would not shift out of 2nd gear -- up or down. I also tried shifting manually without success. I stopped vehicle on side of road. When I attempted to restart vehicle, it would not start -- no engine cranking. After 10 minutes, something was felt disengaging and vehicle started and was driven without incident to dealership for repair. Another 500l loaner car was provided and the next day, the exact same thing happened to it. It would not shift out of 2nd gear. Car and driver also released their review in february with similar issues and many others have reported the problem online. The manufacturer has stated that it is a known software issue that cannot be released without epa approval. This vehicle is not only unreliable, but unsafe.

Filed Jan 24, 2014 · Engine, Transmission · 8,000 miles · MI

Car does not shift from park to drive. Instrument panel relays many warnings (gear not available, transmission warning, seek service) and check engine light comes on. This is occurring daily now and fiat does not have a fix. Codes can be cleared by the dealership and the transmission module is where the warnings are stored. I have been told it is safe to drive. I have been told to let the car warm up for 2 minutes before putting it into drive.