Fiat 500 won't shift problems

Filed Sep 10, 2026 · MD

I am filing a complaint concerning a recurring gear shift failure in my 2012 fiat 500c. The same failure has occurred three times between June 10 and September 8, 2026. On June 10, 2026 I was able to move shift lever but the transmission remained in reverse and would not shift into another gear despite multiple attempts. I did not know what the cause or problem was and had no knowledge that it might be related to a safety recall. I had vehicle towed to an independent repair shop who subsequently diagnosed a faulty gear shifter and replaced it and this restored the vehicles operation. The shop was able to replace the faulty part and the car was returned to me on June 12, 2026. On August 21, 2026the same failure occurred again. I was able to move the shifter but the transmission remained in neutral regardless of the selected shifter position and I had to push the vehicle onto the side of the road. Again the vehicle was undriveable and was towed to an authorized dealership who diagnosed a faulty gear shifter. The dealership performed the repair under safety recall VB4/the federal safety agency recall 19V‑817 concerning the gear shifter cable adjust/bushing. The dealership then returned the vehicle to me as repaired on September 4, 2026. The vehicle sat parked for the following 3 days and was operated on September 8, 2026. On September 8, 2026 the exact same failure occurred a third time and after the authorized dealership completed the recall repaired. The gearshift lever moved, but the transmission would not change gears and the indicator remained in drive. The vehicle was again undriveable and had to be towed back to the dealership. Stellantis/FCAopened several case numbers and a case manager informed me the dealership would not be able to inspect the vehicle for 8 days. I was also informed that Stellantis/FCAand the dealership would not provide rental or alternate transportation assistance while the disabled vehicle awaited inspection.

Filed May 12, 2026 · Transmission · NV

The clutch went out while downshifting upon making a turn onto a street. The gear shift became wobbly and would not shift into any gear. This happened without warning. Minutes before, my passenger and I were driving across town on a freeway.

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 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 Jul 21, 2021 · Transmission · CA

The car has two recalls for power train. In the past year and a half of owning the Fiat, the car’s power train has been stuck in park 3 times. The shift is unable to move out of park without being forced out manually. When the car is driven, it has to be manually removed from park to move and the dashboard goes blank. The car doesn’t show speed or gas amount. This is dangerous and can lead to crashes resulting in death. It is emotionally, mentally and financially exhausting having to do a $600+ repair every so often because the power train becomes damaged. This issue has caused me to lose lots of sleep and money since my car is my main source of transportation during this tough time. It is unreliable to its driver and the Fiat dealership has deemed it as okay to drive when it clearly is a safety hazard for drivers and pedestrians.

Filed Nov 12, 2020 · Transmission · 65 miles · AZ

My vehicle has 37,000 miles when driving on the freeway vehicle got stuck in gear causing a safety concern, luckily I was able to make it home safely with the vehicle stuck in gear. There is a recall on my vehicle that says vehicle may get stuck in gear, I was never notified of the recall by fiat, took vehicle to fiat dealership and was told it has an internal gear failure inside the transmission that is not associated with the recall and they will not repair it even though in the recall it states vehicle can become stuck in gear, failure to take care of the recall can cause transmission failure and the dealership is aware of this however they will not repair the vehicle that still runs but is stuck in gear.

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.