Fiat 500 transmission failure problems

Filed Sep 21, 2026 · Transmission · MD

The contact owns a 2012 Fiat 500. The contact stated that upon shifting the gear shifter into drive(D), park(P), or reverse(R), the transmission failed to shift into the intended gear and shifted into a different gear. The vehicle was towed to the dealer after each failure. The dealer repaired the vehicle under the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19V817000 (Power Train); however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure several times by phone and by an online complaint. Several cases were filed and the contact was referred to the dealer for assistance.

Filed Aug 2, 2024 · Transmission · 170,000 miles · KS

The contact owns a 2012 Fiat 500. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 16V302000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while attempting to reverse, the transmission failed to respond as needed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, and it was confirmed that the recall repair was not yet available and there was no expected date when parts would be available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 170,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

Filed Aug 22, 2023 · Transmission · 187,000 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2012 Fiat 500. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle, and the transmission failed to shift gear properly and lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to push the vehicle into a parking lot. The dealer was contact and stated there was no recall on the VIN. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was 187,000.

Filed Aug 25, 2022 · Engine, Suspension · TX

I've had 3 different issues with the transmission- There's been 1 recall on the clutch- The transmission put me in Great danger I was driving on the freeway about 60 mph when the car just popped into neutral- I was terrified and I managed to pull to safety to put the manual transmission into gear- I didn't want it to happen again- I had to hold the gear until I got to an exit to get off the freeway- I had the Fiat towed to the dealership and fixed- then 6 months later driving again and it jumps out of gear into Neutral another scare- I put it in the shop and it cost me $4646,00 to replace the transmission, I really would like this serious safety hazzard investigated so no one gets hurt- I was Blessed to be able to think fast to save my life on a busy Highway my safety and others was put at risk because it could have caused a crash- It gives no warning at all- car is available upon request I have all receipts I can send -for some reason I was unable to download to this Site

Filed Jan 26, 2022 · Transmission · 117,525 miles · FL

The contact owns a 2012 Fiat 500. The contact stated that the vehicle would not reverse while the gear shifter was in Reverse. The dealer had previously replaced the gear shifter in June 2021; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired and remained with the independent mechanic. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The vehicle had previously been serviced in 2019 under the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19V817000 (Power Train). The failure mileage was 117,525.

Filed Apr 7, 2021 · Transmission · 74,000 miles · TX

Vehicle was acting a little strange on a trip to the store. I saw smoke coming from under the hood when I pulled into the parking spot. Upon this happening the car would not go back into gear. Had it towed to a dealership and was informed of the s34 recall on the clutch. The spring had failed causing the clutch to fail. The recall fix was completed and when I picked my car up I noticed it was very hard to shift into gears-but thought it was due to the new clutch. I went to the store and when I went to leave it grinded so loud when I put it in reverse. I waited so I could pull forward instead. I took it back to the dealership and was told that my transmission was going out but was instructed on how to just push it into gear through the grinding until I could get a new transmission. That the recall had nothing to do with the transmission issue. I found this absolutely unacceptable and opened a case with fiat-who is still trying to tell me that the two issues have nothing to do with each other. I am attaching documentation I have found that shows fca stating that the recall can cause excessive clutch travel and that over time cause damage to the transmission-limiting a driver's ability to change gears!!!!! I am getting nowhere with them and basically have a hunk of metal now.

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 Jun 15, 2020 · Transmission · 67,000 miles · CA

My fiat 500 has 67,000 miles on it and the transmission died while I was driving on the highway at 60mph. There were no indications prior to this event that anything was wrong with the vehicle.

Filed Oct 29, 2019 · Transmission · 82,800 miles · CA

Bought this vehicle on oct 19th 2019 while driving the transmission skipped several times this is a 2012 500 pop model fiat automatic. .afraid to drive fast fear of transmission failure ,specially noticable when going up a grade and when depressing fuel pedal to pass .

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.