I’ve had my Abarth 500e for just over a year now, and shortly after getting it I raised an issue with the drive modes that has still not been resolved.
The problem is with regenerative braking/one pedal driving in Street mode. In Turismo mode regen works as expected, but in Street mode there is none at all. As far as I can determine, Track and Street Mode are identical. The car is fully usable…but can only be used in full track mode, or ‘eco’ mode and nothing in between.
The dealer gathered diagnostic data early on and passed it to FIAT technical, who confirmed that the firmware was the correct version. Reflashing was not an option apparently. The dealer then pursued the ABS module as a possible cause, attempting to replace it twice, but both attempts failed (they could not get the new ABS modules to work) and the problem remained.
As the year anniversary approached I started looking at other options but then unexpectedly a new batch of cars was announced in New Zealand. When that happened, I told the dealer that they needed to replace the vehicle under warranty. In New Zealand Consumer legislation would certainly require repair or replacement if the dealer/importer did not do so under warranty. The dealer had discussions with the FIAT NZ importer and came back with notice that the factory will release a new software version within the next week that may finally address it.
The software update is apparently not a VIN specific update…but a general update that will permit the regen mode to be modified or fixed. If the fault is in the PEB or EVCU I would suspect it will be hardware…something is not outputting the correct Street Regen signal to the Automatic Braking System. If the end result is the same drive mode / functions as other Abarth’s then there will be no issue. On the other hand, if the ‘turismo’ drive mode settings are effectively moved to the Street mode with the same throttle response and lower power mode…that will definitely be a problem. I have told the dealer if the drive mode software fix appears to be inconsistent I will need to compare with one of the new cars. If it is not identical they will replace the vehicle.
I’d be interested to know if anyone else with an Abarth 500e or standard 500e has experienced the same drive mode issue, and whether a software update or another fix resolved it.
The problem is with regenerative braking/one pedal driving in Street mode. In Turismo mode regen works as expected, but in Street mode there is none at all. As far as I can determine, Track and Street Mode are identical. The car is fully usable…but can only be used in full track mode, or ‘eco’ mode and nothing in between.
The dealer gathered diagnostic data early on and passed it to FIAT technical, who confirmed that the firmware was the correct version. Reflashing was not an option apparently. The dealer then pursued the ABS module as a possible cause, attempting to replace it twice, but both attempts failed (they could not get the new ABS modules to work) and the problem remained.
As the year anniversary approached I started looking at other options but then unexpectedly a new batch of cars was announced in New Zealand. When that happened, I told the dealer that they needed to replace the vehicle under warranty. In New Zealand Consumer legislation would certainly require repair or replacement if the dealer/importer did not do so under warranty. The dealer had discussions with the FIAT NZ importer and came back with notice that the factory will release a new software version within the next week that may finally address it.
The software update is apparently not a VIN specific update…but a general update that will permit the regen mode to be modified or fixed. If the fault is in the PEB or EVCU I would suspect it will be hardware…something is not outputting the correct Street Regen signal to the Automatic Braking System. If the end result is the same drive mode / functions as other Abarth’s then there will be no issue. On the other hand, if the ‘turismo’ drive mode settings are effectively moved to the Street mode with the same throttle response and lower power mode…that will definitely be a problem. I have told the dealer if the drive mode software fix appears to be inconsistent I will need to compare with one of the new cars. If it is not identical they will replace the vehicle.
I’d be interested to know if anyone else with an Abarth 500e or standard 500e has experienced the same drive mode issue, and whether a software update or another fix resolved it.
. Right?
