What is wrong with the transmission?

Why does it need to be replaced?

TEdolph

 

Tedolph the fiat service center is saying it needs replaced. Believe me I am so freaking mad and they act like it is no big deal that a car needs the transmission replaced at 55k miles. This is my second fiat and I definitely thought I would keep owning them but I will never buy one again. My husband warned me that Chrysler is **** and I told him no Fiat will improve Chrysler. Looks like he was right.

 

So the "service center" says it needs to be replaced.

Who cares what they say, service centers say all sorts of stupid things.

What is actually wrong with it?

If you don't know that, you don't know that it needs to be replaced.

TEdolph

 

Where is it located at? I mean, seriously.

 

Tedolph it is the same issue we have had since we bought the car. Sometimes you turn it on and it doesn't shift out of park. It says shift to neutral and then park or reverse in the instrument panel but switching back doesn't do anything. We usually have to turn it off and try it again. once it did this to my husband in traffic and we had to have it towed to the service center. Never once have they been able to duplicate this issue or get an error code for this the transmission. Not until this week now that it is out of warranty are they certain that it needs a new transmission. I'm irritated because I believe, like you do Tedolph, that it is not the transmission but a recall, P06 to be exact that was done initially on my car back in 2014.

• Here is the specifics on the recall:
  
  
  
  
  
  · Recall Number
  14V103000
  Recall Date
  03/04/2014
  Component
  POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
  Summary
  Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2014 Fiat 500L vehicles manufactured April 5, 2013, through January 22, 2014. In certain temperatures, moving the transmission shift lever may have a delayed effect or no effect on selecting a transmission gear.
  Consequence
  If there is no effect, the vehicle might not shift out of the Park position. If there is a delayed effect, the vehicle may move in an unintended or unexpected direction, increasing the risk of a crash.
  What Owners Should Do
  Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the shifter module or update the shifter software, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on March 31, 2014. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number associated with this recall is P06.
  
  I want them to replace the shifter module obviously but the service center is being adamant that everything is working fine with it and it is the transmission that needs replaced.
  
  
  J.B. this service center is in Austin Texas. Nyle Maxwell Fiat.
  
  

 

This tells us nothing-just sypmtoms.

Again, what exactly is wrong with the transmission. If the "service center" can not tell you exactly what is wrong, it means that they don't know. When they don't know they just replace the whole part.

It could be something as simple as a software update.

Take it somewhere else for a proper diagnosis.

tEdolph

 

Mmmm...it's too bad, a little too far! I would totally take it off of your hand otherwise.
I think you are right, it sounds just like P06. You need a second diagnosis from another dealer, or something.

 

Well I'm not really sure what I can do. I'm not a mechanic and most mechanics in my area don't work on fiats and if they do they can only do what the computer tells them to do. Do you have any advice on how I could find out what is wrong with the transmission? Ive called Chrysler and they are sticking by their service guys who say that it has nothing to do with the recall.

 

Yes, take it to someone who works on those cars and ask them for a specific diagnosis, not a "guess".

Believe me, the "computer" is not telling the mechanic, "it needs a new transmission".

Do you have a boyfriend or husband who is mechanically inclined? If not get a friend who is to go with you.

tEdolph

 

Ask them for the code that they pulled out. Internal failure doesn't meet anything. I did a bit of look into, and the most of trouble codes for those transmission is sensor discrepancies, not mechanical failures. I just don't know if the sensors are internal. Apparently, the problem is fairly common, and there's at least one law firm looking into class action.

 

How many miles are on your 2014. 500L , I just purchased one used with 33,000 miles. I met a women who has 65000 miles and had to replace hers at 36,000 miles. I was told the transmission is guaranteed up to 50,000 or 5 years.

 

I see the 55,000 miles, keep us posted . Good luck

 

So, do we know what is wrong with the transmission?

tedolph

 

Just to update: the car is still in the shop and They are sitting on it. I have said specifically that I would like a quote to replace the gear shifter and they have yet to give me one after more than a week. I just called today to check and they still won’t give me a price, they just keep saying that won’t fix the issue. I explained that I am not replacing the transmission, and that I would actually scrap the car before doing that. I told them I would rather be out the money for the gear shifter module and have it not be the issue than to sink 6 grand into the car. I actually will most likely replace the transmission if needed but definitely not through fiat. I have a mechanic that my husband uses for all his trucks and he has been advising me on what the recall bulletin actually says. He feels pretty strongly that the issues I’m having are 100% related to the gear shifter module and not the transmission. Supposedly they will have a price for me tomorrow.

 

I don't know why this is so complicated.

Please take the car to a Studio that knows what they are doing and get a diagnosis.

Also, get FIAT CARES involved. You can find them here on this website.

Tedolph

 

Go to a junk yard, er, auto recycler. Look for a manual trans. Put the car up on jack stands and start ripping s#&t out. You will learn a lot and have a great story to tell when you are 90 and all the cars then just hmmm along. Good luck.

 

This is unbelievable! I am really hoping for a happy ending to this story. If not you need to blow up social media with your story. Good luck!

 

Yea, alas, nobody cares but us. Too many "other" issues, iykwim.

 

How much would you like for it? I would pay for shipping.

 

The price for the gear shifter (GSM) is $600. It will take about a week to swap it out. So we will find out if that is the issue end of next week hopefully. I’ll be in Europe but I will try to update you guys.

Tedolph-I will get Fiat Cares involved but I am not holding my breath.

 

This is dumb. Why are you throwing parts at the car when you don't know what is wrong with it?

Without a specific diagnosis there is no point in doing anything. The odds that you are going to fix a car by throwing random part at it are between slim and none.

tEdolph

 

The Dual clutch transmission, on my daughters 2014 500L. Was replaced at 9k miles. Under warranty. That vehicle left us stranded, 200 miles from the nearest Fiat dealership. Fiat towed it to Tulsa Oklahoma, where it sat for three weeks. Waiting on a new replacement one Glad Fiat paid, for the tow. Glad we got rid of that car. That car was in the shop, more then she drove it. Replaced it with a Jeep.

 

Ha!

You mean replaced it with a FIAT!

Tedolph

 

I would think that the recall would cover this issue. Plus if you were having issues before this time I would think it would be covered too.

 

Time for an update! Just picked up my car after having them replace the GSM. They told us that it did not repair the issue and that they still recommend that we replace the transmission. My husband drove it for 10 miles and it still acted squirrelly, not shifting out of park initially and not shifting up or down during the drive and the transmission service light still on. He made a stop for a few minutes and left it parked. When he came back the Fiat had no issues. It is shifting perfectly with no gear slippage at all. We have driven it around town and turned it off and on several times and still no shifting issues and the transmission service light is no longer on. I will drive it for a week but if it still has no issues, they owe us a refund. And I hope this serves as a cautionary tale. Don’t pay $6k for a new transmission!

 

We told you that there was nothing wrong with the transmission.

TEdolph

 

We got our new transmission free, under warranty. The numerous electric gremlin made us, just right the thing off. It was in the shop more then we drove it. At least you got 55K mike out of yours. We only had 9K miles. Glad you issue solved now.

Good bye.

 

Hi Smark, do you know if they replaced the GSM? There is a recall for that replacement but I think Fiat needs to expand to all 2014 500ls. Cheaper for them to do that than pay for a new transmission which won’t repair the issue because it’s the GSM.

 

any update on this?

 

No news is good news.

tEdolph

 

Not sure if I mentioned it or not but this last time we took it into the shop, we had just come back from a 2 week trip where the car sat. Was barely driveable because of the shifting issues. So every time the shifting acts up it is after the car hasn’t been driven for awhile.

 

Might be a voltage regulator or alternator issue?

TEdolph

 

Just replaced the battery tonight with a 650 cold cranking amp battery; the original Fiat battery was 500 cranking amp. Still no shifting issues but the check engine light went off after the battery replacement. If the check engine light comes back on in the next few days, then we’ll know we are looking at the regulator or alternator.

 

Not sure if anyone is still following this or cares but I finally had a conversation with the manager at my local service center. Very enlightening and not in a good way.

He guaranteed me that I will have to replace the transmission. That transmission was only used in 2014 because Fiat knows it is Shite. They have replaced countless transmissions in that year and model so not if but when and mine has gone longer than normal for the original transmission.
Why is this acceptable? If Fiat made a crappy product then there should be a recall for that transmission.
Tedolph asked me how they knew it was the transmission that needed to be replaced and it was only because of the code. So I asked the service manager if they had looked at the transmission to see what was wrong and he said that Fiat does not allow them to get into the transmission at all and they are only allowed to replace the transmission. So no real mechanic work going on.
But in brighter news, I 100% believe that it is not the transmission issue it is running perfectly with no error codes after replacing the GSM and the battery with an American made.