Reach out to fiatcares or FiatCACares (if you're in canada) if they refuse to cover it.
There is a known defect with the pressure plate and somehow some of the forks bend which is what causes the inability to depress the clutch pedal. Your actual clutch plate is likely fine.

Tell the dealership that it is your pressure plate and that it's a known problem. Make sure to refuse any work that isn't covered.

 

Thank you! I did mention the pressure plate to the service manager, but I had to give the go ahead for labor costs for them to take out the transmission so they could take a look (just in case that's not what it is, I suppose?). He seemed skeptical.

I also reached out to Erika with FiatCares. Thank goodness for this forum.

 

Hi sospeso,
Thanks for reaching out. Check your inbox for next steps!

 

good luck, Fiat refuses to acknowledge that they have sourced substandard clutch parts. If Fiat really did care, they would cover all of these failures up to 100,000 miles

 

Sospeso, please make sure you report this to the NHTSA ( https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/index.xhtml ) as many here have done so eventually there would be a direct acknowledgement of the problem and your dealer won't directly go to blaming you and trying to scam you out of $1,000. Luckily you were smart, subscribed to the forum and contacted FiatCares, imagine what happens to others that have never heard of the forum.

I'm glad that thanks to your quick thinking and driving experience, you didn't had an accident pulling into the highway and loosing all power but if this issue goes unsolved and unrecognized, could mean other Fiat 500 owners with a manual transmission could be badly hurt or die.

 

It's not that hard to get a car out of gear even if you can't disengage the clutch. Just let up on the gas and as the engine revs down yank the lever into neutral. You can do upshifts like this too, just over-rev the engine and as long is the engine isn't loaded you can up shift w/o the clutch if you time it right. It's pretty easy to do with a syncro-mesh transmission.

Tedolph

 

All good points! I'll make sure to report it to the NHTSA once they've diagnosed the problem.

Tedolph, I didn't give that a shot once I found an okay-ish spot to avoid getting smushed by traffic... But I'll keep that in mind for next time I guess?

 

Just a FYI if you have to pay out of Pocket get the Clutch Kit from Madness much better. FCA will stick exactly the same crappy Parts into your Car if it is covered under warranty and most likely you might have the same Problem in the future. When I spoke to Fiat CS about the clutch Problem on my ABarth 4 Month ago they told me that there are no improved Parts for the warranty work available

 

I agree whatever place it is sourced from buy after market upgraded parts and you'll end up happier in the long term. If I ever run into an issue I will definitely go this route...luckily at 31K I am without issue so far...

 

mine failed at 40000 and it has NOTHING to do with driving style. The clutch disc looked like new, the inferior quality pressure plate suffered from a broken diaphragm.

 

Do you know the build date of your 500?

Tedolph

 

goaterguy, I'd say my driving style is pretty relaxed most of the time... After all, the standard clutch in the Pop doesn't exactly encourage super spirited shifting. Now, that doesn't mean I've never driven that way 80% of my drive is a straight shot on the highway to work, so that's pretty calm driving, too.

I am happy to say that FiatCares helped me get this covered at no cost! I appreciated the input about upgrading the clutch kit - although I am saving for grad school now, I'll make that upgrade as soon as I've got the extra discretionary money. Thank goodness for this forum, or I'd never have known about FiatCares, and the support on the forum was much appreciated. Headed to file a complaint on the NHTSA's site now. I was pleased with Fiat's ultimate response, but I'd like for other people in my situation to have another source of info about this clutch issue other than this forum.

 

Sospeso, thanks for the info. Do you know if Fiat included a new clutch disk in the repair or used your old one? Also Sportchamp1 is going through the exact same thing you went through with the clutch. Post #112:
http://www.fiat500owners.com/forum/...e-technical-discussion/19186-nyc-fiat-500-pop-clutch-problem-12.html#post972466
Hopefully your experience and the information you have posted can help him and others experiencing the same manufacturing defect and the hassles related to it.

I can see how many can find other things more useful to spend $1,000 than a replacement part for a car under warranty that wouldn't need upgrading if it wasn't defective. Good luck with grad school.

 

Another clutch suddenly fails...

Our 2012 Fiat 500 just did the exact same thing yesterday morning while my wife was driving to work.
We purchased extended warranty with the vehicle since it was a 2012 prima edition model.
Roadside assistance towed it to the Calgary Chrysler Fiat dealership where we purchased it and sure enough they are saying the transmission has to be removed and that it's going to need a new clutch and that the bill will be $1600.00

I guess I will reach out to FiatCAcares before going to the dealership in person.

We have babied this car since new, it's highway driven mainly and has 60k.

How do I reach FiatCAcares on here?
Thanks and good luck to the others with the same problem.

 

Canuck1201,

I'm sorry to hear about your clutch concerns, please keep an eye on your PM inbox.

Thanks,

 

Send Erika a PM just hit the link and scroll down.

http://www.fiat500owners.com/forum/...al-discussion/101842-fiat-clutch-issue-possibly-needs-replaced-36k-miles-2.html

 

Do you mind telling us the mileage at when the pressure plate failed?

 

Thanks Dave I replied to you.
And for those who were curious the clutch plate failed at 64000 kilometers .... about 39000 miles.

 

Hi Dave @ FiatCAcares, any luck looking into our specific 500. The dealership says they haven't been contacted and they "repaired" the clutch for a bill of 1600.00 and it's ready to be picked up. We were just waiting to hear back from you before going down to the dealership in person. Thanks for all your help guys.

 

Not sure but FiatCAcares seems to have disappeared.

 

Well, FiatCAcares disappeared. Did not hear back from him or anybody associated with FiatCAcares. The dealership (Eastside) refused to cover any of the work on the clutch even with extended warranty.
We paid the total cost of the repair to get the car out of the dealership and will be selling it asap.
What a joke.
Horrible customer service and a horrible product. Ciao Fiat , lesson learned.
No wonder Fiat sits where it does in the JD power ratings, dead last out of 33 manufacturers.
Resale numbers are grim as well, very costly lesson.

 

Well, FiatCAcares disappeared. Did not hear back from him or anybody associated with FiatCAcares. The dealership (Eastside) refused to cover any of the work on the clutch even with extended warranty.
We paid the total cost of the repair to get the car out of the dealership and will be selling it asap.
What a joke.
Horrible customer service and a horrible product. Ciao Fiat , lesson learned.
No wonder Fiat sits where it does in the JD power ratings, dead last out of 33 manufacturers.
Resale numbers are grim as well, very costly lesson.
View attachment 78634

Canuck1201,

I am sorry for the unannounced absence and any inconveniences this may have caused. Due to temporary extenuating circumstances, we have had to briefly suspend our online forum activity. If you have any immediate concerns, please feel free to call FCA Canada at 1-800-465-2001 to speak to one of our representatives. We expect to return to normal operation soon, and we look forward to rejoining the community and conversation at that time.

Dave P.
Top Care Specialist
FCA Canada

 

I am sorry for your situation and how you have been betrayed. I don't blame you on your decision to bail from the ownership of this car when the manufacturer has bailed on you, a customer.

Keep your receipts and continue to fight as this problems has already made the news on TV. http://www.fiat500owners.com/forum/...sion-forum/109857-fiat-500-owners-complain-about-dangerous-clutch-problems.html

With luck, one day the NHTSA will force Fiat to issue a safety recall and you can get your money back.

Contact your local news team and show them the Atlanta video, expose the dealer, etc.

Good luck.

 

This is not hopeless. If you have the cracked part, send it to FIAT and ask for re-imbursement of your repair. You have a warrantee, and just because the people at the Studio are morons doesn't mean that FIAT itself won't authorize the warrantee repair.

Obviously, a cracked or broken clutch pressure plate is not due to wear. It can only be a defective part.

Oh, and there won't be any recall. Not anywhere near enough people are effected by this defect for NHSTA to get involved.

Also, it really isn't a safety issue. Clutches fail everyday in this country and it doesn't kill anyone or cause any accidents. You just pull over to the side of the road and kill the engine.

Tedolph

 

This is not hopeless. If you have the cracked part, send it to FIAT and ask for re-imbursement of your repair. You have a warrantee, and just because the people at the Studio are morons doesn't mean that FIAT itself won't authorize the warrantee repair.

I know you have tried your hardest not to blame Fiat but FiatCAcares is a corporate employee not a dealer. The dealer has likely been instructed by Corporate to proceed like they do.

Obviously, a cracked or broken clutch pressure plate is not due to wear. It can only be a defective part.

Oh, and there won't be any recall. Not anywhere near enough people are effected by this defect for NHSTA to get involved.

Also, it really isn't a safety issue. Clutches fail everyday in this country and it doesn't kill anyone or cause any accidents. You just pull over to the side of the road and kill the engine.

Tedolph

Again, I know you are fighting a loosing battle here defending Fiat and it must feel pretty lonely being part of that group when it comes to the defective pressure plates. I sincerely hope this part failure doesn't happen to you or any of your loved ones but based on all the reports, the owner is unable to shift out of gear and let's say you are trying to downshift from 5th and not being able to do so can stall your engine leaving the car sitting in the middle of the road at the mercy of incoming traffic. This is irrefutably a safety issue.

Please don't repeat why you don't know the driver doesn't yanks the shift lever out of the gear and into the other, you don't know this because this hasn't happened to you. Let's assume that the drivers that have been victims of this part failure are experienced drivers and this is not their first manual transmission. If you can't get the car in gear, you can't just pull over to the side of the road and kill the engine.

 

I am not defending anybody. I am trying to help you get your $$ back. NHTSA is not going to get your $$ back. The Studio you are dealing with is not going to help you get your $$ back. Just go directly the FCA, ship them the part and ask for your $$ back.

What have you got to lose? Five bucks for shipping?

Really, it is worth a try don't you think?

Also, you don't need a functioning clutch to pull a car out of gear. Clutch cables used to snap all the time. It happened to me once years ago. You just take your foot off the gas, and yank it out of gear.

No big deal.

Worst case, just shut down the ignition.

If the car is already out of gear in nuteral (unlikely-they usually fail with the car in gear) it is even easier. Just put on your blinkers and coast to the side of the road.

What is the problem?



Tedolph

 

Well, there is a problem, and it's beyond the mechanical failures themselves (and not discussed often enough). Tom Krisher wrote about it with regard to the GM faulty ignition debacle: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-news/20140331-gm-recall-many-victims-were-young-drivers.ece

Also, you don't need a functioning clutch to pull a car out of gear. Clutch cables used to snap all the time. It happened to me once years ago. You just take your foot off the gas, and yank it out of gear.

No big deal.

Worst case, just shut down the ignition.

If the car is already out of gear in nuteral (unlikely-they usually fail with the car in gear) it is even easier. Just put on your blinkers and coast to the side of the road.

What is the problem?



Tedolph

 

I really hope you are joking or way too naive.

Why would anyone send the only evidence they have of a manufacturer's defective design failure to an unknown person (who will you send it to?) at an unknown location (where will you send it to?) and hope to get money back? Drop it at the FCA headquarters front door?

Especially when an employee of the same manufacturer (FiatCAcares) dedicated to helping or informing the customers of this forum, stopped communicating with you.

If the NHTSA emits a recall due to safety, the manufacturer has to refund the repair cost if it wasn't repaired under warranty. The number of people affected has nothing to do with NHTSA emitting a safety recall. Both Volvo and Mitsubishi had safety recalls in 2012 of under 300 cars each. Aston and Ferrari had some with less than 200 cars affected. There are plenty of safety recalls of only 1 vehicle affected.

"Further information concerning recall remedies and the requirement that manufacturers offerreimbursement to those owners that paid to fix a safety defect or noncompliance prior to amanufacturer’s notification about the problem, is provided in section II."

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/documents/recompendium.pdf

 

The only way you'll get a refund, is though a Fiat dealer. They would have to be the ones that service the vehicles. I really doubt that would even happen. The clutch assemblies not covered under warranty after certain mileage. It shame that Fiat doesn't recognize the issue. The Consumer is getting screwed.

Manufactures don't give out refunds. Who would you ship it to. Address to Tony, at Fix it again USA.

 

A clutch failure isn't going to kill you, but if you hit from the rear end. Your going to get hurt real bad, like like a lame duck sitting there. You never no where it's going to fail. At a intersection. Exit ramp off the highway. Bad rain or snow storm. While shifting. If the cars still rolling, try to pull off the road. If your stuck in the middle of something, turn on your hazard light. Get out of the car safely. Call a tow truck. Most young drivers or inexperienced person, won't know what to do. You never shut off your engine. You'll lose your power steering. No real reason to do so.

 

Lots of people have had clutch failures over the years. Clutch cables used to snap all the time, particularly in cold climates. The Citreon was well known for hydraulic clutch failures.

I never heard of an accident happening because of it and neither has anyone on this board.

There just isn't any reason why it would. It's not something catastrophic like a brake failure.

Tedolph