Fiat 500 Forum banner
Cancel
Create thread New Garage Forums

Only charges to 84 miles and loses the charge more quickly.

Jump to Latest
2.3K views 3 replies 1 participant last post by  Electric Tire Shredder  
#1 · (Edited)
I hope this will get more attention with a more appropriate subject line:

@Fbonbon wrote:

"...my 2017... made a ghastly noise while towing and has been losing battery mileage ever since. Only charges to 84 miles and loses the charge more quickly. This is my second winter with the car and milder than last one which seemingly had little impact on the mileage...

Got a “service charging system” message (is the high voltage battery connected but separate from the charging system? I ask in case it’s not actually my battery is degraded but a problem with the charging system.

My biggest problem is where to take my car to be evaluated and repaired. I live in Chicago, don’t trust the local dealerships and Mopar sent me to Indianapolis... Does anyone know of a reputable place to take my car closer to home that might work with an extended warranty I bought if the manufacturers warranty doesn’t cover whatever the issue turns out to be?...

Was hoping to keep it until the new 5OOe’s make their way back to the USA which I was told IS happening. (Actually any word on that would be welcome.) Really hoped this would be my last car purchase. But I need good advice and a trusted referral. Can you help?"
 
#3 · (Edited)
Yes, the HV drive battery pack is connected but separate from the charging system.

I get a “service charging system” message any time the car is plugged in but not charging. The only exception to that is when the car's charge timer is preventing charging AND it's plugged into the STOCK charge cord. The timers can self-reset to their default "active" mode, so please check that & let us know.

It seems like that warning was only temporary though, & the car still charges to 100%, which means it's unrelated to your range-drop issue.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Range will drop like that if regen isn't working, which can be from just a computer glitch that you can fix yourself, or from a wheel speed sensor that's just like any car with ABS, so repair is readily available.

Please tap the wiper stalk tip until it shows "motor power" on the display. Then with the car below 90%* drive it, ideally with a passenger to observe when you brake fairly hard how high the kW goes. Braking hard on a steep downhill I've seen 72kW. On a flat road braking hard like for a yellow light I get at least 20kW.

Also check that above 7mph when you just lift your foot off the accellerator there's a little blue light at the lower right of the display, & when you press the brake above 7mph a bigger blue light shows.

* Regen is always very low near full charge, because there's nowhere for the energy to go since the battery is already so full.
 
Fiat 500 Forum
posts
366K
members
41K
Since
2010
Join our community to talk about all things Fiat 500 related. Check out our discussions on the Fiat 500, Abarth, 595, engine specs, MPG’s and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Fiat 500 General Discussion Forum Fiat 500e - First Gen (2013-19) Fiat 500 Engine and Technical Discussion Fiat 500 Abarth Fiat 500 Appearance and Body