CarComplaints.com Notes: Considering sales numbers and data that monitors complaints-per-make, there appears to be an unusually high number of issues with the 2012 Fiat 500. Perhaps that isn't surprising -- it is the first model year of the car, and those tend to have a higher incidence rate.

Of particular concern is the number of engine and powertrain complaints submitted to NHTSA.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
37,807 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2012 Fiat 500 drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2012 Fiat 500 Owner Comments (Page 2 of 9)

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problem #160

Jan 102020

500

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2012 Fiat 500. The contact received a notification of NHTSA campaign number: 19V817000 (power train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact contacted putnam Chrysler Jeep Dodge 3 California dr, burlingame, ca 94010 where they informed the contact that the parts was not available. The manufacturer was notified of the issue and provided a case number to the contact. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

- San Mateo, CA, USA

problem #159

Jan 012020

500

  • miles
The contact owns a 2012 Fiat 500. The contact stated that after contacting the local dealer steven wade Fiat (1724 S. hilton dr. St. Utah), the contact was informed that the parts needed to repair the vehicle for NHTSA campaign number 16V302000 (power train) were not available. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The failure was not present on the vehicle. Parts distribution disconnect.

- St George, UT, USA

problem #158

Jan 152019

500

  • miles
The contact owns a 2012 Fiat 500. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 19V817000 (power train) however, the part for the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Fiat of burlingame located at 2 California dr, direction burlingame, ca 94010; phone number 650-753-1537, was contacted but were unable to provide an estimated date for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. VIN tool confirms part not yet available.

- Emeryville, CA, USA

problem #157

Oct 192019

500

  • 82,800 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

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.

- Spring Valley, CA, USA

problem #156

Sep 022019

500

  • miles
Oil presure light comes on saying stop turn engine off low iol pressure after I drive it for about 10 mins I guess after it get hot. Then chexk engine liggt comes with it. Other people has and are going threw the same thing with 2012 Fiat 509 sports. Its all over the you tube why is this happing. I replace oil presure sensor and changed my oil same thing it didnt change anything asking for a recall on the oil pum or what is causing this. Plus it makea a sound after driving at the same time it shows up while pushing gas pedal

- Winston Salem, NC, USA

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problem #155

May 282019

500

  • 30,000 miles
2012 Fiat pop with 5 speed manual transmission. Manual transmission may leak oil from case seam and at half shaft seals. Fiat dealership replaced first transmission after 600 miles. Leaking again at 30,000 miles. Oil is slung from inner cv joint boots into engine compartment and onto ground. This could create hazards of fire from hot exhaust, loss of traction from oil on road surface. Fiat refuses to deal with problem after second round and dealership fumbling repair. Still have leaks, compromised transmission...unsafe car.

- Farmington, NM, USA

problem #154

Jul 172019

500

  • 54,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2012 Fiat 500. The contact stated that the gear shifter failed to operate. When the contact shifted the gear into reverse to enter a parking space and then attempted to shift into park, the gear shifter engaged into neutral instead. The contact was unable to release the gear out of neutral. The contact applied the emergency brake to secure the vehicle in the parking space. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the VIN was not included in manufacturer recall number: R20. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 54,000.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #153

May 312019

500

  • 74,375 miles
Shifter cable at transmission linkage broken. Will not shift gears. Vehicle was parked/turned off at gas pump. Turned vehicle on and would not get out of park/shift gears. Tow truck driver tried bypass the 'park' to put vehicle in neutral to be towed and was not able to.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #152

Mar 112019

500

  • miles
The contact owns a 2012 Fiat 500. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16V302000 (power train). The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Hartsville Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram (900 E bobo newsom hwy, hartsville, SC 29550, (843) 309-9892) was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not available for the recall remedy. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and was not able to confirm when the parts were to become available. The contact had not experienced a failure. The VIN was unknown.

- Effingham, SC, USA

problem #151

Jan 012019

500

  • 88,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Fiat 500. While driving various speeds, the contact smelled carbon monoxide inside the vehicle. While driving low speeds, the vehicle stalled, but was able to be restarted. The failures occurred intermittently. Also, the engine and battery warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the clutch was repaired; however, the failures recurred. An unknown local dealer diagnosed the vehicle and stated that the transmission needed to be repaired. The transmission had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures. The failure mileage was 88,000. The VIN was not available.

- Lexington, SC, USA

problem #150

Mar 042019

500

  • 24,571 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Car has oil leak from engine main seal.issue adviced to dealer upon sale, mechanics denied until 3rd party estimate.then dealer said to have fixed it until once again the issue came up--service done for maintenance kept. Dealership sold. New owners of dealers found same problem. New warranty denied claims and said it was a prex condition that was not taken care. Car continues to leak oil and issue is now on my bill as responsibility. Issue is a Fiat brand for the year 2012 and should be Fiat responisbilility to monitor and recall cars with these issues to fix.Fiat too needs to monitor dealerships that sell used cars with problems they deny to service prior to selling and aware of the issue before it was sold along with a recall that had not been serviced prior to the sale and old manager/prior to sale of business did not take care of although aware it was in place..

- Hialeah, FL, USA

problem #149

Mar 022019

500

  • 60,000 miles
Gear shift is stuck in park but car is actually in neutral. It will not move. Was pulling in parking spot and realized when I put car in park and release foot off brake my car was actually in neutral. Cannot change gear.

- Chapin, SC, USA

problem #148

Jan 242019

500

  • 95,356 miles
I drive a manual Fiat, and I smelled a burning smell and my clutch wasn't engaging properly, I was losing torque, and theres a loud squeaking when I press on the clutch.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #147

Dec 192018

500 4-cyl

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Fiat 500. While driving, the clutch failed to engage while releasing the pedal. There was no warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

- Cleveland Heights, OH, USA

problem #146

Oct 302018

500

  • miles
The contact owns a 2012 Fiat 500. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16V302000 (power train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Tony domiano auto (located at 900 scranton carbondale hwy, eynon, pa 18403, (570) 876-3919) was contacted and confirmed that the part was not available. The manufacturer was also made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

- Scranton, PA, USA

problem #145

Jul 202018

500

  • 71,437 miles
The Fiat had the recommended recall fix for maual transmission performed in 2017. While driving on a city street, the clutch would not disengage properly. Gears could only be changed with the car completely stopped and the engine off. Repair identified the problem "pressure plate fingers have failed because of S34 recall. This ruined the clutch plate causing shifitng issues."

- Arvada, CO, USA

problem #144

Jul 112018

500

  • 80,000 miles
Car started sounding bad and one night the clutch got stuck so I took it to the mechanic who informed me there is a safety recall on the clutch. Dealership is an hour away and wouldn't cover towing "unless they were sure it was a recall issue" so either I could pay for towing (I don't have money for that) or drive it in. No mention that driving it could cause additional damage not covered. So I drove it in with the bad clutch. Took it to the dealership then and they agreed to cover the replacement of the clutch. When they started repairs, they noticed damage to the fork shaft and transmission, which would not be covered under the recall. $2400. I googled the recall to find out details and the recall exists because they know the clutch problem causes damage to the transmission. So I really don't understand why they won't cover it once the damage has been done.

- Rockwood, TN, USA

problem #143

May 272018

500

  • 52,020 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Fiat 500. After the vehicle was started, the clutch pedal jammed and would not retract into the original position. The failure occurred without warning. The vehicle was towed to red's auto & truck (1451 vista view dr., longmont, co) where it was diagnosed that the clutch assembly would need to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that there were no recalls attributed to the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 52,020.

- Fort Collins, CO, USA

problem #142

Apr 062015

500

  • miles
The contact owns a 2012 Fiat 500. The contact stated that the clutch assembly prematurely failed twice and was replaced. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer stated that this was a normal routine repair and advised the contact to replace the part. The failure mileage was not available.

- Glendora, CA, USA

problem #141

Dec 122017

500

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Fiat 500. After the vehicle was parked in the garage, it failed to restart. The gear shifter was placed in park, but the indicator on the instrument panel indicated that the vehicle was still in drive. The contact read the owner's manual, which instructed to release the gear shifter to take it out of park. The gear shifter was placed in park, but the indicator displayed that the vehicle was in drive. After the contact exited the vehicle, he noticed that it moved a little. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to call NHTSA. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

- Noblesville, IN, USA

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