NHTSA Complaint #10659493 — 2014 FIAT 500E

WE LEASED A 500E IN AUG 2014 FROM MCKEVITT FIAT IN BERKELEY, CA. WITHIN THE FIRST 3 WEEKS, WHILE DRIVING, THE CAR TWICE UNEXPECTEDLY AND SUDDENLY LOST ALL POWER AND STALLED. WE TOOK THE CAR IN FOR SERVICING. AFTER A WEEK AT THE DEALERSHIP, WE WERE TOLD THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED AND PICKED UP THE CAR. THREE DAYS LATER, THE CAR SUDDENLY STALLED AGAIN (THANKFULLY AS MY WIFE WAS APPROACHING A STOP SIGN). AFTER ANOTHER 2 WEEKS AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS, WE WERE TOLD THE CAR WAS "FIXED" AND WERE ASKED TO PICK IT UP. NOTWITHSTANDING OUR CLEAR CONCERN FOR OUR SAFETY AND THAT OF OUR 3 KIDS, WHEN WE PROBED THE SERVICE TECH ON WHAT THEY DID TO FIX THE VEHICLE, HE TOLD US THAT THEY MERELY "CLEARED THE FAULT CODES" AND HAD MADE NO OTHER CHANGES. GIVEN THE CLEAR DANGER INVOLVED WITH A CAR SUDDENLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY LOSING POWER AND STALLING--SIMILAR TO THE PROBLEMS GM HAS FACED WITH FAULTY IGNITION SWITCHES--WE REFUSED TO ACCEPT THE CAR BACK. ULTIMATELY, THE SERVICE TECH, TO HIS CREDIT, ADMITTED THEY DID NOT KNOW WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE AND THAT HE DIDN'T FEEL RIGHT ABOUT GIVING IT BACK TO US. FOR OVER 7 WEEKS NOW, WE HAVE NOT HAD USE OF THE CAR--A CLEAR LEMON--WHILE STILL MAKING THE MONTHLY LEASE PAYMENTS AND SUFFERING THROUGH THE INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATING AND INEPT FIAT "CUSTOMER SERVICE" EXPERIENCE. MCKEVITT EMPLOYEES HAVE REPEATEDLY LIED TO US AND HAVE BEEN DISINGENUOUS REGARDING THE "REPAIRS" TO OUR VEHICLE. I WANTED TO MAKE SURE NHTSA WAS AWARE OF OUR 500E'S SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER AND STALLING BECAUSE I WOULD FEEL DEEPLY REMORSEFUL IF SOMEONE WERE HURT OR KILLED BY A 500E THAT SUDDENLY STALLED LIKE OURS HAS ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. *TR