NHTSA Complaint #10806463 — 2014 FIAT 500

WHILE DRIVING MY VEHICLE AT INTERSTATE SPEED THE STEERING MECHANISM TENDS TO "HANG UP" BUT WITH EXTRA EFFORT YOU CAN STEER THROUGH IT. THIS HAPPENS RANDOMLY & SOMETIMES REQUIRES A LOT OF EXTRA STEERING EFFORT. SINCE MY NEAREST DEALER HERE IN EAST GALESBURG, IL IS 40+ MILES AWAY & I WAS TAKING A TRIP TO FLORIDA, I EISKED THE STEERING ISSUE & AFTER ARRIVAL IN FLORIDA TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER IN WINTER HAVEN, FL, WINTER HAVEN ALFA ROMEO & FIAT OF WINTER HAVE. AT FIRST THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T DUPLICATE THE ISSUE, I DON'T BELIEVE THEY DROVE IT AT HIGHWAY SPEED, BUT THEY WENT THROUGH THEIR SERVICE "STAR" SYSTEM & WERE TOLD TO CHANGE THE RACK & PINION SYSTEM. THEY DID BUT ON MY RETURN HOME A WEEK LATER THE ISSUE STILL PERSISTS. I'M AFRAID TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE IN THE EVENT THE STEERING LOCKS UP TOTALLY WHICH WILL RENDER THE STEERING INOPERATIVE & BE SUSCEPTIBLE TO A SERIOUS ACCIDENT . I COMPLETED COMPLAINT FORMS TO FIAT & EVEN ADDRESSED THE ISSUE IN THEIR SERVICE SURVEY WITH NO RESPONSE. I FINALLY SENT AN E-MAIL, RECEIVED A GENERIC REPLY THAT THEY WOULD CALL ME IN 2 DYAS, NEVER DID AFTER 5 DAYS, SO I CALLED. THEY OFFERED TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THEIR DEALER IN DAVENPORT, IA BUT WOULD NOT PERMIT A USER/RENTAL VEHICLE UNTIL DIAGNOSED. SO I WOULD BE WITHOUT TRANSPORTATION FOR HOWEVER LONG IT TAKES FOR THEM TO LOCATE THE PROBLEM, IF THEY ARE EVEN QUALIFIED TO DO. THE DEALER SAID THAT IF I DROVE IT THERE, AS I SAID I'M AFRAID TO DO SO, THEY WOULD ARRANGE FOR A LOANER. THIS STEERING ISSUE IS VERY DANGEROUS, THUS WHY I'M DEFERRING IT TO YOU AS FIAT SEEMS TO HAVE LITTLE CONCERN.