NHTSA Complaint #10824740 — 2014 FIAT 500

WHILE AT A STAND STILL IN GEAR AT A DRIVE THRU, CAR STARTED SMOKING HEAVILY. STRONG SMELL OF SOMETHING BURNING. TOOK CAR IN TO SERVICE DEPT. WAS TOLD THAT THIS PARTICULAR MODEL VEHICLE HAS BEEN HAVING ISSUES WITH STOP AND GO TRAFFIC. WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. RESEARCHED PROBLEM AND HAVE FOUND OUT THAT THERE SEEM S TO BE A LOT OF ISSUES WITH THE DDCT TRANSMISSION ON THESE CARS. CALLED FIAT USA AND EXPLAINED TO THEM THE PROBLEM AND WAS ADVISED THAT WE HAD TO PLACE THE VEHICLE (AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION) IN NEUTRAL AT EVERY STOP AND GO SITUATION. DEALER CHECKED CLUTCH SYSTEM ON VEHICLE AND ADVISED US THAT YES THERE WAS SIGNS OF CLUTCH OVERHEATED. CALLED FIAT USA AGAIN AND ADVISED THEM OF WHAT DEALER HAD SAID AND FIAT USA TOLD ME THAT I WAS RESPONSIBLE BECAUSE I DID NOT READ MY OWNERS MANUAL. I READ THE ENTIRE MANUAL, PAGE BY PAGE AND NOWHERE IN THE MANUAL DOES IT STATE THAT THE VEHICLE HAS TO BE PLACED IN NEUTRAL AT STOP AND GO SITUATIONS. FIAT USA REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERES SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH THE CLUTCH SYSTEM ON THIS MODEL VEHICLE EVEN THOUGH THERES A LOT POST ON THE TOPIC ON THE INTERNET