NHTSA Complaint #10968549 — 2012 FIAT 500

WHILE DRIVING IN TRAFFIC ON A CITY STREET AT 6:10 AM AND UPSHIFTING AT ABOUT 40 MPH THE CLUTCH DIAPHRAGM SPRING FRACTURED AND THE CLUTCH NO LONGER OPERATED, AND THE GEAR COULD NOT BE CHANGED WHILE ENGINE WAS RUNNING. MANAGED TO BRING CAR TO A STOP IN LEFT TURN LANE, GET CAR IN TO NEUTRAL AND PUSH IT ACROSS TWO LANES OF TRAFFIC TO A PARKING LOT SO I COULD BE OUT OF THE INTERSECTION SINCE IT WAS DARK. CAR HAD 25,583 MILES ON IT AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE. FRICTION DISC STILL HAS PLENTY OF MATERIAL, PRESSURE PLATE SURFACE IS SMOOTH AND FREE OF DAMAGE, THROW-OUT BEARING IS INTACT AND ROTATES SMOOTHLY. CONDITION OF PARTS INDICATES MINIMAL WEAR AND TEAR ON CLUTCH AND SHOWS NO SIGNS OF ABUSE. I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I HAD RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE TO REPLACE THE CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY BUT HAD NOT YET HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THE RECALL WORK DONE. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE ORIGINAL CLUTCH PEDAL ASSEMBLY WAS ALLOWING TOO MUCH TRAVEL AND OPERATING THE CLUTCH DIAPHRAGM SPRING BEYOND ITS INTENDED RANGE OF MOTION, STRESSING IT TO A POINT OF FAILURE. REVISED PEDAL ASSEMBLY LIMITS TRAVEL TO PREVENT THIS. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT VEHICLES THAT HAVE HAD THE REVISED PEDAL ASSEMBLY INSTALLED BUT ARE OPERATING WITH THE ORIGINAL CLUTCH DIAPHRAGM SPRING THAT MAY HAVE ALREADY BEEN COMPROMISED AND COULD STILL FAIL WITHOUT WARNING.