NHTSA Complaint #11065424 — 2013 FIAT 500

ABOUT A MONTH AGO, MY WIFE WAS DRIVING TO/FROM WORK AND NOTICED A "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT COME ON. WE IMMEDIATELY SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT WITH OUR LOCAL STUDIO AND CONTINUED TO DRIVE THE CAR AS NORMAL. AT THIS POINT, NOTHING WAS GOING ON WITH THE CAR, EXCEPT THAT THE LIGHT CAME ON. A DAY OR TWO LATER, THE LIGHT WENT OFF, AND THE CAR CONTINUED TO ACT NORMAL. WE ENDED UP CANCELING THE APPOINTMENT, GUESSING THAT THERE WAS A GLITCH WITH THE COMPUTER. THE VERY NEXT MORNING, MY WIFE STARTED THE CAR TO FIND THE ENGINE SHAKING AND THE EXHAUST MAKING A STRANGE SOUND, SO SHE SHUT THE ENGINE OFF AND WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER, I GOT A CALL FROM THE STUDIO EXPLAINING THAT THE CAR WAS VERY LOW ON OIL AND THAT IT APPEARS THE CAR'S BEEN CONSUMING OIL AT AN ACCELERATED RATE. HE SAID THEY PERFORMED AN OIL CHANGE AND THAT, PER FIAT'S PROTOCOL, THEY'D PERFORM AN OIL CONSUMPTION TEST BY LETTING US DRIVE THE CAR FOR 750 MILES AND THEN WE'D HAVE TO BRING THE CAR BACK TO LET THEM CHECK EVERYTHING OUT. I WENT TO PICK UP THE CAR ONLY TO FIND THE SAME ISSUE THAT MY WIFE HAD DESCRIBED (ENGINE SHAKING, EXHAUST MAKING NOISE). IT WAS LATE AND THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT WAS CLOSED, SO I LEFT THE KEY WITH THE RECEPTIONIST AND EXPLAINED THAT THE CAR WAS IN THE SAME CONDITION AS WHEN WE HAD IT TOWED AND THAT I'D LIKE THEM TO FIND OUT WHAT'S GOING ON. A FEW DAYS LATER, THE STUDIO CALLED TO EXPLAIN THAT THE ENGINE'S OIL PRESSURE WAS SHOT AND THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. CYLINDER 3'S OIL VALVE WAS STUCK AND THE CYLINDER WAS MIS-FIRING. THE STUDIO RECOMMENDED REPLACED THE ENGINE AS OPPOSED TO INVESTIGATING WHAT FAILED, SINCE THE INVESTIGATION COULD TAKE HOURS AND COST MORE THAN AN ENGINE REPLACEMENT. THIS IS MY SECOND FIAT; THE FIRST EXPERIENCED THE CLUTCH RECALL THAT I HAD PREVIOUSLY REPORT TO NHTSA AND THANKS TO MINE AND OTHERS REPORTS, A RECALL WAS ISSUED.