NHTSA Complaint #11171006 — 2015 FIAT 500L

SUMMARY FACTS: JANUARY 15, 2019 - TRAVELING IN A STATE ADJACENT TO WHERE THE FIAT WAS PURCHASED. TRAFFIC WAS AT A VIRTUAL STAND STILL AND AFTER COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP, AFTER ABOUT 20 MINUTES DRIVING, WHITE SMOKE WAS EMITTED FROM THE ENGINE AREA. THERE WAS A DISTINCT BURNING SMELL, LIKE ELECTRICAL WIRING BURNING. THE AIR CONDITIONING WAS ON; WHEN THE WHITE SMOKE AND BURNING SMELL WAS OBSERVED, THE A/C WAS TURNED OFF AND THE BURNING AND SMOKE CEASED. BESIDES THE DRIVER, A PASSENGER IN THE FIAT OBSERVED THE WHITE SMOKE AND EXPERIENCED THE BURNING SMELL AS WELL. THE DEALER THAT SOLD THE FIAT AND WHERE THE FIAT HAS BEEN SERVICED WAS CALLED. THEIR ADVICE WAS TO EXIT THE MOTORWAY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND CALL THE LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT TO ENSURE THERE WAS NOT AN ONGOING ELECTRICAL FIRE WHICH MIGHT CAUSE THE FIAT TO EXPLODE. THE FIRST AVAILABLE EXIT WAS TAKEN AND THE LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT CALLED. UPON THEIR ARRIVAL, NO ELECTRICAL FIRE WAS OBSERVED; THEY ADVISED TAKING THE FIAT TO A QUALIFIED REPAIR SHOP IMMEDIATELY TO BE EXAMINED AND TESTED. LATER, THE A/C WAS TRIED, BUT DID NOT SEEM TO WORK. THE A/C WAS THEN TURNED OFF UNTIL THE FIAT WAS TAKEN TO THE FIAT DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN IN THE DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT SUPPOSEDLY RAN A FULL RANGE OF DIAGNOSTIC TESTS ON THE FIAT AND IN PARTICULAR THE A/C, INCLUDING TESTING ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS, AND FREON LEVELS WHICH WERE OKAY, INDICATING NO FREON LEAKS. THEY TESTED THE FUNCTIONALITY OF THE A/C; THEY INDICATED IT WAS PERFORMING AS IT SHOULD. THEREFORE, THE FIAT DEALER'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE FIAT AND COULD PROVIDE NO PLAUSIBLE EXPLANATION WHY WHITE SMOKE WAS BEING EMITTED FROM THE ENGINE AREA AND THE BURNING SMELL. THEIR ONLY ADVICE WAS TO BRING THE FIAT BACK IN FOR SERVICE SHOULD THE SAME SITUATION RE-OCCUR. THIS RAISES DOUBT ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THIS FIAT.