NHTSA Complaint #11182593 — 2014 FIAT 500

BOUGHT MY FIAT FROM 1ST OWNER WITH 40,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. 2ND DAY OF HAVING THIS CAR MY FAMILY AND I GOT IN OUR VEHICLE & CLUTCH WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR & WAS STUCK IN GEAR. 3 MONTHS LATER I FOUND THE RECALL ONLINE FOR MY VIN. WE HAD TO PUT DOT 3 BRAKE FLUID IN EVERY OTHER DAY IN THE BEGINNING AND AT THIS POINT WE PUT IT IN AT MINIMUM 3 TIMES DAILY JUST TO BE ABLE TO SHIFT GEARS PROPERLY. WE MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE FIAT SERVICE CENTER TO HAVE THE RECALL SITUATION RESOLVED BUT THEY HAD TO ORDER THE PARTS WHICH HAS TAKEN 3 WEEKS FOR THEM TO ARRIVE. AFTER A WHILE WE COULD NOT SHIFT INTO 2ND GEAR. ABOUT 2 WEEKS AFTER LOSING 2ND GEAR, WE LOST 3RD GEAR. TRYING TO PULL ONTO THE HIGHWAY AND MERGE INTO TRAFFIC GOING 65 MPH IS VERY DANGEROUS. ALL THE WHILE DEALING WITH THE LOSS OF BRAKE FLUID FOR THE CLUTCH AND NEVER KNOWING WHEN IT WILL JUST NOT SHIFT INTO THE NEXT GEAR. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO US IN THE MIDDLE OF A 4 LANE HIGHWAY WHILE TRYING TO DOWNSHIFT TO TURN. THIS HAS HAPPENED AT STOP SIGNS AND STOP LIGHTS & TURNING IN THE MIDDLE OF TOWN. MY RECALL APPOINTMENT IS FOR 9AM FEBRUARY 26TH. THE EVENING OF THE 25TH I AM LEAVING MY HOME AND EXIT MY DRIVE IN 1ST GEAR WHILE I AM ABOUT TO START UP A HILL, I ATTEMPT TO SHIFT INTO 4TH GEAR-NOTHING. MY GEARSHIFT JUST TURNS IN CIRCLES FREELY. I AM STRANDED BETWEEN TWO HILLS IN PITCH BLACK WITH ONLY DITCHES FOR A SHOULDER. WE COULD NOT GET IT UP THE HILL BEHIND US SO WE PUSHED IT HALFWAY UP THE ONE IN FRONT OF US ACROSS THE ONCOMING LANE OF TRAFFIC INTO A DRIVEWAY. NEEDLESS TO SAY I CAN NOT MAKE MY APPOINTMENT TO HAVE THE RECALL PARTS REPLACED SINCE MY CAR IS NON-OPERATIONAL & I AM NOT HAVING IT TOWED 100 MILES TO MY FIAT DEALER. I TEND TO THINK THAT THE RECALL ISSUE IS THE UNDERLYING PROBLEM WITH MY GEARS GOING OUT. THIS CAN NOT BE JUST A COINCIDENCE. THESE THINGS MUST BE LINKED.