NHTSA Complaint #11221883 — 2014 FIAT 500

BOTH PASSENGER AND DRIVER WINDOW REGULATORS FAILED ON MY 2014 FIAT 500GQ AT 21250 MILES WITHIN 1 WEEK OF EACH OTHER. THE FIRST FAILURE OCCURRED ON 06/14/2019. I REPLACED THE REGULATOR MYSELF ON 06/22/2019, BUT AS I WAS BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY I ROLLED UP MY DRIVER SIDE WINDOW AND THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED THERE AS WELL! NEEDLESS TO SAY I WAS ABSOLUTELY SHOCKED. THE FAILURE WAS THE SAME FOR BOTH. WHEN ROLLING UP THE WINDOW WHEN THE WINDOW REACHES THE TOP OF THE TRACK AND STOPS AGAINST THE DOOR FRAME THE REGULATOR MOTOR CONTINUES TO RUN FORCING TOO MUCH TENSION ON THE INTERNAL MECHANISM. IN BOTH INSTANCES THE SAME TYPE OF FAILURE OCCURRED ON MY VEHICLE, THIS EXTRA TENSION CAUSED THE CABLE TO BE PULLED FREE FROM THE TOP PULLEY OF THE REGULATOR. A CRUNCHING/GRINDING NOISE IS HEARD AS THE CABLED IS PULLED THROUGH THE INTERNAL STRUCTURE OF THE DOOR, FOLLOWED BY THE WEIGHT OF THE WINDOW FORCING THE WINDOW TO DROP FULLY OPEN. THIS COULD BE VERY HAZARDOUS IF IT HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING DURING ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS AS THE DRIVER HAS NO ABILITY TO RAISE THE WINDOW. BOTH OF THESE INSTANCES OCCURED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS RUNNING BUT STATIONARY, THE FIRST WHILE I WAS STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT ON A CITY STREET, THE SECOND WHILE IN MY DRIVEWAY.