NHTSA Complaint #11307609 — 2015 FIAT 500

ON 2/5/2020, I LEFT MY HOME TO GO TO WORK. IT WAS A COLD MORNING IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND WHEN I GOT IN THE CAR AND TURNED IT ON A YELLOW SNOWFLAKE/ROAD APPEARED. IN THE 5 YEARS THAT I HAVE HAD THIS CAR, I HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS IMAGE APPEAR ON THE DASHBORD. I STARTED TO DRIVE THE CAR AND CALLED FIAT CHRYSLER TO INQUIRE ABOUT THE WARNING LIGHT. I SPOKE WITH A REPRESENTATIVE NAMED ASHLEY IN THE CALL CENTER. I TOLD ASHLEYT ABOUT THE WARNING AND SHE PLACED ME ON HOLD TO RESEARCH IT. SHE CAME BACK ON THE LINE AND THE WARNING MEANT I NEEDED TO PUT SNOW TIRES ON MY CAR BECAUSE OF THE WEATHER. I TOLD HER IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WHERE I LIVE WE DON'T NEED SNOW TIRES BECAUSE IT DOES NOT SNOW. SHE THEN TOLD ME MY TIRES WERE COLD ALONG WITH THE OUTSIDE OF THE CAR AND UNDERCARRIAGE THEREFORE THE CAR WAS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE. I TOLD HER THE TIRES WERE LESS THAN A YEAR OLD AND NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THEM. SHE THEN SAID IT WAS A SAFETY ISSUE. I SAID OK AND END THE CALL. AFTER THINKING FOR A BIT IT WAS UNSETTLING THAT I WAS DRIVING A CAR THAT WAS UNSAFE AS A FIAT REP INFORMED ME OF THIS SO I CALLED BACK TO START A BUY BACK WITH FIAT. I THEN SPOKE TO ANOTHER WHO INFORMED ME ASHLEY WAS NOT A MECHANIC AND SHOULD NOT HAVE TOLD ME THIS. I COULD NOT GET HER TO ACKNOWLEDGE IF THE CAR WAS SAFE TO DRIVE SO I ASKED HER TO HAVE A SUPERVISOR REVIEW THE CALL AND CALL ME BACK. I RECEIVED A CALL FROM MELISSA THE SUPERVISOR WHO ADVISED SHE REVIEWED THE CALL ASHLEY DID IN FACT TELL ME THIS BUT SHOUDL NOT HAVE THEREFORE IT'S A COACHING OPPORTUNITY FOR HER. I ASKED MELISSA TO SEND ME A LETTER CONFIRMING THE SAFETY OF THE CAR AND SHE WOULD NOT. I THEN INFORMED HER I WOULD CONTACT THE CALIFORNIA DEPT. OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS. THE SENSOR EVENTUALLY WENT AWAY ONCE THE CAR WARMED UP.