NHTSA Complaint #11309629 — 2013 FIAT 500

LATE IN MARCH 2019 I WENT OUT TO MY CAR AT WORK TO DRIVE HOME (HOUR COMMUTE VIA MOSTLY HIGHWAY ROADS). WHEN I PUT MY CAR IN REVERSE, THE STICK SHIFT DIDN'T SEEM RIGHT. WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO PUT THE CAR IN 1ST GEAR IT WOULD NOT GO. AT THAT POINT I ONLY HAD 2ND AND 4TH GEAR AVAILABLE (3RD AND 5TH WOULD ALSO NOT WORK). I DROVE HOME AT LOWER SPEEDS DUE TO NOT BEING ABLE TO SHIFT INTO 5TH GEAR. I IMMEDIATELY DROPPED THE CAR OFF AT A TIRES PLUS IN ATHENS, GA WHERE I LIVE. I THOUGHT MY CLUTCH HAD GONE OUT AS BY THE TIME I GOT THERE I COULD NO LONGER SHIFT GEARS AT ALL (STUCK IN 2ND). OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS, TIRE PLUS TOLD ME THEY THOUGHT IT WAS MY TRANSMISSION AND THEY ADVISED ME TO LOOK INTO GETTING IT FIXED ELSEWHERE DUE TO THEM NOT BEING ABLE TO DO THE WORK. ONE OF THE TECHS THERE DID MENTION THE POSSIBILITY THAT IT COULD BE THE SHIFTER CABLE AND THAT IT MIGHT BE WORTH IT TO TAKE IT TO A CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP TO VERIFY. I THEN PICKED THE CAR UP AND DELICATELY DROVE IT TO ATHENS DODGE CHRYSLER JEEP ON 4/1/19. THEY RAN DIAGNOSTICS AND DETERMINED SURE ENOUGH- IT WAS A BROKEN SHIFT CABLE (INVOICE ATTACHED SAYS THEY "REPLACED SHIFTER CABLES"). I RECENTLY BECAME AWARE OF A RECALL (VIA MAIL?) ON FIATS IN THE AGE RANGE OF MY VEHICLE (NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID: 19V817000 AND CHRYSLER RECALL #VB4) AND UPON LOOKING INTO IT ON BOTH THE NHTSA AND FIAT SITES, FOR WHATEVER REASON MY CAR WASN'T UNDER THE RECALL. I CALLED CHRYSLER DIRECTLY AT 800-853-1403 AND THE REPRESENTATIVE I SPOKE TO SAID SHE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY MY VIN # WASN'T ONE THAT WAS RECALLED BASED ON THE NATURE OF THE MALFUNCTION AND SUBSEQUENT REPAIR LAST APRIL. SHE SAID THAT PEOPLE CALL ALL THE TIME HAVING ALREADY HAD THE WORK COMPLETED PRIOR TO THE OFFICIAL RECALL SEEKING (AND RECEIVING) REIMBURSEMENT. SHE SUGGESTED GOING TO THIS SITE TO REQUEST THAT MY SPECIFIC VEHICLE BE ADDED TO THE RECALL SO THAT I COULD BE REIMBURSED, AS WELL.