There are 46 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2016 Fiat 500Xin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
Car suddenly slowed down while driving on Christmas Day. This was a very unsafe situation because I was on the highway in traffic traveling at 70 miles per hour and the car suddenly slowed down which could have resulted in an accident leading to harm. A warning light then came on to service transmission right as the car slowed down. I Tried to step on the gas pedal and it would not accelerate. There was no warning light prior to this incident. The car was towed to the dealership the next day. On the following Monday we were told the transmission needs to be completely replaced after they completed a diagnosis test. Enclosed is a pic of the invoice.
The contact owns a 2016 Fiat 500X. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unintendedly shifted from drive(D) to neutral(N). The RPM became elevated; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. While driving approximately 15 - 20 MPH, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. While in LIMP Mode, the contact coasted to the side of the road and waited for several minutes before continuing to drive. The failure had occurred twice. Additionally, the check engine warning light illuminated intermittently. The vehicle had been taken to a certified mechanic, who determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be rebuilt. The dealer also diagnosed that there was a failure with the instrument cluster. The instrument cluster lights were cleared; however, the transmission was not repaired. The check engine warning light remained illuminated. The contact was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V529000 (Power Train), for the transmission for the same year, make, and model. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 144,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Fiat 500X. The contact stated while driving 30-35 MPH, several messages stating that the 4-WD system and the drive mode selector system were not available were displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where a computer software update was performed, per the manufacturer's recommendation; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the failure recurred upon starting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 73,000.
While driving, the vehicle will randomly shift to Neutral with a message appearing about shifting gears. When this happens I cannot accelerate or brake, and cannot shift gears. The only way to get the car to operate properly again is to turn the engine off and back on. Suddenly losing the ability to drive the car while on the road like this is definitely a safety risk, to me and other drivers. This has happened on three separate occasions for me. I took it to a dealership that was unable to diagnose it as they could not replicate the issue themselves during a test drive. It appears to be the same issue that is described in recall S55. However, even though my car is listed in the recall, I was told my specific VIN is not included. The dealership says there is nothing they can do.
Driving on the highway approximately 55 MPH and the vehicle went automatically went into neutral thankfully I was able to pull off to the shoulder. I put it in park and shut the vehicle off and turned it back on again, when I shifted into drive it felt like somebody just picked up the car and dropped it. This has been an ongoing issue. Dealerships don’t know what it is. I’ve done research on this specific vehicle from other owners and they have been experiencing the same thing with this make and model of vehicle
The contact owns a 2016 Fiat 500X. The contact stated that on two occasions while driving approximately 75 MPH, the gear disengaged, and the transmission unexpectedly shifted into neutral. The vehicle was taken to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.
My car spontaneously shifts from driving to neutral while I am actively driving it. This has happened at least a half dozen times so far. Each time this has happened I cannot get my car to continue driving, since it’s shifted to neutral all by itself and stuck there. I have to come to a complete stop, put my car in park, turn the engine off, and then turn it back on again. This has happened for the last year and is happening more and more frequently. The latest incident was 4/1/2024. I talked to the Fiat dealership and they said it looks like my car should have been included in a Transmission issue recall that was assigned to 2016 Fiat 500X cars, but for some reason it wasn’t assigned to my specific VIN.
There’s a recall on this specific year make and model and my powertrain is doing the exactly malfunction that’s states for the recall.
The contact owns a 2016 Fiat 500X. The contact stated that on two separate occasions, the vehicle stalled without warning. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V529000 (Power Train) which she linked to the failure. The contact called the manufacturer who referred her to the dealer. The dealer advised her to drive the vehicle for 2,000 miles to track the failure and the contact declined. The vehicle remained in the possession of the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 39,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Fiat 500X. The contact stated upon making a complete stop at a traffic light, the vehicle vibrated. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 40-45 MPH, the vehicle experienced hard shifting from second to third gear. The contact was able to continue driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that three motor mounts were fractured and needed to be replaced. Additionally, the dealer diagnosed that the spark plugs, and an unknown seal needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as the VIN was not under recall, and the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 79,300.
I lease a 2016 fiat 500x in may of 2020. I received a letter saying there was a recall on my vehicle. Recently my car has completely stopped working. It was using up oil to fast. My car would stall out in the middle of the road. Or my car would not turn on completely. I kept up with maintenance ( oil changes etc. ) in June of 2022 my car started over heating. The day before I had just got my oil changed. I took it to the dealership. Which they told me I blew my head gasket. I don’t believe that’s is what happened. I believe something else had went wrong. Now they won’t help me fix my car even when having FULL coverage warranty. and I’ve been without a car since then.
Vehicle unexpectedly shifted into neutral while in drive
Since the car was purchased, the electrical system seems to have an issue that no dealership has been able to diagnose or fix. The forward collision warning system will intermittently turn itself off upon starting or even while driving. The car also frequently blows passenger side lights. More recently at about 67,000 miles, the check engine and transmission warning lights came on while highway driving 2.5 hrs away from home. The car has been in and out of the shop at least 3 times over the past month and a half to try and fix the issue but they have been unable to determine what is wrong with it. They said they found metal in the transmission and therefore replaced the torque converter and valve body. However, the issue persists. A burning smell can now be detected when driving. Car is going into the shop for a 3rd time to try and fix it - leaving owner without a vehicle for another undetermined amount of time and many miles away from home (this time >500 miles away from home). The car supposedly passed all previous recalls - cooling fan, oil consumption, etc. All regular service/maintenance intervals have been kept by the owner.
1 year after purchase the car started having electrical issues, hard gear shifting, turns off or fails to start on first try, car has been serviced at South Miami FIAT since the issues started. The dealer could not identify the issues and told me that they would leave a warranty order open in the event that the warranty expired and the issue was not addressed. The dealer is basically not assisting. I have recently taken my car in for the oil consumption test; at first it failed to later be told that it's working just fine. Problems do no fix themselves and I feel that the dealer is not being totally honest with the situation. I am aware that the consumer is on the losing end of this story, but I will say that I along with many others have had a less than desirable experience with FIAT vehicles. Can someone please respond regarding these issues. I know that the past 2 years have been strenuous on all, but this is my last effort to find a solution to this matter. I have reviewed many other owners with almost identical issues with their cars. Thank you for your attention
2016 FIAT 500X EASY SPORT AWD. I TOOK MY CAR IN LAST YEAR DUE TO A CODE IT WAS THREW RELATING TO ENGINE COOLING FAN & FOUND IT WAS ON AN UPDATED RECALL; CAR WAS STALLING BOTH WHILE DRIVING & WHILE AT A COMPLETE STOP, HAD EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION (1 QRT NEEDED EVERY 2 WKS), SHIFTED HARD FROM 1ST TO 2ND AND ALSO HAD ODD IDLING SOUND AT SPEEDS BTWN 15-25MPH WITH SUDDEN 'POWER BURST' AND LAST, EXCESSIVE HEAT FROM ENGINE RIGHT BEFORE IT THREW THE CODE. FIAT RECALL ASSISTANCE VERY HELPFUL AND GOT ME THE REPLACEMENT PART AND SERVICED AT LOCAL DEALERSHIP. RECALL NEVER SHOWED UP UNDER NHTSA EVEN TO THIS DAY. THE REPLACEMENT PART SEEMED TO CURE ALL EXCEPT FOR THE ODD IDLING SOUND. IT'S AS THOUGH CAR IS GOING TO STALL ANY SECOND, ALMOST A 'KNOCKING' IN ENGINE AND SLIGHT SHAKING CAN BE FELT. RECVD NOTICE TODAY FROM SAME DEALERSHIP THAT TOOK CARE OF LAST RECALL ON MY CAR. APPARENTLY IT HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE POWERTRAIN RECALL 16V529000, SO I WILL BE SCHEDULING AN APPT TOMORROW. WHEN I TRIED TO FIND THE RECALL, MY VIN SEARCH CAME BACK WITH 'YOU HAVE 0 UNREPAIRED RECALLS'??? I HAD TO COMPLETE A SEARCH WITHOUT THE VIN TO FIND OUT WHAT CAMPAIGN IT WAS UNDER. IF DEALER IS SENDING ME ALERTS, CERTAINLY NHTSA SHOULD HAVE MY CAR LISTED FOR THE SAME RECALL AS THEY DO...YOU GUYS DO ALL GO OFF THE SAME RECALL DATABASE AS MFG DO, DON'T YOU?
MY CAR DIDN'T START AND THEN FINALLY DID. WHILE DRIVING IT STALLED,ALL OF A SUDDEN I GOT CONTROL ENOUGH TO PARK AT WORK . WITH NO WARNING SIGNS I PROCEEDED TO CHANGE BATTERY AFTER WORK AND IT STILL WOULDN'T START THEN AFTER ATTEMPTING TO START WITH NEW BATTERY THE CAR WITH LOCK SYMBOL CAME OUT. STILL AT THIS POINT NO WARNING WAS GIVING AS I WAS DRIVING THIS CAR PERFECTLY FINE UNTIL THIS. ALL THIS WAS ON MAIN STREETS. I HAVE SMALL KIDS AND THIS IS NOT AN ACCIDENT THAT I WOULD EVER WANT WITH OR WITHOUT THEM BECAUSE OF A TECHNICAL ISSUE OF A CAR.
THE TRANSMISSION IS HAVING CONSTANT ISSUES AND THIS HAS BEEN KNOWN WITH FIAT CARS.
THE CAR RANDOMLY JUMPS INTO NEUTRAL WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. I MUST TRY TO COAST TO THE SHOULDER, AS THE DASH IS TELLING ME TO PRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL TO PUT THE CAR IN GEAR. ONCE I'VE STOPPED I HAVE TO MOVE THE GEAR SHIFT TO PARK, SHUT THE CAR OFF AND RESTART IT.
RECEIVED (2) RECALL NOTICES SO FAR ON MY 2016 500X EASY AWD, 1) FOR POWERTRAIN - CAR SHIFTS TO NEUTRAL UNEXPECTEDLY (WHICH MINE WAS DOING AT THE TIME) AND 2ND FOR ENGINE COOLING FAN MODULE (V54 - SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT APPEARS AND DRIVE MODE UNAVAILABLE) THIS I WAS NOT HAVING AN ISSUE WITH AT THAT TIME. BOTH TIMES, THE DEALER SAID MY CAR WAS NOT PART OF RECALL. 1ST RESOLVED DUE TO HIGH OIL CONSUMPTION, SO HAVE TO ADD A QRT OF OIL EVERY 2 WKS. UPDATED RECALL WAS SENT OUT ON OCT 2019 FOR ENGINE COOLING FAN, WHICH MY MAKE AND MODEL IS NOW INCLUDED. I NEVER RECVD THIS NOTICE BECAUSE DEALER REMOVED ME FROM THE DEALERCONNECT CLAIM GLOBAL RECALL SYSTEMS (GRS) AND VEHICLE INFORMATION SYSTEM (VIP) WHEN I CALLED 1ST TIME AS NOT APPLICABLE. MY CARS SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AUG 10, 2020 AND DRIVE MODE UNAVAILABLE ALERT, THROWING CODE P0481, INTENSE HEAT WAS COMING FROM ENGINE THOUGH TEMP GAUGE AT NORMAL LEVELS. I JUST HAPPENED TO FIND THE RECALL ONLINE WHILE TRYING TO FIND WHAT CODE MEANT. CALLED THE FIAT CHRYSLER AUTOMOBILE (FCA) RECALL ASSISTANCE CENTER THIS TIME INSTEAD OF DEALER AND THEY LOOKED UP MY VIN AND FOUND IT IS ONE THAT IS AFFECTED AND SCHEDULED THE APPT FOR ME WITH MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP. MY CONCERN IS THAT THE DEALER INSTRUCTION ON THE RECALL SPECIFICALLY SHOWS WHICH FAN MODULES HAVE BEEN AFFECTED (BU /FB MODULES ONLY) & WHAT TO LOOK FOR YET THE DEALER NEVER BOTHERED THE FIRST TIME, JUST DENIED ME OVER THE PHONE. WHO KNOWS WHAT KIND OF DAMAGE IT'S CAUSED AFTER ALL THIS TIME AND ALL THEY HAD TO DO WAS POP THE HOOD AND CHECK IF FAN MODULE HAS A PLASTIC HEAT SHIELD OR A METAL HEAT SHIELD WITH METAL TOP HAT IN CENTER OF MOTOR INSTEAD OF A PLASTIC CIRCLE IN CENTER OF MOTOR. THIS WOULD HAVE PREVENTED WHERE I AM NOW, UNABLE TO WORK (I AM A RIDESHARE DRIVER), LOSING MONEY AFTER AN ALREADY COSTLY PANDEMIC. NHTSA SITE DOESN'T SHOW THIS RECALL YET WITH VIN IN SYSTEM?
LIKE EVERYONE ELSE ON HERE MY CAR HAS MULTIPLE ISSUES. CAR SHIFTS HARD FROM FIRST TO SECOND GEAR. FUEL CAR PROPULSION SEEMS OFF, DRIVERS SIDE DOOR HANDLE BROKE, DAY TIME RUNNING LIGHTS DON'T WORK, TOUCH SCREEN ON DISPLAY QUIT WORKING, CAR DOESN'T ALERT ME OF LOW OIL LEVEL, IT HAS SHUT OFF BUT I'M PRETTY SURE IT'S A SAFETY FEATURE WHEN YOUR OIL IS TO LOW SO YOU DONT BLOW YOUR CAR UP, CAR USES WAAAYYY TO MUCH OIL, GAS MILEAGE ISN'T THAT GREAT, BRAKES WERE REPLACED EVER SINCE A LOT OF TIMES MY CAR WILL SCREECH WHEN I GO TO APPLY THE BRAKES, OH AND BATTERY IS BAD LITERALLY JUST REPLACED IT HAD CORROSION AND ACID LEAKING OUT. I REALLY WANTED TO LOVE THIS CAR BUT IT'S BEEN KIND OF A DISAPPOINTMENT. I AM THE SECOND OWNER, I BOUGHT IT IN 2018 WITH ABOUT 45K MILES AND IT JUST HIT 100K A CAR FOUR YEARS OLD SHOULD NOT HAVE THIS MANY PROBLEMS IT'S REALLY UNACCEPTABLE. ITS JUST MY EVERY DAY DRIVER I MAINTENANCE IT REGULARLY AND THE MILES ARE MOSTLY HIGHWAY MILES. ALL OF THIS JUST WITHIN 2 YEARS AND 50K MILES PRETTY UNBELIEVABLE. I AM TAKING IT TO A FIAT DEALERSHIP THIS WEEK TO SEE IF THEY CAN FIX SOME OF THESE ISSUES
Showing 1–20 of 46 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026