2016 Fiat 500X Powertrain (other) Problems

I was driving vehicle and it all of a sudden get stuck in gear in either park gear or some other gear that wont allow me to turn engine off. Sometimes it just slow down to a stop and will not go into gear again for a while or appears the gears are not engaging putting me at risk for accident on highway. Once it slowed down in traffic and I nearly got hit trying to drive it off the highway. The gears were not engaging putting me at risk of many vehicles hitting me. I was praying someone noticed I had car trouble to slow down as I was no longer in full control of vehicle. After some

NHTSA ID

11737019

Incident

May 1, 2026

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.

NHTSA ID

11710295

Incident

Dec 22, 2025

Mileage

144,000 mi

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.

NHTSA ID

11708302

Incident

Dec 25, 2025

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.

NHTSA ID

11630317

Incident

Nov 12, 2024

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

NHTSA ID

11616211

Incident

Sep 23, 2024

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.

NHTSA ID

11603319

Incident

Jul 18, 2024

Mileage

104,000 mi

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.

NHTSA ID

11581483

Incident

Apr 1, 2024

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.

NHTSA ID

11571262

Incident

Jan 1, 2024

Unknown

NHTSA ID

11531521

Incident

Jul 11, 2023

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.

NHTSA ID

11495510

Incident

Nov 9, 2022

Mileage

39,000 mi

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.

NHTSA ID

11495122

Incident

Jun 10, 2022

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.

NHTSA ID

11491933

Incident

Oct 1, 2022

Mileage

79,300 mi

Vehicle unexpectedly shifted into neutral while in drive

NHTSA ID

11465895

Incident

May 24, 2022

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.

NHTSA ID

11442001

Incident

Oct 6, 2021

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

NHTSA ID

11430379

Incident

Aug 23, 2021

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?

NHTSA ID

11408478

Incident

Apr 16, 2021

Mileage

36,400 mi

THE TRANSMISSION IS HAVING CONSTANT ISSUES AND THIS HAS BEEN KNOWN WITH FIAT CARS.

NHTSA ID

11374747

Incident

Nov 3, 2020

Mileage

68,500 mi

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.

NHTSA ID

11374278

Incident

Nov 10, 2020

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.

NHTSA ID

11366363

Incident

Oct 22, 2020

Mileage

98,000 mi

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?

NHTSA ID

11352267

Incident

Aug 10, 2020

Mileage

38,000 mi

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

NHTSA ID

11352145

Incident

Aug 1, 2020

Mileage

70,000 mi

THIS CAR IS A LEMON AND THE DEALERSHIP IS FULLY AWARE. SINCE THE BEGINNING, THE CAR WILL RANDOMLY SAY DRIVE MODE UNAVAILABLE, EVEN WHILE IN OPERATION. IT GOES INTO NEUTRAL WITHOUT SHIFTING AND ALWAYS HAS. THE TRANSMISSION MESSES UP IF I SWITCH INTO SPORT FROM AUTO ON THE HIGHWAY AND IT ALWAYS HAS. THE STEERING WHEEL FELL APART ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK AND I HAD TO CALL THE DEALERSHIP, IT HAS STARTED FALLING APART AGAIN. THE DASHBOARD STARTED COMING APART AND THAT HAD TO BE REPAIRED. THE TRUNK LOCKS WHEN IT FEELS LIKE IT, AND ALWAYS HAS. I WILL CLOSE IT AND IT WILL IMMEDIATELY UNLOCK. THIS PREVENTS ME FROM LOCKING THE CAR AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT'LL FLY OPEN IF I TRY TO DRIVE IT. I HAVE TO WAIT FOR IT TO LOCK. THIS CAN LITERALLY TAKE HOURS! 2 WEEKS AGO, MY CAR ACTUALLY STARTED BY ITSELF AT 10:30 PM. I HEARD A CAR ALARM AND ASSUMED IT WAS A NEIGHBOR'S CAR. IT WAS MINE. MY KEYS WERE DOWNSTAIRS IN MY PURSE. I WAS UPSTAIRS BINGING LAW AND ORDER SVU. I COULDN'T GET THE CAR TO SHUT OFF. IT WAS RAINING AND DARK AND I LIVE ALONE AND I DON'T KNOW MY NEIGHBORS. LUCKILY SOMEONE CAME TO HELP ME ANYWAY. THE ALARM AND RADIO WE'RE BOTH BLARING NONSTOP. THE FUSE FOR THE FUEL HAD TO BE PULLED, TO SHUT IT OFF. THIS HAPPENED FOR TWO DAYS IN A ROW. NOW IT WON'T START. THE BATTERY IS FINE, THE RADIO AND LIGHTS AND DASH LIGHTS COME ON. EVERY POSSIBLE MECHANICAL FAILURE CODE IS SHOWING UP, ABS SYSTEM, KEYLESS ENTRY, POWER STEERING, REMOTE START, AIRBAGS, CHECK ENGINE ETC ARE ALL SHOWING AS DEFECTIVE. THIS CAR IS A LEMON. POMOCO JEEP CHRYSLER IN NN, VA, KNOWS IT'S A PIECE OF CRAP. INSTEAD OF LABELING AT WHAT IT IS, THEY EXPECT ME TO BRING IT IN CONSTANTLY AND CONSTANTLY BE WITHOUT TRANSPORTATION. IF I DIDN'T NEED A CAR, I WOULD NOT HAVE PURCHASED ONE. I WOULD LIKE A CERTIFIED MECHANIC, INDEPENDENT OF CHRYSLER AND IT'S DEALERSHIPS, TO FULLY EXAMINE AND DIAGNOSE THE ISSUES WITH MY CAR.

NHTSA ID

11351861

Incident

Aug 14, 2020

Mileage

78,000 mi

WHEN DRIVING THE CAR ITS SEEMS AS IF ITS NOT CHANGING GEARS PUSHING THE GAS TO ACCELERATE ITS WILL LET OFF A RUSHING SOUND WITH NO MOVEMENTS THEN IT WILL JERK AND ACCELERATE FASTER IT MAINLY DOES THIS WHEN TAKING OFF AND TURNING ONTO ANOTHER ROAD WHERE THEIR IS BUSY TRAFFIC THAT WILL EVENTUALLY CAUSE A ACCIDENT WITH ONCOMING VEHICLES IF THE ACCELERATION ISN'T AT ITS SPEED. *TR

NHTSA ID

11325033

Incident

May 18, 2020

MY CAR WAS STATIONARY. SITTING IN MY DRIVEWAY AND I WAS CLEANING THE INTERIOR OUT. LISTENING TO MY RADIO. THEN ALL THE SUDDEN A BUNCH OF WARNING LIGHTS START GOING OFF. PRETTY MUCH ALL OF THEM. I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST DYING SO I TRIED TO START IT. THE ALARM STARTS BLARING. EVENTUALLY THE CAR SHUT IT SELF OFF. AND NOW IT WILL NOT TURN BACK ON. IT'S JUST EXTREMELY SCARY THINKING I COULD OF BEEN DRIVING WHEN THIS HAPPENED. THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS HARD BETWEEN ONE AND TWO. AND OCCASIONALLY THE RADIO TURNS IT'S SELF ON AND OFF. I JUST BOUGHT THIS CAR USED WITH 43,000 MILES. IT'S INSANE AND INCREDIBLY UNSAFE WITH THESE ISSUES. AND NOW IT'S DEAD IN MY DRIVEWAY. I GET PARKING LIGHTS OUT AND DAYTIME DRIVING LIGHT OUT INDICATOR. ROUGH IDLE ON COLD STARTS SOMETIMES. *TR

NHTSA ID

11321527

Incident

Apr 18, 2020

Mileage

43,000 mi

VEHICLE HAS DIFFICULTY SHIFTING IN LOWER GEARS. WHEN THE VEHICLE SHIFTS, THE CAR JERKS YOU FORWARD. THIS HAS HAPPENED INCREASINGLY OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS, BUT HAS BEEN PRESENT SINCE I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE IN FEB '19. VEHICLE ALSO TENDS TO SHAKE WHEN IN IDLE AT RED LIGHTS, SHAKING STOPS AFTER PUTTING THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL.

NHTSA ID

11312061

Incident

Feb 28, 2019

Mileage

30,000 mi