2012 Fiat 500 Fuel System Problems

The contact owns a 2012 Fiat 500. The contact stated that she was having difficulties refueling the vehicle as the gas pump would constantly stop pumping gas though the tank was not full. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the fuel tank sensor had failed, and the fuel tank needed to be replaced. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that it was a known failure however, she would be responsible for the cost of the repair since there was no recall related to the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 67,000.

WHEN STOPPED AT A FUEL FILLING STATION THE CAR WOULD NOT TAKE IN ANY FUEL FROM THE GAS STATION PUMP AS USUAL. IT REACTS LIKE THE TANK IS FULL BUT IT IS NOT. A VERY SMALL STEADY FLOW OF FUEL WILL FLOW AND FILL WHEN THE NOZZLE IS ENGAGED AS SUCH. THE DANGEROUS PROBLEM IS THAT THE GAS PUMP 'AUTOMATIC STOP' DOES NOT ENGAGE AND FUEL RUNS OUT OF THE FILLER AREA AND DOES NOT STOP UNTIL YOU MANUALLY PULL OUT THE NOZZLE. THE FIAT DEALER SAYS IT COULD BE THE ROLLOVER VALVE AND THEY HAVE SEEN IT HAPPEN BEFORE. THEY WANT TO CHARGE FOR SERVICE/INSPECTION, THEN REPAIRS. SOME DEALERS CHARGE FOR A NEW FUEL TANK @ $1200-1600 AND IT STILL HAPPENS. ONLINE CHATS REGARDING FIAT 500 ALSO DESCRIBE THIS ROLLOVER VALVE PROBLEM. MY CAR HAS 48,000 MILES AND IS A 2012.

WHILE FILLING GAS TANK, "CLICK" AS TANK FILLED DID NOT OCCUR, TANK OVERFLOWED. TANK THEN BECAME DIFFICULT TO REFILL, VERY SLOW CAUTION LIGHT OCCURRED SERVICE GARAGE SUSPECTS MALFUNCTION IN TANK SYSTEM DEALER WILL WARRANTY IF "CHECK ENGINE LIGHT" APPEARS

WHEN PUTTING FUEL IN TANK, I COULD ONLY PUT ABOUT ONE GALLON AND IT STARTED BUBBLING OUT OF TANK. FUEL ROLLOVER VALVE IS PROBLEM AND HAS TO BE REPLACED BY REPLACING ENTIRE FUEL TANK. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD BE RECALLED AND COVERED ON THE 2012 FIAT 500 POP

SUDDENLY ONE DAY I WAS NO LONGER ABLE TO PUMP GAS INTO MY VEHICLE. WHENEVER I TRY TO FILL UP MY GAS TANK GAS WERE JUST BACK UP, NO MATTER HOW EMPTY MY TANK WAS. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO MY DEALERSHIP, AND A STATED THAT THERE WAS A VALVE AT THE TOP OF MY GAS AT THE TOP OF MY FUEL TANK THAT IS PREVENTING THE GAS FROM DRAINING INTO THE TANK. NOTHING THAT I DID OR COULD HAVE DONE CAUSED THIS ISSUE TO BREAK. AND WHEN I INQUIRED ABOUT REPLACING THE VALVE THEY STATED THAT I WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE FUEL TANK SYSTEM, BUT THE PART WAS ON BACK ORDER FOR 1 TO 2 MONTHS BECAUSE THEY WERE SOLD OUT.

WHEN FILLING UP WITH GAS - PUMP CLICKS OFF EVERY FEW SECONDS. TAKES A LONG TIME TO FILL TANK AT A VERY LOW RATE OF FLOW. MAKES IT EASY TO OVERFLOW! MY MECHANIC SAYS SOMETHING IS FAULTY WITH THE GAS TANK.

GAS PUMP CONSTANTLY KICKS OFF WHILE PUMPING GAS. BASICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO FILL CAR UP WITH GAS. HAVE TO CONSTANTLY SQUEEZE LITTLE BURSTS OF GAS IN A TIME BETWEEN GAS PUMPING KICKING OFF. CHECKING ONLINE FOR OPTIONS TO RESOLVE ISSUES RESULTS IN SEEING THE ISSUE OCCUR IN MANY DIFFERENT FIATS FROM THIS YEAR.

WHEN TRYING TO PUMP GAS IN CAR, IT WOULD TAKE ABOUT 10 MINS TO PUMP ONE GALLON AND IT WOULD SHUT OFF CONSTANTLY. IN OTHER WORDS WHEN SQUEEZING THE PUMP, IT WOULD PUT A FEW DROPS AND CUT OFF AND IT WOULD CONTINUOUSLY DO THIS. THE PROBLEMS WAS THE ROLLER OVER SHUT OFF VALVE WAS STUCK AND THE SOLUTION WAS TO GET A WHOLE NEW TANK. IN ORDER TO KEEP EXPENSES DOWN AND BECAUSE THIS WAS NOT RECALLED, WE HAD OUR MECHANIC MOVE THE "BALL" AND THIS RESOLVED THE ISSUE UNTIL IT GETS STUCK AGAIN. THE COST WAS APPROXIMATELY $150

THE VEHICLE'S FUEL TANK IS NO LONGER ABLE TO ACCEPT FUEL PROPERLY FROM ANY GAS STATION DUE TO A DEFECT IN THE FUEL TANK'S ROLLOVER PROTECTION VALVE. AFTER A WEEKS WORTH OF TESTING THE DEALERSHIP ADVISED ME THAT THE CORRECT COURSE OF ACTION IS TO REPLACE THE WHOLE FUEL TANK AS THE PART IS INTEGRAL TO THE TANK. FIAT ADMITS THAT THERE IS A FAULT WITH THE TANK AND THEREFORE IT SHOULD BE A RECALL DUE TO FAULTY DESIGN RATHER THAN A CONSUMER BURDEN TO REPAIR AND REPLACE. I HAVE READ THAT THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE AMONGST THE 2012-2013 YEAR MODELS WITH MULTIPLE INCIDENTS OF OWNERS HAVING TO REPLACE THE FUEL TANK FOR THE PROBLEM TO ONLY RE-OCCUR AGAIN IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. THE VEHICLE IS STATIONARY WHEN THIS HAPPENS WITH THE MOTOR SHUT OFF AND FUEL CAP OPEN TO ACCEPT FUEL. ESTIMATED COST OF REPAIR IS $2,000 WHICH IS ABOUT 1/3 OF VEHICLES COST DUE TO DEPRECIATION.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FIAT 500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT IT WOULD TAKE 20 MINUTES TO FILL THE FUEL TANK AND FUEL SPILLED OUT. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. FIAT OF MELBOURNE (300 E NASA BLVD, MELBOURNE, FL 32901, (321) 727-7711) INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE FUEL TANK, FUEL TANK PUMP, AND CANISTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 72,359. *DT

Every time I pump fuel in the vehicle, the pump stops prematurely. It’ll pump for a few seconds and then seize. I would have to continuously press the handle every time the pump stops and clicks every few seconds. After I’m done fueling, it smells like gasoline inside my vehicle. I took my Fiat 500 to the dealership in January of 2019 to have Sunland Park technicians check the issue. Technicians diagnosed the vehicle and claimed it was a faulty fuel tank. Fuel tank was replaced and issue had gone away for approximately a year then proceeded to do the same issue again. Went back to the dealership when I began having the same issue and technicians say there is nothing wrong with my vehicle and they said that the repairs of my whole fuel tank were no longer under warranty. My fiat 500 is still having the same fuel issue of clicking nonstop and odor of the fuel is still strong. There are many fiat 500 owners going through this same issue continually paying fiat dealerships just to have the same issue of inhaling fuel and not being able to pump fuel in properly. This is a major hazard and needs to be resolved.

WHEN ADDING FUEL TO THE CAR, THE PUMP CONSTANTLY SHUTS OFF AS IF THE TANK IS FULL. THIS IS NOT A NOZZLE PROBLEM AS I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO OVER 15 DIFFERENT STATIONS. . IT TAKES 10 - 15 MINUTES TO RE-FUEL A 10 GALLON TANK. THE PURGE VALVE WAS REPLACED. THE MECHANIC SAYS THE CAR NEEDS A NEW TANK AT $1,000 USD. THE TANK IS NOT AVAILABLE, IT IS ON BACK ORDER, WITH NO DELIVERY DATE AVAILABLE.

REFUELING IS DIFFICULT, GAS PUMP SHUTS OFF EVERY FEW SECONDS. I'VE TRIED MANY DIFFERENT PUMPS AT MANY DIFFERENT GAS STATIONS. I READ ONLINE THAT FIAT RECOGNIZES A PROBLEM WITH THE FUEL ROLLOVER VALVE, BUT THE ENTIRE GAS TANK MUST BE REPLACED TO REPLACE THE VALVE. THIS IS A DESIGN PROBLEM THAT CAUSES A SAFETY ISSUE.

AT ABOUT 33,000 MILES THE FUEL ROLLOVER VALVE FAILED MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO PUMP FUEL INTO MY TANK AND AT TIMES CAUSING FUEL TO SPILL FROM THE FILLER TUBE. THE VALVE IS NOT REPLACEABLE SO THE ENTIRE FUEL TANK WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. ABOUT 3,200 MILES LATER THE ROLLOVER VALVE FAILED AGAIN. EVEN THOUGH THE TANK ONLY HAD A FEW THOUSAND MILES ON IT FIAT/CHRYSLER REFUSED TO WARRANTY THE REPLACEMENT TANK DUE TO THE CAR ITSELF BEING OUT OF NEW CAR WARRANTY BY A FEW MONTHS. I REFUSED REPLACEMENT OF THE SECOND TANK AT MY EXPENSE. THERE ARE A LOT OF DETAILS, DISCUSSIONS, AND A PROMISE BROKEN BY FIAT/CHRYSLER THAT ARE MISSING HERE BECAUSE OF AVAILABLE CHARACTERS TO TYPE. SIMPLY PUT THOUGH, FIAT ADMITS HAVING A ROLLOVER VALVE PROBLEM. MY RESEARCH SHOWS THAT MANY OWNERS EXPERIENCING THE PROBLEM BELIEVE IT IS CAUSED BY THE FUEL PUMP NOZZLE ITSELF SO THEY HAVE NOT COMPLAINED TO FIAT. ONE OF THE 3 DEALERS I SPOKE WITH MENTIONED THEY ARE HAVING TO REPLACE TANKS BECAUSE OF THE ROLLOVER VALVE THAT "STICKS". UPON CHECKING THE VALVE MYSELF I SAW NO EVIDENCE OF STICKING YET SOMETHING WAS BLOCKING FUEL FROM COMING IN. IS IT SO SENSITIVELY CALIBRATED THAT ONE CAN'T ACTUALLY TELL IF IT WORKS WITHOUT SPECIAL MEASURING TOOLS? HOW DOES FIAT SERVICE TEST IT? IF IT IS STICKING CLOSED, CAN IT STICK OPEN RENDERING THE ROLLOVER SAFETY COMPLETELY INEFFECTIVE? REGARDLESS, THIS VALVE WAS DESIGNED NOT TO FAIL, OTHERWISE IT WOULD REQUIRE AN INEXPENSIVE REPLACEABLE PART RATHER THAN A $800.00 FUEL TANK REPLACEMENT. I ALSO CONTEND, THAT, FOR IT TO CEASE TO OPERATE CORRECTLY AFTER JUST A FEW THOUSAND MILES (DO THE MATH) A GOOD INDICATION IS THAT IT WAS DEFECTIVE WHEN INSTALLED. BUT FIAT REFUSES TO BEAR ANY RESPONSIBILITY. FINALLY, THIS IS NOT A NEW PROBLEM WITH CHRYSLER. I BELIEVE EXTENDED LIFETIME WARRANTIES EXIST FOR RAM TRUCKS AND OTHER DODGE VEHICLES FROM ABOUT 2003 TO 2007 FOR A SIMILAR PART.

REPORTED ELECTRICAL BURNING SMELL THRU VENTILATION SYSTEM. DEALERSHIP DENIED ELECTRICAL BURNING BUT FOUND GAS PUNCTURE IN PLASTIC GAS TANK, SAYS SMELL IS FROM BURNING GAS. (OWNER DISAGREES) HOWEVER WITH NO OTHER SUSPENSION OR BODY DAMAGE FOUND EXCEPT THE GAS TANK PUNCTURE THERE IS GREAT CONCERN THAT THIS IS A SERIOUS DANGEROUS DESIGN FLAW. THAT THE TANK CAN BE PUNCTURED SO EASILY WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE OF DRIVER OF ANY EVENT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHRYSLER FIAT 500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL LEVEL GAUGE WOULD INDEPENDENTLY MOVE TO THE FULL MARK AND THE VEHICLE WOULD SUDDENLY STALL. THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE PLACED IN NEUTRAL IN ORDER TO GET IT TO RESTART. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, BUT THE DEALER COULD NOT DETERMINE WHAT CAUSED THE FAILURE. THE DEALER STATED THEY WOULD NEED TO CONTACT THE MANUFACTURER. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 8,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FIAT 500. WHEN THE IGNITION WAS TURNED TO THE ON POSITION, HALF OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. WHEN THE IGNITION WAS TURNED TO THE ON POSITION, THE ENGINE REVVED BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE IGNITION HAD TO BE TURNED TO THE OFF POSITION AND BACK ON IN ORDER FOR THE VEHICLE TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE STARTED IDLE GEAR FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE FUEL GAUGE FAILED TO REGISTER THE FUEL RANGE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL GAUGE FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 15. ....UPDATED 08/29/16 *BF