I bought this car at Fiat of Ontario (CA) on Super Bowl Sunday '14. Since that time, a new dealership has come online, Desert Fiat of Victorville (CA). Once I found my "comfort zone" when I had had the car a couple of weeks, I routinely kept the seat at the lowest level possible and the steering column at the highest level. Yet, I was constantly striking my right knee against the lower steering column shroud upon entering and exiting the vehicle.
On a visit to Desert Fiat (again, NOT the selling dealer) a few months ago, I made the complaint about the steering column part which had come loose, and they replaced it under warranty. Well, try my best to avoid striking the column, my knee hit it again knocking the shroud loose, but this time the dealership would not repair it under warranty (not even their own warranty for the work they provided) and FCA would not cover it either, and the CSR could not explain why the original repair WAS covered under warranty.
I am a mature adult who has driven HUNDREDS of cars and trucks and this has NEVER been an issue. To me it's a DESIGN DEFECT, and other Fiat owners have made similar complaints on the online chat boards. I have been quote approx. $99 to repair the part, but I feel FCA needs to step up and fix it again AND design a shroud that is more "driver-friendly".
Update from Dec 2, 2015: For reasons never quite made clear to me, after I contacted FCA customer service, I was told that if I paid for the second repair to the lower steering column shroud and sent a copy of the bill to FCA, that they would reimburse me. I did as was requested and, yes, I did get a full refund for my customer-pay repair. I do appreciate FCA taking care of this particular customer in a 100% satisfactory manner.
I bought this car at Fiat of Ontario (CA) on Super Bowl Sunday '14. Since that time, a new dealership has come online, Desert Fiat of Victorville (CA). Once I found my "comfort zone" when I had had the car a couple of weeks, I routinely kept the seat at the lowest level possible and the steering column at the highest level. Yet, I was constantly striking my right knee against the lower steering column shroud upon entering and exiting the vehicle.
On a visit to Desert Fiat (again, NOT the selling dealer) a few months ago, I made the complaint about the steering column part which had come loose, and they replaced it under warranty. Well, try my best to avoid striking the column, my knee hit it again knocking the shroud loose, but this time the dealership would not repair it under warranty (not even their own warranty for the work they provided) and FCA would not cover it either, and the CSR could not explain why the original repair WAS covered under warranty.
I am a mature adult who has driven HUNDREDS of cars and trucks and this has NEVER been an issue. To me it's a DESIGN DEFECT, and other Fiat owners have made similar complaints on the online chat boards. I have been quote approx. $99 to repair the part, but I feel FCA needs to step up and fix it again AND design a shroud that is more "driver-friendly".
Update from Dec 2, 2015: For reasons never quite made clear to me, after I contacted FCA customer service, I was told that if I paid for the second repair to the lower steering column shroud and sent a copy of the bill to FCA, that they would reimburse me. I did as was requested and, yes, I did get a full refund for my customer-pay repair. I do appreciate FCA taking care of this particular customer in a 100% satisfactory manner.
- leftcoasttim, Barstow, CA, US