General 500L safety recall Water drain pipe

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General 500L safety recall Water drain pipe

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Feb 13, 2012
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Received a recall notice for our 500L this morning.

Recall 5796 - Water drain pipe.

Not sure which models are included.

Just the heads up for anybody that gets missed.
 
I heard this recall was to do with a water drain pipe that could leak water onto the alternator, can anyone conform this?

I am currently having battery/electrical problems with my wife's 500L as per original post on a different thread and know the car hasn't had this recall fix done yet, if anyone has details of the exact reason for recall that would be appreciated.
 
I heard this recall was to do with a water drain pipe that could leak water onto the alternator, can anyone conform this?

I am currently having battery/electrical problems with my wife's 500L as per original post on a different thread and know the car hasn't had this recall fix done yet, if anyone has details of the exact reason for recall that would be appreciated.

Yes it was exactly this issue. I don't know what the mods. done to ours were but it was a longish job.
 
Ha. sounds like a similar design flaw on RHD Alfa MiTos.

Water would drain onto the alternator and freeze in winter.
Did wreck a few engines when the car first came out.

Fixed was a longer drain pipe iirc.
 
Quite surprised they've managed to drop the same clanger again - as Tata4now said, the Alfa MiTo (and some Grande Punto's) had the same trouble a few years ago! That only affected petrols though, I assume this affects all models of 500L?

At least they've noticed during Summer this time - with the MiTo it was in December/January when we'd had weeks of sub-zero temperatures! It wasn't until peoples cars wouldn't start without lots of noise and smoke from the fanbelt that anyone noticed there was a problem. Of course at that point everyone needed the alternator belts, drain pipes and in many cases, alternators replacing, and parts started going on back-order pretty quickly - as many people will be aware, Fiats UK parts supply isn't the most comprehensive!

On paper this looks like a much less bigger problem because we've months before any alternators should start freezing up with ice, by which time even Fiats parts supply should've mustered enough new drain pipes (or whatever's needed) to sort the problem without too much drama! ;)
 
Wow, amazing this design flaw is present in the 500L - My 2007 Grande Punto 1.9 M-Jet went through two alternators with this design flaw and the partners Alfa Romeo had the brake servo rot through filling the cabin with water because of this design flaw.
 
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