General Known faults/problems/issues/things to be aware of

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General Known faults/problems/issues/things to be aware of

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below is a quick, easy reference guide to problems and issue that have cropped up in the forum over the last few years, more details on the specific issues can be found by looking through the threads.

as new ones come to light they will be added, however this thread will be kept locked to prevent it going off topic.

  • 1. Rubbing strip on front nearside door came away, replaced under warranty.
  • 2. Failure of electrical boot release mechanism. A common fault due to failure of a microswitch but repair entails replacing the whole boot catch mechanism which also has to be painted to match the car so a long-winded repair. Again repaired under warranty.
  • 3. Found that one of the bolts holding the outlet manifold heatshield had disappeared. Fitted a new bolt myself but some cracking of the heatshield around the site of the missing bolt which I need to keep an eye on.
  • 4. Water inside nearside headlamp . My fault for pressure washing inside engine compartment so I dried the unit out with a hairdryer and kitchen towels.
  • 5. Corrosion of offside front wiper arm which I will bring up at next service.
  • 6. Both side repeater indicator units fill with drops of water.
  • 7. climate control compressor bearings failed after about a year, replaced under warranty
  • 8. clutch failure just before year two service, about 11000 miles, the selector forks were bent, full unit replaced under warranty
  • 9. passenger airbag came loose inside the dash, at end of year one, replaced under warranty
  • 10. coolant pump failed just before year three service, full replacement inc cambelt under warranty.
  • 11.Dashboard (heating controls) bulb went - seems to happen after service for
  • 12.Drivers door handle not opening the door on first lift, let it drop and try again.....door opens. Fault cleared itself, but others have reported the same thing.
  • 13.Wrong clamps fitted on side skirts of the Sporting. Changed under warranty.
  • 14.Cracked inner plastic sill below rear nearside door.changed under warranty.some strange reason - €2 to fix.
  • 15. Indicators self cancel at the drop of a hat (same as Punto) they share the same part so fault is transfered from model to model, Fiat are going to replace the unit but assure me it will be exactly the same.
  • 16.Power steering stops working when doing a lot of reversing etc, (Driving Instructor) Fiat say its either a sensor on the top of steering assembly or the electric motor is on the blink nothing comes up on tester but car does this at the drop of a hat also, all steering assembly being replaced asap by Fiat Warranty.
  • 17.And over last couple of days the clutch has started slipping, when car gets on boost ie 1800rpm ish 3rg gear and the gas pedal is applied to pull, the clutch starts to give up, Fiat say because car has done 19000k they will not cover the clutch, i have pleaded with them but still not moving on this, what they will do is replace master cylinder to see if this sorts, as i only have to tap clutch pedal and its slips, thinking there is no free play/ hyds have pumped up and not released.
  • 18.At least one car has suffered from wear on the rubber seal at the bottom of the windscreen
  • 19.Slighted twisted wiper arms, causing squeak and rub on wiping the windscreen, a slight twist of the arms should cure this.
  • 20.on some models a fault in the radio will cause it turn on, when the engine is off. Sometimes a check through the menu of the unit will cure it, however others have had to get a new unit installed.
  • 21.radio fault - seems quite a few of the cd head units will switch themselves on for no reason during the night, either needs reprogramming or replacing
  • 22.squeaking squealing brakes on the 100hp, esp from new, appears down to the pads which need to be replaced with a slightly modified set
  • 23. check how your rear number plate is affixed to the tailgate, it should be via 4 screws towards the corner of the plate, that locate neatly into four plastic plugs already fitted into the metalwork, alternatively, a trio of those super strong sticky pads. what it shouldn't be, are two screws which go THROUGH THE PAINTED METAL!! it's been seen on at least on car, and whilst not a manufacturer fault, i'd certainly be steaming at the dealer.....
  • 24. leaking on some recent models on the rear passenger side, causing water to collect in the passenger footwell, no definative cause, possible from faulty seals in either the side or rear window
  • 25. washer jets will fall out of alignment, at any time, generally hitting the quite high wiper arm, or going over onto the roof, so far best solution appears to be swapping to new style "flat blade" items, 23" drivers side, 16" passenger side.
  • 26. quite a few owners are reporting tracking issues, resulting in severe wear on the inner edge of the front tyres, some are finding the tracking set up is wrong out of the factory, others find it going out of alignment after a few thousand miles. so far it's mainly been confined to the 100hp, but there have been a few other models creeping in lately.
  • 27. a fair number of threads appearing for damper units failing at anything from 18 months to 5 years, causing clonking and uneven ride. worth having a look every so often, as part of your general maintainence, for leaks. appears the welds go rusty, and let go.
  • 28. a major recall of prety much every model from every year is under way for a possible fault in the ABS unit, as a precaution cars are bing checked over by main dealers, and units replaced if required.

not really a fault, but a fair number of cars don't have a boot light as standard, a quick and easy DIY fix can be found here:
https://www.fiatforum.com/panda-new/65366-i-lit-up-old-boot-i-m-not-referring-mrs.html
many thanks to creamola for the effort

the 100hp appears to have an issue with tracking/alignment, seems the factory settings aren't always adhered to, many thanks to S-X-I, who has found what it should be, handy for when you go in to a garageto get yours sorted:
https://www.fiatforum.com/panda/219392-panda-100hp-geometry-information.html

and for those who require the added security of a locking fuel cap, which for some reason Fiat don't offer on current variants, you can order it, part no. 71802520 costs about £17.50.

something else that does pop up from time to time, no your eyes do no deceive you, the rubber strip under the bonnet does not go all the way across, relax!!!!! there is nothing missing, for once the salesman is right, they really do all come like that (y)
 
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