General 500 door handles

[the tall guy]

Have just had my door handle replaced on my 30 month old 500, local dealer has said its a common fault ,also fiat refused to cover the repair because the whole thing broke in the door .

 

[jrkitching]

Have just had my door handle replaced on my 30 month old 500, local dealer has said its a common fault ,also fiat refused to cover the repair because the whole thing broke in the door .

Hello & welcome to the forum :wave:.

Sorry to hear about your little problem.

Unfortunately you're not the first, & you won't be the last. It is indeed a relatively common problem and if it happens after the 2yr manufacturer's warranty expires, your chances of getting a contribution towards the cost from Fiat are basically zip.

Replacement handles can be sourced from either your local dealership or, for a few less shekels, that well-known auction website. The repair involves removing the door card & is rather more fiddly & bothersome than you might expect, but an independent will likely still be cheaper than going to Fiat if you don't feel inclined to do it yourself.

 

[Robnw67]

So how come the dealer said that the failure wouldn't be covered under warranty? I could understand if the part had been abused or worn out but if the handle broke inside the door, there is nothing the user could have done to abuse it and if it has worn, that implies sub-standard qualification ie poor design. If the dealer has stated that it's a well known problem, that is tantamount to admitting a widespread design flaw to me and Fiat (whether the manufacturing side or dealer) should pay for a replacement. I have owned several cars which have been well over 30 months old and never had to replace a door handle!!

 

[jrkitching]

So how come the dealer said that the failure wouldn't be covered under warranty? I could understand if the part had been abused or worn out but if the handle broke inside the door, there is nothing the user could have done to abuse it and if it has worn, that implies sub-standard qualification ie poor design. If the dealer has stated that it's a well known problem, that is tantamount to admitting a widespread design flaw to me and Fiat (whether the manufacturing side or dealer) should pay for a replacement. I have owned several cars which have been well over 30 months old and never had to replace a door handle!!

Because the warranty is basically cr*p & Fiat will likely claim that either (a) it was damaged through misuse; (b) it's fair wear & tear or (c) it's trim & therefore (like most things that are actually likely to break), not covered by the 3rd yr warranty.

I'd agree the 500 door handle was developed by the Ministry of Cr*p Design.

Prevention is better than cure & I'd recommend all 500 owners to spray a little rubber lubricant (kinder than WD40 which might eat the gasket between the handle & the door) into the pivot twice a year. If you're replacing it yourself, applying grease to the hinge should give a much longer lasting fix. If this were done in the factory, there'd likely be far fewer failures in service.

 

[krossi]

Yes, a very common fault and a cheap component. Caused me to fail my mot on my first 500. With my new 500 I use the door handle with kid gloves and advise the Mrs to do the same.

 

[MarcoVenturi]

repairing the door handle is straightforward if you've any diy competence and I did it at a cost of just over £8. Once I can convert my docx. document to zip or pdf I'll post detailed step-by-step guidance

 

[ahmett]

Guys i noticed my passenger door handle being a bit rough to open so i immediately took it to dealer and they 'lubed' it up. Since then no problem at all.
A reminder to all fiat 500 owners if you feel your door is harder to open grt it sorted asap! Fiat are right in saying if you keep on opening it while it is damaged it will eventually break, regardless of how useless the design is : )

 

[MarcoVenturi]

I've posted my step by step repair process in Guides and also in the thread " Re: Drivers side door handle HANGING OFF!!!!!! " if anyone's interested

 

[AjayC]

Have just had my door handle replaced on my 30 month old 500, local dealer has said its a common fault ,also fiat refused to cover the repair because the whole thing broke in the door .

When my 500's passenger handle came away from the door the car was only 6 months old, I rarely had anyone as a passenger so the door was used verly little, after a battle they replaced it under warranty. Now my 500 is 4 years old and the drivers side door handle came off in my hand! I got in touch with Fiat UK and they have to get the opinion of my local dealer, I will be surprised if the dealer takes my side on this after all Fiat is their client.
Would be interesting to know how many people have had this door handle problem. My Brother's 500 Abarth had to get his handle replaced though luckily under warranty.
My parents say in all the years of all the cars they have owned they have never had a car door handle fall off or attempt to!

 

[Andy Monty]

When my 500's passenger handle came away from the door the car was only 6 months old, I rarely had anyone as a passenger so the door was used verly little, after a battle they replaced it under warranty. Now my 500 is 4 years old and the drivers side door handle came off in my hand! I got in touch with Fiat UK and they have to get the opinion of my local dealer, I will be surprised if the dealer takes my side on this after all Fiat is their client.
Would be interesting to know how many people have had this door handle problem. My Brother's 500 Abarth had to get his handle replaced though luckily under warranty.
My parents say in all the years of all the cars they have owned they have never had a car door handle fall off or attempt to!

Welcome to the forum AjayC :wave:

if you cant get any joy out of fiat take a look at this:

https://www.fiatforum.com/500-guides/316198-broken-door-handle-articulator-hinge-repair.html

 

[fiat500own]

have you posted the guidance yet?