TOP 3 FIAT REPAIR PROBLEMS

What was originally designed to make Fiat cars easier to drive has become a common problem for most drivers, specifically those owning a Punto. Owners have lamented how the power steering of their cars occasionally fails especially during cold days. What most motorists do is to turn off the engine then switch it back on to resume the power steering's function. But this method only eliminates the problem for a short period of time. To eventually solve it, you can ask a professional mechanic to check on it and see if replacement of parts is necessary. Check the fuses and connections of the power steering if they are all intact since they may be the ones actually causing you the trouble. Activating the car's city button can also relieve stress on the power steering. On cold mornings, too, make sure that the car is on city mode for 10 minutes or so to warm up the power steering's electrical pump.

A number of reviews highlighted the clutch of some Fiat cars, particularly those of the Punto, to be so inefficient at times that one driver regarded it "by far the hardest to use." A hard-to-maneuver clutch may bring utmost inconvenience to a driver: he may endure rough operation from the pedal, which can make sitting through a slow-moving traffic nearly unbearable. Not just is the Fiat's clutch a little too stiff, there can also be a great deal of judder in the pedal. Also, with this kind of clutch, Fiats have difficulty running at low speeds: put the car in 2^nd gear and it may eventually stall, put it in 1^st gear and it may just chug down the road. The reasons for a failing clutch range from burnt linings, damaged clutch discs, broken drive straps to a defective cable adjuster, oil contamination, and incorrect release system adjustment. A squealing sound in the clutch pedal, on the other hand, is usually caused by a bad pilot bearing or bushing. Here are tips in replacing the clutch and for lubricating clutch linkage.

The Electronic Control Unit (ECU), which serves as the chief coordinator of auto electrical systems, of some Fiat cars has been found out to be defective, giving way to other car problems, say, those concerning the coils (coil failure can affect the way a car performs on the road). A particular issue regarding the Fiat ECU is the so-called red key. The red key acts as a master key from which you can get spare key cuts and access to your car. It is a common problem for Fiat owners not to have this red key. If their car's battery dies, the key code will automatically be erased from the ECU memory and the engine will not start. To solve this, you can find a locksmith who can share his expertise on copying keys. Or you can get a stock-decoded, "free-running" ECU that will work without the need for coding using a red master key.