Recalls: Fiat Panda
Overview
Manufacturers, or importers, issue recalls for defects or faults which have the potential to cause injury. Generally, manufacturers will inform the original buyers if their vehicle is subject to a recall and of the steps required to remedy the defect or fault. Please note that the recalls below (if any) are for Australian-delivered vehicles only. Furthermore, the number of recalls should not be taken as an indication of a model’s reliability or its safety more generally.
Recalls: Fiat Panda
No recall information is available for the Fiat Panda. To search for recalls of Fiat models, please visit Product Safety Recalls Australia: Fiat.
Problems and faults: Fiat Panda
Overview
This section identifies potential problems, causes and fixes based on the experiences of owners and repairers, online sources and technical service bulletins. This information is provided solely for reference purposes and AustralianCar.Reviews recommends that only properly qualified persons carry out repairs or modifications. Furthermore, the number of items below should not be taken as an indicator of a model’s reliability or the frequency with which they may occur.
To report a problem or fault to the AustralianCar.Reviews team, please use the Contact Us form. Note that AustralianCar.Reviews does not offer advice on automotive problems or disputes; such enquiries will not receive a reply. For vehicles purchased from dealers after 1 January 2011, please see our Australian Consumer Law fact sheet.
2014-15 Fiat Panda 1.2 (EU6): hesitation when accelerating from rest
For 2014 and 2015 Fiat Panda and 500 vehicles that had 1.2-litre petrol engines which complied with Euro 6 (EU6) emissions standards, owners have complained of a lack of power at engine speeds below 3000 rpm which makes it difficult to accelerate from rest, particularly uphill. It is believed that this problem was caused by engine mapping introduced for the EU6 compliant 1.2-litre petrol engine that was available from May 2014.
In BBC’s Watchdog program, a mechanic attributed the difficulty in accelerating to a delay between pressing the accelerator pedal and the engine’s response. In the video below, stunt driver Ben Collins attempts to drive the Fiat 500 up a hill, concluding that there was a lack of power below 3000 rpm and that it was necessary to rev the engine to 5000 rpm and ride the clutch in order to drive up the hill.
In a statement following BBC’s Watchdog programme, Fiat acknowledged that the majority of complaints it had received were for EU6 compliant Fiat 500 1.2 vehicles that did not have electronic stability control (ESC) and that these vehicles had different engine software to those which did have ESC.
In March 2015, Fiat introduced a series of rectification measures to address these problems:
- Replacement of the clutch position sensor;
- An ECU update for idle and emissions controls; and,
- An ESC update (for models which had ESC).
Fiat Panda 1.3 MultiJet Diesel: timing chain failure
The 1.3 MultiJet 16V diesel engine has a paper insert oil filter which can clog and crumble – this causes the oil feed pipe for the chain tensioner to become blocked which, in turn, causes the timing chain to stretch, become slack and potentially break. The 1.3 MultiJet 16V engine has 32,000 kilometre service intervals and more frequent changes are recommended to prevent this from occurring. If the timing chains are replaced, the crank pulley bolt must be tightened to the required specification or it can come loose, adversely affect the engine’s timing and snap the rockers.
Fiat Panda 1.3 MultiJet Diesel: failed DPF regeneration
The Fiat 1.3 MultiJet 16V engine has a diesel particulate filter (DPF) which can become clogged with soot such that it needs to be regenerated. To regenerate the DPF, excess fuel is injected to raise the temperature of the exhaust gases sufficiently to burn off the soot. However, this excess diesel fuel can seep into the sump and raise the level of sump oil such that the sump oil enters the engine and causes serious damage.
