http://www.autoblog.com/2015/06/11/fiat-500e-recall-fix-cruise-control/ FCA recalls Fiat 500e to fix cruise control Jun 11th 2015 Danny King
[video flash] 2014 Fiat 500e No Injuries, Complaints From Issue, Which May Put EV Into Neutral When It Shouldn't Fiat is recalling almost 4,000 of its 500e electric vehicles because of a malfunction related to the model's cruise-control feature. The glitch causes the car's powertrain to be put into neutral under certain situations. It's the second recall on the 500e this year. Specifically, Chrysler-Fiat is recalling 3,975 cars. The issue is that the car's system can misread the motor's torque figures in cruise control, causing the sprightly EV to mistakenly shift into neutral in what was designed as a safety-precaution measure. The good news is that restarting the vehicle gets the car back to normal, but being dropped into neutral in highway mode is certainly no fun. Chrysler-Fiat said in a statement this week that it was "unaware" of injuries, accidents, or customer complaints caused by the issue. In April, the 500e was subject to a recall that impacted about 5,600 vehicles and stemmed from a March 2015 update. The update allowed the car to go into so-called "Limp Home Mode" to better extend range. The problem is that it inadvertently caused the car to stall. Range anxiety, indeed. Take a look at Chrysler-Fiat's press release on the most recent recall below. Statement: Software Upgrade June 9, 2015 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - FCA US LLC is voluntarily recalling an estimated 3,975 cars to upgrade cruise-control software. A review of warranty data led to an investigation by FCA US LLC engineers. The investigation discovered certain Fiat 500e hatchbacks were inadvertently equipped with software that may misread torque levels generated by their motors, causing them to shift into neutral – a prescribed failsafe mode. This condition may occur only while cruise-control is engaged and the driver attempts to override the feature with accelerator-pedal applications or rapid tapping of the accelerate/decelerate buttons. Restarting the vehicle restores normal function. The campaign is limited to certain model-year 2013-2015 vehicles. The Company is unaware of any related injuries, accidents or customer complaints. New software will be available when affected customers are advised of this action by FCA US. Service instructions are being sent to FCA US dealers today. Customers with questions may call the FCA US Customer Information Center at 1-800-853-1403. [© autoblog.com] http://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/fiat-recalls-electric-500e-for-cruise-software-update-ar169864.html Fiat Recalls Electric 500e For Cruise Software Update 06.13.2015 by James Wolfcale [images http://pictures.topspeed.com/IMG/crop/201506/fiat-recalls-electri_800x0w.jpg http://pictures.topspeed.com/IMG/crop/201211/fiat-500e_600x0w.jpg (Fiat 500e) ] Fiat Chrysler Automotive has issued a voluntary recall for 3,975 2014 Fiat 500e electric hatchbacks. The issue is related to faulty cruise-control software that was installed on some 500es that could potentially misread torque levels of the electric motors. This can cause the motors to engage a fail-safe mode and shift to neutral. The fault can occur when cruise control is being used and the driver attempts to override it by stepping on the accelerator. FCA engineers discovered the problem after an investigation and review of warranty data. The recall affects roughly 40 percent of the 10,462 Fiat 500es sold in the United States between 2013 and 2015, and FCA says no known injuries, fatalities or customer complaints have occurred as a result of the problem. FCA is providing a software update to dealers as well as service instructions and will notify owners of affected vehicles. The fix is being provided at no cost to owners. Why it matters This is third recall for the 500e. The first was issued in 2014 to replace cooling plates mounted for the power inverter module that could potentially leak coolant onto high-voltage circuitry, causing a short circuit and the corresponding service fuse to blow. Like the current recall, the issue resulted in a complete loss of power. The second was another software problem that caused miscommunication between the electric vehicle control unit and battery pack. This caused the 500e to either engage limp-home mode or completely shut down its drivetrain. Like the most recent one, both problems were fixed at no cost to owners. Press Release FCA US LLC is voluntarily recalling an estimated 3,975 cars to upgrade cruise-control software. A review of warranty data led to an investigation by FCA US LLC engineers. The investigation discovered certain Fiat 500e hatchbacks were inadvertently equipped with software that may misread torque levels generated by their motors, causing them to shift into neutral – a prescribed failsafe mode. This condition may occur only while cruise-control is engaged and the driver attempts to override the feature with accelerator-pedal applications or rapid tapping of the accelerate/decelerate buttons. Restarting the vehicle restores normal function. The campaign is limited to certain model-year 2013-2015 vehicles. The Company is unaware of any related injuries, accidents or customer complaints. New software will be available when affected customers are advised of this action by FCA US. Service instructions are being sent to FCA US dealers today. Customers with questions may call the FCA US Customer Information Center at 1-800-853-1403. [© topspeed.com] ... http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/template/NamlServlet.jtp?macro=search_page&node=413529&query=Recall+500e More Recall 500e posts on the evdl.org For EVLN posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ http://www.thecarconnection.com/news/1098697_six-month-e-golf-road-test-why-were-doing-it Six-Month e-Golf EV Long-term Road Test http://www.autoblog.com/2015/06/15/vw-e-golf-carbon-neutral-video/ VW uses NorCal Forest to make e-Golf EV carbon neutral ... some purchase money goes to support three carbon offset projects ... http://www.itbusinessnet.com/article/Volta-Debuts-New-Community-Engagement-Model-for-Free-Electric-Car-Charging-3932508 Volta Debuts New Community Engagement Model for Free EV Charging + EVLN: Volkswagen E-Up! EV is late in entering the EV market {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-FCA-recalling-4000-500e-EVs-to-upgrade-cruise-control-software-tp4676304.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
