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I’m having an issue with Fiat over my leaking convertible top, and was hoping anyone who has had similar problems or experiences can help me out as far as what are my options and what I can do now. My problem started a few months ago when I noticed my convertible top was leaking on the passenger side. It was nothing major, just the occasional water droplets after a major rain or car wash. Originally I wasn’t planning on doing anything about it, but shortly after I noticed the leak, My drivers seat broke so I had to bring the car into the dealership anyway, so I figured I’d get both problems fixed. The seat felt like it came out of the track on one side, so it would shift whenever I was braking or accelerating. I brought the car to the FCA repair center in Westbury, NY the first week of October. In the beginning the repair center kept me in the loop and told me they were going to replace all the weather stripping on the car to see if that would fix the leak. The seat was to be replaced but that’s a whole separate issue that has been resolved. When they replaced the weather stripping, the leak didn’t stop so they told me they would have to replace the convertible top itself. Since the 3rd week of October when they informed me they were going to replace the convertible top, they have given me 6 different ETA’s as far as when the new top would be coming to them, each time the date would get pushed back another week or 2. Its been almost 11 weeks and I am still driving around in a loaner, and paying a monthly premium for a car I am not driving. After the first month, I decided to contact a lemon lawyer just to see what my options were. The attorney informed me that FCA is by far the worst company to deal with as far as getting a car lemoned, and that although my case is getting stronger as the weeks go by, it still is a gamble. NY lemon laws are not nearly as consumer-friendly as they are in CA. After contacting the lemon lawyer initially in the beginning of November, I also contacted FCA corporate in an attempt to maybe get the car bought back from me so I can get out of the lease. It seemed like a win-win for both parties: I could go about my way and get into a new lease, and FCA could keep my car, take their time to replace the convertible top, and then re-sell the car. This would obviously be saving them money as opposed to the car being lemoned, and them having to dish out all the money I have paid for the car in the last year of leasing, along with now being stuck with a car they cannot resell. After weeks of going back and forth with FCA corporate over the possibility of them buying the car back from me, I was finally told by my case manager that FCA will NOT be buying my vehicle back, and they do not have to give me any explanation as to why. I was also told that if I have a problem with their decision, I could “sue them”. I have since then requested a new case manager and am trying for a second time to have FCA buy my car back. Has anyone had a similar problem or experience, especially in NY? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
