2003 Fiat Stilo Dynamic from UK and Ireland - Comments

Engine management lights.

Loss of steering.

Engine cuts out.

Steers to the left.

This car looks great, but hasn't got the power.

It has serious problems in 1st gear sometimes it just revs and doesn't actually go anywhere!

Engine management lights are coming on on an almost weekly basis.

On one occasion I lost all power, including steering when going down the M4!

My particular car has been in the garage possibly 5 time since I brought it in April!

On the plus side it's quite comfy and roomy.

The Stilo 16v Dynamic, in our opinion is complete rubbish. It's been in the garage numerous times with the air-bag failure light on one minute, off the next! It steers to the left all the time and the most annoying thing (especially living in chilly Germany) the doors freeze in cold temperatures and you can't get into the car. I have to climb through the hatchback door. Our neighbour has exactly the same problems and has to climb through the back of his. Can't wait to get rid of it.

My Fiat Stilo 1.9 turbo diesel estate has got to go. Just 13,000 miles it has been back to the garage seven times in total, including being towed in by the AA twice. Engine management light says engine fault, it has loss of power AA say its engine management fault, dealer keeps fitting turbos, and guess what its still not cured along with oil leaks and paint coming of the sills. I am told by the Fiat Area Manager that its the type of dust on scottish roads that causes the paint problem. I think he should take more water with it. In forty years this is without question the very worst car I have ever owned.

I have a 5dr 1.8 here’s problems I had & managed to fix (most of em)

Steering:

almost all Stilo owners I talked to complain about pull to the left and the fact that it may chew through a set of tires in a few month.

Solution: all cars tend to loose track especially if you hit something... Get your steering aligned by a good garage that does COMPUTER 4 wheel alignment, assuming you’re not going to hit something again it should last you a year or so (do it every year, and every time you change tires, also stick to recommended pressure for a fully loaded car even if you don’t have any passengers - in my experience it handles better, you get even tire wear & more MPG)

Engine revving car not accelerating:

Dynamic has ESP and ASR the main culprit here is ASR - if you got a bad tracking problem (yes mentioned above) it is much easier to spin a tire (be it just one) hence ASR will not allow your car to accelerate. You could just switch it off… but this is not the solution - get you geometry done!

Air bag lights: yes from what I hear it is a common problem, and I am starting to get it as well : (again from what I know it is mostly a down to connections!!! Check the plugs under the seats - they tend to get loose (yes you may have to do some soldering, or get your garage to do that for you) also once an error is registered it may not go away: turn ignition ON for a few seconds then OFF for 10 or so - 20 times and your ECU should reset FREE no need to pay the dealer to do it :)

Management Lights:

from what I hear there is an ECU bug and Fiat has a fix for it (there is always a chance that you already have the fix, especially if its 2003 onwards model). Personally, I get errors ranging from light/rain sensor failure to serious engine problems, it started happening less after 4 visits to the dealer. After a quick chat with the tech working on my car…it is probably the plugs again …….

Burning oil: grm not easy to fix, reminder I have a petrol model and know nothing about diesels… they do burn more oil then petrol cars? Though on a 3000 mile run in Europe my car did burn A LOT more than it should have, but then again I pushed it hard – it did 140 miles an hour in Germany fully loaded :) so if you drive yours hard (erm drive yours that it is) expect that it will use more oil then the hand book mentions – it is normal. Only if you stat loosing liters after normal driving should you get really concerned (this would probably mean you need a new engine or a complete rebuild).

Overall, even though Stilos take getting used to and remind me of my X Girl Friend… for the reasons you all know… headaches… I love mine to bits :) it handles well, the engine has been reliable (its 2 n a half years old now), accelerates well too (once you rev it up to 5K rpm :) it is a manual you have? ;) you should see the look on peoples faces …. As I said treat it well and it will perform for you though an induction kit and good petrol helps …

Useful comments and I have had similar problems.

Have you had any gearbox problems? Like oil leaks?

I have the 115BHP Turbo Diesel Estate. Excellent performance with good economy. Agree with previous comments re wheel geometry. Also, warning lights coming and going. However, overall a good car and I would buy again. Fiat has side protection plastic film kits to reduce stone chipping on the sills. No problems with oil leaks or oil consumption and dealers have been very good. Servicing costs the same as comparable cars as far as I can tell. The city setting for the power steering is actually very good and not just a gimmick.

I have an 2004 JTD Multi-wagon Dynamic with 18k miles (doesn't burn oil). full kit inc leather. Had problems with front door locks not unlocking on both front doors. Took 3 attempts for dealer to sort.

Required front tyres at 16500.

Tows big Hobby caravan, but must be careful with nose weight (look for max 50kg's)

Engine fault warning lights came on at 13k, dealer said it's fine and they would reset at next service.

Love it to bits and just traded for the same again take delivery next week.

Dealer allowing me to swap my MP3, CD Stack, roof bars, 4 mud flaps, tow-bar and front window deflectors over so saves on cost of options.

Nice to see cruse control is now std. as is split tailgate again.

I've dropped the leather as I only had so back seats slide & recline, but now this is also std. on cloth seats (needed this option as I have a hyd hoist to lift in electric wheelchair).

Managed to get 25% off rrp as well.

Great car, Above average dealer,

Recommend,

Previous car Subaru 2.5 AWD Auto. estate. A different class of car, but I love the Stilo MW as much and tows on motorway with as much torque. Also look out for new Stilo II model end of 2006-2007 A must look at the Fiat Group Unofficial News website. A must to see what's coming up in the Fiat / Alfa camp

http://www.mitoalfaromeo.com/gruppofiat/futuro.html.

I have an 03 ex-demonstrator 1.9 JTD Multi wagon.

It's a lovely car. Very comfortable, extremely frugal.55mpg on a run. Over 43 around town.

It has been back to the garage at least 4 times. With spurious fault lights. Particularly the air bag warning.

Quite often these lights go off if you just stop the engine for a few seconds.

New front tyres at about 22000mls.

The really serious fault was when the drivers seat went all the way forward on its own after I pressed the memory button. This meant that I could not get behind the wheel to drive the car, even though the engine was running. The AA man said that the battery was defective. The seat reset alright when the car was on his jump leads. I bought a new battery and the fault seemed to have disappeared.

However, the fault has now reappeared, but luckily this time the seat has not gone quite all the way forward so that I can just squeeze behind to drive with some difficulty. until I can get to the garage in the New Year.

I don't want to get rid of the car, but I cannot be doing with an unreliable one.

I cannot think why the seat adjustment is so big. I defy even the shortest person to drive the car with the seat that far forward.

Got a '03 1.2 Active. Reasonably well made, but not a patch on the solidity and ride of my previous Skoda. Engine management light s sometimes give false warnings and it always warns of failed rear light bulbs in cold weather. Doors freeze in very cold weather.

Burns as much oil as my old 2l Coupe Fiat and wears tyres in the same way.. Fiat family trademark?

Aircon packed up twice, once in Spain in the summer. Dealer tried to claim it wasn't covered by warranty, took a solicitors letter to get it fixed. Love Fiat dealers...

Average car, comfy, but dismal performance from the 1.2 motor, but excellent mpg at 14km/l.

Selling it for another Skoda. Sorry Fiat.

I've had my Stilo 1.2 for 4 years and I've enjoyed owning it.

I have to say that my front tyres were worn out at 22k and I've had various warning lights flashing intermittently - namely rear fog bulb out and currently engine light a problem.

I would consider buying another.

OK, we have a 2002 fiat stilo 1.6. I think this is possibly the worst car I have ever worked on (and that’s saying a lot)! Forever having warning lights come on and off air bags, ASR, engine warnings rear fog lights out when they're not. It’s starting to do my head in a bit. And now the battery has decided it will charge and discharge it's self (even when ignition is switched off) so frustrating.

Have you had any gearbox problems? Like oil leaks? No, glad to say I did not.

Constant ASR and/or ESP errors – dealer can no5 fix/diagnose the fault. Managed to track it down to a faulty break light switch (it is only £5 but hard to change if you have big hands … it is right on top of the break pedal - all you got to do is get your hand behind the pedal, move it up, find the switch, turn it half a circle, then pull it out, WARNING it is a lot easier to take it out then to put it in. this is a manufacturer flaw, all fiats/alfas can be affected)

Engine stalling on deceleration (e.g. when stopping at traffic lights)

1) all stilos may have a problem with the airflow sensor (warranty job if you convince your dealer to do it – mine just told me to bugger off) it comes as part of a unit (air intake manifold with idle motor etc…) so it is expensive.

2) 02, 03 (and maybe all the rest) have a design flow in a solenoid that kicks your engine into overdrive at above 4.500 rpm – it sticks in the “on” position (you find it right next to the injectors with a wire connection from the injection rail). It’s about £100 and current version (version 6 I think) sorted out my stall problems. Bear in mind that the physical engine part operated by the solenoid can also stick this is A LOT more expensive. Ask any dealer/garage to test the solenoid (they just connect it directly to the battery- if it clicks on and off –it is working) takes 5 seconds.

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Coils and spark plugs

Take out your coils (petrol only obviously) if you see white residue on the bottom – it has been misfiring (try new plugs first as this is cheaper – coils are £120 each) on average a stilo will need new coils at 3-5 years (though they suppose to last 10).

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Airbag light – in my case it was the passenger side cut-off switch :) try switching it to the off position and see if it works and if you are still getting the error.

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As a side note on fiat dealer service

Fiat only replace spark plugs every second service. Also the fuel filter is integrated into fuel tank (hence cannot be replaced – unless you’re doing the tank as well). Additionally they do not replace the pollen filter (even if they know where it is – it is very hard to do…. Took me an hour …). So it appears you pay fiat up to £250 for an oil change :D.

I have a 3 door Fiat Stilo 1.6 Sport with 17" alloys.

First problem about 12 months ago was that the windows kept dropping while it was parked and unattended. Garage couldn't explain. Claimed to have referred to Fiat HQ. After 3rd attempt hasn't recurred.

Sep 2006 Car had it's 2yr service. Keys handed back with comment " only had to change a bulb" Ever since I 've had recurring Engine fault messages, loss of power, countless trips back to garage. AA Fiatcare didn't help. AA refused to tow to garage and "fixed" fault so I could drive car back to garage. Garage not happy. Ever since I've had more than five instances.

I have been a loyal Fiat customer for 12 years. This is the first time I've had a problem.

Still like the car. Just wish it was more reliable.

I've got a 2002 fiat stilo 1.6 dynamic and have had nothing, but problems since I've had it. I've had it now for about 6 months and within the first 2 months of having it it had to go back to the garage 5 times with engine management problems. New engine management unit was fitted 3 months ago and the problem has now started all over again. In cold conditions when it has been freezing at night it is impossible to open the passenger, so my partner has to go in through the driver side and climb over.

Hi there all,

i own a 2.4 20v selespeed abarth version and I must say it has been no easy ride with it. forever having the rear number plate warning light come on even though the bulb is on and working fine, I haven't suffered the trauma of the air bag light etc, but totally agree with the pull to the left I have had it tracked and hey presto she is fine now. the manifold went on me 2 months ago and the car is only 3 years old so not as good as i'd hoped there, also I have exactly the same problem with my doors in the cold weather as the folks in germany do so I sympathise with you 100% very very annoying, and whats more annoying is that it is back in the garage yet again for the doors even though they changed the mechanism twice so watch this space, over all though it is a great car very very quick and great in the corners, but I would not buy another one its more gimmic than practical, in my opinion they concentrated too much on the gadgets and gizmos rather than the actual mechanics of the car.

I have the 1.9 diesel version (in canary yellow) I have had it for approx a month now and I have had the ABS failure on a few occasions as well as airbag failure and other faults which turn themselves off. Now on my 3 door model the passenger door has jammed for no reason and won't open at all!! this is my second stilo, the first was in the garage more than on my drive with computer faults and power steering failure which is why i got rid of it. I loved the car with the extras you get for your money so hoped it was a one off and the other car problems wouldn't re-occur - how wrong Im beginning to think i was, I'm beginning to regret going back to stilo - fab looking car especially in the yellow, but now after reading everyone elses problems I'm worried about driving it.