Vehicle: 2013 Fiat 500, L4-1.4L, manual transmission/transaxle
Mileage: 38,688
Problem: The Fiat’s rear hatch would not open when using the switch on the outside handle.
Case details: The technician checked the fuses. They were good. Having little Fiat experience, he decided to save some time and call ALLDATA Tech-Assist for some diagnostic advice.
The Tech-Assist consultant asked the technician to first check for any diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs). After that, he should try opening the hatch with scan tool commands. He also recommended monitoring the switch state for the hatch in live scan data while pressing the switch. If the switch state did not change, he should inspect the wiring and connector. If that was good, then replace the hatch handle, which includes the switch.
The technician found no DTCs in any of the modules. While monitoring the switch state in the scan tool data, he saw that it did not change when pressing the switch. The wiring and connectors all checked out good.
Confirmed repair: The technician replaced the hatch handle/switch combination, and the issue was resolved. Fixed!
Reprinted with permission from ALLDATA.
