Dreaded Fuat Ducato instrument cluster bug of dimly lit dash warning lights

Budgie

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I have a 2015 Ducato motorhone which I purchased from new in October 2015 and currently have an issue with it.
A couple of months ago I got talking to a fellow fiat camper van owner and he said to me if I have had "the dreaded instrument cluster problem" I asked what does he mean and he explained the dimly lit warning lights on the cluster when cruise control is engaged
After checking sure enough my van had the "airbag light,brake wear warning light & low fuel light very dimly lit when the cruise control is engaged, on looking closely it also has the ABS light permanently very dimly lit. These lights have been on for a couple of years at least, The reason I did not notice is I permanently have the night lights on and so dashboard lights on as I have great difficulty seeing the speedo when it is not backlit, so I mistakenly thought the dimly lit warning lights were just light pollution from the cluster back lights in general.
On reading online I was shocked to find that is is all over the internet and is a very common fault with Fiats , an inherent fault that by the amount of problems people are having should of been a recall in my opinion as it looks like the cluster is not fit for purpose.
There are even a few company's who specialise in repairing the fault
This fault could result in an mot failure if spotted, I think I have been lucky in that respect so far.
On taking the camper to my Fiat professional dealer in Darlington and explaining the problem they put a request in for a goodwill warranty claim through Fiat, as the camper is out of Warranty, Fiat offered to contribute 50% and so in my book are admitting there is a problem, which still means I will have to contribute £494 Including fitting, I find this totally unacceptable for an inherent fault, I have had the camper serviced at the correct service intervals by Fiat Professional from new at a great deal of expense thinking it is worth the extra cost and feel maybe the cluster problem should have been picked up then.
So I complained via the Fiat website Just had Fiat call me from Italy with there response, they would not budge on the offer of 50% so that is £495 I am expected to shell out, the person who called said she can just forward the reports and hope Fiat might have to do a recall eventually, which I very much doubt will happen considering it's not safety related, and advised me to go to Cartronix and get it repaired, and if I do go down the repair route to keep receipts and if there is a recall they will refund me, unbelievable!! I just don't think they will do it as would probably cost a fortune.
I think the problem is all cases are just individual, there is no public log as to how many cases there are out there, and therefore no public evidence to say start a class action or something like that.
Any advice from anyone who has the same experience will be much appreciated.
 
My x250 has had this fault for many years, my MOT man has never worried about it, others might not be so enlightened.
 
Same answer as on Motorhomers:
Cartronix fixed mine only yesterday. The guy who did the work was saying that it is a problem that gets worse over time (as mine had). With mine it wasn't just when the cruise control was switched on. The ABS light was quite bright to the point where it was difficult to say if it was part or full on. I was not comfortable with that so I had it sorted. I was able to drive to their place so they sorted it there and then.

If Fiat replace the unit it is likely to be with another unit with the same design fault. Cartronix say they beef up the unit in some way when they repair it. The only evidence of this to my untrained eye is that the warning lights are brighter when they are on but I have no reason to disbelieve them. The Cartonix repair costs considerably less than what you are being quoted. £150 if you take it out yourself and post it to them. £190 if you take it there and get them to remove it.
 
To remove your dash this is from another forum.
there are videos on YouTube. Cartronix have been used by loads of people for your repair at only £150 and a life time guarantee it’s a lot better than what you have. Been quoted.


Remove the 2 screws one each side of the cluster cover under the front corners, the back (windscreen side ) just clips in and requires a firm pull, then you will see 2 screws one either side of the cluster remove them unplug the connector and lift out.
Are you sending it to Cartronix? They did mine.
 
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I was fortunate (slightly sarcastic) to have my issue with the cluster occur during year two of ownership and had the binnacle replaced under warranty. I had researched the issue and knew it was a common fault. We are fortunate in Ireland to have a Hymer dealer who are also a Fiat professional franchise. They have a highly regarded customer service and help with any issues wherever they can.

As an aside, I also have the vehicle serviced by them and at one service they carried out the binnacle illumination update without prompting.

In year three I had the ECU fault with brightly lit seatbelt/airbag bulbs. I approached my dealer and Fiat directly, again armed with research that it was a common problem. As a ‘goodwill’ offer fiat supplied the replacement part free with labour being chargeable to me. My dealer fitted the part FOC.

My vehicle is a 2015 build Ducato.

Davy
 
Hi,
I have been driving Fiat ducato based vans since 1999, all Murvi Morellos.
1st 1999 - 2009, 2nd 2009 - 2017 3rd 2017 to date and have not come across this problem or heard of it before.

Have I been fortunate or simply a member of the mushroom club ?

Dezi
 
Hi,
I have been driving Fiat ducato based vans since 1999, all Murvi Morellos.
1st 1999 - 2009, 2nd 2009 - 2017 3rd 2017 to date and have not come across this problem or heard of it before.

Have I been fortunate or simply a member of the mushroom club ?

Dezi
 
Hi,
I have been driving Fiat ducato based vans since 1999, all Murvi Morellos.
1st 1999 - 2009, 2nd 2009 - 2017 3rd 2017 to date and have not come across this problem or heard of it before.

Have I been fortunate or simply a member of the mushroom club ?

Dezi

Is it dark and has the ground got an odd texture? 😛
 
My Citroen Relay suffers the same problem and I was also advised to go to Cartronix, will have mine fixed sometime in the future.
 
I had the same problem on my boxer , after a few months of warm weather it cured itself . I think it is linked to high condensation that is produced in a motorhome .using outside silver screen's stops A lot of cab condensation , I would not pay for repair from dealer as it could be a recurring problem . cartronics used to give a lifetime guarantee . I presume they still do . I asked my pug main dealer about the problem , they said they have not heard of the problem before and would have to do a diagnostic check to find the problem . reply was no thanks .
 
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Hmm I didn’t realise it was a fault. I had complained about a dimly lit dash at service time and the dealer fixed it with a software update. 2016 Ducat.
 
Mines the same ( 2016 ) just don’t engage cruise control for the MOT. When driving I switch cruise control off occasionally just to see if any lights stay on.

If you are having trouble reading the speed fit a Head Up Display. The GPS ones work really well and give you true speed.
 
I decided to do nothing and just make sure the cruise control is off when going in for the mot.
But I have just found out a fix for it and it's free, all you have to do is drive on a very bad road in Central Portugal for about 40 miles, I am not joking this has fixed the problem we hope, its been 4 weeks since and all still OK mind you the road was unbelievable so may have done damage to suspension that we don't know about yet
 

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