What breaks most · 2011 to 2018 model years
Fiat 500 problems by year
Owners have filed 577 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Fiat 500 across model years 2011 to 2018. Three years stand out: 2012 for powertrain and transmission complaints, 2014 for powertrain and transmission complaints and 2013 for powertrain and transmission complaints. The quietest years are 2011, 2016 and 2015.
- Years to check closely: 2012, 2014, 2013
- Fewest complaints: 2011, 2016, 2015
- Complaints on file
- 5772011 to 2018, all trims
- Worst year
- 2012299 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 3413 fires · 26 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 30kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 25Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Brakes (1) | |
| 299 | 15 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (159) | |
| 101 | 8 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (44) | |
| 110 | 7 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (61) | |
| 54 | 2 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (21) | |
| 8 | 1 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (5) | |
| 3 | 1 | 2 | Engine (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 2 | Seats (1) |
What fails on the 2012 Fiat 500
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 53% |
159 | 1 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 16% |
49 | 3 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2012 Fiat 500 |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 14% |
41 | 1 | Shop engine parts for the 2012 Fiat 500 |
| Air bags | 8% |
23 | 10 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Unknown or other | 6% |
18 | 1 | — |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 5% |
16 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2012 Fiat 500 |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 5% |
15 | 2 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 5% |
14 | 1 | Shop suspension parts for the 2012 Fiat 500 |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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Gear shift is stuck in park but car is actually in neutral. It will not move. Was pulling in parking spot and realized when i put car in park and release foot off brake my car was actually in neutral. Cannot change gear.
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Clutch pedal sticks to floor when releasing it. Have to manually pull it up. Vehicle is stationary, at a traffic light. Increasing engine rpm seems to pop the pedal up (no longer at the floor) there is no brake fluid leak anywhere. Slave cylinder was replaced and bled properly.
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Transmission lost gears while merging with traffic. Due to shifter cable bushing failure. Lost 3rd, 4th & 5th year. This has caused numerous owners stranded. Http://www.fiat500usaforum.com/showthread.php?21879-lost-some-gears-shifter-broken/page3
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Fiat 500 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2012, 2014, 2013 carry the most filings on the Fiat 500. The 2012 alone has 299 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common Fiat 500 problem?
On the 2012 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 159 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Fiat 500 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Fiat 500 complaints that include mileage is about 30,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.