What breaks most · 2014 to 2017 model years
Fiat 500L problems by year
Owners have filed 209 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Fiat 500L across model years 2014 to 2017. One year stands out: 2014 for powertrain and transmission complaints. The quietest years are 2015.
- Years to check closely: 2014
- Fewest complaints: 2015
- Complaints on file
- 2092014 to 2017, all trims
- Worst year
- 2014183 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 55 fires · 3 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 50kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 5Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 183 | 5 | 3 | Powertrain and transmission (123) | |
| 23 | 0 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (5) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (2) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Speed control and throttle (1) |
What fails on the 2014 Fiat 500L
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 67% |
123 | 3 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 16% |
30 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2014 Fiat 500L |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 14% |
25 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2014 Fiat 500L |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 11% |
20 | 1 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2014 Fiat 500L |
| Unknown or other | 10% |
18 | 0 | — |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 5% |
9 | 1 | Shop brakes parts for the 2014 Fiat 500L |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 5% |
9 | 0 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Stability controlABS and wheel speed sensors | 4% |
8 | 0 | Shop stability control parts for the 2014 Fiat 500L |
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.
-
parked car, getting ready to leave and would not shift into gear. Finally shifted into gear and there was little to no power when accelerating. shifting into gears is hard, jerks vehicle when it does drop into a gear. No acceleration and when it does shifts gear with a lot of difficulty
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 6, 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 500L years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2014 carries the most filings on the Fiat 500L. The 2014 alone has 183 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common Fiat 500L problem?
On the 2014 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 123 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Fiat 500L problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Fiat 500L complaints that include mileage is about 50,000 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.