What breaks most · 2014 to 2015 model years
Fiat 500L problems by year
Owners have filed 99 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Fiat 500L across model years 2014 to 2015. Two years stand out: 2014 for powertrain and transmission complaints and 2015 for electrical system complaints.
- Years to check closely: 2014, 2015
- Complaints on file
- 992014 to 2015, all trims
- Worst year
- 201482 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 52 fires · 3 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 29kMedian 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 82 | 5 | 3 | Powertrain and transmission (44) | |
| 17 | 0 | 2 | Electrical system (4) |
What fails on the 2014 Fiat 500L
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 54% |
44 | 3 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 15% |
12 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2014 Fiat 500L |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 12% |
10 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2014 Fiat 500L |
| Unknown or other | 12% |
10 | 0 | — |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 10% |
8 | 1 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2014 Fiat 500L |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 10% |
8 | 1 | Shop brakes parts for the 2014 Fiat 500L |
| Stability controlABS and wheel speed sensors | 9% |
7 | 0 | Shop stability control parts for the 2014 Fiat 500L |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 7% |
6 | 0 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
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.
-
The car has no suspension at all, the steering is not good at all and this vehicle is regularly serviced and maintained.
-
Have the 6 speed automatic transmission and several times it has locked in the park position and could not disengage to any other selection. Learned there was a cap near the shift lever to unlock. So far this has worked but still a pain.
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 500L years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2014, 2015 carry the most filings on the Fiat 500L. The 2014 alone has 82 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 44 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 29,000 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.