2015 Fiat 500 problems
NHTSA has received 141 complaints about the 2015 Fiat 500, and 23% of them involve drivetrain & axles. After that come electrical system (20%) and engine (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 141 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Drivetrain & axles 23% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 8 and 3
- Injuries and deaths
- 4 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 28,000 miles 92 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 37 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 19 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 16 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 9 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 7 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 1 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 3 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 92 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 28,000 miles. For drivetrain & axles specifically, the median reported mileage is about 48,000 miles (21 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 8 complaints mention a crash; 3 complaints mention a fire; 4 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2015 ranks 4th most-complained-about out of 5 model years of the Fiat 500 with enough data (106 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Our FIAT was rear-ended on October 20. My wife suffered multiple critical injuries. The accident occurred in Manatee County Florida. I have the accident report, a picture of the vehicle, and a reported recall of the vehicle for a seat problem that took place in Australia. There has been no recall in the U.S. I will upload the relevant documents. The company reports the front seat’s guide tracks may not comply to safety standards do to a manufacturing fault.
Tl* the contact owned a 2015 fiat 500. While the vehicle was being towed by a 2002 e450 rv driving approximately 35 MPH, the contact noticed smoke and flames coming from the vehicle without warning. The contact immediately pulled into a nearby fire station where the fire was extinguished. A fire report was filed. There were no injuries. The vehicle was burned extensively and declared totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure.
Front driver and passenger doors are hard to open and close. Twice, the doors sprung back when opening, hitting me once and my daughter on another occasion, both times near the eye area. My daughter received a small bump above her right eye. The upper corners of the doors seem to be swept back at a sharper angle than most cars. This is a loaner because of the takata recall.
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 fiat 500. The contact stated that the instrument panel failed to illuminate. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer where it was repaired but the parts replaced were unknown. After the vehicle was serviced, there was an abnormal noise and the vehicle accelerated without warning. The contact attempting to stop the vehicle however, the brakes failed to engage and the vehicle continued to accelerate.
I work at an independent auto repair facility. We have seen several headlight bulb connector failures where the connector melts. When the connector melts, the light stops functioning. The repair requires replacement of the connector and the bulb.