2015 Fiat 500 problems & reliability
92 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2015 Fiat 500, alongside 3 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
3 complaints report injuries (4 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2015 Fiat 500 vehicles were involved in 8 fatal crashes with 3 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 32 | 35% |
| Electrical System | 26 | 28% |
| Unknown OR Other | 15 | 16% |
| Engine | 12 | 13% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 6 | 7% |
| Exterior Lighting | 5 | 5% |
| Steering | 5 | 5% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 5 | 5% |
| Seats | 4 | 4% |
| Service Brakes | 4 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 32,514 miles (middle 50% between 17,750 and 54,250 miles), based on 52 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2015 Fiat 500. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH and attempting to downshift, the vehicle failed to respond as intended while the RPM continued to rev. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the gear shifter was significantly difficult to move up or down…”
Power Train · filed Jan 6, 2026
“The contact owns a 2015 Fiat 500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the manual transmission was unable to shift into gear. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the failure persisted. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an…”
Power Train · filed Aug 26, 2025
“A recall has been open on this vehicle for over 5 years. I have been waiting for a year and 2 Fiat dealerships cannot complete the recall because the manufacturer has failed to manufacture a spring part for the repair. The spring has been back ordered since May 2023 for my order, but according to the Madison…”
Power Train · filed Sep 8, 2024
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Electrical overstress
Engineering Analysis EA19001 · opened Apr 19, 2019 · closed Sep 19, 2024 · led to recall 20V024
Technical service bulletins
167 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2015 Fiat 500. The 10 most recent:
Broken Exterior Driver And/Or Passenger Door Handles XB2 Warranty Extension Customers may comment the following: ● One or both exterior door handles are broken. This bulletin involves replacing one or both exterior door…
23-021-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 4, 2026
High Voltage Air Conditioning Refrigerant Dye
S2524000012 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 7, 2025
Aluminum Body Panel Corrosion Repair Aluminum corrosion or bubbling along the leading edge of hood, hinges or other exterior surface areas of the hinges, doors, fenders, swing gates or liftgates.
31-001-25 REV. B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 16, 2025
Aluminum Body Panel Corrosion Repair Aluminum corrosion or bubbling along the leading edge of hood, hinges or other exterior surface areas of the hinges, doors, fenders, swing gates or liftgates.
31-001-25 REV. A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 14, 2025
Aluminum Body Panel Corrosion Repair Aluminum corrosion or bubbling along the leading edge of hood, hinges or other exterior surface areas of the hinges, doors, fenders, swing gates or liftgates
31-001-25 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 13, 2025
Verify Reman part number availability. Order the "R" part number for all orders:
9100624 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 8, 2025
"Aluminum Body Panel Corrosion Repair Aluminum corrosion or bubbling along the leading edge of hood, hinges or other exterior surface areas of the hinges, doors, fenders, swing gates or liftgates. NOTE: Verify current…
31-001-24 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 24, 2024
Start Stop Charging Warning Lamp Illuminated On, Intelligent Battery Sensor (IBS) State of Charge (SOC) Inaccurate, Battery Charging Message, Presence of IBS related Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs), or Battery Warning…
S1408000384 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 10, 2024
Air Bag Warning Lamp Illumination Customers may experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination. Upon further investigation the technician may find one or more of the following Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs)…
1000123 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 9, 2023
LIFTER, Hydraulic Roller Deactivating Please do not replace MDS lifters because the disconnecting pin is not lined up, this is normal and not a defect.
9100229 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 20, 2023
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2015 Fiat 500 has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2015 Fiat 500?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 32,514 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.