Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade:
A
B
C
D
F
ungraded
What breaks on a 2018 Fiat 124 Spider
Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.
Airbags
844.4%
Seat Belts
316.7%
Fuel & Propulsion
211.1%
Median failure at 15,500 miles
Electrical System
211.1%
Median failure at 3,250 miles
Engine & Cooling
211.1%
Median failure at 500 miles
Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance
15.6%
When it fails
Odometer readings owners gave when they filed. About half of all
complaints include one.
Under 1,000 miles
240.0%
1,000 – 9,999 miles
240.0%
25,000 – 49,999 miles
120.0%
When owners complained
A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing
out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single
owner can see from inside their own car.
Jul 2020peak 2Jan 2026
Recalls on the 2018 Fiat 124 Spider
A complaint is one owner's allegation. A recall is the point at which
the manufacturer or a regulator agreed the defect is real and dangerous
enough to fix for free — however old the car is.
Canada — Transport Canada
Canada runs its own recall programme, and its campaigns do not
always mirror the American ones.
Recall 20245361,583 units in Canada
Airbag
Issue: On certain vehicles, a software problem could cause the driver-front and passenger-front airbags to deploy with too much force in certain crashes. Note: This recall only affects 124 Spider Abarth performance models. Safety Risk: An airbag that inflates with too much force could create an increased risk of injury in a crash. Corrective Actions: FCA Canada will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to update the airbag control module software.
Recall 2024548314,717 units in Canada
Label
Issue: On certain vehicles, the tire and loading information label does not list that there is no spare tire in both official languages. The label reads as "NONE" when it should read as "NONE / AUCUN". Canadian regulations require the information to be listed on the label in both English and French. Safety Risk: This error does not affect vehicle safety. Corrective Actions: This is not a recall. The company has corrected the tire and loading information label for all new vehicles.
Recall 2019051954 units in Canada
Powertrain
Issue: A problem with the automatic transmission could cause it to downshift suddenly. This may cause the rear wheels to slow abruptly and create a loss of vehicle stability. Safety Risk: A loss of vehicle stability could cause a loss of control and increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: The company will notify owners by mail. Owners will be instructed to take their vehicle to a dealer for an update to the transmission control module (TCM).
In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.
Semoia, GA
AIR BAGS
manufacturer is not able to perform recall service. No dealers have the proper tool necessary to complete repair. I've tried all dealers in Atlanta GA area.
NHTSA complaint #11712931 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Eugene, OR
AIR BAGS
Hello, Can you please direct me to the proper office to file a complaint against a Fiat dealership which refuses to complete a recall? Thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11689560 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Port St. Lucie, FL
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2018 Fiat 124 Spider. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V694000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted twice and confirmed that the manufacturer had not provided instructions on how to properly repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
NHTSA complaint #11672391 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Coral Springs, FL
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2018 Fiat 124 Spider. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V694000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
NHTSA complaint #11666496 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Laramie, WY
AIR BAGS
Received recall letter last year and FIAT still does not know when there will be a remedy.
NHTSA complaint #11656271 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Stuart, FL
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2018 Fiat 124 Spider. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V694000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure.
NHTSA complaint #11655473 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Bradenton, FL
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2018 Fiat 124 Spider. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V694000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
NHTSA complaint #11651240 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Brooklyn, NY
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2018 Fiat 124 Spider. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V694000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and informed the contact that a second notice would be mailed and parts were available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
NHTSA complaint #11639302 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 25,000 milesFort Myers, FL
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact owns a 2018 Fiat 124 Spider. The contact stated that on several occasions, the vehicle failed to start. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle had been towed to the dealer several times where battery, spark plugs, starter, and other engine parts were replaced; however, the failure reoccurred approximately one year later. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to the fuel pump. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.
NHTSA complaint #11625934 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 6,000 milesMiromar Lakes, FL
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
The contact owns a 2018 Fiat 124 Spider. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle stalled and failed to return to normal operation. No warning light was illuminated. The contact researched and was made aware of an undisclosed NHTSA Campaign however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel pump and the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 6,000.
NHTSA complaint #11621474 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 6,000 milesMiromar Lakes, FL
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
The contact owns a 2018 Fiat 124 Spider. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle stalled and failed to return to normal operation. No warning light was illuminated. The contact researched and was made aware of an undisclosed NHTSA Campaign however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel pump and the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 6,000.
NHTSA complaint #11621474 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Priest River, ID
ENGINE
We purchased a 2018 Fiat Spider from a dealer as a new vehicle. It apparently had recalls but the dealers never notified Fiat that we were the new owners and the dealer has been listed as the owner all of this time so we never received notifications. The vehicle is only used as a summer vehicle and the clutch just went out at 9000 miles. We have multiple manual transmission vehicles in the household and none have ever gone out before 120,000 miles. Additionally, we found out that there were recalls related to the transmission. In regard to repairs, they don't even make the original clutch anymore and have an updated clutch plate and assembly from Fiat for repair. Obviously there was a defect since they don't even make the original clutch. Also if we had been notified of recalls, repairing those may have prevented this problem. We have always had the vehicle repaired at certified Fiat dealers but never have had them fix any recalls aside from recommended service. It appears Fiat knew that there is a clutch defect. We contacted Fiat and they refuse to remediate the problem since its outside the warranty period. With the history of not receiving recall notices due to dealer error and the clutch assembly no longer available but rather an updated improved version, we would hope Fiat would cover at least parts. Repair cost is almost $9000 for a 9000 mile clutch on a car that is like new. Thanks. [XXX] and [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11582633 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Broussard, LA
SEAT BELTS
Both the drivers side and passenger side have to be hand pushed back up into their retreival mechanism after use, or they end up hanging down into the path of the closing doors. My car had less than 18,000 miles on it when I bought it, and it was already a problem. This is a known problem in the (2017 - 2020) Fiat 124 Spider world. Fiat should repair these free of charge. I have a 2006 Toyota Matrix that the seatbelts still work perfectly. It has 180,000 miles on it.
NHTSA complaint #11578929 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Youngstown, OH
LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
The Blind spot warning which illuminates on the side mirrors is indicating false positives, staying on for prolonged periods even one no other vehicle or object is within the blind spot. Also, the warning does not always illuminate when another vehicle is in the blind spot this would be a false negative response. This resulted in a near miss crash. This started one week ago and is continuous issue. On line forums demonstrate the same an/or similar problems.
NHTSA complaint #11479895 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Morning View, KY
SEAT BELTS
The driver's side (left) seat belt does not properly retract when unbuckling and exiting the vehicle, making it difficult to use on a daily basis. I have not yet taken the car in for service, because apparently this issue is widespread for this model and the replacement parts are not available / are on backorder.
NHTSA complaint #11421682 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
River Vale, NJ
SEAT BELTS
The seat belt retractors, BOTH PASSANGE SIDE AND DRIVER Side are failing at an alarming rate according to FIAT Forums (and my personal experience). Mine was diagnosed by Ramsey FIAT (Authorized Dealer and Service Center) in Oct or Nov of 2020. I purchased car new, only owner. I was advised by technician that it would be unsafe to drive car in that condition and that both assemblies should be replaced. Dealer said it would be a couple weeks to get the part. However as of June 4th, 2021 dealer has only received assembly for one side. I was given a new ETA of late Aug. FIAT CARES had no confidence in that date being met, as over a dozen updates ETAs have been missed already. For most part car has not been driven due to this safety defect. I opened a case with FIAT CARES customer service late last year. The disinterest of Fiat as the 124 Spider was made on the Mazda Miata assembly line and the parts are interchangeable. The Mazda parts are readily available, but the Fiat dealers are refusing to purchase them to protect their customers. -- Car is avail for inspection upon request, however dealer was the one who identified the issue and the proposed solution. -- Seatbelt assembly, both sides put safety of driver and passenger at risk. -- Problem been reproduced and confirmed by FIAT dealer. -- Problem escalated to the manufacturer, via FIAT CARES Customer Service (2020).
NHTSA complaint #11419660 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 500 milesFT Worth, TX
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 FIAT 124 SPIDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 35-40 MPH, THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL RATTLING SOUND COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT, KEYFOB, AND TPMS WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO CLASSIC CHRYSLER DODGE JEEP RAM FIAT OF ARLINGTON (1111 I-20 FRONTAGE RD, ARLINGTON, TX 76018, (682) 226-6400) TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE SHIELD NEEDED TO BE TIGHTENED AND KEYFOB REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURE WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE BUT PROVIDED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 500.
NHTSA complaint #11337137 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 500 milesFT Worth, TX
ENGINE
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 FIAT 124 SPIDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 35-40 MPH, THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL RATTLING SOUND COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT, KEYFOB, AND TPMS WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO CLASSIC CHRYSLER DODGE JEEP RAM FIAT OF ARLINGTON (1111 I-20 FRONTAGE RD, ARLINGTON, TX 76018, (682) 226-6400) TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE SHIELD NEEDED TO BE TIGHTENED AND KEYFOB REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURE WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE BUT PROVIDED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 500.
NHTSA complaint #11337137 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.