FaultScore

Worst years for a Fiat 500

Owners have filed 1,118 complaints about the Fiat 500 with NHTSA across model years 2011 to 2018. More of them are about the transmission & drivetrain than anything else.

Avoid

2012 Fiat 500

537 complaints — the highest FaultScore of any year, mostly transmission & drivetrain.

Cleanest on record

2017 Fiat 500

19 complaints — the lowest FaultScore of the graded years.

Every Fiat 500 year, graded

The grade compares each year against the rest of this model's own run — never against another car. Click any bar or row to open that year's report.

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded
Year Grade Complaints Crashes Fires Median miles Most reported
2018 5 0 0 Brakes
2017 C 19 4 0 24,500 Electrical System
2016 C 27 8 0 12,000 Transmission & Drivetrain
2015 C 141 8 3 28,172 Transmission & Drivetrain
2014 D 172 12 9 18,000 Transmission & Drivetrain
2013 D 215 14 3 41,000 Transmission & Drivetrain
2012 D 537 32 5 46,000 Transmission & Drivetrain
2011 2 0 0 Brakes

What breaks on a Fiat 500

Across every model year on file. Follow a row for that part's complaints and the year it was worst.

Worst in 2012

Electrical System 137 12.3%

Worst in 2012

Engine & Cooling 111 9.9%

Worst in 2012

Worst in 2012

Airbags 52 4.7%

Worst in 2012

Worst in 2012

Steering 38 3.4%

Worst in 2012

Brakes 35 3.1%

Worst in 2012

Worst in 2013

Lights 30 2.7%

Worst in 2012

Worst in 2012

Suspension 27 2.4%

Worst in 2012

Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 22 2.0%

Worst in 2012

Stability & Traction Control 19 1.7%

Worst in 2012

Exactly what failed on a Fiat 500

The named sub-assemblies behind those complaints, across every model year.

Body 25 43.9%
Clutch Assembly 12 21.1%
Instrument Cluster/Panel 5 8.8%
Sun/Moon Roof Assembly 4 7.0%
Rear Compartment/Trunk 3 5.3%
Power Window Devices AND Controls 3 5.3%
Pedal/Hand Lever(Motorcycle) 2 3.5%
Exterior 1 1.8%
Gears 1 1.8%
Camera System 1 1.8%

Complaints filed over time

Every complaint about every Fiat 500, by the month it reached NHTSA.

Oct 2011 peak 42 May 2026

Fiat 500 problems by state

Where owners filed from. Heavier states are usually just bigger markets, but a part that fails in heat or salt shows up here first.

Compare the Fiat 500

Side by side on complaint history. Remember that raw totals track how many were sold as much as how good they were.