IllustrationTL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FIAT 500. WHILE DRIVING AT A LOW SPEED, THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER, INCLUDING THE LIGHTS, GAUGES, AND METERS, FAILED TO FUNCTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,000.
2012 Fiat 500
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all 500 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
700–25K
8825–50K
6750–75K
2875–100K
23100–150K
13150K+
289 reports with mileage · 106 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Power Train. Review the 200 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 63 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 51 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
21 crash reports4 fire reports16 injury reports
Electrical System complaints
63 reportsTL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FIAT 500. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, SEVERAL UNKNOWN WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED BEFORE THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WITH MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS, THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO RESTART. THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. IN ADDITION, WHEN PARKED, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT ABLE TO START AND THE KE…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FIAT 500. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, SEVERAL UNKNOWN WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED BEFORE THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WITH MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS, THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO RESTART. THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. IN ADDITION, WHEN PARKED, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT ABLE TO START AND THE KEY COULD NOT BE REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION SWITCH. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE VEHICLE'S SYSTEM HAD TO BE REPROGRAMMED. THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED, BUT THE REMEDY FAILED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 38,400.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FIAT 500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE POWER STEERING MODULE FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEA…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FIAT 500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE POWER STEERING MODULE FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.
WITHIN SEVERAL WEEKS AFTER PURCHASE OF FIAT 500 WE ENCOUNTERED A PROBLEM STARTING THE ENGINE. UPON TURNING THE IGNITION KEY THE ENGINE RESPONDED WITH AN ELECTRICAL MOTOR WHINE BUT DID NOT START. AFTER SEVERAL REPEATED ATTEMPTS THE ENGINE WOULD START AND FUNCTION NORMALLY. GAS MILEAGE HAS NEVER BEEN AS HIGH WAS REPRESENTED IN …
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WITHIN SEVERAL WEEKS AFTER PURCHASE OF FIAT 500 WE ENCOUNTERED A PROBLEM STARTING THE ENGINE. UPON TURNING THE IGNITION KEY THE ENGINE RESPONDED WITH AN ELECTRICAL MOTOR WHINE BUT DID NOT START. AFTER SEVERAL REPEATED ATTEMPTS THE ENGINE WOULD START AND FUNCTION NORMALLY. GAS MILEAGE HAS NEVER BEEN AS HIGH WAS REPRESENTED IN SALES INFORMATION. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN RETURNED TO THE DEALER MULTIPLE TIMES FOR CORRECTION BUT THE DEALER HAS BEEN UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. A COMPLAINT HAS BEEN LODGED WITH BOTH THE DEALER AND FIAT USA.
WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND THE CAR LOST POWER. ALL LIGHTS ON INDICATOR DASH WENT OFF. NO STEERING ABILITY AND LITTLE/NO CONTROL OF VEHICLE. FAILURE RESULTED IN A CRASH. NO AIRBAGS DEPLOYED EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS SIDE IMPACT TO BOTH SIDES AND FRONT END IMPACT. THE CAR WAS TOTALED.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FIAT 500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, A BURNING ODOR WAS PRESENT INSIDE THE VEHICLE AND ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS FLICKERED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ALTERNATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS …
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FIAT 500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, A BURNING ODOR WAS PRESENT INSIDE THE VEHICLE AND ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS FLICKERED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ALTERNATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000. UPDATED 3/13/15*CN THE CONSUMER STATED IN 2013 THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. UPDATED 10/8/2015*JS
DASH DISPLAYS TWO MPH - ONE GAUGE AND ONE DIGITAL. WHEN DRIVING AT 50MPH, BOTH DISPLAY 50MPH. WHEN DRIVING ANY SLOWER OR FASTER, THEY DO NOT MATCH. WHEN DRIVING THROUGH A SCHOOL ZONE, THE GAUGE SHOWS 20MPH WHILE THE DIGITAL SHOWS 23MPH. WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, DIGITAL WILL SHOW 65MPH AND GAUGE SHOWS 68-70. THE ONLY TIME THE…
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DASH DISPLAYS TWO MPH - ONE GAUGE AND ONE DIGITAL. WHEN DRIVING AT 50MPH, BOTH DISPLAY 50MPH. WHEN DRIVING ANY SLOWER OR FASTER, THEY DO NOT MATCH. WHEN DRIVING THROUGH A SCHOOL ZONE, THE GAUGE SHOWS 20MPH WHILE THE DIGITAL SHOWS 23MPH. WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, DIGITAL WILL SHOW 65MPH AND GAUGE SHOWS 68-70. THE ONLY TIME THE TWO MATCH IS WHEN I DRIVE A STEADY 50MPH. GAUGE SHOWS SLOWER WHEN DRIVING BELOW 50MPH AND SHOWS FASTER WHEN DRIVING ABOUT 50MPH. *TR
AFTER A WEEK OF DRIVING THE CAR, I NOTICED THE TIME ON THE CLOCK WAS 10 MINUTES FAST. I RESET THE CLOCK AND THREE DAYS LATER, IT WAS 2 MINUTES FAST AGAIN. I REPEATEDLY ADJUSTED THE CLOCK EVERY WEEK FOR ABOUT 18 MONTHS. AFTER 8 MONTHS, I DECIDED TO LET IT CONTINUE TO RUN FAST TO SEE IF IT WOULD CONTINUE. ABOUT A MONTH AGO, IT GOT…
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AFTER A WEEK OF DRIVING THE CAR, I NOTICED THE TIME ON THE CLOCK WAS 10 MINUTES FAST. I RESET THE CLOCK AND THREE DAYS LATER, IT WAS 2 MINUTES FAST AGAIN. I REPEATEDLY ADJUSTED THE CLOCK EVERY WEEK FOR ABOUT 18 MONTHS. AFTER 8 MONTHS, I DECIDED TO LET IT CONTINUE TO RUN FAST TO SEE IF IT WOULD CONTINUE. ABOUT A MONTH AGO, IT GOT TO THE POINT THAT I HAD TO GO AHEAD AND RESET IT BECAUSE I NEVER REALLY KNEW WHAT TIME T WAS WITHOUT CHECKING MY PHONE. AT THAT POINT, THE CLOCK HAD NOT BEEN RESET FOR 6 MONTHS AND WAS 50 MINUTES FAST. VERY INCONVENIENT FOR THE DRIVER AND CAUSES A DISTRACTION JUST TO CHECK MY PHONE TO MAKE SURE I'M NOT LATE TO WORK OR AN APPOINTMENT. *TR
SINCE I PURCHASED MY 2012 FIAT 500 SPORT IN SEPTEMBER OF 2012 I HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE. OCCASIONALLY (ABOUT 4 TIMES A WEEK), THE CAR FAILS TO START. WHEN TURNING THE KEY IN THE IGNITION, THE CAR MAKES A NOISE AS IF IT IS GOING TO START BUT WINDS DOWN AND LOSES POWER. I TURN THE KEY BACK, WAIT ABOUT 5 SECONDS AND THE CAR WILL NORMAL…
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SINCE I PURCHASED MY 2012 FIAT 500 SPORT IN SEPTEMBER OF 2012 I HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE. OCCASIONALLY (ABOUT 4 TIMES A WEEK), THE CAR FAILS TO START. WHEN TURNING THE KEY IN THE IGNITION, THE CAR MAKES A NOISE AS IF IT IS GOING TO START BUT WINDS DOWN AND LOSES POWER. I TURN THE KEY BACK, WAIT ABOUT 5 SECONDS AND THE CAR WILL NORMALLY START. THIS HAPPENS ALL YEAR AROUND. I CONTACTED THE HOLT FIAT OF FORT WORTH WHERE THE CAR WAS PURCHASED AND TOOK IT IN TO BE LOOKED AT. THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE THE ISSUE. IT IS VERY RANDOM BUT HAPPENS VERY OFTEN. *TR
I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF AND DROPPED SPEED QUICKLY, WAS ADVISED BY THE DEALER THAT IT WAS AN ELECTRICAL SHORTAGE TO THE BATTERY AS THE CAR WAS BRAND NEW. TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK IN FOR REPAIR, AND IT HAS HAPPENED THREE MORE TIMES SINCE THAT OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS. TWO OF THOSE TIMES WERE ALSO ON THE …
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I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF AND DROPPED SPEED QUICKLY, WAS ADVISED BY THE DEALER THAT IT WAS AN ELECTRICAL SHORTAGE TO THE BATTERY AS THE CAR WAS BRAND NEW. TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK IN FOR REPAIR, AND IT HAS HAPPENED THREE MORE TIMES SINCE THAT OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS. TWO OF THOSE TIMES WERE ALSO ON THE HIGHWAY. THE MOST RECENT WAS LAST MONTH (SEPTEMBER 13, 2014) WHILE MAKING A U-TURN AT A LIGHT IN FRONT OF MOVING TRAFFIC THE CAR COMPLETELY SHUT OFF RIGHT AFTER MY TURN. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE SIDE AND THE CAR BEHIND ME SAW ME IN TIME TO STOP. *TR
Official recalls
319V817000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission; Power Train:automatic Transmission:lever And Linkage:floor Shift
Nov 15, 2019
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2012-2013 Fiat 500 vehicles equipped with 6-speed automatic transmissions. The shifter cable bushing may fail allowing the cable to detach from the transmission.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the shifter cable detaches from the transmission, the transmission may not shift into the gear selected by the driver. Additionally, despite selecting PARK with the shifter, the vehicle may roll away. These scenarios may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the shifter cable adjuster, free of charge. The recall began January 9, 2020. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is VB4.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Power Train:automatic Transmission:lever And Linkage:floor Shift
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2012-2013 Fiat 500 vehicles equipped with 6-speed automatic transmissions. The shifter cable bushing may fail allowing the cable to detach from the transmission.
Consequence: If the shifter cable detaches from the transmission, the transmission may not shift into the gear selected by the driver. Additionally, despite selecting PARK with the shifter, the vehicle may roll away. These scenarios may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the shifter cable adjuster, free of charge. The recall began January 9, 2020. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is VB4.
Power Train:automatic Transmission
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2012-2013 Fiat 500 vehicles equipped with 6-speed automatic transmissions. The shifter cable bushing may fail allowing the cable to detach from the transmission.
Consequence: If the shifter cable detaches from the transmission, the transmission may not shift into the gear selected by the driver. Additionally, despite selecting PARK with the shifter, the vehicle may roll away. These scenarios may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the shifter cable adjuster, free of charge. The recall began January 9, 2020. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is VB4.
16V302000 · Power Train:manual Transmission
May 16, 2016
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2012-2016 Fiat 500 vehicles manufactured June 21, 2010, through January 12, 2016, equipped with a manual transmission. The clutch diaphragm spring may fracture and fail, causing an inability to switch gears.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the clutch diaphragm spring fails, the driver may not be able to shift gears or the vehicle may lose motive power, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: The remedy for this recall will include the installation of a clutch pedal limiter and a clutch pedal switch. The recall began on November 10, 2016. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is S34.
11V550000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:fluid
Nov 10, 2011
CHRYSLER IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 DODGE JOURNEY AND FIAT 500 VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 24, 2011, THROUGH OCTOBER 26, 2011. SOME VEHICLES WERE ASSEMBLED WITH CONTAMINATED BRAKE FLUID AND MAY EXPERIENCE A DEGRADATION OF THE SEALING COMPONENTS WITHIN THE BRAKE SYSTEM.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS COULD LEAD TO LOSS OF BRAKING ABILITY INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: CHRYSLER WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE ALL BRAKE COMPONENTS THAT COME IN CONTACT WITH HYDRAULIC BRAKE FLUID. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 1, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1EA19001 · Electrical Overstress
Opened Apr 19, 2019 · Closed Sep 19, 2024
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags: Air Bag/restraint Control Module
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation to determine if the failure of airbags to deploy during severe crashes, in certain vehicles, was the result of a safety related defect. During the investigation a complex failure was studied that can result in non-deployment of subject vehicle air bags and other restraint system devices in severe crash events. The subject vehicles may be equipped with an airbag control unit (ACU) for the supplemental restraint system (SRS) Electronic Control Unit (ECU) manufactured by ZF-TRW. The ECU receives signals from crash sensors mounted in the vehicle and deploys the vehicle air bags and seat belt pretensioners in accordance with manufacturer design specifications. The ECU in the subject vehicles contains a model DS84 application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) which controls the communication of the crash sensor signal, firing commands (i.e., when to deploy the airbag(s) and/or pretensioners), and fault information (e.g., diagnostic trouble codes). In September 2016, FCA announced recall 16V-668 for certain model year (MY) 2010 to 2014 Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep products manufactured with the subject ZF-TRW ACU. In this recall, FCA discussed an EOS condition that resulted in a failure of the subject DS84 ASIC, which caused air bag non-deployment. FCA noted that the defect condition had only been observed in vehicles equipped with sensor harnessing routed across the front of the vehicle. Other FCA vehicles that also used the subject ACU, but were not equipped with cross-car harnessing, had not experienced EOS failures, despite similar time in service. During the course of this investigation, ODI sent two separate Information Request (IR) letters to six vehicle manufactures (including FCA, Hyundai, Honda, Kia, Mitsubishi, and Toyota) and one IR letter to ZF-TRW. These IR letters resulted in ODI receiving comprehensive data from these manufacturers and suppliers. Studies of this data found that the DS84 ASIC does not have sufficient protection against negative electrical transients or electrical overstress (“EOS”) that can be generated in certain severe crashes. An electrical transient occurs when the electrical power supplied to a circuit changes momentarily over a short duration of time. In these severe crash cases, the crash sensors and other powered wiring can be damaged and short circuited so as to create a negative electrical transient of sufficient intensity and duration (that are outside the vehicle manufacturer's specification) to damage the ASIC before the restraint device deployment signal is received by the SRS ECU. This damaged signal can lead to incomplete or nondeployment of the air bags and/or pretensioners. Airbag non-deployment and/or lack of pretensioner operation can increase the risk or severity of injury in a crash.A total of 8 fatalities and 14 injuries were associated with known EOS events. The common element in all investigated manufacturers vehicles is the SRS ECU containing a DS84 ASIC manufactured by ZF-TRW. The risk associated with the ASIC is equally shared among all OEMS involved in the investigation. The actual real-world risk can be mitigated by other factors which were assessed by ODI during this investigation. The first mitigating factor involves protections built into the ACU design which protect the DS84 ASIC from damage. There are multiple strategies and levels of protection employed by different OEMs that provide effective EOS mitigation. The two most common strategies at the ACU level are circuit protection diodes on the remote senor signal lines, and current limiting resistors that protect critical components. The second mitigating factor is found at the vehicle level and involves the location and routing of the wires leading from the crash sensors to the SRS ECU. If the wires are well protected in a crash and are not routed with other power wires carrying large currents, the risk for an EOS event is significantly reduced or eliminated. These design specific factors combine to produce a spectrum of risk for the vehicles equipped with ACUs using the DS84 ASIC. Given the many of years of field exposure, it is possible to divide the subject population into two groups; vehicles which have experienced EOS events, and vehicles which have not experienced EOS field events. Four of the six OEMs involved in this investigation have experienced EOS field events on at least one of their models equipped with a DS84 ASIC. All vehicle models (including the Toyota models identified in the Failure Report Summary of the opening resume for this investigation) with field events have been recalled. In an abundance of caution, ODI kept this investigation open five years to monitor field performance and did not identify any field events on vehicles not included in existing safety recalls. Given the spectrum of risk identified in this investigation and that all vehicles with a demonstrated unreasonable risk have been recalled, ODI is closing this investigation. ODI is closing this investigation with the following manufacturer safety recalls: 16V-668, 18E-043, 18V-137, 18V-363, and 20V-024. With the recall actions taken by the subject vehicle and equipment manufacturers, this investigation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exists on other model or model year vehicles outside of the recall scopes. The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.