Home · 2014 Fiat 500l · Complaints

What 183 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 Fiat 500l

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (183)Crash / fire / injury (11)Transmission & drivetrain (123)Engine (30)Electrical system (25)Speed control (20)Brakes (9)Steering (9)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (8)Airbags (6)Fuel system (6)Body & structure (4)

Newest first · 183 complaints · page 8 of 8

May 28, 2014Electrical system

LOSS OF POWER WHILE DRIVING. NO ACCELERATION AND ETC LIGHT AND ENGINE LIGHT WOULD COME ON. VEHICLE WOULD NEED TO BE SHUT OFF AND RE-STARTED IN ORDER TO BE MOBILE. VERY DANGEROUS!!!! FIAT RECOGNIZED THE PROBLEM AND TRIED REPEATEDLY WITH ALL FAILED ATTEMPTS TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10594689

May 22, 2014Brakes

BRAKE MAKES SQUEAK NOISE WHEN BRAKE. (NOTICED WITHIN A WEEK OF PURCHASED) TECH CANNOT FIND ANY PROBLEM, BUT HEARD THE SQUEAK NOISE. RECALL REPAIRED TRANSMISSION ON APRIL 15, AFTERWARD BACK-UP CAMERA PIXEL IN SLOW MOTION. STEREO SETTING NOT PROPERLY, NEED TO SET RADIO AND MEDIA EVERY TIME WHEN CAR STARTS. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10593518

May 15, 2014Seat belts

WENT TO PUT ON SAFETY BELT AND LATCH HALF WOULD NOT ACCEPT THE BUCKLE. SAFETY BELT COULD NOT BE WORN. TOOK CAR TO DEALERSHIP IN THE BAY AREA WHERE I WAS LOCATED AT THAT DAY FOR REPAIR. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10588763

Apr 14, 2014Body & structure1 injury

AFTER ASKING I WAS TOLD THAT THE ISSUE IS CALLED CABIN PRESSURE. THIS OCCURS AT ALL SPEEDS OVER 20MPH THE PRESSURE INTERFERES WITH YOUR ABILITY TO HEAR. GIVES YOU ALMOST A HEADACHE IT HURTS YOUR EARS. IT OCCURS WHEN A WINDOW IS ROLLED DOWN MORE THEN 1 INCH. SOMETIMES YOU CAN STOP IT BY ROLLING DOWN ANOTHER WINDOW BUT SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO ROLL DOWN A 3RD WINDOW TO MAKE IT STOP. IT IS WORSE WHEN THE WINDOW IS ROLLED DOWN 1/4 OF THE WAY OR MORE. *JS

NHTSA ODI 10579704

Apr 7, 2014Transmission & drivetrain

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 FIAT 500L. THE CONTACT WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 14V103000 (TRANSMISSION SHIFT LEVER). THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED UP A HILL, DOWN A HILL OR FLAT LAND THE GEARS SLIPPED FORWARD IN DRIVE AND BACKWARD WHILE IN REVERSE. THE CONTACT APPLIED THE BRAKES WITH FORCE AND THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP. THE FAILURE WAS INSPECTED, DIAGNOSED AND REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 250.

NHTSA ODI 10577940

Mar 17, 2014Transmission & drivetrainElectrical system

FIRST INCIDENT IN JAN. 2014 DEAD BATTERY, SECOND INCIDENT HAPPENED WHILE WAITING IN DRIVE THROUGH LINE FOR FOOD. CAR ENGINE BEGAN TO SMOKE AND SMELL HORRIBLE. PEOPLE CAME RUNNING TO ME TELLING ME TO GET OUT OF CAR BECAUSE IT COULD BLOW UP. STEERING LOCKED . NEEDED TO START CAR AGAIN TO PUT INTO NEUTRAL AND GET PUSHED OUT OF THE WAY AND AWAY FROM BUILDING. TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. RECEIVED CAR 2 WEEKS LATER AND WAS TOLD AGAIN THEY NEVER HEARD OF THIS BEFORE BUT THE CLUTCH BECAME ENGAGED AND STUCK. HAD CLUTCH, FLY WHEEL AND A FEW OTHER PARTS REPLACED. I AM 85 AND BECOMING VERY AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS CAR. DON'T THINK A CAR THAT IS NOT YET 1 YEAR OLD SHOULD BE ACTING THIS WAY AND DEALERSHIP SEEMS SURPRISED EACH TIME SOMETHING HAPPENS. DOES SOMETHING SERIOUS HAVE TO HAPPEN TO ME BEFORE THEY REALIZE THERE IS A TRUE PROBLEM HERE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10572815

Mar 16, 2014Transmission & drivetrain

WHEN STOPPED ON A UPWARD SLOPE AND I TAKE MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE THE VEHICLE ROLLS BACKWARDS 15 FEET OR MORE UNTIL I STEP ON THE BRAKE AGAIN. IT HAS AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION THEREFORE THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING. I WOULD UNDERSTAND IF THE VEHICLE WERE IN NEUTRAL OR HAD A MANUAL TRANSMISSION, BUT BEING AUTOMATIC THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES WHILE IN SLOWED TO STOPPED TRAFFIC OR IN PARKING LOTS. ALL THE VEHICLES I HAVE OWNED IN THE PAST WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS WHEN I EASE OFF THE BRAKE THE AUTO WOULD START EASING FORWARD NOT ROLLING BACKWARD. THIS FEELS LIKE DRIVING A MANUAL TRANSMISSION WITHOUT THE NEED TO SHIFT GEARS. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10572621

Mar 13, 2014Brakes

THIS CAR HAS TOTALLY INCONSISTENT BRAKES. I DON'T KNOW IF THEY ARE "BRAKE-BY-WIRE" ELECTRONICS, BUT I'D BET SO, AND THERE PROBABLY NEEDS TO BE A SOFTWARE UPGRADE. THEY CANNOT BE MODULATED NORMALLY. THEY GRAB AND SLAM THEMSELVES AT ONE INSTANT AND THE NEXT ARE SMOOTH AND EASY. JERKS YOU AROUND WITHOUT WARNING. THERE IS JUST SIMPLY A FLAW AND THE DEALER SAYS "THEY ARE ALL LIKE THAT",AND "WE HEAR THAT A LOT", BUT THERE IS "NOTHING TO BE DONE". *TR

NHTSA ODI 10569222

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Working with the data? Download all 183 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 25, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2014 Fiat 500l verdict →