Home · 2015 Fiat 500 Bev · Complaints

What 92 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Fiat 500 Bev

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 (92)Crash / fire / injury (9)Transmission & drivetrain (32)Electrical system (26)Engine (12)Fuel system (6)Lights (5)Speed control (5)Steering (5)Brakes (4)Seats (4)Visibility & wipers (4)

4 of 92 complaints match · Brakes · clear filters

Jul 13, 2022Brakes

Bought the vehicle used and it had zero issues. I bought 4 new tires and immediately after the RBS and ESC warning lights appeared but disappeared one day later. Fives days after the new tires the RBS & ESC warning lights reappeared but remained. I took it to the FIAT Dealership for a diagnostic and they stated that after following the flow chart it states to replace ABS Module due to internal failure. I held off on replacing the ABS module because a separate mechanic stated that it’s common with Fiats for the RBS & ECA warnings to appear after changing all tires. One month later the BRAKE warning light turned on (without the emergency brake in use) and the car began to jerk when in drive or when using the brakes (as I was driving). I had to drive slow with little pressure on the gas so that I would not have to use the brakes as every time I did the car would jerk very roughly and felt as if it was going to break.

NHTSA ODI 11473798

Oct 29, 2021Brakes

FIAT 500E VEHICLE BRAKING BEHAVIOR IS UNEXPECTEDLY HARD, SUDDEN, OR UNPREDICTABLE UNTIL THE USER USES AN OBD SCAN TOOL WITH APPROPRIATE DIAGNOSTIC SOFTWARE- AND INITIATES BRAKE CONTROLLER SENSOR RE-CALIBRATION. THIS OPTION IS FOUND UNDER THE DIAGNOSTIC MENU UNDER: ABS>RENENERATIVE BRAKE CONTROLLER>ACTIVE DIAGNOSTICS, AND THEN SELECTING THE PROCEDURE TO START (RBC SENSOR CALIBRATION). ONLINE FORUM USERS (PLEASE SEE LINK BELOW) ARE CURRENTLY USING 3RD PARTY SOFTWARE, AT THEIR OWN EXPENSE, TO CORRECT THE BRAKING DEFICIENCY (APPROXIMATELY $49). MY PERSONAL VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED USED AND WAS EXHIBITING SUDDEN AND UNEXPECTED BRAKING ISSUES AT APPROXIMATELY 8,500 MILES; THIS IS IN MY OPINION A VERY LOW NUMBER OF MILES TO BE EXPERIENCING REGENERATE BRAKING AND CONTROL ISSUES. PLEASE REFERENCE THE ONGOING DISCUSSION THREAD AT FIAT 500E ONLINE FORUMS: HTTPS://WWW.FIAT500OWNERS.COM/THREADS/FIX-GRABBY-BRAKES-FOR-70.149282/#POST-1292483

NHTSA ODI 11438712

May 20, 2018Electrical systemBrakesEngine

WAS IN MOTION ON A SURFACE STREET AFTER JUST LEAVING A 4-WAY STOP INTERSECTION. THE CAR AUTOMATICALLY LEFT DRIVE AND WENT TO PARK. THE MESSAGE ON THE THE DASH SAID "BRAKING SYSTEM NEEDS MAINTENANCE." EVERY TIME THE CAR WAS PUT INTO NEUTRAL IT SHIFTED ITSELF TO PARK. ELECTRIC CAR, I THINK IT IS THE ENGINE (POWER INVERTER).

NHTSA ODI 11096929

Aug 25, 2015SuspensionBody & structureBrakesCrash

BRAKES DID NOT ENGAGE THE FIRST TIME IN ORDER TO STOP THE CAR FOR PARKING SPACE. IT HAPPENED AGAIN THE FOLLOWING DAY WHERE I TRIED TO HOLD THE BRAKE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR AND NOTHING!!! I RETRIED AGAIN A SECOND TIME AND TOO LATE CAR WAS HIT TWICE IN THE FRONT DESTROYING WHOLE FRONT END. CAR WAS PURCHASED BRAND NEW. I HAVE CONTACTED FIAT HQ TO FURTHER INVESTIGATE THIS DEADLY SAFETY ISSUE.

NHTSA ODI 10759232

Working with the data? Download all 92 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 24, 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 2015 Fiat 500 Bev verdict →