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2015 Fiat 500l
Solid pick. The complaint record is strong for its age. It does carry safety recalls, so confirm every one shows "remedy completed" on the VIN before money changes hands.
23 owner complaints · 2 recalls · data verified July 25, 2026 · source: NHTSA
Why buy?
Very few owner complaints for its age and sales volume.
Complaints are overwhelmingly minor: almost none involve crashes, fires, or injuries.
Complaint reports have faded. Early issues appear resolved or aged out.
Score breakdown, by factor
Full methodology →#12 of 525Among the 2015 models with a matured record, the 2015 Fiat 500l ranks #12, scoring higher than 97% of them. See the 2015 ranking →
Complaints filed per year
Fading = early teething worked out. Climbing = problems aging in.
How it crashes
NHTSA’s own crash tests, separate from the reliability score above.
NHTSA crash-tested this model year but didn’t publish an overall star rating for it.
Source: nhtsa.gov/ratings. Star ratings compare vehicles within the same class and size, not across every car on the road.
The road ahead
What breaks on a 2015 Fiat 500l, plotted where owners report it happening.
Also reported (mileage varies): Transmission & drivetrain (5) · Airbags (5)
Mileage medians come from owners who mentioned an odometer reading in their NHTSA complaint. Treat them as a rough guide.
Transmission & drivetrain
22%5 complaints
“HAVE THE 6 SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION AND SEVERAL TIMES IT HAS LOCKED IN THE PARK POSITION AND COULD NOT DISENGAGE TO ANY OTHER SELECTION. LEARNED THERE WAS A CAP NE…”
Airbags
22%5 complaints
“THE CHECK AIRBAG LIGHT COMES ON EVERY 300-500 MILES & DISAPPEARS AFTER ABOUT 200-400 MILES. THE DEALER CANNOT FIGURE OUT THE ISSUE. WE ARE NOT SURE IF THE AIRBAG WILL …”
Electrical system
17%4 complaints
“HAD TO REPLACE THE BATTERY AT AROUND 5000 MILES. IT WOULD NOT HOLD CHARGE AND BE RANDOMLY DEAD USUALLY AFTER NOT USING CAR FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS. I REPLACED THE BATTERY…”
Steering
9%2 complaints
“THE CAR RIGHT DAY LIGHT STOP WORKING ON 03/07/2015,ON 4/08/2015 MY CAR COULD NOT GO IN REVERSE AND PUT ME AND OTHER PEOPLE IN DANGER. THERE IS RECALL EXACTLY FOR THIS …”
Check it against this car’s mileage
Type the odometer reading on the actual car you’re looking at to see which of these problem areas owners tend to report before it, around it, or after it.
Too few owners named a mileage on this model to place issues against an odometer yet.
Recalls (2)
Safety recall repairs are free at the brand’s franchised dealers. Before buying, run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and make the seller show the work was done.
Air Bags · 15V590000
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2015 Fiat 500L vehicles manufactured April 23, 2015, to May 10, 2015. The affected vehicles may be equipped with a passenger frontal air bag that was not folded properly during the assembly process. As a result, the air bag may not deploy as designed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: In the event of a crash, if the air bag does not inflate as designed, the front seat occupant is at an increased risk of injury.
Fix: Fiat will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began on October 15, 2015. Owners may contact Fiat customer service at 1-888-242-6342. Chrysler's number for this recall is R54.
Air Bags · 14V481000
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Fiat 500L vehicles manufactured March 3, 2012, to July 25, 2014. Irregularities in the folding process during assembly of the driver's knee airbag may result in its improper deployment. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: If the knee airbag air bag does not deploy properly during a crash, there is an increased risk of driver injury.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's knee air bag, free of charge. The recall began on September 26, 2014. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is P42.
Questions to ask the seller
Questions worth asking the seller of this Fiat before you buy, drawn from its public record:
- NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 2015 Fiat 500l. Can you run this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and confirm each one shows "Remedy Completed"?
- Owners of this model report transmission & drivetrain problems more than anything else. Has this car shown any transmission & drivetrain symptoms, and are there repair records for it?
- Owners of this model report airbags problems more than anything else. Has this car shown any airbags symptoms, and are there repair records for it?
- Has this car been in any accident, and can you share a title history and any service records you have?
- How many owners has it had, do you have the maintenance records, and why are you selling it?
- Are you open to me having an independent mechanic inspect it before we settle on a price?
Before you hand over money
Verify the recall work was done
NHTSA’s free lookup shows whether this exact car had its recall remedies completed.
Free NHTSA VIN check ↗Get a pre-purchase inspection
A $150 to $250 independent inspection of this exact 2015 Fiat 500L beats every score on the internet, including ours.
What to ask forNot set on the 2015? See how every 500l model year scores →
Cross-shopping? Compare the 2015 Fiat 500l against another car →
What owners say
Real owners of this exact model-year, shown separately from the NHTSA score. If they disagree, that’s worth knowing.