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What 23 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 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 (23)Airbags (5)Transmission & drivetrain (5)Electrical system (4)Brakes (2)Engine (2)Steering (2)Backup camera & sensors (1)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (1)Lights (1)Speed control (1)

5 of 23 complaints match · Transmission & drivetrain · clear filters

Feb 2, 2022Transmission & drivetrain

Vehicle randomly stuck in park and will not move in reverse or drive, at one point was in drive and moving while saying gear not available. All the complaints of the 2014 models and mine was manufactured in 2014 but labeled a 2015. Fiat is quoting the repair at 3000- to over 10k while second opinion transmission specialist says there is no fix and it's a manufacturer computer defect only temporarily fixed with a new transmission.

NHTSA ODI 11449900

Sep 9, 2018Transmission & drivetrain

THE CAR IS SHOWING THE SAME SYMPTOMS DESCRIBED IN THE 2014 500L TRANSMISSION RECALL. IT WILL EITHER STAY IN THE PARKING GEAR OR HAVE SIGNIFICANT DELAYS IN SWITCHING GEARS. WE FIRST SAW THE ISSUE WITH A PARKED, COLD CAR. FIRST USE IN THE MORNING. IT WAS NEVER MOVED FROM THERE OTHER THAN BEING TOWED TO 2 DIFFERENT SHOPS. CURRENTLY THE VEHICLE IS AT A SHOP WAITING FOR A SECOND ESTIMATE FOR REPAIR. THE FIRST DIAGNOSTIC CAME FROM A FIAT DEALER FOLLOWED BY A VERBAL ESTIMATE AT MORE THAN $3900. SEE ATTACHED. THIS VEHICLE WAS BUILT ON JAN 2015, SHORTLY AFTER THE 2014 RECALLED MODELS. THE RECALL DID NOT COME OUT UNTIL 2017. COULD THESE 2015 MODELS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS THAT LED TO THE 2014 MODEL RECALL?

NHTSA ODI 11128331

Jun 7, 2016Transmission & drivetrain

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 NEAR THE SHIFT LEVER TO UNLOCK. SO FAR THIS HAS WORKED BUT STILL A PAIN.

NHTSA ODI 10872990

May 27, 2015Transmission & drivetrain

WHILE UNDER MODERATE ACCELERATION THE VEHICLE STOPPED RESPONDING TO THROTTLE INPUT, SEEMINGLY STUCK IN GEAR AND COASTING. ATTEMPTS TO USE MANUAL SHIFT MODE TO PROMPT AN UP/DOWN SHIFT FAILED, AFTER A NUMBER OF SECONDS THE CAR STARTED RESPONDING AGAIN BY ACKNOWLEDGING THE FULL THROTTLE INPUT. THIS RESULTED IN A RAPID DOWNSHIFT IN GEARS AND NEARLY LOSING CONTROL OF THE CAR AS IT SURGED FORWARD. THIS ISSUE RE-OCCURRED MULTIPLE TIMES, DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN UNABLE TO REPLICATE.

NHTSA ODI 10721593

Apr 17, 2015SteeringTransmission & drivetrainLights

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 PROBLEMS ,BUT AT THE DEALERSHIPS TOLD ME THAT THERE IS NOT RECALL, THE CAR IS NOT RELIABLE AND I AM AFRAID FOR MY SAFETY! TODAY IS 2 MOTHS FROM THE TIME I PURCHASED IT! I BOUGHT THE CAR ON 02/16/2015! PLEASE HELP ME TO GET MY MONEY BACK AND RETURN THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER!!!! I DO NOT TRUST THIS PEOPLE!!! *TR

NHTSA ODI 10706225

Working with the data? Download all 23 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 2015 Fiat 500l verdict →