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What 14 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 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 (14)Crash / fire / injury (3)Transmission & drivetrain (8)Brakes (3)Electrical system (3)Engine (3)Airbags (2)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (2)Body & structure (1)Suspension (1)Wheels (1)

2 of 14 complaints match · Electronic Stability Control (esc) · clear filters

Dec 11, 2019Electronic Stability Control (esc)Brakes

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 11288427

Sep 1, 2015Transmission & drivetrainElectronic Stability Control (esc)Engine

THE CAR STOPPED WORKING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY, STARTED TO GIVE ERROR MESSAGES AND TURNED ON ENGINE SERVICE, TRANSMISSION AND PARKING BRAKES LIGHTS. A FEW SECONDS AFTER WE JUST GOT THE MESSAGE: DRIVE MODE UNAVAILABLE AND THE CAR STOPPED. IT WAS REALLY DANGEROUS AND MY FAMILY AND I WERE IN A TERRIBLE RISK OF HAVE A PRETTY BAD ACCIDENT. WE ARE REALLY LUCKY THAT NOTHING HAPPENED TO US, WE COULD DIE THAT NIGHT.

NHTSA ODI 10760850

Working with the data? Download all 14 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 2016 Fiat 500 Bev verdict →