Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2015 Fiat 500 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2015 Fiat 500. The contact stated that upon having the vehicle inspected, the mechanic noticed that the front driver's and passenger's side headlamps had failed to operate. The brake warning light and the headlamp warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the mechanic reconnected the front driver's and passenger's side headlamp connector. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that after the vehicle was started, the contact noticed that the headlamps failed to illuminate. The contact then stated that the rear driver's and passenger's side brake lights failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was taken back the independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the lighting wirings had burned out and the connectors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure. …
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request: High voltage battery system, the vehicle is available for viewing. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk?: Long time garage storage of vehicle and limited owners manual description on procedure to maintain high voltage battery during extended non use of vehicle. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center?: The problem has been reproduced and the vehicle is currently at a Fiat/Chrysler dealership. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others?: The component is currently under inspection, the vehicle has been at the Fiat/Chrysler since 8/11/2021, it is now 9/18/2021. …
After bringing vehicle to a complete stop at a traffic light, it died and gave a propulsion system warning. After about 20 attempts to turn off and reboot the vehicle, it restarted and behaved as if nothing had happened. This was a very dangerous situation with the vehicle stuck in the middle of the road. There have been two recalls on this very specific issue (and this vehicle has had that related software updates). Vehicle did the exact same behavior for no reason. (NHTSA campaign: 16V303000 & 15V179000). And because the vehicle wasn't sold in Georgia, no local dealers know how to work on it.
the problem is: I can not charging, light indicator is red plug , charger indicate (charging) I can not shift gear to D or R , just accept shift to P and N message warning : 1-service electric vehicle system , (yellow car) indicator lamp 2-service charging system (red plug) 3-service propulsion system
I am a retired master certified automotive technician. Ever since I bought this 2015 Fiat 500e [it is battery electric] in 2017 with NO warning all kinds of trouble/service lights will go on as the car shuts down & stops as if it was thrown into Park, & most of the time it does this it is at highway speeds on crowded L.A. freeways, which has become very close to getting me killed several times I have taken it to local dealers for this problem since shortly after I bought it in 2017, long before the bumper to bumper warranty expired. Most of the time the dealer reads/clears the codes, then parks it in a back lot for days, weeks, & months, then after a while tells me it's done & I can pick it up, but normally within 100 miles the exact same thing happens so I have to take it back to the dealer. Most recently it did not even make it off the dealers lot before it did it. …
Bluetooth display safety issue. A month after purchasing a new 2015 Fiat 500 abarth, the display for Bluetooth / blue&me stopped working on the central cluster display. (I.e. No info display when a call comes in, no access to phonebook). Took the car to the dealer who reset it. Worked for about a month and failed again, so took it back to the same dealer who replaced the ctm (convergence telematics module). The new ctm then caused interference to the satellite radio, so notified the dealer. Waited a week and no response, so decided to call siriusxm myself for signal reset. All good for another month until the Bluetooth display failed again for the third time. So basically same problem every month since purchase and per the dealer, there are six other fiats at his dealership with the same issue and cannot be fixed. …
On several occasions, my car has suddenly revved up to 6000 RPM, start jerking and revving up; and a random error will pop up on the dash. When this happens, if you let off of the break the car will automatically speed up to 40 MPH without pushing the gas pedal down. Sometimes it will happen while driving, and sometimes it will start as soon as the car is started. It doesn't matter what kind of road the car is on. Sometimes the car just jerks and displays an error. The most predominant error is "ESC off no hill start". Sometimes it says "coolant temp high". I have taken it to the dealership several times and every time I do they say they are unable to "retrieve an active code off of the computer or duplicate the problem." one time, they replaced the computer in the car because they read high voltage coming off of one of the circuits, but the problem continued after that. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 Fiat 500. The contact stated that the instrument panel failed to illuminate. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer where it was repaired but the parts replaced were unknown. After the vehicle was serviced, there was an abnormal noise and the vehicle accelerated without warning. The contact attempting to stop the vehicle however, the brakes failed to engage and the vehicle continued to accelerate. The contact stated the vehicle had a warning light however was unsure what the warning light indicated. The vehicle then stalled and was able to come into a complete stop. The contact drove the vehicle to the dealer but the vehicle stalled several times while driving. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 8,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 Fiat 500. While attempting to accelerate from a stop, the rpms increased, but the vehicle did not move without warning. The contact switched off the ignition and restarted the vehicle on the first attempt; however, the failure recurred. On another occasion, the vehicle stalled while attempting to exit the highway. In addition, the Bluetooth capability failed. Once the contact was able to safely pull the vehicle over, it restarted on the first attempt. The vehicle was taken to the dealer four times to be diagnosed, but the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacturer recommended a buy back as an option. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 Fiat 500e. While driving at 55 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power without warning. The vehicle was towed to renton Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram located at 585 rainier ave s, renton, wa 98057, [phone] to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that there was a loss of power in the power inverter which caused the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed back to the residence. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 16V303000 (electrical system). The manufacturer was contacted and informed of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 23,000.
Electrical complaints in other 500 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2015 Fiat 500?
NHTSA has 26 complaints about the electrical system of the 2015 Fiat 500, 28% of the model year's 92 complaints. The component named most often is instrument cluster/panel (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2015 Fiat 500 electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2015 Fiat 500, though it has 3 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2015 Fiat 500 electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 23,000 miles, and 56% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.