Airbag complaints by model year
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Driving down the road warning lights cycled through for the first time ever indicating issues with ESC , dts, a sprocket with an exclamation point, a car on rough terrain, this continued as I traveled down the road...all of these lights are indicators of issues with the ABS system I moved to the right lane steering was different I was trying to get off at the next exit however as traffic slowed I was unable to stop my vehicle and my brakes reacted differently when I put my foot on the brakes and I rear ended the person in front of me
Will driving on a city street I was side swiped on driver's door , from side view mirror to end of left side fender and hood. No air bag deployed, came to rest at rear of another car in front of of me parked, no air bags deployed. No VIN available
The airbag warning light comes on intermittently with nothing on the passenger seat and a message that says "airbag service required" also appears intermittently. Dealership was unable to diagnose ("never seen this issue before"}, escalated to STAR (STAR case 101975980). STAR could not diagnose and requested that the tech perform a teardown to try to figure out what was wrong. The dealership wanted to do this at my expense ($360 just to perform the tear down. Actual repair cost unknown.) I do not feel that a customer should have to cover the cost for a manufacturer to find out what is wrong with their vehicle when the error is something that they are not familiar with and cannot diagnose and was not caused by the owner, especially when it is related to safety equipment and the proper functioning of that equipment.
Tl* the contact owns 2013 Fiat 500. While driving 20 MPH on a straight away, another vehicle came out from a side street. The other vehicle crashed head on in the contact's front. The air bags did not deploy and the seat belt failed to retract. As a result, of the crash the contact sustained an injury on a cartilage on her sternum, forehead bruise from the sun visor alone with bruises on the arm, chest, ribs, and back. The contact received medical attention at an emergency facility. The person that crashed into the contact was not injured and didn't need medical attention. A police report was filed. The other parties insurance deemed the vehicle totaled. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and they provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 29,000. The VIN was invalid.
I bought this car from a dealer in Fortville (Carlux) who said it had a clean history, this car was meant to be driven by my 17 year old to school, after driving it for 1 week she noticed weird sounds on turning and the engine being very loud and not responding to acceleration or deceleration, thankfully she made it back home safely, I then took it to my local mechanic who noticed major safety issues with the vehicle and on running the VIN number found out there are 2 safety recalls on it. Is there a law or regulation against the dealership that does that? It could have cost my child's life. Their address is: 222 W Broadway street, Fortville , IN 46040 and contact # is [phone]
The air bag light will come on then turn off Is their a malfunction of the air bag or is it just coming on and off and will the air bag respond normally in a crash it been happening for approximately a year now it hasn't been inspected
NHTSA investigations
Electrical overstress
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation to determine if the failure of airbags to deploy during severe crashes, in certain vehicles, was the result of a safety related defect. During the investigation a complex failure was studied that can result in non-deployment of subject vehicle air bags and other restraint system devices in severe crash events.
Frequently asked questions
Which Fiat 500 years have airbag problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2012 (32), 2013 (10) and 2014 (5) model years. Airbag complaints make up 8% of all complaints for the 2012.
Is there a recall for Fiat 500 airbag problems?
No. NHTSA lists no air bags recall for any Fiat 500 model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do Fiat 500 airbag problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 56,000 miles; 57% happened before 50,000 miles.
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.