NHTSA Safety Recalls
2012 Fiat 500 Recalls
The 2012 Fiat 500 has 4 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on November 15, 2019.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2012 Fiat 500. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 4
- Owner complaints
- 396
- Crashes reported
- 21
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★☆☆
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
4 fires
overall, 5 stars max
On a 2012 Fiat 500, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
4 recalls on the 2012 Fiat 500
Power train: automatic transmission: lever and linkage: floor shift
- Campaign
- 19V817000
- Reported
- November 15, 2019
- Vehicles affected
- up to 51,788
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2013 500
Power train: manual transmission
- Campaign
- 16V302000
- Reported
- May 16, 2016
- Vehicles affected
- up to 39,185
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2013–2016 500
Service brakes, hydraulic: fluid
- Campaign
- 11V550000
- Reported
- November 10, 2011
- Vehicles affected
- up to 340
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 1 other model
Power train: manual transmission: floor shift assembly
- Campaign
- 19E044000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2011, 2013–2018 500
2012 Fiat 500 complaints by year
NHTSA has received 396 owner complaints about the 2012 Fiat 500, the newest on September 21, 2026. Of these, 21 describe a crash (5%) and 4 a fire; owners reported 17 injuries.
In complaints about the 2012 Fiat 500, the component group named most often is the power train (51%), followed by the electrical system (16%) and the engine (13%).
3 of the 2012 Fiat 500's 4 recalls also concern the power train.
Where 2012 Fiat 500 owners gave the mileage (288 complaints), the median was 47,433 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Power Train201
- Electrical System63
- Engine51
- Unknown Or Other36
- Air Bags32
- Suspension21
Complaints received, by year
| 2011 | 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 8 | |
| 2013 | 18 | |
| 2014 | 31 | |
| 2015 | 46 | |
| 2016 | 100 | |
| 2017 | 46 | |
| 2018 | 28 | |
| 2019 | 39 | |
| 2020 | 32 | |
| 2021 | 12 | |
| 2022 | 9 | |
| 2023 | 8 | |
| 2024 | 9 | |
| 2025 | 3 | |
| 2026 | 3 |
Complaints about the 2012 Fiat 500 peaked in 2016, when NHTSA received 100. 27% arrived between 2011 and 2015, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2012 vehicles, the 2012 Fiat 500 drew 2.2× the complaints of the median Fiat 500 year in the same window: 1st highest of the 5 ranked years.
That makes 2012 one of the Fiat 500 years to avoid by our method.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: ★★★☆☆
- Frontal: 4/5
- Side: 3/5
- Rollover: 4/5
The 396 complaints about the 2012 Fiat 500 are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Fiat 500 by model year
Newest record on this page: September 21, 2026. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted