Fiat 124 Spider Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 66 consumer complaints across the 4 model years of the Fiat 124 Spider (2017–2020) that have at least 5 complaints. 2017 has the most, with 33. Across all years, the part named most often is air bags (30 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All 124 Spider model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 8 | — | 1 | 50 | — | Not enough data |
| 2019 | 9 | 10,000 | 3 | 57 | — | Not enough data |
| 2018 | 16 | 6,000 | 2 | 60 | — | Rising |
| 2017 | 33 | 4,624 | 2 | 76 | Not compared (fewer than 3 comparable model years) | Rising |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Air bags30 43%
- Seat belts8 11%
- Electrical system8 11%
- Fuel system7 10%
- Engine7 10%
- Other or unknown6 8.6%
- Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)3 4.3%
- Wheels1 1.4%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2017: “This car has been towed in 3 times with stating problems, engine leaking oil and all lights coming on dash. It has been back to dealer 7 times and I only have 4700 miles on a 1 year old car. Each time the car was parked in my driveway”
NHTSA complaint #11092697, filed 2018-05, 4,700 miles2019: “The seat belt retractors are failing at an alarming rate according to Fiat forums (and my personal experience). Mine failed 4 months after purchase. I took the car to the dealer on october 15th and they said it would be a couple weeks to get the part. However, as of mid-december, the earliest the Fiat dealer said they will ship from italy in february. This poses a severe safety issue as the seatbelt will not restrain a passenger from a sudden stop. Further, it shows the disinterest of Fiat as the 124 SPIDER was made on the mazda miata assembly line and the parts are interchangeable. …”
NHTSA complaint #11385203, filed 2020-12, 10,000 miles2018: “Both the drivers side and passenger side have to be hand pushed back up into their retreival mechanism after use, or they end up hanging down into the path of the closing doors. My car had less than 18,000 miles on it when I bought it, and it was already a problem. This is a known problem in the (2017 - 2020) Fiat 124 Spider world. Fiat should repair these free of charge. I have a 2006 Toyota Matrix that the seatbelts still work perfectly. It has 180,000 miles on it.”
NHTSA complaint #11578929, filed 2024-03Other Fiat models
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology