Skip to content
Fiat 500LModel year report

2014 Fiat 500L Problems

Complaints
183filed with NHTSA
Median mileage
51,833miles, 124 complaints with mileage
Recalls
3campaigns on record
Trend
StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA crash rating
—no overall rating published
EPA fuel economy
28 mpgcombined, 1.4L 4-cyl FWD · 25 city / 32 hwy

Sources: NHTSA records for the 2014 Fiat 500L (complaints, recalls, investigations), EPA fuel economy. Report an error

What owners report

Owners of this model year report transmission trouble far more than anything else: hesitation when pulling away, warning messages telling the driver to shift to neutral, and in some cases a full loss of drive, often with a burning smell from the dual-clutch unit. A smaller set of complaints covers sudden stalling or loss of power, climate control that misreads outside temperature, and intermittent loss of power steering. Reported mileages range from a few hundred to over 140,000, so the transmission reports are not confined to low-mileage cars.

  1. Transmission and drivetrain

    Transmission will not engage a gear or loses drive

    • 74 complaints (40%)
    • median 60,849 mi at 6.0 yrs old (55 state mileage)
    • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • owner-quoted repair $5,150 (median of 6 quotes)
    • filed 2014–2026

    Owners describe putting the car in drive or reverse and getting no movement, then retrying and eventually having the car engage. Many see a message asking them to shift to neutral and back, along with transmission and check engine warnings, and some report the car dropping out of gear or stalling while driving. Dealers and independent shops commonly diagnosed transmission or dual-clutch failure and quoted replacement, and several owners say the problem returned after a recall update or a clutch kit was installed. Reported from a few hundred miles up to roughly 140,000, with many complaints between about 40,000 and 110,000 miles; some owners tie it to cold weather or hot weather.

    Recall 14V1030001 related service bulletin

    What to check: Drive the car from cold and from a stop several times, watching for hesitation, delay into drive or reverse, or any shift-to-neutral message. Ask whether transmission-related recall work and any software updates were done and whether the dual-clutch unit has been replaced.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “The gear shifter would not shift out of drive. I have had this part replaced and worked on 3 different times. In fact one of the times was for the recall. The 2 times prior to this the vehicle was inoperable and left me stranded. I have currently had the vehicle in the shop 6 times for various issues and have owned the car less than a year.”

    NHTSA complaint #10595207, filed 2014-05, 13,100 miles

    “My car started being slow to change gears. Today, while parked in my driveway I wanted to run an errand. I started my car but could not move it. It is stuck in park. I am unable to shift to another gear. It is an automatic transmission. I am disabled with a mobility impairment, diabetic and unable to get to help if I need it.”

    NHTSA complaint #11093408, filed 2018-05, 51,010 miles
  2. Engine

    Hesitation or loss of power while accelerating

    • 42 complaints (23%)
    • median 60,000 mi at 6.8 yrs old (32 state mileage)
    • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • filed 2014–2026

    Owners describe pressing the accelerator with little or no response, the car hesitating and then surging forward, or losing speed and stalling. Several mention the check engine or service transmission light coming on at the same time, and some say the dealer could not reproduce the fault or found a software or turbo-related cause. A number of these complaints are filed alongside transmission symptoms, so the two are often described together. Mostly reported between roughly 17,000 and 115,000 miles, at a range of speeds including highway driving.

    Recall 17V1920001 related service bulletin

    What to check: Test acceleration from a stop and at cruising speed, and check whether the powertrain control module software update under the idle/torque recall has been applied. Ask if the check engine light has been on and what codes were found.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “This is the second time it has happened since I bought it three weeks ago. The first time I was going through a drive through and the car just coughed and turned over and then stalled. It was five minutes before the car would start again. The second time it happened I was waiting at a light and pulled out to turn and the car just cough and stalled again. I had three men coming to move the car out of the intersection and after a few minutes the motor turned over and started again. Needless to say this scared me half to death. …”

    NHTSA complaint #10595898, filed 2014-06, 960 miles

    “I brought my 2014 500L to Fiat dealer to take care of the recalls regarding the shifting and engine idle speed. Before I brought their it was running fine. I got it back the same day and when I received it got a report that all was good. Now my car is acting up. Sometimes I step on accelerator and nothing happens that was at my home. Also when put into drive it doesn't engage and on the screen it tells me to put in park then neutral and then drive that was at my sons school. Some times it still doesn't work and have to do it multiple times. …”

    NHTSA complaint #11366286, filed 2020-10, 55,120 miles
  3. Electrical system

    Engine stalls or cuts out, sometimes with electrical faults

    • 27 complaints (15%)
    • median 52,649 mi at 5.4 yrs old (20 state mileage)
    • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • filed 2014–2026

    Some owners describe the engine coughing and stalling at a stop or while pulling away, with restart needed after a wait. Others report stalling in traffic and repeated battery or charging concerns, with dealers variously pointing to cold-weather battery issues, a control module, or a software update; in some accounts the stalling came back after repairs. Reported from under 1,000 miles up to about 112,000, with several accounts early in ownership.

    2 related service bulletins

    What to check: Ask about any history of stalling or battery/charging warnings, and confirm the battery and charging system checks were done. A start-stop or charging warning lamp should be investigated before purchase.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “Car continues to have problems 3/2/15 car stalled months following purchase of the car new told it was a issue with the cold temps and battery was not swapped upon arrival in us. Months later 11/17/15 the call began to stall again in heavy traffic and told a recall was issued and he car needed to be updated and it will correct the issue. Car immediately started to stall 12/17/15 and back in the shop did not identify issue until 12/26/15 and told the issue was control module 9/9/17 car started to stall again did not identify issue. …”

    NHTSA complaint #11160897, filed 2018-12, 26,422 miles

    “The contact owns a 2014 Fiat 500 l. The contact stated while driving at approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact also stated that the transmission failed to operate as designed. Neither the dealer nor manufacturer was informed about the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 83,000.”

    NHTSA complaint #11307576, filed 2020-02, 83,000 miles

Buying note. The transmission is the item to concentrate on: a thorough test drive from cold, checking for delayed engagement and warning messages, is worth more than the rest of the inspection. Confirm which recalls and software updates have been applied to the specific vehicle, since owners report symptoms continuing after recall work.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.

NHTSA recorded 183 consumer complaints for the 2014 Fiat 500L. 124 of the complaints include a mileage, and 46% of those were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the median is 51,833 miles. Of all complaints, 5 involved a crash, 5 a fire, 3 an injury, according to the filers. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns and 76 technical service bulletins for this model year.

Not compared (fewer than 3 comparable model years). Model years 2008–2023 of the same vehicle that have at least 25 complaints are compared, and a model needs at least 3 of them.

Which parts are reported most

Complaints can name more than one part, so the counts add up to more than the total. Select a part to see its complaints, recalls and bulletins.

Also reported: Body and structure (4), Suspension (3), Exterior lighting (2), Forward collision avoidance (2), Engine cooling (1), Seat belts (1), Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors) (1), Wheels (1).

Example complaints

Transmission and drivetrain: “Im getting a turbo underboost code from the check engine light. It's a solid light not flashing. I do not have a gas cap & ive already had a smoke rest which revealed no leaks. I started putting premium gas & the light went off & was back to peak driving performance but recently it came on again with same code & it's driving like an old lady now”

NHTSA complaint #11229932, filed 2019-07, 50,000 miles

Engine: “I was driving and at a stop light. The engine suddenly flashed and said not in gear. It was in drive. It said switch to nuetral. I did and back to drive. The car would barely go. Left me moving at 15 MPH in the middle of 55 MPH traffic. Then it seemed to want to lunge forward at the next red light. I do not feel safe and the Fiat dealer says there are no recalls. However I could have lost my life. I was almost struck twice.”

NHTSA complaint #11361715, filed 2020-09, 101,000 miles

Electrical system: “I along with many other 2014 Fiat 500L have had the same issue. Our outside temperature is not reading correctly which 100% affects the heating and cooling. The temperature always reads 30 degrees colder then the temperature outside really is. So my AC won't run cold on a 90 degree temperature day (like today). Because the car thinks it is 60 degrees outside. It will actually only blow warm air on an 80 degree day because the temp shows that it is 50 degrees outside. How does this get fixed when we can not purchase the part needed. …”

NHTSA complaint #11339458, filed 2020-07, 110,000 miles

Vehicle speed control: “Multiple times I have been driving on a city street or highway, going a normal MPH (usually around 40), when I try to accelerate the car literally will jerk two or three times before it gets to accelerating. The jerking involves going forward and backwards at least two or three times.”

NHTSA complaint #11131699, filed 2018-09, 42,999 miles

Mileage when problems were reported

46% of the 124 complaints with a mileage were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the middle half falls between 26,000 and 83,000 miles.

16%0–107%10–2523%25–5023%50–7513%75–10018%100–1500%150+
Share of complaints by mileage when the problem was reported, in thousands of miles (124 complaints with mileage). Red bars: under 50,000 miles. Bucket widths differ. Median: 51,833 miles.

Complaints by year filed

Trend: stable. Complaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.

2016201827272020202220242026
Complaints by year the complaint was filed with NHTSA. Red bars: the last 3 full calendar years used for the trend. The current year (2026) is partial.

Fuel economy and running cost

EPA ratings for each 2014 Fiat 500L version. Annual fuel cost is the EPA's estimate at its current fuel prices for 15,000 miles a year (55% city driving).

VersionEngineTransmissionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yr
500 L FWD1.4L 4-cyl6-speed manual253228$2,950
500 L FWD1.4L 4-cyl6-speed automatic243227$3,050

Source: U.S. EPA and Department of Energy, fueleconomy.gov. Ratings are for comparing vehicles; real-world mileage varies with driving and conditions.

Recalls and investigations

Recall details for the 2014 Fiat 500L → · Check a VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls

Technical service bulletins

TSBs are manufacturer notes to dealers about known repair procedures. They are not recalls and do not by themselves mean a vehicle has a fault. 76 on record; the latest 10 are shown.

See all 76 bulletins →

Other model years of the Fiat 500L

YearComplaintsMedian miRecallsCrash ★MPGScore (50 = typical)Trend
20152320,6962—27—Falling
201418351,8333—28Not compared (fewer than 3 comparable model years)Stable

All Fiat 500L model years

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2014 Fiat 500L?

Owners of this model year report transmission trouble far more than anything else: hesitation when pulling away, warning messages telling the driver to shift to neutral, and in some cases a full loss of drive, often with a burning smell from the dual-clutch unit. The issues reported most often: Transmission will not engage a gear or loses drive; Hesitation or loss of power while accelerating; Engine stalls or cuts out, sometimes with electrical faults.

How many NHTSA complaints does the 2014 Fiat 500L have?

NHTSA recorded 183 consumer complaints for the 2014 Fiat 500L as of Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

What part of the 2014 Fiat 500L is reported most often?

Transmission and drivetrain is named most often, in 123 complaints (67% of the total), followed by engine with 30.

Has the 2014 Fiat 500L been recalled?

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for this model year. To check a specific vehicle, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What gas mileage does the 2014 Fiat 500L get?

The EPA rates the 2014 Fiat 500L (500 L, 1.4L 4-cyl) at 28 mpg combined, 25 city and 32 highway, with an estimated annual fuel cost of $2,950 at 15,000 miles a year. Other engine and drive versions are rated differently.

At what mileage are problems with the 2014 Fiat 500L reported?

Among the 124 complaints that include a mileage, the median is 51,833 miles and the middle half falls between 26,000 and 83,000 miles; 46% were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles.

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Fuel economy is from the EPA and DOE (fueleconomy.gov).

Complaint counts come from NHTSA’s public complaint database; we count each complaint once. The source records for this vehicle are on nhtsa.gov. Scores and trends are our own summaries of that data, described in the methodology. This page is not legal, safety or repair advice: for a specific vehicle, check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and ask a qualified mechanic. See an error? Tell us.