Owners have filed 64 complaints on the Fiat 124 Spider, covering 2017–2020. The system named most often is Air Bags (30 reports). Worst years by volume: 2017, 2018, 2019; cleanest: 2020, 2019, 2018. 1 reports describe a crash, 1 a fire. On average the car was 4.4 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Fiat 124 Spider
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 64 124 Spider complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Air Bags 30 Read
The contact owns a 2020 Fiat 124 Spider. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V694000 (Air Bags); however, the part to complete the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was determined that the air bag control module software needed to be…
Fiat dealers do not have the ability to address this recall, spoke to FCA customer service and the FIAT representative was unable to find any dealer with in the Dallas, Fort Worth area that had the equipment to service this recall. FCA has abandoned the 2020 Fiat 124 Spider for service leaving a critical safety…
The contact owns a 2020 Fiat 124 Spider. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V694000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware…
Seat Belts 8 Read
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…
The driver side seat belt has stopped retracting, stopped working. After researching different Fiat 124 Spider forums, It seems to be a very common issue on this car. I have an appointment with my service center next week. But it's scary to not have a seat belt that works
The seat belts do not retract properly, causing a loose seat belt. The vehicle has 10,000 miles on it. This is a common problem with all 2017 to 2020 Fiat Spiders. Replacement seat belt retractors have the same problem
Electrical System 7 Read
Alarm keeps randomly going off, doesn't matter how fast you are going, what gear, what type of road, went off 15 times one day, 5 times the next day
The contact owns a 2018 fiat 124 spider. The contact stated that while driving 35-40 mph, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the vehicle. The check engine warning light, keyfob, and TPMS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to classic chrysler dodge jeep ram fiat of arlington (1111 I-20…
The contact owns a 2017 fiat 124 spider. The contact stated that while driving at 65 mph, the car alarm system randomly activated. When the alarm activated, the horn and the emergency lights turned on. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. After the contact turned off and turned on the vehicle, the alarm…
Engine 6 Read
At 15,595 miles I discovered more than an ounce of oil in the intake. I recognize on turbo and supercharged cars some blowby is to be expected. This is typically remedied by an engine oil separator (aka a catch can). The 2019 has a factory installed catch can (mopar part number 68320849aa) yet still shows signs of…
We purchased a 2018 Fiat Spider from a dealer as a new vehicle. It apparently had recalls but the dealers never notified Fiat that we were the new owners and the dealer has been listed as the owner all of this time so we never received notifications. The vehicle is only used as a summer vehicle and the clutch just…
Thermostat, excelerator pedal, replaced and window washer tube reinstalled at 2,477 miles. At 3,014 mils car was towed 2 times in a week for car not starting. The spark plugs were oil soaked and fouled out. The most recent was now at 4,681 miles the oil light came on , check engine light and vacuum pump gasket went…
Fuel System 3 Read
The contact owns a 2019 Fiat 124 Spider. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V879000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was…
The contact owns a 2018 Fiat 124 Spider. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle stalled and failed to return to normal operation. No warning light was illuminated. The contact researched and was made aware of an undisclosed NHTSA Campaign however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was towed…
The contact owns a 2018 Fiat 124 Spider. The contact stated that on several occasions, the vehicle failed to start. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle had been towed to the dealer several times where battery, spark plugs, starter, and other engine parts were replaced; however, the failure reoccurred…
Fuel/propulsion System 2 Read
Component: Fuel pump failure defect. Risk: accident with injury/death due to lack of mobility. Manufacturer Confirmed: YES, via Recall notice Y92/NHTSA 21V-879. Component Inspected: NO!. That's what I want! Warning lamps / Symbols: Uknown at this time. I am in possession of a letter from FCA US LLC in regard to my…
I have received multiple letters in regards to a recall on the Fuel Delivery Module. Recall #Y92. There are no longer Fiat dealerships in my area. The closest Chrysler dealership willing to look at the car is 30 miles away and will not pre order the part or let me make a appointment. This would mean days off work,…
Visibility/wiper 1 Read
The dash board is reflected in the wind shield to the extent at certain sun angles vision is seriously compromised. There are silver plates on the dash that reflects more than others but the whole dash is a serious problem. I immediatly contacted the manufacturer but got no reply. This happens when the vehicle is…
Lane Departure 1 Read
The Blind spot warning which illuminates on the side mirrors is indicating false positives, staying on for prolonged periods even one no other vehicle or object is within the blind spot. Also, the warning does not always illuminate when another vehicle is in the blind spot this would be a false negative response. This…
124 Spider years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2019 | Engine | — | — | |
| 2018 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2017 | Air Bags | 1 | 1 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 33 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.9 |
| Worst single series | 6 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 4.4 years |
A model average of 1.9 hides a worst series at 6. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the 124 Spider?
By complaint volume, 2017, 2018, 2019 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which 124 Spider years are the cleanest?
2020, 2019, 2018 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Fiat 124 Spider have?
64 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2017–2020. Of those, 1 describe a crash and 1 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.