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2017 Fiat 124 Spider

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 13 of 32 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Air Bags. Review the 14 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

1 crash reports1 fire reports0 injury reports

Electrical System complaints

6 reports
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Mileage unknown · Sep 16, 2024
Electrical System

My dealership where I bought my car let me know of a recall my vehicle had during an oil change. I then asked if they could fix it to where they said no, that only FIAT could fix it or another dealership about 40 minutes away. I then went to that other dealership and they told me no because it had to be done through the dealersh…

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My dealership where I bought my car let me know of a recall my vehicle had during an oil change. I then asked if they could fix it to where they said no, that only FIAT could fix it or another dealership about 40 minutes away. I then went to that other dealership and they told me no because it had to be done through the dealership I bought the car from. Then the guy told me he had the parts but he won't do it because he won't get paid for it. I've looked up so many places and nobody wants to do it so what am I supposed to do? Wait for the car to break down. They are literally the worst people and lazy. They once left "forgot" to put my skid plate back on and when I told them the next time I went the lady told me they would never do such a thing or let me go months without it, but they did. This dealership is 2 hours away I can't keep going back and forth arguing with them I need this resolved now, it's been months close to a year since they mentioned the recall.

NHTSA ODI #11614801

Mileage unknown · Aug 27, 2018
Electrical SystemCrashFire

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

NHTSA ODI #11122848

4,500 miles · Jul 24, 2018
Electrical System

WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 30 AND 70 MPH IN SECOND TO SIXTH GEAR, THE CAR'S ALARM SYSTEM RANDOMLY ACTIVATES WITHOUT APPARENT REASON. THE HORN SOUNDS AND EMERGENCY FLASHERS ILLUMINATE WITHOUT CUTTING OFF. THE ALARM IS DEACTIVATED BY STOPPING THE CAR AND SHUTTING OFF THE IGNITION. SWITCHING IT ON AGAIN RESULTS IN THE ALARM NOT ACTIVE. …

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WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 30 AND 70 MPH IN SECOND TO SIXTH GEAR, THE CAR'S ALARM SYSTEM RANDOMLY ACTIVATES WITHOUT APPARENT REASON. THE HORN SOUNDS AND EMERGENCY FLASHERS ILLUMINATE WITHOUT CUTTING OFF. THE ALARM IS DEACTIVATED BY STOPPING THE CAR AND SHUTTING OFF THE IGNITION. SWITCHING IT ON AGAIN RESULTS IN THE ALARM NOT ACTIVE. THE ALARM ACTIVATION OCCURS RANDOMLY AND SPORADICALLY WHEN DRIVING ON HARD SURFACES INCLUDING COUNTY ROADS, CITY STREETS, AND INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS, USUALLY DRIVING STRAIGHT, DURING DRY WEATHER CONDITIONS, AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, AND IN DIFFERENT GEARS. THIS RANDOM ALARM ACTIVATION HAPPENS AT IRREGULAR INTERVALS PERHAPS A DAY OR A MONTH APART. IT STARTED BEFORE MAY 2017 AND CONTINUES JULY 2018. *TR

NHTSA ODI #11113318

2,600 miles · Jun 18, 2018
Electrical System

WHILE DRIVING MY 2017 FIAT SPIDER 124 ABARTH ON REGULAR PAVED ROADS, THE ALARM ACTIVATES. JUST DRIVING NORMALLY DOWN THE ROAD. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED WAS WHILE SLOWING DOWN TO MAKE A LEFT TURN. THE SECOND TIME WAS AFTER TURNING RIGHT ONTO ANOTHER ROAD AND SPEEDING UP. THE HORN STARTS BLOWING AND ALL THE LIGHTS START FLAS…

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WHILE DRIVING MY 2017 FIAT SPIDER 124 ABARTH ON REGULAR PAVED ROADS, THE ALARM ACTIVATES. JUST DRIVING NORMALLY DOWN THE ROAD. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED WAS WHILE SLOWING DOWN TO MAKE A LEFT TURN. THE SECOND TIME WAS AFTER TURNING RIGHT ONTO ANOTHER ROAD AND SPEEDING UP. THE HORN STARTS BLOWING AND ALL THE LIGHTS START FLASHING. SCARES ME AND EVERYONE AROUND ME. THIS APPEARS TO BE A PROBLEM ON THE ABARTH MODEL AND HAS BEEN KNOWN TO BE A PROBLEM FOR OVER A YEAR, WITH NO FIX IN SIGHT. MINE HAS DONE THIS TWICE BUT OTHERS HAVE REPORTED IT HAPPENING MANY TIMES. FCA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM.

NHTSA ODI #11102498

3,500 miles · Dec 6, 2017
Electrical System

OUR 2017 FIAT 124 SPIDER ABARTH ALARM GOES OFF RANDOMLY SOMETIMES 4 OR 5 TIMES A DAY WHILE DRIVING. MY WIFE HAS BEEN ON THE FREEWAY AND LIGHTS FLASH AND HORN CONSTANTLY GOES OFF UNTIL SHE HAS TO PULL OFF IN TRAFFIC AND STOP THE CAR AND RESTART. PUSHING PANIC BUTTON DOES NOTHING. THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH MANY FIAT SPIDE…

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OUR 2017 FIAT 124 SPIDER ABARTH ALARM GOES OFF RANDOMLY SOMETIMES 4 OR 5 TIMES A DAY WHILE DRIVING. MY WIFE HAS BEEN ON THE FREEWAY AND LIGHTS FLASH AND HORN CONSTANTLY GOES OFF UNTIL SHE HAS TO PULL OFF IN TRAFFIC AND STOP THE CAR AND RESTART. PUSHING PANIC BUTTON DOES NOTHING. THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH MANY FIAT SPIDERS AND ALSO MIATAS THAT ARE BOTH BUILT IN THE SAME PLANT. THE DEALER SPENT DAYS BUT COULDN'T FIX AND NOW IS GOING TO ORDER NEW BCM AND FOBS BUT FROM THE FORUMS ON BOTH CARS I'M NOT HOPEFUL. THINKING WE MAY HAVE TO GO THE LEMON LAW ROUTE BUT DEALERS ARE SNEAKY WITH NOT CALL BACKS AND AVOIDING TRIPPING THE LEMON LAW REQUIREMENTS. MY WIFE IS STRESSING OUT SO BADLY WITH WORRY EVERY DAY SHE COMMUTES. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL IN MY OPINION.

NHTSA ODI #11052756

900 miles · Oct 27, 2017
Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

TL* 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 SYSTEM DE…

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TL* 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 SYSTEM DEACTIVATED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT AFTER DRIVING FOR 10 MINUTES THE ALARM SYSTEM ACTIVATED AGAIN. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE THE FAILURE OCCURRED 19 TIMES AND EVERY TIME THE FAILURE OCCURRED THE CONTACT HAD TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AT 888-242-6342 AND WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER ASKED THE CONTACT TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER. A CASE NUMBER 32632158 WAS PROVIDED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 900.

NHTSA ODI #11040358

Official recalls

2

24V694000 · Air Bags: Air Bag/restraint Control Module:software

Sep 18, 2024

Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2017-2020 Fiat 124 Spider vehicles. A software error in the air bag control module may cause the front air bags to deploy with excessive force during a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An air bag that deploys with excessive force can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will update the air bag control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 26, 2025. Owners may contact FCA customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA's number for this recall is A3B.

19V068000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm)

Feb 5, 2019

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Fiat Spider 124 vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions. Due to incorrect programming of the Transmission Control Module (TCM), certain conditions may cause the vehicle to unexpectedly downshift and abruptly decelerate.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If a downshift occurs, the vehicle will suddenly decrease speed, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will update the TCM software, free of charge. The recall began March 28, 2019. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is V20.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.