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Fiat · NHTSA safety record

2017 Fiat 124 Spider

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 32 safety complaints about the 2017 Fiat 124 Spider with the US government. Of those, 1 describes a crash, 1 mentions a fire and no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering the air bags.

The most complained-about system is the air bags, named in 14 complaints, 44% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 4,624 miles, the median across the 13 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers August 2017 to June 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

32 complaints on file

32

Complaints

1

Describe a crash

1

Mention fire

0

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
AIR BAGS 14 · 44%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 6 · 19%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 5 · 16%
ENGINE 4 · 13%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 · 6%
SEAT BELTS 2 · 6%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 2 · 6%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 · 3%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 · 3%
STRUCTURE 1 · 3%
0 8 15

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 32.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2025 at 14.

16 12 8 4
17 18 19 21 22 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2017 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA has not crash tested the 2017 Fiat 124 Spider. Its New Car Assessment Program tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It is not a low score.

What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke during ordinary use.

Recall campaigns

1 on file

AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE

24V694000 · September 18, 2024

The defect
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."
The risk
An air bag that deploys with excessive force can increase the risk of injury.
The 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.

Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) · up to 15,835 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

fire · crash

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 complaint 11122848. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
When the automobile isn’t driven or started for 3 weeks or more the engine will not start. The multiair system will lose its oil pressure. The manufacturer needs to do a recall to fix this problem. This car isn’t designed to be an everyday driver and this is a well known and documented problem.

NHTSA complaint 11747162. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2017 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 of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. The contact was informed that the dealer was not equipped with the tools to repair the vehicle.

NHTSA complaint 11679879. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Vehicle has been consuming excessive amount of oil & has affected my engine and turbo. When the oil is low, car will just turn off and stop running.

NHTSA complaint 11666626. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
I am writing to formally express my concern and disappointment regarding the lack of transparency and communication surrounding the airbag recall for the Fiat 124, first issued in 2024. As of today, Fiat has not provided any meaningful updates, solutions, or timelines regarding this serious safety issue. There has been no information uploaded to official channels, nor have customers been contacted with guidance or offered temporary remedies. This silence is particularly alarming given the nature of the defect—involving airbags, a critical safety component that can mean the difference between life and death in an accident. To date, there has been no call for refunds, replacements, or even

NHTSA complaint 11666363, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2017 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 of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA complaint 11664672. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2017 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 local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA complaint 11663350. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Fiat 124 Spider

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2020 8 1 —
2019 9 2 —
2018 16 1 —

Other 2017 Fiat models

500X 15 500 14

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Fiat on this site — 18 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst