2017 Fiat 500X Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2017 Fiat 500X, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Electrical730.4%
- Engine626.1%
- Driver assistance28.7%
- Body & structure28.7%
- Brakes28.7%
- Exterior lighting14.3%
- Powertrain (other)14.3%
- Seat belts14.3%
- Steering14.3%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
Both rearview lights stopped working, when I took my car to the shop, they said the component piece that the wires go into had melted through so had to get all new parts installed.
1. The Body Control Module (BCM) failed internally. The dealership diagnosed the BCM as having an internal failure and replaced it. The original BCM was removed during the repair, so I do not know whether it is still available for inspection. 2. The vehicle became underivable & I was unable to shut the vehicle off. Multiple electrical functions stopped working, including the power windows & the steering wheel was frozen. IAAA dispatched a specialty tow truck, & the tow operator was also unable to shut the vehicle off. The vehicle had to be towed to the dealership with the engine running. The vehicle was also leaking fluid at the time. I was concerned about the inability to shut the vehicle off and the loss of normal vehicle functions creating a safety hazard. 3. Yes. The Fiat dealership inspected the vehicle and diagnosed an internal failure of the Body Control Module & replaced the BCM. After replacement, the dealership identified a separate problem with the RF Hub. 4. The vehicle was inspected by the Fiat dealership. It was also handled by AAA roadside assistance and a specialty tow operator (not police or insurance rep.). 5. Prior to the vehicle becoming undrivable, the exterior lights and blinker activated on their own overnight while the vehicle was parked, which drained the battery. After AAA replaced the battery, multiple electrical functions were not working, including the power windows, and the steering wheel was frozen. At that point the vehicle could not be driven or shut off.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
I received a customer satisfaction notification from FCA US LLC stating they were recommending some improvements on my 2017 Fiat 500X equipped with a 2.4L engine. They had determined that some vehicles may have been consuming more oil than usual. We had noticed our car running low on oil between oil changes so we took it to our local Fiat dealer with the letter and they stated it wasn't coming up in their system so they couldn't run the test for us. We contacted Fiat directly and they stated the same thing. We did receive a letter so I don't understand what the issue is. My daughter drives the car and now I feel it's a safety issue for her. I wrote a letter to the FCA and have not yet received a response. I need help with this issue and running out of resources to help.
Vehicle shuts off while driving. The oil light is almost always on even after getting oil changes.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE FORWARD COLLISION WARNING SYSTEM DOES NOT FUNCTION AT ALL. TOOK IT TO TWO DIFFERENT FIAT DEALERS AND SINCE THERE ARE NO CODES SYSTEM OPERATING, BUT DOES NOT WORK AT ALL.
I HAVE HAD SEVERAL WARNING LIGHTS THAT HAVE COME ON SEVERAL DIFFERENT TIMES WHILE IN MOTION AND WHILE PARKED SINCE I PURCHASED MY VEHICLE A FEW MONTHS AGO. SERVICE ABS, DYNAMIC STEERING TORQUE, SERVICE ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE, SERVICE HILL HOLD CONTROL. THE FIRST TIME THESE LIGHTS CAME ON I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY SAID THE LIGHTS DIDN'T COME ON DURING THE WEEK THEY HAD IT. SINCE THEN THE LIGHTS HAVE COME ON SEVERAL DAYS WHILE DRIVING ON THE CITY STREETS AND HIGHWAYS.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
February 2023 the Fiat breaks and transmission locked up and all of the lights on the dashboard started flashing in the middle of the road. filed claim with geico. turned out to be a leak somewhere in the body frame of the car which leaked water into the RF module of the car causing water damage inside the RF module causing the car transmission to lock up emergency brake lockup and all lights flashing and horn beeping uncontrollably. Geico paid Fiat dealership to replace RF module but not the leak. again in September 2023 this happened in the middle of busy [XXX]. the car completely locked up and screeched to a halt on the interstate nearly causing a crash. The car was taken back to the same dealership. they determined the RF module had water damage again caused by a leak. Geico refused to pay anything for repairs this time. after speaking with Fiat customer service representative, Fiat agreed to pay for diagnosis of leak, location and repair of leak and replacement of RF module. [XXX] the dealership said they found the leak. The leak was located somewhere on the back portion of the car. there was a crack on both sides of the back portion of the car. [XXX] the dealership cannot find the leak. The dealership wants to give the car back. we are terrified to drive the car because it could lock up at any moment again for a third time. after research, we discovered this leak into the RF module has happened many times in the Fiats around the world including UK. this car was purchased brand new by my [XXX] who cannot afford to buy another car and is terrified to drive this car. after posting the malfunction on YouTube, we discovered other people are having the same issue with Fiat. it sounds like a manufacturer defect somewhere in the welding or weather stripping. we have no idea. the dealership took photos of crack, leak. location, attached INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
ON JANUARY 9TH, 2018 I LEASED A NEW 2017 FIAT 500X FROM FIAT AUTO GALLERY VAN NUYS AT 5711 VAN NUYS BLVD, VAN NUYS, CA 91401. TWO WEEKS LATER WHILE WASHING MY CAR FOR THE FIRST TIME, I NOTICED SOME CLOUDY SPOTS ON THE CAR'S EXTERIOR PAINT (3 SPOTS) AND WHAT APPEARED TO BE A BURN SPOT ON THE LEFT PASSENGER DOOR. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION. THE DEALER INFORMED ME THAT IT WAS A MANUFACTURING ISSUE THAT NEEDED TO BE HANDLED BY FIAT. THEY TOOK PICTURES AND WERE SUPPOSED TO CONTACT THE APPROPRIATE DEPARTMENT AT FIAT TO HANDLE MY CASE. AFTER SEVERAL WEEKS OF NO ACTIVITY, I CALLED CUSTOMER SERVICE AT FIAT DIRECTLY AND HAD THEM OPEN A CASE FOR ME. THE CASE AGENT COORDINATED WITH THE DEALERSHIP TO SEND THE PICTURES TO THE APPROPRIATE DEPARTMENT AT FIAT, AN INSPECTOR CAME OUT TO INSPECT MY VEHICLE AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT IN FACT, MY CAR'S PAINT HAD A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT. THIS WAS DETERMINED BACK IN APRIL AND FIAT HAS FAILED TO RESOLVE MY CASE. I HAVE CALLED SEVERAL TIMES AND HAVE BEEN LIED TO REPEATEDLY THAT SOMEONE WOULD BE IN TOUCH WITH ME TO EITHER REPLACE MY VEHICLE OR HAVE ME TURN IN THE VEHICLE FOR A FULL REFUND. IT HAS BEEN 10 MONTHS SINCE I ALERTED FIAT OF THE ISSUE AND THEY REFUSE TO RESOLVE MY CASE.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
February 2023 the Fiat breaks and transmission locked up and all of the lights on the dashboard started flashing in the middle of the road. filed claim with geico. turned out to be a leak somewhere in the body frame of the car which leaked water into the RF module of the car causing water damage inside the RF module causing the car transmission to lock up emergency brake lockup and all lights flashing and horn beeping uncontrollably. Geico paid Fiat dealership to replace RF module but not the leak. again in September 2023 this happened in the middle of busy [XXX]. the car completely locked up and screeched to a halt on the interstate nearly causing a crash. The car was taken back to the same dealership. they determined the RF module had water damage again caused by a leak. Geico refused to pay anything for repairs this time. after speaking with Fiat customer service representative, Fiat agreed to pay for diagnosis of leak, location and repair of leak and replacement of RF module. [XXX] the dealership said they found the leak. The leak was located somewhere on the back portion of the car. there was a crack on both sides of the back portion of the car. [XXX] the dealership cannot find the leak. The dealership wants to give the car back. we are terrified to drive the car because it could lock up at any moment again for a third time. after research, we discovered this leak into the RF module has happened many times in the Fiats around the world including UK. this car was purchased brand new by my [XXX] who cannot afford to buy another car and is terrified to drive this car. after posting the malfunction on YouTube, we discovered other people are having the same issue with Fiat. it sounds like a manufacturer defect somewhere in the welding or weather stripping. we have no idea. the dealership took photos of crack, leak. location, attached INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
THE CAR STOPPED WORKING SUDDENLY IN THE MIAMI TURNPIKE, DRIVE MODE NOT AVAILABLE WENT ON, ALSO ABS, PARKING AND ENGINE LIGHTS WENT ON. IT WAS SCARY BECAUSE STOPPED WORKING WITHOUT PREVIOUS NOTICE. WE ALMOST HAVE AN ACCIDENT. IT HAPPENS THE SAME IN 2015, SAME MODEL IN TAMPA HIGHWAY.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
Both rearview lights stopped working, when I took my car to the shop, they said the component piece that the wires go into had melted through so had to get all new parts installed.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
SERVICE TRANSMISSION LIGHT APPEARS FOLLOWED BY "DRIVE MODE UNAVAILABLE." WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THE VEHICLE IS BASICALLY IN "NEUTRAL." THIS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES WHILE DRIVING, INCLUDING CITY STREETS AND ON A 65 MPH HIGHWAY. THE ONLY RECOURSE IS TO IMMEDIATELY PULL OVER (WHILE DRIFTING) AND TURN THE CAR OFF AND ON SEVERAL TIMES UNTIL THE DISPLAY CLEARS. FIAT SERVICE UPDATED VEHICLE CONTROL MODULES TO NO AVAIL. TCM WAS REPLACED TO NO AVAIL.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE SEAT BELT WILL NOT BUCKLE. BUT SHOWS THAT IT IS BUCKLED.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
I HAVE HAD SEVERAL WARNING LIGHTS THAT HAVE COME ON SEVERAL DIFFERENT TIMES WHILE IN MOTION AND WHILE PARKED SINCE I PURCHASED MY VEHICLE A FEW MONTHS AGO. SERVICE ABS, DYNAMIC STEERING TORQUE, SERVICE ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE, SERVICE HILL HOLD CONTROL. THE FIRST TIME THESE LIGHTS CAME ON I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY SAID THE LIGHTS DIDN'T COME ON DURING THE WEEK THEY HAD IT. SINCE THEN THE LIGHTS HAVE COME ON SEVERAL DAYS WHILE DRIVING ON THE CITY STREETS AND HIGHWAYS.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .