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2020 Fiat 500

Gas

Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD
2 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-10-26

Safety Signal

85 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record

RecallsNHTSA campaigns 2

Complaintsnone reporting a crash, fire or injury 2

Crash ratingnot rated by NHTSA —

Fuel economybest combined, EPA 26 mpg

2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016

The 2020 Fiat 500 is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact SUV with 2 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the 500X AWD, is EPA-rated at 26 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of B. Owners have filed 2 complaints, most often about the electronic stability control.

Fiat 500 — photograph via Wikimedia Commons — Fiat 500 · Photo: Charles from Port Chester, New York · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov

Configuration	Powertrain	Drive	Engine / motor	City	Hwy	Comb	Annual fuel*
500X AWD	Gas	AWD	1.3L 4-cyl turbo	24	30	26	$2,600
500 L	Gas	FWD	1.4L 4-cyl turbo	22	30	25	$3,300

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 42205, 41650.

Emissions & certification

Source: EPA emission certificates

Configuration	Smog rating	Emission standard	Where it can be sold new	SmartWay
500X AWD	6 / 10	California LEV-III ULEV50 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 50	All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards	—
500 L	3 / 10	California LEV-III ULEV125 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 125	All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards	—

Certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S.

The smog rating scores tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and is comparable only within a model year. The standard is the federal bin or California tier the configuration was certified to. Both come from the EPA certificate behind the window sticker.

Specifications filed with NHTSA

Source: NHTSA vPIC

Dimensions Exterior

Body style	Sport Utility Vehicle [SUV]/Multipurpose Vehicle [MPV]
Doors	4
GVWR class	Class 1C: 4,001 - 5,000 lb (1,814 - 2,268 kg)

Engine Basics

Cylinders	4
Displacement	1.3 L
Engine configuration	In-Line

Engine Output

Horsepower

177 hp

Fuel Economy

Fuel	Gasoline

Seating

Seat rows	2
Seating capacity	5 seats

Transmission

Drivetrain	AWD/All-Wheel Drive
Transmission	Automatic
Transmission speeds	9

Driver assistance

Standard: Anti-lock brakes, Backup camera, Electronic stability control

Optional: Adaptive cruise control, Automatic emergency braking, Blind-spot monitoring, Forward collision warning, Lane departure warning, Lane keeping assist, Pedestrian automatic emergency braking, Rear cross-traffic alert

Filed by the manufacturer with NHTSA under the federal vehicle-identification rule and decoded from the VIN pattern — not a manufacturer press kit, so it describes the configurations we could identify rather than every trim (seen: POP, TREKKING PLUS). Figures for the trim you are looking at may differ.

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Recalls (2)

Source: NHTSA recall database

▲high

Air Bags

82B

337,128 vehicles 63% reported repaired

Problem Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2017-2024 Alfa Romeo Giulia, 2018-2025 Alfa Romeo Stelvio, 2019-2023 Fiat 500X, Jeep Renegade, and 2024 Fiat 500E vehicles. A seat belt buckle switch sensor may be improperly connected, preventing the front seat air bag from deploying as intended. Risk A front seat air bag that does not deploy as intended can increase the risk of injury in a crash. Fix Dealers will repair the connection, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning August 27, 2024. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is 82B.

Filed with NHTSADefect report PDF Owner letter PDF Remedy instructions PDF

NHTSA campaign 24V510000 reported Jul 3, 2024 Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

▲high

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

VE8

1,353 vehicles 100% reported repaired built Nov 14, 2019 – Dec 6, 2019

Problem Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2020 Jeep Renegade and Fiat 500X vehicles. The right rear brake caliper could have been fractured during the casting process. Risk A cracked right rear brake caliper can fail, reducing braking performance and increasing the risk of a crash. Fix Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the right rear brake calipers, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began February 7, 2020. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is VE8.

Filed with NHTSADefect report PDF

NHTSA campaign 19V909000 reported Dec 19, 2019 Chrysler (FCA US LLC) the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above. nhtsa.gov/recalls shows both for a VIN.

Whether any of this applies to one specific 500

A campaign covers a build range, not a model year, so two identical-looking cars from 2020 can differ. Both of these check a VIN against the manufacturer’s own list, free, in about ten seconds. Fiat publishes its own lookup because federal rule 49 CFR 573.15 requires it to, and to keep it current to within seven days.

NHTSA VIN check →Fiat’s own VIN lookup →

Hear about a recall before the letter does

The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2020 Fiat 500, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database

2complaints filed

0 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 0 injuries · 0 deaths reported

14 per 10,000 built · Fiat reported 1,383 500 built (its Early Warning production report to NHTSA)

Filed per year: 2020: 1 · 2025: 1

Most-cited components

Electronic Stability Control 1

Electrical System 1

Air Bags 1

In owners' own words

Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, one per problem area. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed.

I have an open recall related to the activation system for the airbags. I have not had an event related to the recall at this time, however I am stationed in South Korea as an active duty member. My car is with me in South Korea, and there are no Fiat dealerships in country.

Air Bags Jul 10, 2025 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11672574

De el MAP sensor. _se pro7edio a reemplazar el MAP sensor. Codigo volvio a presentarse. Diagnost7co indica que si el codigo vulve reemplazar el throttle. Se pr~cedio . Reemplazar el thrttle de la unidad. Se procedio a correr unidad. Unidad no volvio a presentar condicion.

Electronic Stability Control Aug 25, 2020 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11351196

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Reported by Fiat itself: 1 death-or-injury claim on this model year in its quarterly Early Warning reports to NHTSA (49 CFR 579.21): 1 injured, as claimed, not verified — about 72 per 100,000 built. Every 500 model year, by year and system → Dated and by system, they are exhibit F of the defect dossier.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

NHTSA has not published 5-Star crash ratings for this model year.

Service bulletins & campaigns

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications

Communicationsfiled with NHTSA 139

Most recentmanufacturer date 2026-03-04

Kindsas classified by NHTSA 139 service bulletins

Most often about: Electrical System, Equipment, Engine, Structure, Power Train.

S1408000384 REV. J Service bulletin
2026-03-04 · Electrical System
Start Stop Charging Warning Lamp Illuminated On, Intelligent Battery Sensor (IBS) State of Charge (SOC) Inaccurate, Battery Charging Message, Presence of IBS related Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs), or Battery Warning Lamp On
S1408000384 REV. I Service bulletin
2026-02-14 · Electrical System
Start Stop Charging Warning Lamp Illuminated On, Intelligent Battery Sensor (IBS) State of Charge (SOC) Inaccurate, Battery Charging Message, Presence of IBS Related Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs), or Battery Warning Lamp On
21-040-25 Service bulletin
2025-10-02 · Power Train
948TE Transmission Reaction Shaft Service Bushing Kit Customers may experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the vehicle may exhibit/set the following Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC): ● P1DB7-00 - Torque Converter Clutch Performance.
9100624 Service bulletin
2025-07-08 · Engine
Verify Reman part number availability. Order the "R" part number for all orders:
S1408000384 REV. H Service bulletin
2025-01-25 · Electrical System
Start Stop Charging Warning Lamp Illuminated On, Intelligent Battery Sensor (IBS) State of Charge (SOC) Inaccurate, Battery Charging Message, Presence of IBS Related Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs), or Battery Warning Lamp On
S1408000384 REV. G Service bulletin
2025-01-07 · Electrical System
Start Stop Charging Warning Lamp Illuminated On, Intelligent Battery Sensor (IBS) State of Charge (SOC) Inaccurate, Battery Charging Message, Presence of IBS related Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs), or Battery Warning Lamp On
S1408000384 REV. F Service bulletin
2024-06-25 · Electrical System
"Start Stop Charging Warning Lamp Illuminated On, Intelligent Battery Sensor (IBS) State of Charge (SOC) Inaccurate, Battery Charging Message, Presence of IBS related Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs), or Battery Warning Lamp On "
S1408000384 Service bulletin
2024-01-10 · Electrical System — 12V/24V/48V Battery
Start Stop Charging Warning Lamp Illuminated On, Intelligent Battery Sensor (IBS) State of Charge (SOC) Inaccurate, Battery Charging Message, Presence of IBS related Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs), or Battery Warning Lamp On

A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.

Diagnostic trouble codes on file

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints

Codes documented against this model year in the federal record. A code appearing here does not mean this vehicle will set it — it means the code is part of this nameplate-year's documented history.

Code	What it means	Most often filed under	Where it appears
P0513 P0513 on Fiat →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Electrical System · Battery →	8 bulletins
P0299	The turbocharger or supercharger is not making the boost the computer asked for.	Electrical System · Battery →	2 bulletins
P0339 P0339 on Fiat →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Engine	2 bulletins
P0740 P0740 on Fiat →	A fault in the torque converter clutch circuit.	Power Train	2 bulletins
P2110	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Power Train	2 bulletins
P2173	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Power Train	2 bulletins
P2764 P2764 on Fiat →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Power Train	2 bulletins

Generic codes (the second character is 0 or 2) mean the same thing on every vehicle sold in the United States. Manufacturer-specific codes (1 or 3) mean whatever the automaker assigned, and no honest source can define them for you — which is why the ones here carry the evidence instead of a definition. A code is a link when enough separate federal documents name it across the catalogue to be worth a page of its own; the rest are listed here, where the vehicle is the context that makes them mean something.

500 by model year

all years, side by side →

Year Safety Recalls Complaints

2023 A 1 0 26 mpg 2022 A 1 2 26 mpg 2021 A 1 0 26 mpg 2020 this page B 2 2 26 mpg 2019 B 3 3 30 mpg 2018 A 1 5 30 mpg 2017 A 1 14 34 mpg 2016 B 3 14 34 mpg

Common questions about the 2020 500

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Does the 2020 Fiat 500 have any recalls?

NHTSA has posted 2 recall campaigns for the 2020 Fiat 500. The most serious on file is 24V510000, covering Air Bags. Check your own VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a recall applies to specific build ranges, not every car.

How safe is the 2020 Fiat 500?

NHTSA has not published a crash-test rating for the 2020 Fiat 500 yet. On the recall record WhichTrim grades it B (85/100), which measures open and severe recalls rather than crash protection.

What is the fuel economy of the 2020 Fiat 500?

Across the 2 EPA-rated configurations of the 2020 Fiat 500, the best EPA combined figure is 26 mpg. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.

What do owners complain about on the 2020 Fiat 500?

Owners have filed 2 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Fiat 500, most often about electronic stability control, electrical system, air bags. Complaints are unverified owner reports, so treat the pattern as a signal and the individual report as an anecdote.

How clean is the 2020 Fiat 500?

The EPA smog rating for the 2020 Fiat 500 runs 3 to 6 out of 10 across its configurations. That score covers tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, and it only compares vehicles within the same model year. It is certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. Its configurations were certified to different standards — California LEV-III ULEV125, California LEV-III ULEV50, Federal Tier 3 Bin 125, Federal Tier 3 Bin 50 — which the table above lists per configuration.

Are there service bulletins for the 2020 Fiat 500?

The manufacturer has filed 139 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2020 Fiat 500, most often covering electrical system, equipment, engine. The most recent is dated 2026-03-04. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.

What we hold, and what an empty row means

Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.

Data	Held	Source	What it covers — or what empty means
Fuel economy & configurations	2 configurations	EPA certification records	Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures.
Emission certificates	2 configurations	EPA emission certificates	Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new.
Recalls	2	NHTSA recall campaigns	A complete federal register: every campaign covering this model year, with severity and advisory flags.
Owner complaints	2	NHTSA complaint database	Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold.
Crash ratings	none	NHTSA NCAP	NHTSA has not tested this model year. Cars are selected for testing, so untested is not unsafe.
Service bulletins	139	NHTSA manufacturer communications	Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall.
Investigations	none	NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation	No defect investigation has been opened.
Driver-assist crash reports	none	NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01	No report has been filed. Only entities named in the order report, and only crashes they hear of — so this is also what an unequipped car, or a manufacturer without telematics, looks like.
Specifications filed with NHTSA	13 fields	NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns	What the manufacturer filed under the federal VIN rule — a configuration, not the full trim ladder.
Trims, pricing & equipment	none	Manufacturer press kit	We have not transcribed a press kit for this model year yet. This is our gap, not the manufacturer's — the one row here where an empty cell means we are behind.

Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-10-26. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed nightly.

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