FIAT 124 SPIDER · model year

2018 FIAT 124 SPIDER

18 NHTSA complaints, and 1 active recall for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2018FIAT124 SPIDER carries 18 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall Not Rated/5 rating, with Not Rated/5 front crash, Not Rated/5 side crash, and Not Rated/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2018 124 SPIDER is air bags with 8 filings, followed by seat belts (3) and engine (2). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 1 active recall campaign, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 1 investigation file overlapping the 2018 124 SPIDER. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

18
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

18 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

NHTSA NCAP overall: Not Rated/5 — Not rated · Front: Not Rated/5 · Side: Not Rated/5 · Rollover: Not Rated/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
AIR BAGS8
SEAT BELTS3
ENGINE2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1
LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE1

Recalls (1)

24V69400018/09/2024

AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE

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 St

Recent Complaints

20260123AIR BAGS

manufacturer is not able to perform recall service. No dealers have the proper tool necessary to complete repair. I've tried all dealers in Atlanta GA area.

20250924AIR BAGS

Hello, Can you please direct me to the proper office to file a complaint against a Fiat dealership which refuses to complete a recall? Thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

20250710AIR BAGS

The contact owns a 2018 Fiat 124 Spider. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V694000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted twice and confirmed that the manufacturer had not provided instructions on how to properly repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

20250612AIR BAGS

The contact owns a 2018 Fiat 124 Spider. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V694000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were 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.

20250423AIR BAGS

Received recall letter last year and FIAT still does not know when there will be a remedy.

20250418AIR BAGS

The contact owns a 2018 Fiat 124 Spider. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V694000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure.

20250328AIR BAGS

The contact owns a 2018 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 exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

20250129AIR BAGS

The contact owns a 2018 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 dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and informed the contact that a second notice would be mailed and parts were available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

20241118FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

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 approximately one year later. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to the fuel pump. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.

Mileage: 25,000

20241023ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY

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 to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel pump and the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 6,000.

Mileage: 6,000

20241023FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

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 to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel pump and the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 6,000.

Mileage: 6,000

20240412ENGINE

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 went out at 9000 miles. We have multiple manual transmission vehicles in the household and none have ever gone out before 120,000 miles. Additionally, we found out that there were recalls related to the transmission. In regard to repairs, they don't even make the original clutch anymore and have an updated clutch plate and assembly from Fiat for repair. Obviously there was a defect since they don't even make the original clutch. Also if we had been notified of recalls, repairing those may have prevented this problem. We have always had the vehicle repaired at certified Fiat dealers but never have had them fix any recalls aside from recommended service. It appears Fia

20240322SEAT BELTS

Both the drivers side and passenger side have to be hand pushed back up into their retreival mechanism after use, or they end up hanging down into the path of the closing doors. My car had less than 18,000 miles on it when I bought it, and it was already a problem. This is a known problem in the (2017 - 2020) Fiat 124 Spider world. Fiat should repair these free of charge. I have a 2006 Toyota Matrix that the seatbelts still work perfectly. It has 180,000 miles on it.

20220818LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION

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 resulted in a near miss crash. This started one week ago and is continuous issue. On line forums demonstrate the same an/or similar problems.

20210621SEAT BELTS

The driver's side (left) seat belt does not properly retract when unbuckling and exiting the vehicle, making it difficult to use on a daily basis. I have not yet taken the car in for service, because apparently this issue is widespread for this model and the replacement parts are not available / are on backorder.

20210604SEAT BELTS

The seat belt retractors, BOTH PASSANGE SIDE AND DRIVER Side are failing at an alarming rate according to FIAT Forums (and my personal experience). Mine was diagnosed by Ramsey FIAT (Authorized Dealer and Service Center) in Oct or Nov of 2020. I purchased car new, only owner. I was advised by technician that it would be unsafe to drive car in that condition and that both assemblies should be replaced. Dealer said it would be a couple weeks to get the part. However as of June 4th, 2021 dealer has only received assembly for one side. I was given a new ETA of late Aug. FIAT CARES had no confidence in that date being met, as over a dozen updates ETAs have been missed already. For most part car has not been driven due to this safety defect. I opened a case with FIAT CARES customer service late last year. The disinterest of Fiat as the 124 Spider was made on the Mazda Miata assembly line and the parts are interchangeable. The Mazda parts are readily available, but the Fiat dealers

20200702ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

TL* 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 FRONTAGE RD, ARLINGTON, TX 76018, (682) 226-6400) TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE SHIELD NEEDED TO BE TIGHTENED AND KEYFOB REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURE WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE BUT PROVIDED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 500.

Mileage: 500

20200702ENGINE

TL* 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 FRONTAGE RD, ARLINGTON, TX 76018, (682) 226-6400) TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE SHIELD NEEDED TO BE TIGHTENED AND KEYFOB REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURE WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE BUT PROVIDED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 500.

Mileage: 500

Compare 2018FIAT124 SPIDER to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2018 FIAT 124 SPIDER have?
The 2018 FIAT 124 SPIDER has 18 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2018 FIAT 124 SPIDER?
The 2018 FIAT 124 SPIDER received an overall NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5, front crash rating of Not Rated/5, side crash rating of Not Rated/5, and rollover rating of Not Rated/5.
Are there any recalls for the 2018 FIAT 124 SPIDER?
Yes, the 2018 FIAT 124 SPIDER has 1 recall(s). The most common affected component is AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2018 FIAT 124 SPIDER?
The most-complained component for the 2018 FIAT 124 SPIDER is AIR BAGS with 8 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SEAT BELTS and ENGINE.
Is the 2018 FIAT 124 SPIDER safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2018 FIAT 124 SPIDER has an NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.