Italy · NHTSA recalls & complaints
Fiat VIN decoder
Fiat is an Italian mass-market brand owned by Stellantis, the group formed in January 2021 when Fiat Chrysler Automobiles merged with PSA. Its range centres on small cars such as the 500, the Panda and the Grande Panda, the 600 crossover, and vans including the Ducato and Doblò, sold under the Fiat Professional label.
Enter all 17 characters to see the build details NHTSA holds and the recalls for that model year.
- 5 model pages
- 24 recall campaigns
- 1,323 owner complaints
- model years 2011–2025
- 17 WMI codes in vPIC
- origin: Italy
| Country of origin | Italy |
|---|---|
| Region | Europe |
| NHTSA recall and complaint data | Yes, model years 2011–2025 |
| WMI codes in NHTSA vPIC | 17 |
| Model pages | 5 |
| Vehicle recall campaigns | 24 |
| Owner complaints | 1,323 |
| Complaints reporting a crash | 62 (4.7%) |
| Complaints reporting a fire | 25 (1.9%) |
| Complaints reporting an injury | 41 (3.1%) |
| Complaints reporting a death | 0 (0.0%) |
| Data updated | September 25, 2026 |
Fiat production is spread across several countries. The electric 500e is built at Mirafiori in Turin, the Grande Panda at Kragujevac in Serbia, and the previous 500 was built at Tychy in Poland until 2024. For North America, the 500 was built in Toluca, Mexico, from 2011 to 2019, which is why NHTSA's vPIC database links the Mexican code 3C3 to the Fiat make.
Fiat left the U.S. car market in 1983 and returned after its 2009 alliance with Chrysler, launching the 500 for the 2012 model year. The U.S. 500 was dropped in 2019, and the 500e went on sale as a 2024 model. NHTSA holds recall campaigns and owner complaints for U.S.-market Fiats, and this page summarises them. The notes below explain why Fiat VINs can start with several different codes.
NHTSA’s files hold 24 vehicle recall campaigns and 1,323 owner complaints for Fiat vehicles from model years 2011 to 2025, summarised here on 5 model pages. Fiat 500 has the most complaints (810), followed by Fiat 500L (209) and Fiat 500X (187). Of those complaints, 62 report a crash, 25 a fire, 41 at least one injury and 0 at least one death; the figures count complaints, not people.
The World Manufacturer Identifier is the first three characters of the VIN. NHTSA’s vPIC database decodes 17 WMIs to Fiat; this is the complete list, with the manufacturer name, country and vehicle type vPIC records for each.
| WMI | Manufacturer (vPIC) | Country | Vehicle type | Also decoded as |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1C3 | FCA US LLC | United States | Passenger Car | Chrysler, Dodge |
| 1C4 | FCA US LLC | United States | Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV) | Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Volkswagen |
| 1C6 | FCA US LLC | United States | Truck | Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Volkswagen |
| 1C7 | FCA US LLC | United States | Incomplete Vehicle | Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Volkswagen |
| 2C3 | FCA CANADA INC. | Canada | Passenger Car | Chrysler, Dodge |
| 2C4 | FCA CANADA INC. | Canada | Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV) | Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Volkswagen |
| 2C6 | FCA CANADA INC. | Canada | Truck | Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Volkswagen |
| 2C7 | FCA CANADA INC. | Canada | Incomplete Vehicle | Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Pontiac, Ram, Volkswagen |
| 3C3 | CHRYSLER DE MEXICO TOLUCA | Mexico | Passenger Car | Chrysler, Dodge |
| 3C4 | CHRYSLER DE MEXICO TOLUCA | Mexico | Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV) | Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Volkswagen |
Show the other 7 WMIsHide the rest
| WMI | Manufacturer (vPIC) | Country | Vehicle type | Also decoded as |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3C6 | CHRYSLER DE MEXICO TOLUCA | Mexico | Truck | Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Volkswagen |
| 3C7 | CHRYSLER DE MEXICO TOLUCA | Mexico | Incomplete Vehicle | Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Volkswagen |
| 3E4 | CHRYSLER DE MEXICO TOLUCA | Not stated | Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV) | – |
| JC1 | MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION | Japan | Passenger Car | Mazda |
| ZAC | FCA ITALY S.P.A. | United States | Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV) | Dodge, Jeep, Ram |
| ZFA | STELLANTIS EUROPE S.P.A. | Italy | Passenger Car | – |
| ZFB | FCA ITALY S.P.A. | Italy | Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV) | Jeep, Ram |
Some codes are shared across a manufacturer’s brands; the last column names the other brands in our catalog that vPIC links to the same code. See the WMI code guide for how the codes are assigned.
Each model page lists NHTSA’s recall campaigns and owner complaints for that model name, by model year and component. Models are sorted by complaints; the data covers model years 2011–2025.
| Model | Model years | Recall campaigns | Complaints |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | 2011–2019 | 6 | 810 |
| 500L | 2014–2017 | 4 | 209 |
| 500X | 2016–2023 | 6 | 187 |
| 124 Spider | 2017–2020 | 3 | 65 |
| 500e | 2013–2025 | 6 | 52 |
– means NHTSA has no records of that kind under the model name.
Which WMI codes appear on Fiat VINs?
A Fiat VIN does not always start with a Fiat-specific code. NHTSA's vPIC database lists Fiat as one of several makes under some WMIs, because Fiat-badged cars sold in North America have come from Italian, Mexican and Japanese factories. The main codes are below.
| WMI | Manufacturer (NHTSA vPIC) | Country | Vehicle type |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZFA | Stellantis Europe S.p.A. | Italy | Passenger car (make: Fiat) |
| ZFB | FCA Italy S.p.A. | Italy | MPV (makes: Jeep, Fiat, Ram) |
| 3C3 | Chrysler de Mexico Toluca | Mexico | Passenger car (makes: Dodge, Chrysler, Fiat, Lancia) |
| JC1 | Mazda Motor Corporation | Japan | Passenger car (makes: Mazda, Fiat) |
Because ZFB, 3C3 and JC1 are shared with other makes, the WMI alone does not prove a vehicle is a Fiat; the vehicle descriptor section (positions 4 to 8) and a full decode settle it. European-market Fiats add a further twist: a July 2026 French recall notice on RappelConso quotes Grande Panda VINs beginning VYF, a code that Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) lists under Stellantis Auto SAS in France rather than under an Italian Fiat entity. The WMI code guide explains how shared identifiers work.
How do European-market Fiat VINs differ?
Fiats built for the U.S. follow 49 CFR Part 565, with a check digit in position 9 and a model-year code in position 10. In Europe the check digit was optional until EU Regulation 2021/535 made it mandatory for vehicle types approved from 6 July 2022, and a year code is still optional. An older European-market Fiat VIN may therefore fail a U.S.-style check-digit test while being perfectly genuine, and our decoder may return little beyond the manufacturer. Recent Fiats often do carry a valid check digit: of six ZFA VINs quoted in French government recall notices on RappelConso in 2026, five pass the calculation. The European VIN decoding guide explains what to expect.
Related Stellantis brands
Why does my Fiat's VIN start with 3C3?
NHTSA's vPIC database lists 3C3 under Chrysler de Mexico Toluca, a passenger-car code shared by the Dodge, Chrysler, Fiat and Lancia makes. The 3 at the start places the manufacturer in Mexico. It is a genuine identifier, not a sign of a mismatched VIN.
Will a Fiat bought in Europe decode here?
Only partly, in most cases. Our decoder uses NHTSA's vPIC data, which describes vehicles built for North America. The WMI will still identify the manufacturer, but model and engine details for a European-market Fiat may be missing.
Does this page show Fiat recalls?
It shows NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints for Fiat models sold in the U.S., grouped by model and model year. To check a single car, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or ask a dealer.
Brands mentioned in the notes above, each with its own VIN notes and WMI list.
- Alfa Romeo (6) Italy · 34 recall campaigns
- Maserati (14) Italy · 50 recall campaigns
- Peugeot (no NHTSA model pages) France · 1 WMI code
- Citroën (no NHTSA model pages) France
- Opel (no NHTSA model pages) Germany · 6 WMI codes
- Jeep (31) United States · 307 recall campaigns
- Chrysler (37) United States · 208 recall campaigns
- Dodge (58) United States · 436 recall campaigns
- Ram (11) United States · 194 recall campaigns
Data: NHTSA recalls and complaints flat files and NHTSA vPIC, updated September 25, 2026.