Model overview

The Fiat 500 is a rear-engined, small city car that was produced and sold by Fiat Automobiles from 1957 to 1975 over a single generation in a two-door saloon and station wagon variants.

Launched in 1957 as a replacement to the 500 "Topolino", it was an economical and efficient small car. Measuring 2.97 meters (9 feet 9 inches) long, and originally equipped with a 479 cc two-cylinder, air-cooled engine, the 500 was 24.5 centimeters (9.6 inches) shorter than Fiat's 600, released two years earlier.

At the 50th anniversary of the 500 in 2007, Fiat presented another new 500, inspired by the 1957 Nuova 500, highlighting a front-engine and front-wheel drive.

The new Fiat 500 model is powered by a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder delivering 135 horsepower accelerating from zero-to-60-mph time in 8.1 seconds. The engine is paired with a standard five-speed manual six-speed shifter or with an automatic transmission which is optional.

Fiat 500 known problems

Some of the common problems or complaints owners have about the Fiat 500 are:

Power steering loss when doing slow movements such as parking or reversing caused by a defect in the power steering motor.

This wing mirror part is known to become loose and can be easily damaged when you try to match it back in place.

The oil warning light rising on the dashboard caused by an ECU issue.

The smell of oil in the cabin when driving most likely produced by an oil leak. This is usually produced by a split oil breather pipe.

Window washer jet issue when washer jets are not firing any water over the windscreen or they simply scatter much water altogether.

Fiat 500 PDF owner manual

Below you can find the owners manuals for the 500 model sorted by year. The manuals are free to download and are available in PDF format. Is is recommended to check the owners manual corresponding to the correct year of your Fiat 500 to solve the problems or to get insights about the car.