Fiat 500 Front Suspension Strut: Specs, Fitment & Common Faults
On this electric model, the lower arm bushes shared with the petrol platform are genuinely described as "made of chocolate and can wear fast."
Illustration for editorial purposes
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A Genuinely Memorable, Real Quote Worth Knowing
If you're hearing a knock over bumps at low speed from the front, this is genuinely worth knowing: one experienced forum member summed up a well-documented pattern with the memorable line that the rubber bushes on this platform's lower suspension arms "are made of chocolate and can wear fast." Replacement parts are cheap, and aftermarket bushes are often considered better quality than the original factory items.
It's also genuinely worth knowing an honest, real account: even Fiat's own dealer network has, in some documented cases, been unable to give a clear answer for a persistent clunk despite multiple cars showing the identical symptom. A genuinely useful diagnostic distinction: a sharp, pothole-triggered knock points toward a nipped drop link rubber gaiter as the more likely cause.
Fiat 500 Front Suspension Strut: The System That Quietly Does All the Work
On the Fiat 500, these components absorb every pothole, bump and cornering force before any of it reaches the cabin, which is why deterioration here rarely announces itself with one obvious symptom. Working through it methodically finds the actual cause faster than guessing ever will.
Fiat 500 Front Suspension Strut: Watch: Replacing It
No 500e (2020-) video found; fell back to 500 2007-
OEM Part Number: confirm via VIN — front struts (aftermarket) Bilstein 22-341846 / Meyle 226 623
| Front strut / shock absorber (aftermarket) | Bilstein 22-341846 (left) / 22-341853 (right) (gas twin-tube, top pin and bottom clamp); Bilstein 22-338396 (left) / 22-338402 (right); Meyle 226 623 0032 (left) / 226 623 0033 (right); Vaico V24-1459 (left) / V24-1460 (right); Daco 450901R (right) |
|---|---|
| Front lower arm / wishbone (aftermarket) | LH Delphi TC2351 (cast steel, 490 mm, with ball joint), Meyle 216 050 0044/HD (reinforced, with ball joint), febi 34759 (cast steel, with ball joint, rubber mounts), Ridex 273C1195; RH Delphi TC2352, Meyle 216 050 0045/HD, Ridex 273C0413 (cast iron, 339 mm), NTY ZWD-FT-013 |
| Top mount / strut bearing (aftermarket) | Sachs 803 169 (integrated ball bearing, 2 per axle); Meyle 714 641 0013 (with bearing); Bilstein 12-296415 (top bearing); febi 197823 (repair kit); Gates SUS1710; KYB SM1811 (mounting kit) |
| Genuine (OE) numbers quoted | Sachs 803 169 mount: 52017224, 52042666, 52116186, 52128763; Original Imperium 25766 bearing: 51988588; Kamoka 209185 kit: 5035.C2 |
| Fitment notes | Standard gas struts; no sport or adaptive units. |
The electric 500's suspension is tuned to cope with the added weight of the battery pack compared with the old petrol car, so despite sharing styling, the two aren't mechanically related — don't assume parts from the older petrol 500 will fit.
Fiat 500 Front Suspension Strut: What It Does
The Fiat 500's front strut does two jobs in one unit — damping the suspension's movement and providing the coil spring's mounting point. Wear here shows up as excessive bounce after bumps rather than a quick settle, and left long enough, uneven tyre wear tends to follow.
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Fiat 500 Front Suspension Strut: Warning Signs, DIY Difficulty & Aftermarket Advice
These are the same regardless of make or model — see our full Front Suspension Strut Guide for symptoms of worn bushings and ball joints, confirming fitment against your VIN, and rubber vs polyurethane guidance.
More Fiat Front Suspension Strut
The same part, covered across other Fiat models.