Owners have filed 2,849 complaints on the Ford Fiesta, covering 2011–2019. The system named most often is Power Train (1,287 reports). Worst years by volume: 2011, 2013, 2012; cleanest: 2018, 2017, 2019. 115 reports describe a crash, 24 a fire, 6 a death. On average the car was 4.2 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Ford Fiesta
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 2,849 Fiesta complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Power Train 1,287 Read
My 2019 ford fiesta automatic does not shift gears properly, my car would not reverse and therefore caused a small fender bender. It has no speed and runs rough
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated while at a complete stop at the traffic light, the vehicle inadvertently lunged forward and crashed into the rear of another occupied vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. There were no injuries sustained. A police report…
Vehicle driving on interstate when a vibration was felt through the steering wheel, then the vehicle started lose power. Gear shift still in drive engine still running and coasted to a stop on side of highway. Vehicle was rear ended found out that the left drive axle had become disconnected at the transmission end.…
Structure 330 Read
Ok when I gotten this car I took it to get repaired 4 times my door latches are broken so when I drive a door flys open without me even knowing I only had this car for a year now I had one accident because of my door unlocking tryin to hold it close so I can pull over and I gotten it fixed before for one door now I…
2/4/15, dickinson co. Kansas, collision with fixed object,left turn, impact to passenger front corner, ran off right side of the road,struck fixe object, damage to both passenger front corner/quarter of car. 10/11/16, jackson co, missouri, moving in transport collision, impact rear of car, towing indicator, driver…
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal mold odor inside the vehicle. Upon inspection, the contact found standing water inside the spare tire enclosure inside the trunk of the vehicle. The contact noticed white mold spores growing on the…
Electrical System 205 Read
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked at a gas station, the vehicle rolled forward on its own crashing into another vehicle. No one was injured. No police report was filed. The contact drove the vehicle to a repair facility where they repaired the vehicle of cosmetic…
I’m 99% sure the heated seat shorted out and caught my car on fire causing the car to burn completely to the ground in a total lose
This goes with Incidents 11500972 & 11500985 2015 Ford Fiesta SE purchased 2.8.18 Crest Ford in Center Line, MI From my other reports, car has had all kinds of issues. This is 3/5 and these are all ACCIDENTS. In early 2019, I was coming home from a medical appointment in the morning. I was the 4th car, sitting at the…
Engine 157 Read
I was involved in a MINOR motor vehicle accident. 9/21/2022 during the accident my 2017 ford fiesta suffered considerable damage(which I was ticketed for, they said wreckless driving.. I wasn't speeding and I have police reports to back this up). The car did its job and no one was substantially hurt. When I got a…
Vehicle lost power check engine light came on anf a yellow wrench light also did come on this occured on the turnpke at high speed shut engine down resart wrench lite gone but barely drivable code reader says defective throttle body ford has recalled one and half million cars for this its dangerous
The contact owns a 2014 ford fiesta. While operating the vehicle, the engine overheated and stalled due to coolant leaking and burning inside the engine. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine was permanently damaged and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The…
Latches/locks/linkages 114 Read
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front passenger’s side door independently opened. The door ajar warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to NHTSA…
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated while opening the passenger’s side front door, she felt excessive play in the door handle. While attempting to close the door, the door failed to latch securely. The contact was able to secure the door using bungie cords. The contact drove the vehicle to a dealer…
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated that the rear driver’s side door failed to latch securely when closed. The contact stated that the door would only lock when the latch was manually pushed down. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The…
Air Bags 83 Read
Went to stop hit the brake peddle and the car did not slow down, I pumped the brakes then hit them again still the car did not slow down, I impacted the rear of a truck, a fire started under hood in front of the driver's side at the windshield area, the steering wheel air bag didn't deploy nor did the seat belt lock,…
Vehicle was in a minor 'fender bender' during rush hour - stop and go - traffic. Airbags did not deploy and damage to the 2011 fiesta ses was fixable. Very minimal damage (dent) to car in front of my vehicle. My vehicle went from fixable to igniting and a total loss
Vehicle collided with a deer at 75mph on the driver front, the airbags did not deply. Total loss damage
Vehicle Speed Control 70 Read
When I moved gearshift from park to drive, car accelerated violently. I do not believe I accidentally used the accelerator, this occured in parking lot.after moving about 20 feet I hit a heavy gate with enough force to do extensive damage to car including bent chassis
On july 15th 2019, my son was going around a sharp right corner when the car sped up out of control and crashed into a utility pole head on. My son was driving on a city street and was going approximately 30 miles an hour. He's uncertain what caused the sudden acceleration. The car was totaled and my son has a…
The contact owns a 2016 ford fiesta. While driving approximately 5 mph, the vehicle accelerated spontaneously and struck a tree. A police report was filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was not diagnosed by the dealer. The manufacturer was not notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure…
Steering 68 Read
The contact owned a 2017 ford fiesta. While driving 55 mph, the vehicle inadvertently drifted to the side of the road. The contact attempted to drive back to the roadway; however, the brake pedal failed to engage when it was depressed and the steering wheel seized without warning. As a result, the vehicle crashed into…
Turning a curvature on a mountain road steering locked and brakes failed car went over the mountain as a result passangers three were injured and one fatality
Transmjtions feels slugish one day normal next revs up at times more than normal makeing vehilce speed up when needing to slow down . Suspension often warps out of place makeing the drive harsh on motar and falls back on place. Steeding collum falls out of place to odften have to bend the wheel to get back alignment
Fiesta years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Air Bags | 13 | 1 | |
| 2018 | Air Bags | 4 | — | |
| 2017 | Air Bags | 7 | 1 | |
| 2016 | Air Bags | 10 | — | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | 16 | — | |
| 2014 | Air Bags | 22 | 8 | |
| 2013 | Air Bags | 8 | 4 | |
| 2012 | Air Bags | 7 | 5 | |
| 2011 | Air Bags | 28 | 5 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 521 |
| Average complaints per series | 5.5 |
| Worst single series | 40 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 4.2 years |
A model average of 5.5 hides a worst series at 40. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Fiesta?
By complaint volume, 2011, 2013, 2012 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Fiesta years are the cleanest?
2018, 2017, 2019 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Ford Fiesta have?
2,849 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2011–2019. Of those, 115 describe a crash and 24 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.