2012 Ford Fiesta problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (226) · Structure:body (75) · Structure:body:door (43)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Ford Fiesta model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
491 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (3)
Latches/Locks/Linkages:doors:latch 2020-06-08 · campaign 20V331000 · 2,147,323 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Fiesta, 2013-2014 Fusion, 2015 Mustang, 2013-2015 Escape and C-Max, 2012-2015 Focus, 2014-2016 Transit Connect, 2013-2014 Lincoln MKZ, and 2015 MKC vehicles. These vehicles were previously recalled and repaired under recalls 15V-246, 16V-643 or 17V-210, however the repair may not have been completed properly. A component within the door latches may break making the doors difficult to latch and/or leading the driver or a passenger to beli
Risk: A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the latch date codes to confirm if the repair was done correctly, and replace the side door latches if necessary, free of charge. Owners will also have the option to inspect their own vehicle's door latches and enter the date codes into a website to determine if the latches are correct. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 27, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S30.
Latches/Locks/Linkages:doors:latch 2015-04-24 · campaign 15V246000 · 456,440 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) notified the agency on April 23, 2015, that they are recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured July 1, 2012, to May 31, 2013, and 2012-2014 Fiesta vehicles manufactured February 1, 2012, to May 31, 2013. On April 30, 2015, Ford expanded the recall to cover an additional 119,567 vehicles, including certain model year 2011 Ford Fiestas manufactured from November 11, 2009, to May 31, 2013 and certain model year 2013 Ford Fus
Risk: A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace all four door latches with an improved part, free of charge. Interim notifications were mailed to owners on June 5, 2015. The recall began on December 18, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S16.
Air Bags 2012-10-05 · campaign 12V488000 · 154,471 vehicles
Defect: Ford is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Fiesta vehicles, manufactured from November 3, 2009 through September 21, 2012. The vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 208, "Occupant Crash Protection." The passenger side curtain air bag will not deploy in the event of a side impact collision when the front passenger seat is empty. Although the side curtain air bag system was designed to suppress the side curtain air bag under this scenario, that informa
Risk: An occupant in the right rear seating position will not have coverage from the side curtain air bag in a side impact collision when the front passenger seat is empty, increasing the risk of injury to the right rear occupant.
Fix: Ford will notify owners and dealers will reprogram the vehicle's software free of charge so that it no longer suppresses the passenger side curtain air bag when the front passenger seat is empty, and consistent with the description in the owner's guide. The safety recall began on October 26, 2012. Owner's may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332.
Service bulletins (86)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-02-24 · SSM 54601 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
ford and lincoln vehicles equipped with wired keyless entry keypad systems and accessory wireless keyless entry keypad systems may or may not come with a wallet card containing the master code. unlike the integrated wired keypad, the accessory wireless keypad master code cannot be retrieved from the
Unknown Or Other 2024-10-10 · SSM 53040 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
while performing a transmission repair on some 2012-2024 ford and lincoln vehicles, a transmission seal kit may be on backorder due to supply chain interruptions.
Equipment 2024-04-24 · SSM 52476 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
all accessory stick-on keyless entry keypads come with a wallet card containing the master code. if the accessory keypad was factory installed, this card will be placed in the glove box and should be handed to the vehicle s owner during initial delivery. unlike the integrated (wired) factory keypad,
Power Train 2023-05-04 · 14M02 S7 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certain 2011 through 2015 model year fiesta and 2012 through 2016 model year focus vehicles equipped with a dps6 automatic transmission transmission control module extended warranty coverage reason for this supplement ãâ¢ãâã⢠due to ongoing limited part availability, program terms have been
Structure 2023-04-04 · SSM 51536 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
for 2000-2024 ford and lincoln vehicles, swapping a module from a vehicle for diagnosis purposes is likely to cause errors and is not recommended. it is also not recommended to order a replacement module using a vehicle identification number (vin) from a different vehicle. most modules on these affe
Engine And Engine Cooling 2023-01-13 · 22N11 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certain 2011-2013 model year fiesta vehicles operated in the usa corrosion states battery junction box clean and seal in some of the affected vehicles, the position of the battery junction box (bjb) in the engine compartment is subject to unanticipated direct road water splash while driving. when v
Showing the 6 most recent of 86 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-09-09 · Latches/Locks/Linkages:doors:latch · 190,000 mi“the contact owns a 2012 ford fiesta. the contact stated that while entering the vehicle and closing the front driver’s side door, the door failed to latch properly. while driving 70 mph, the front driver’s side door opened. the contact secured the door with a bungee cord and continued driving. a dealer was notified of the failure and informed the c…”
2026-04-28 · Unknown Or Other · 💥 crash · 🔥 fire“my daughter and 2 friends were driving on the highway, the dash flickers and goes back to normal, flickered again and the car started slowing down so she pulled over, ( car still moving) and puts the car in park but the car still continues to move. passenger notices out the side mirror the car is on fire, she jumped out; the car then accelerates ( …”
2026-03-23 · Power Train“while driving, my son's car started to have issues when it was shifting gears (it's an automatic). then a warning came up on the dash saying something like "transmission malfunction, service immediately". we were on our way to a mechanic to pick up another vehicle so we left it with them. they confirmed the issue and stated it is related to the clu…”
2025-12-19 · Unknown Or Other“the drivers side door latch will not latch, the door will swing open because the latch is defective. i have seen that this is a common issue with this vehicle and has been recalled on other 2012 ford fiestas but mine has not been. …”
2025-11-05 · Unknown Or Other“the door latches have a safety recall and needs to be fixed or observed to ensure proper road safety. in addition i cannot move onto my vehicle registration renewal until this recall is repaired. i do not see any visible malfunction but the doors do have to slam shut to ensure they are properly closed. no individuals have been put at risk. the prob…”
2025-10-29 · Vehicle Speed Control“i was driving to work this morning; the car made a horrible "clunk" when i accelerated to around 20 then lost power and nearly crashed. the car then displayed error lights (yellow cel, yellow wrench icon, head unit showed "transmission issue service immediately" this is a direct result of the dps6 transmission put into all 7th gen ford focus/fiest…”
2025-08-28 · Unknown Or Other“my car has had transmission issues since i purchased the car, and the problems has gotten worse and now the car is not drivable. i have purchased parts after parts and still the problem. i have reached out to the company numerous times, and reached out to programs. iam stuck without a car now.what do i need to do…”
2025-08-13 · Power Train · 42,000 mi“the contact owns a 2012 ford fiesta. the contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to a gas station for servicing, the contact was informed that the brake calipers were sticking, and the calipers and rotors were extremely hot. the calipers and rotors were replaced; however, the failure persisted. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was …”
2025-07-16 · Unknown Or Other“while driving along the transmission slipped into neutral and would not move forward.could have been hit from behind.…”
2025-07-13 · Power Train“transmission unexpectedly malfunctions. car lost the ability to shift into reverse and even numbered gears. rough shifting when it can shift. slipping when attempting to drive. unable to accelerate from a stop sign. based on simple web searches, the ford fiesta and focus with the dps6 transmission are notorious for defective transmissions.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.