Ford Fiesta

Where it stands out against its peers

• Power train: more complaints than 99% of 2013 cars — 59% of its 667 complaints, where an ordinary 2013 car has 12%.
• Latches/locks/linkages: more complaints than 98% of 2013 cars — 7% of its 667 complaints, where an ordinary 2013 car has 1%.

Same model year only, at least 30 peer cars, zeros included. Every car has a worst part; this shows which, and how far from ordinary it is. A high share means more to check, not a verdict.

Before you buy one

Built from what this car fails on, not from general knowledge of the model.

• POWER TRAIN — 266 owners reported this, 1 involving a crash
• STRUCTURE — 56 owners reported this
• POWER TRAIN,ENGINE — 38 owners reported this, 1 involving a crash
• LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES — 34 owners reported this
• ENGINE — 24 owners reported this, 1 involving a fire
• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — 20 owners reported this

Crash test

Crash-tested by NHTSA, the American road safety agency.

Specification

Recalls

Filed by the manufacturer with a regulator. A recall is repaired free of charge, whoever owns the car now.

40% of 2019 cars have more recall campaigns than this one, and an ordinary one has 3. More of them means more to check the service record for, not a worse car.

• 12V488000

  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.

  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.

• 14V402000

  A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.

  Ford has notified the affected owners. Dealers will replace the fuel tank, free of charge. The recall began on July 14, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S12.

• 15V005000

  If the fuel pump fails, the vehicle may stall without warning, increasing the risk of a crash.

  Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began on February 27, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S30.

• 15V246000

  A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.

  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.

• 17V209000

  If the cylinder head cracks and leaks oil, the oil may contact a hot engine or exhaust component, increasing the risk of a fire.

  Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install a coolant level sensor and the supporting hardware and software, free of charge. Interim notices informing owners of the safety risk were mailed April 21, 2017. The recall began on January 5, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S09.

• 17V210000

  A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.

  Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace all four door latches, free of charge. The recall began May 1, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S16.

• 19V629000

  The swollen seals can cause the brakes to drag, potentially overheating the brakes and increasing the risk of a crash.

  Ford will notify owners, and dealers will flush the brake fluid and replace the front brake calipers and brake hoses, free of charge. The recall began October 10, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S27.

• 20V177000

  A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.

  Ford will notify owners, and Ford or Lincoln dealers will replace the side door latches, free of charge. The recall began September 21, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S15.

4 more campaigns have been filed against this model. A dealer can check by VIN which apply to one car.

Regulator investigations

Opened by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation is a question the regulator asked about a possible defect, not a fault it found — most end without a recall.

• Timing Belt Failure

  Engineering analysis, opened July 2026, still open.

• Timing Belt Failure

  Preliminary evaluation, opened December 2025, closed July 2026.

• Door Latch Failures

  Recall query, opened December 2019, closed February 2022.

  Became recall 20V177000.

• Door Latch Failure

  Engineering analysis, opened February 2015, closed November 2015.

  Became recall 15V246000.

• Door Latch Failure

  Preliminary evaluation, opened September 2014, closed March 2015.

What the maker told its dealers

Service bulletins are the manufacturer's own repair guidance to dealers, filed with NHTSA. A bulletin is not a defect finding; the count rises with how many things a maker writes down, not only with how many go wrong.

Ford filed 41 bulletins about the 2019 Fiesta.

• Electrical system: 19
• Equipment: 8
• Communication: 3
• Engine and engine cooling: 3
• Power train: 3
• Engine: 1
• Equipment adaptive/mobility: 1
• Structure: 1
• Visibility: 1
• Other: 1

• This article supersedes TSB 24-2165 to update the TSB Service Procedure. Some vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit various SYNC performance related concerns including but not… · December 2025
• Some 2015-2021 Ford and Lincoln vehicles may exhibit an illuminated MIL with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) P0011, P0012, P0014, P0015, P0016, P0017, P0018, P0019, P0021, P0022, P0024 and/or P0025.… · November 2025
• This article supersedes TSB 21-2175 to update the TSB Service Procedure. Some 2016 MKS, 2016-2017 Navigator, 2016-2018 F-150/Focus/C-MAX/Edge/Fiesta/MKX/Transit Connect/Mustang, 2017-2018… · June 2024
• For 2015-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with turbocharged engines and customer concern of an engine oil leak, refer to Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 303-00 for oil leak inspection and… · March 2024
• In various 2017-2023 Ford and Lincoln vehicles, customers may receive a message in the FordPass or LincolnWay App stating Feature Unavailable. Since this is a fleet vehicle, it cannot access the… · September 2023
• The Service Awareness Newsletter is an informal communication that contains information that may not be presently available in a TSB, SSM, GSB, or other electronic communication. This article… · August 2023
• 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… · May 2023
• Some 2017-2022 Ford/Lincoln customers may experience a notification in the FordPass®/LincolnWay® app indicating Vehicle Has Entered Deep Sleep Mode. This occurs when the… · August 2022

33 more.

Grouped by NHTSA's top-level system; a bulletin filed under a sub-heading counts toward its system.