Ford Fiesta Reliability
4,308 NHTSA complaints (1988–2019). Complaint rate: 306.3 per 1,000 vehicles.
Which Years to Buy & Avoid
Years auto-clustered by complaint volume relative to this model's median.
Bottom line: Avoid the 2011–2014 Ford Fiesta (126 crash-related complaints). The 2017–2019 models had significantly fewer reported issues. Most common issue across all years: POWER TRAIN.
Avoid These Years
Average
Better Years
A model's reputation is just the start.
Even within the “good” years, individual cars can have hidden accidents, title issues, or odometer rollbacks. Check the actual VIN before you buy — full history report for $4.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).
Complaints by Model Year
NHTSA complaint count per model year
Common Ford Fiesta Problems
Most reported component complaints to NHTSA
| Component | Complaints | Crash % |
|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | 1,412 | 1.9% |
| ENGINE | 501 | 3.0% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 386 | 2.3% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 311 | 2.3% |
| STRUCTURE:BODY | 297 | 4.0% |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 194 | 5.2% |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 133 | 3.0% |
| AIR BAGS | 101 | 63.4% |
| STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR | 100 | 0.0% |
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 94 | 0.0% |
Year-by-Year Breakdown
NHTSA complaint count per model year — click any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
| Year | Generation | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991GOOD | — | 3 | 0 | — | View 1991View→ |
| 2011AVOID | — | 1,039 | 52 | 7 | View 2011View→ |
| 2012AVOID | — | 832 | 18 | 7 | View 2012View→ |
| 2013AVOID | — | 915 | 19 | 10 | View 2013View→ |
| 2014AVOID | — | 651 | 37 | 13 | View 2014View→ |
| 2015 | — | 359 | 28 | — | View 2015View→ |
| 2016 | — | 253 | 18 | 2 | View 2016View→ |
| 2017GOOD | — | 104 | 12 | 2 | View 2017View→ |
| 2018GOOD | — | 46 | 5 | — | View 2018View→ |
| 2019GOOD | — | 102 | 14 | 1 | View 2019View→ |
See also: Ford Fiestaaccident & safety statistics from our vehicle history database.
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