This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Vehicle has been one of many thousands to experience severe transmission issues, which have now become serious safety concerns due to Ford's inability to provide a solution. This 2011 Fiesta with automatic transmission was purchased new and had the sluggish feeling early on. Dealer said it was a "smart engine" and would have to learn driver's driving habits. The problem persisted and got considerably worse around 9K miles....took it in, failed transmissions test...new clutch put it. Thought it was fine until it started doing the same thing...failed test...no parts available- had to wait on parts. This is about the 5th or 6th time going through this process, except that now the problem is the most severe it's ever been (even with the a new clutch put in last week and being told it was "fixed'). car won't start at times, then when it does, it drives very sluggish - or won't come out of low gear (revs very high)....of if you get it into higher gear, it will suddenly slip out of it back down to low - very high rpms and very loud. It is hard to accelarate and know that it's going to go - this is especially troubling at an intersection making a left turn, on the highway with higher speed traffic etc. Many others have experienced this same problem very severely. Class action suit in ca now-- and one just started in australia. Same problems. Ford has continued to sell these cars for years, knowing that this problem is there- their only solution being to wait for parts and then get it "repaired" - except it is being repaired with parts that are no better and seem to be far worse than early on. It is scary to drive and feel safe - yet one has to get to work, etc. Ford is digging their heels in and still offering no remedy, knowing about these very unsafe situations that drivers are being put in. Please scan the internet regarding the many people who have had serious problems.
My 2011 Ford Fiesta SE will not start. Electrical issues, PCM possibly. When you try to start the car all lights flicker, battery is fine and continues to attempt to start even after the key is turned back in non-starting position. The radio and usb/charging ports don't work either. This potential repair is going to cost me more than this thing is worth. Ford shouldn't sell crap. I bought this car because I needed reliable safe transportation not to have a money pit with no transportation and a loan. I literally just spent $1000 at a garage for maintenance and it wouldn't start when I went to pick it up yesterday. Now the Ford dealership is guessing pm! I shouldn't have to pay for this, Ford should recall the PCM and fix the electrical or stop ripping people off with garbage.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fiesta. While putting out of a parking space, the vehicle jerked and lost power. The contact had to wait until the traffic died down to pull out of the space. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the computer needed to be reset and the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 15,000.
This is an update to a previous complaint with my car. Previously the car gave out in the hills of a sf. The car said it had a problem with the transmission and would not give any propulsion risking going backward on a hill. The dealer updated the software. They said this was the fix. They said after 1000 miles it should fix itself. Since then the car has been running much more sluggish. It forces itself on accelerating. It jerks much more excessively when I take off the gas. It jerks much more when I brake and I hear the metal grinding and clanking together. It was a really bad software update. 1000 passed and we ran into another problem. I had the car parked in the house. Tried to turn car back on and would not turn on. I heard clicking noise as if the battery was dead. I had dome lights on for a few minutes but nothing excessive. Shouldn't die out like that. Tried several times to turn it on and nothing. Started to call roadside assistance for backup. I then removed the car charger I had plugged in and tried again. The car sputtered on and starting giving me notifications. A service and check engine light. Also the display said that there was a "transmission malfunction" and to service it now. The engine was really forcing itself as I heard it. RPM was high even going slow. Car still sputters on after a few tries. Checked the codes through obd2. Car was throwing P0606. Said that it was ECM/PCM processor problem. I have no idea what is wrong with this car. I feel like its completely falling apart all around. Horrible car with too many issues!!!! this car needs a massive recall on it!!! it is unequivocally unsafe and unfit for the road!
Got my car new 2012 it is a 2011 had service work mostly oil change tire rotation ect in 12-31-14 had to take it in sounded like it was flying apart when you drive jerked when you tried to take off felt like you were driving on rocky road speed bumps they installed seals for leak clean clutch and perf test drive upload shudder to hotline for clutch appv installed new clutch and seals/repro PCM/tcm and perf trans adaptive relearn perf test drive vec hotline appv paaxr this done ok for a bit took back in Oct 2015 same problem jerking and sounds like it falling apart also had recall on door lock went back to get it I am very unhappy with car still have the problem they have to order parts as of today Nov 6 2015 had to be towed wont even crank and wont come out of gear dont buy one not sure what can be done but I feel like they should have to buy car back thats a lot of money and its hardley over the 36 000 miles. Not a happy buyer the dealership has been very nice but says that they dont know how to fix the problem but the makers wont tell you that so sorry car Ford buy them back.
- Hudson, NC, USA
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The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated that while driving at low speeds and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle experienced a period of unintended acceleration and abnormal shaking. The failure occurred three times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed as a clutch failure and that it needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however there was an abnormal noise coming from the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000.
While in motion, my vehicle had an intermittent electrical issue. The service wrench appears, and displays "engine malfunction, seivce now" the engine then derates and runs very rough. With a manual transmission, it is difficult to shift gerars without stalling. Upon turning off and restarting, the engine resets and runs normally. Occurences are random without any warning. This is a safety issue. In one instance my engine nearly stalled in a busy intersection as a result of this issue. Ford has a tsb for the issue (13-11-15) that involves changing the wiring of the car. I believe this should be elevated to recall status so that repairs are covered. Given that it is a design issue that was built in to the vehicle and requires a change to the wiring to fix, Ford should be responsible for the service. I was billed $442.85 by my dealer to correct this issue.
After being in park at a gas station, I go into drive and start to go when the cars shudders, screeches, halts, and then loses power. I was able to start the car again, but when I pressed the gas there is no power. I try to put the car in park, and though the gear is in park an alert comes up telling me to put the car in park. Car will not go into park. Keeps rolling. Have to use my emergency break to stop the car. Paid out of pocket to have the car towed to the nearest Ford dealership. They said they were "pretty sure" it was the transmission control module. 5 days after bring it to them I call and find out that they have reprogrammed the transmission control module and something with the clutch. The problem is still not fixed. I haven't even been able to talk to the mechanic personally, but the lady at the service desk said "it's really thrown him for a loop. It definitely seems to be something with your transmission, but diagnostics says nothing is wrong with the car". this is going to kill someone. Period. It could've killed my boyfriend, my friend, my unborn baby and myself. I'm am furious with Ford. I have read hundreds of complaints from other people have the same problem with the same car. How has this not been recalled"?"
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate. In addition, the vehicle came to a complete stop without warning. The contact mentioned that the engine was running but the vehicle would not move. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed. The diagnoses was unknown. The vehicle was repaired but the remedy failed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 60,000.
When vehicle is in motion the hood and door ajar warning lights will flash and beep during random intervals. After being parked for at least five minutes, either the caution lights or alarm will go off. These will eventually turn off without any action. Battery has been replaced and electrical circuit passed at a local Ford dealership.
There were two incidents where car lost all power while travelling at 35 and 50 mph, the check engine light came on, the transmission dashboard indicator flashed from P to D back and forth. When restarting and idling, the engine shuddered. After the first incident (5/29), Ford dealership reprogrammed the transmission control module. After the second incident (6/13), two weeks later, the dealership replaced the clutch and the transmission control module (tcm).
Rear passenger power window suddenly quit, needed manual assist to close. Two days later tried to start manual transmission with only loud clicks, power to lights surged with each click, headlights were not dim, battery good. Engine would not crank, mileage odometer kept changing going up and down on miles, dash would go blank then come back on. Needed to be towed to shop.
While parked with the vehicle running (about 30 minutes in 87 degree weather with the ac on), the transmission felt like it tried to go into drive and rocked forward slightly. I looked at the dash and the check engine light came on. I tested the vehicle and it seemed road worthy enough to try and get home. When driving home and stopped at a stop light, the car's display for park, neutral, reverse, drive, started quickly flashing between drive and park. I could not accelerate the vehicle while this was going on. I placed the vehicle in park, and then met fairly heavy resistance putting it back into drive. After a few seconds of flashing between drive and park, it stopped and I was able to drive again. The same thing happened a few minutes later while I was about to turn into the Ford dealership. This time I tried turning off the vehicle to see if that would remedy the issue. I was unable to start the vehicle for a minute or two after because it was acting as if I was in drive (or the fast park / drive flutter) and trying to start it. It's been two days, yet I haven't heard back from the dealership on what this problem is. I did receive a recall notice that spells out the exact symptoms that I had, yet the mechanic has twice said it is very unlikely that the recall part, the tcm or transmission control module (which is back ordered six weeks), is the actual problem.
While driving on the expressway (70 mph) the car suddenly had no power. I was pushing the gas pedal down to the floor but, the car was not responding. I yanked the steering wheel hard and the car settled on the shoulder. If a car were behind me (rarity for a car not to be right behind on expressway) it would have plowed right into my car. Mechanic could not find a problem. A year later same thing is still happening. The last happened while, I was stopped at a red light. Car just went dead. I drive stop and go to work and back. Car seems to shift from first gear to third gear every time I have to slow down or stop. Seems to fight me from moving, then suddenly lurches forward. My mom borrowed my car one day and says she will never step foot in it again. The dealership just told me that they can't find a problem but, that the front brakes and rotors are bad and I need a new catalytic converter! if Ford knows they can't fix the transmission problem (or what they call not a problem), why did they extend the warranty" Ford claims it is normal for this transmission to jump. Then why did it not jump the first two years I owned it"! my check engine light goes on all the time. My traction control light and hill climb light both came on in the summer, on a flat surface. There was no snow, no slush, no ice, and no hill! the dealership said they didn't find a problem with that either. I am finally down to 8 more car payments and I'm scared to drive any distance in this car! especially in traffic!
As I was leaving work pulling out of the road I stepped on the gas and the car stalled. Making multiple vehicles come to a screeching stop almost causes multiple wrecks. This was the first time. Other times I was in traffic passing people or just driving down the road and the car started to shake and would stall not accelerating. Last of all my car would not start at least 3 times in one week due to code P2837 and P2832
Just about a month ago, after being in the car about an hour, we started getting a static pop on the factory stereo system. It would interrupt whatever was on momentarily and would continue even if you switched sources. Most annoyingly, the static pop stays even after shutting the car off. It worries me that this is something that is precursor to some sort of general electronic failure, but with the car out of warranty, my hands are tied. Half hour drives are not yet a problem. It happens after an hour or so, and even if you turn the stereo off, it just continues to pop. There is a 6 page thread on the problem here, (and I'm sure many other places of the web): www.fiestafaction.com/forums/threads/42105-radio-cutting-out-intermittently-with-popping-sound/page6?highlight=static in other words, I am not alone with this problem. The consumer stated one day in late October, the vehicle suddenly stalled while on his way to work. He was able to steer the vehicle off to the side of the road. After waiting a few minutes, he decided to try and start the vehicle, and it started as if nothing happened. The consumer continued to drive for another week with no stalling problems. However, he continued to experience problems with the stereo. One evening, the consumer discovered he had no headlights. He took the vehicle to a service station where the owner showed him the fuses were badly corroded and they could not be removed in one piece. The engine compartment fuse box appeared as if there had been a flood. Updated 05/12/16.
I was leaving work and unlocked my car with my remote key in order to get in. I had been to panera bread around 3:00pm for lunch and everything was fine so I got in the drivers side and started to leave the parking lot. As soon as I started (turned right) onto the highway, I heard wind from the back (louder than usual) and my door was flapping open! I was glad a car didn't dive by and rip off my door! I pulled off (while holding the door backwards awkwardly and unsafely) into the target parking lot. I tried to shut the door but it just bounced back, I tired to hold shut and lock it but it wouldn't lock. The latch was broken or not functioning. I had to buy painters tape to make sure my door didn't fly open on the way home. I took to Ford and they said it was $400 to fix. I told them that this was probably going to be like the transmission, where I complained twice about it, they said it was normal, and then they recalled it 2 years later, so I just made sure I had a receipt of my visit. I hope the rest of my doors don't fly open too.
I purchased a Ford Fiesta 2011 in October, 2010. Within the first year of ownership (around 8,000 miles), the car began to shutter upon initial acceleration at low speeds, especially when going up or down an incline; when moving the accelerator pedal back and forth quickly (in stop and go traffic, for example, or when accelerating to turn left from a stop) the rpms would jump and the car would not accelerate promptly, and then only after harsh jerking. Numerous trips to the dealership resulted in several explanations (and costly "repairs"), including being told I needed a complete engine flush, faulty brake calipers, recalibration of the computer software, and the classic "that is normal operation for the car." As of February, 2015 (my car now has 50,000), the issue continues to persist and, most concerning of all, my car will now periodically stall with complete engine and electrical failure. Please note the issue described above occurs from a stop and/or at slow speeds. My car has stalled several times while I was attempting to turn left or pull into the road from a driveway. These are particularly hazardous times for the car to fail and severely compromise not only my safety but those of other drivers on the road. Frustratingly, the dealerships consistently report "there is nothing wrong with the car" and "it functions normally." A car like mine -- relatively new, average mileage, with maintenance always completed at a Ford dealership and according to manufacturer recommendations -- should not stall. I am greatly concerned each and every time I drive the car and Ford's apparently inability to solve the issue.
Ford knows that there is a problem with the transmission. They will not fix it. When the transmission shifts it shifts hard and losses the get up and go.
For approx. 2 months, my car will not always start. I would have to crank it a few times before it would turn over. Replaced the battery and it still happened. One night, stopped at the store for a few minutes. Got in the car and it wouldn't start. Left for an hour, got back in and it started. Dropped it off at the Ford dealer and they replaced the starter. The next day went to the P.O., got back in and it wouldn't start again. Waited 1/2 hour and it started. Drove right back to the dealer and they replaced the tcm. (transmission control module). That was 12/5. I am hoping this does the trick. Have read about 2011 Fiesta transmissions problems and hope I have no more problems.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Cincinnati, OH, USA