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.
While coming to a stop light check engine light started flashing. Had no response from accelerator peddle. Would not go. Was able to roll into a parking lot. After shutting off vehicle and restarting it ran fine. Continued 1-2 miles and condition occurred again. Had to restart in the road to continue home. Ran fine to work and back the next day. Then, on highway while going 65-70 started to lose speed and had no response from accelerator peddle. Came to a rolling stop unable to go. Luckily was able to coast to shoulder without getting hit. Took it to a dealership to learn that a throttle body is needed at a cost of $1000. This is now sitting in the drive as we cant afford the $1000. Big safety issue as unable to accelerate and get off of road at unexpected times.
Vehicle had a rough idol and stalling at slow speeds. Took into dealership, cleaned airflow sensor and changed an aftermarket K&N filter (thought it was oil from filter onto sensor). Vehicle did not improve, actually worsened to a point that stalls upon deceleration. Took back to dealership, diagnosed throttle body needs to be replaced. Did not replace, stall worsened and RPM stick at higher RPM on two occasions. Car parked until solution can be found.
This problem first occurred after having car for less than 6 months. Towed to dealer for warranty work and the said they could not find a problem. Yesterday, was traveling and, as before, engine light came on, car went into neutral (gear indicator on dashboard looked like a slot machine) and when I coasted to a stop (more than once on a two lane road with no emergency lane), it would not go into gear. After turning engine off, it then had trouble starting, and when it did re-engage into gear, it would randomly go out of gear and we "limped" home going less than 25 miles an hour having to stop a half dozen times hoping the car's transmission would re-engage long enough for us to get home. It was a very dangerous situation because it would disengage at any rate of speed and would not go back into gear even once I stopped for a period of time, getting progressively worse. In the rural area where we reside, there was more than one time when it disengaged, would not go back into gear, on a curve of a two-lane road with no emergency lane. I have learned that the Fiesta has had these problems since 2011 when my problems first began. It is a dangerous situation that appears to be systemic to the vehicle in many cases. At this point, it is not safe to drive.
The engine stalled the first time two days ago on 9/27/2013. The car shut off on the road and I had to restart the car. Also it shakes when you press the accelerator and this has always happened. Yesterday while I was going over a bridge the car stalled so bad that it would not accelerate at all to go over the bridge, the RPM gauge wiggled very bad back and forth and the car began to slide back down the bridge. This is a very dangerous situation. I have taken the car to Ford and they claim this is how the car is supposed to act. I live in jacksonville, fl and being able to accelerate when getting on and off ramps onto the interstate is crucial when merging with traffic but if the car stalls and does not actually move and you are trying to yield and merge with oncoming traffic, anyone can see that this is a potential hazard and very dangerous. My next step is to file a lemon law lawsuit and get Ford to take the car back because they will are not able to duplicate the problem while it is in their repair shop and therefore will not fix it. My best friend has the same car and complains about the same exact issue. Her car shuts off several times a week so she is going to also file a complaint. Before I purchased this car I had a old beat up 1995 Ford Ranger and I never had these issues. I have been to Ford over 3 times about this issue and they continue to say "sir this is how the car is supposed to act" even the receptionist stated when I called to set up yet another appointment to have Ford look at the car "wow... that does seem very dangerous we need to get you in here asap" this is not the only incident I have had with Ford.. I will not even stress on that issue. However this one is very important to me due to the fact I do not even feel safe driving my car to the local store.
This is a 2011 Ford Fiesta was on the freeway with cruise control set at approximately 60 mph. When I attempted to accelerate to change lanes and exit the freeway, the car lost power and it literally felt like the brakes were in use. Since (I assume) the brake lights did not go on, I nearly caused an accident with a truck that was behind me. I was fortunate and traffic the traffic pattern allowed me to get to the side of the road. The engine never shut down, and while sitting on the berm and idling, the accelerator again responded properly. I pushed the cruise control off button and proceeded with no further problem, but have not used the cruise control since. I took the car to the to klaban Ford service in kent Ohio the day of the incident. It is still in the shop on May 22 and I do not yet know the result. I was told they will try to duplicate the problem.
- Kent, OH, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
All three occurrences requiring my car to be taken to a shop for repairs involved the vehicle moving at hi-way speeds. While travelling at 65mph, the cruise control cut out and engine died, so I had to coast to the side of the road. Eventually it restarted and I got home. The issue was electronic in nature according to the dealership where I bought the car, and took it for service. The part was not immediately available and when asked, the dealership said it was safe to drive until the part came in. The repair was made under warranty. The second problem was very similar to the first occurrence, and the dealership told me it was a different problem, but was nonetheless electronic in nature. The repair was made under warranty. The third and most recent issue involves the transmission. On my daily commute, cruise set at 65mph, the transmission disengaged. There was no power to the drivetrain. When I coasted to the shoulder, no gear could be achieved. When shut off, the car would not restart. After about ten minutes, after many clunking and clicking noises had occurred under the hood, the car started and I continued. It happened again...and again. This occurred five times in 30 miles, and finally the car would not restart. This was about five miles from home and my car had to be towed to the dealer for repair. The car is two years old with 85,000 miles. All miles are hi-way miles. All routine maintenance has been performed with receipts. This vehicle is a safety hazard, for intermittent, total loss of power and control on the hi-way, as well as leaving the occupants stranded at risk, on the shoulder of said hi-way. Ford does not seem to want to acknowledge publically that this is a safety problem (I.e. recall).
Numerous times when driving my 2011 Ford Fiesta the RPM's shoot way up and the car won't accelerate when I hit the gas. Even while driving at a speed of 45mph and try to go faster the car stalls and wont accelerate at all and get quite scary when this happens, especially on a highway when you could cause an accident. I have been driving and this happens and I have had to put it in park turn it off and turn it back on to get it to accelerate normally again.
I bought the car new and have taken it to two separate dealerships to correct this issue and it continues. Initially, the transmission light came on and the car began having trouble shifting. After the first repair, the car began shaking uncontrollably. The second repair corrected the shaking, but now (at 15,755 miles) the car will (1) make grinding metallic noises when shifting, (2) fail to shift on any incline (instead it revs to approximately 2500 rpms and "sticks" there), (3) jolt forward when the brake is applied as if the accelerator was pressed down, and (4) roll backwards on hills as if it is a manual transmission. I understand that (4) can be common among newer automatics that attempt higher fuel economy. However, numerous times the speed at which the car rolls back has incurred a safety risk. This seems to be another indication of an issue with the transmission.
The car is at the dealer for the third time since the beginning of the month. While driving, all of a sudden the vehicle is not in "drive" anymore, and I have to coast to the side of the road, turn off car, and restart. It is as if the transmission just goes out. This can happen multiple times in one driving session and has happened on highway, on side streets, backing out of my driveway, etc. The engine light comes on repeatedly each time. Car also lurches and sounds as if it might stall at random times when accelerating. Each time, the dealer test drives after the "fix" have been from 0 miles to 6 miles, it does not seem like this test drive is long enough to see the issue. This problem is an extreme safety hazard to me and my family and I have lost faith in Ford in fixing/dealing with this problem.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fiesta. The contact was traveling 70 mph when she applied the brakes momentarily. As the accelerator pedal was engaged, the vehicle became unresponsive. The contact was able to merge to the side of the road and shut off the vehicle. Once the vehicle was restarted, it produced a violent jerk when the accelerator was engaged. The vehicle was able to be driven to the dealer where it was determined that the transmission failed. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred several times since. The manufacturer was contacted about the issue. The failure mileage was 12,000 and the current mileage was 29,281.
Gas sticks, brakes make noise too stop car, gas speed control wide open hard too stop car, brakes not working well.......almost killed someone!!!!!!!!!!!.....stupid rent a car from enterprise....
I was pulling into my parking space at home. I had my foot on the break as I was slowing down. The car then sped up and lunged forward, jumped over the cement bumper and slammed into some potted plants. I was trying to stop the car, but it would not stop until I hit the pots.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fiesta. While driving approximately 5 mph, the accelerator pedal was engaged followed by a three second delay response. The failure would occur at any given time. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they informed the contacts that the vehicle was operating properly. The failure mileage was approximately 3,700. Updated 05/25/11 the consumer stated O several occasions the vehicle could not decide which gear to go into. There was delay in acceleration. Updated 07/08/11
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fiesta. While driving with the cruise control set at 40 mph, the vehicle suddenly accelerated up to 60 mph and the rpms increased to over 500 rpms. The contact shut the cruise control off and the speed resumed its normal state. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the computer was reprogrammed. The failure occurred again and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer. The manufacturer had not been notified. The failure mileage was 8,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Overland Park, KS, USA