FaultScore

Ford Fiesta transmission problems

1,509 of the 4,342 complaints filed about the Ford Fiesta are about the transmission — 35% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2013.

1,509

Complaints

35%

Share of all complaints

30

Crashes

1

Fires

Transmission & Drivetrain complaints by model year

2002 Fiesta 1 0.1%

Median failure at 64,250 miles

2011 Fiesta 366 24.3%

Median failure at 56,200 miles

2012 Fiesta 276 18.3%

Median failure at 42,000 miles

2013 Fiesta 393 26.0%

Median failure at 20,000 miles

2014 Fiesta 211 14.0%

Median failure at 30,203 miles

2015 Fiesta 105 7.0%

Median failure at 59,500 miles

2016 Fiesta 103 6.8%

Median failure at 67,000 miles

2017 Fiesta 23 1.5%

Median failure at 69,500 miles

2018 Fiesta 10 0.7%

Median failure at 30,066 miles

2019 Fiesta 21 1.4%

Median failure at 67,000 miles

What owners said

2015 Ford Fiesta at 20,000 miles Tucson, AZ

POWER TRAIN

The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer for recall repairs; however the issue persisted. After the repairs, while mother was driving on the highway, the vehicle stalled. The clutch became inoperable. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not further diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000.

NHTSA complaint #11740709 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2014 Ford Fiesta Oakland, NJ

POWER TRAIN

Brand new OEM ford clutch slave cylinder failed while in traffic. Part number DG9Z-7A564-B fell apart during test drive after it was newly installed. Lost ability to use the clutch pedal and could not pull the car out of gear while in traffic. Component was not inspected by manufacturer yet, there were no warning lights on the dash when it occurred. Was able to get the car back home and noticed brake fluid pouring out from inside the bell housing of the transmission where the slave cylinder is housed.

NHTSA complaint #11736922 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2015 Ford Fiesta Custer, WA

POWER TRAIN

I was driving for couple hours then my oil light came on check engine light came on. Vehicle started to shake very badly. I had to pull over and see what happened. I started the vehicle up again and the oil light and check engine light are still on. I know that these vehicles have the wet belt system on the automatics. But they don't have one for the manual transmission. There should be a recall for these just like the automatics.

NHTSA complaint #11734102 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2013 Ford Fiesta Richmond, KY

POWER TRAIN

The vehicle experienced a sudden transmission failure while driving. Before the failure, the car began shuddering and hesitating during acceleration. It then started making loud metal grinding noises from the transmission area and eventually lost the ability to move properly when placed in Drive or Reverse. This created a safety risk because the vehicle could not accelerate normally in traffic and became difficult to control. The issue appears related to the transmission and/or clutch system. Warning messages and abnormal shifting behavior occurred prior to the failure. I previously asked a dealership in 2020/2021 to inspect and repair the transmission issues while the vehicle was still under warranty, but they stated the problem was not “bad enough” at that time and did not perform any repairs. The vehicle is currently inoperable due to this malfunction.

NHTSA complaint #11731703 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2019 Ford Fiesta at 67,000 miles Seymour, IN

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The contact continued to drive the vehicle, and the sound was coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the same dealer, where it was diagnosed with a synchronization failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced, and two motor mounts also needed to be replaced. The motor mounts were replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 67,000.

NHTSA complaint #11729774 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2013 Ford Fiesta Ozark, MO

POWER TRAIN

I was driving down [XXX] . I stopped at a stoplight. When the light turned green I pressed the gas to accelerate when suddenly mid intersection my transmission went out causing me to have no power. Approximately 5 minutes prior to this I did get a message about a transmission malfunction. Due to the transmission going out I was stuck in the intersection. I had it towed to a shop where they have confirmed that the Transmission Control Module (TCM) has failed. There are a couple parts of the transmission that they have not been able to confirm whether they are working due to the TCM failing. I believe that the TCM failing can put drivers in a potentially unsafe position like it did to me. I was stuck in an intersection of 2 very busy roads due to this failure. I dont currently have the part that failed with me. It is still currently on the vehicle. The vehicle and component has not been inspected by anyone other than the shop it was towed to. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11728218 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2014 Ford Fiesta New Fairfield, CT

POWER TRAIN

Transmission was supposedly rebuilt back July 26, 3021. Now transmission has had a new dual clutch replaced but other concerns are still there jerkiness on accelerations. In 2021 the transmission was not fully rebuild as per recall. Only clutch assembly was done and not the back end. Which now could be the problem. Second, colonial Ford sated transmission rebuilt has lifetime warranty which a lie. Colonial Ford doesn’t offer lifetime. The service advisors lie about this all the time. Now the car jerks on acceleration after clutch replacement. Dealer and Ford still take no responsibility over the product! The car has 145,000 miles still under the 150,000 mile warranty isssue by you!

NHTSA complaint #11726642 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2015 Ford Fiesta Manteca, CA

POWER TRAIN

No

NHTSA complaint #11726852 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2012 Ford Fiesta Greeley, CO

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 clutch system (which I believe is the dry clutch system that has been recalled with similar car models). We have not taken it to the manufacturer/Ford dealership yet, but are trying to figure out our options on this faulty transmission design. Not aware of any issues prior to this incident.

NHTSA complaint #11726329 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2015 Ford Fiesta Santa Clara, CA

POWER TRAIN

Transmission going out with car having only 71,000 miles on it .a know fact that Ford knew when I bought this car new .and going out when on freeways or just about anywhere could me in danger

NHTSA complaint #11721112 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2019 Ford Fiesta Lorain, OH

POWER TRAIN

Around 50,000 miles I noticed the car would jerk when trying to shift gears , this issue persisted and would only go on to get worse. It started taking forever to accelerate regardless of pressing on the gas, now at 70,000 miles it won’t shift out of 2nd gear when driving over 40 mph, it’s a huge safety issue .

NHTSA complaint #11721105 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2019 Ford Fiesta Waynesville, OH

POWER TRAIN

The transmission does not shift properly.\n And causes it to overheat, this has been a known problem with Ford motor company. I have called and can get no help with them. The repair cost way more than my vehicle is worth. I can't find a transmission company to even do it. There have been buybacks and extended warranties for this very issue. However, my car has more miles. Than the extended more, she allows and Had I had known about this before the end of June of last year. They would have covered it, and I think this is unfair. I'm a [XXX] veteran that's disabled, and as far as the back up camera, it's been out Within a year of me purchasing the car and I have trouble with my neck and I needed the backup camera that's one of the reasons I bought the car and now they have waited so long that the transmission is having issues. And if I can't get that help, then they will waited until it won't even be necessary to work on the backup camera they've outlasted the car. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11718260 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2013 Ford Fiesta at 131,000 miles Brandon, FL

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, there was a loud rattling sound coming from the vehicle and the vehicle experienced a loss of power and decelerated. The vehicle was driven to a nearby service station. After restarting the vehicle and shifting to drive(D), the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The vehicle was later towed to the local mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was 131,000.

NHTSA complaint #11706151 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2013 Ford Fiesta Mount Sterling, KY

POWER TRAIN

My car has 74,000 actual miles and the transmission is acting up kicking out of gear and loosing coummcation with the tcm and a sensor comes on about bad clutch pack

NHTSA complaint #11704414 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2016 Ford Fiesta Bethpage, TN, TN

POWER TRAIN

The transmission started slipping in 1st and 2nd gear.

NHTSA complaint #11698961 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2019 Ford Fiesta at 75,000 miles Mc Lean, VA

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle lost power with the message "Transmission Hot Wait 5 Minutes" displayed on the instrument panel. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic where the mechanic diagnosed the vehicle with a defective dual transmission clutch. The contact was informed that although the transmission could be repaired, the failure might likely return, and the mechanic could not warranty the repair. The contact called several other transmission shops and was provided the same information. Despite the initial repair, the contact stated that the failure returned approximately 15,000-20,000 miles later. The vehicle was taken to back to the independent mechanic where the transmission was replaced another time. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle related to the transmission. Despite the most recent repair, the contact was certain that the failure would return. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

NHTSA complaint #11697570 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2012 Ford Fiesta Denver, CO 1 injured

POWER TRAIN

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/Fiesta models. This DCT transmission has been replaced 3 times for this particular car and failed the same manner each time - meaning 3 near accidents have occured because this transmission fails. Across the USA; more than 50 people have been injured as a result of this transmission failing.

NHTSA complaint #11696374 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2016 Ford Fiesta Poulsbo, WA

POWER TRAIN

I have come to find that this vehicle suffers from premature slave cylinder failure, there are roughly 62,000 miles on the vehicle. Typical failure is reported to Ford between 70,000 and 80,000 miles. First symptoms appeared at roughly 58,000 miles. As I am a single father and a full time communications worker, I was not able to address this issue immediately upon discovering the initial symptoms as it would need further diagnosis. Clutch hydraulic fluids appear to be well sealed and clean. The design flaw with this system should be relatively obvious to a major automobile manufacturer such as Ford. The excessive temperatures caused by the transmission can and will affect any hydraulic systems severely. There are no avenues in which the temperatures can escape due to the bell housing of the transmission encasing the slave cylinder. In my experience as a prior automotive technician, most manual transmission automobiles place the cylinder in a more reasonable location, for example, beside the break booster in a 1991 Dodge Stealth. When observing the firewall in this location on this model of vehicle I can confidently say there is enough room to place a clutch slave cylinder in this location. The current placement appears to be for no other reason then planned obsolescence. Vehicle has stalled in traffic multiple times, cannot complete shifts due to clutch pedal sticking to floor. Inability to properly operate transmission as expected per mileage with a manual vehicle is a safety hazard. This is a safety concern due to limited ability to engage warning lights being that the shifter needs to be operated as well as the vehicle needing to be steered. Inability to depress the clutch to mechanical certainty limits the drivers ability to confidently navigate to a safe area to assess the vehicle's possible malfunctions. This limits the ability to warn other motorists on the roadways, which can cause accidents that may also cause injury/fatality depending on the speeds driven.

NHTSA complaint #11696112 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2015 Ford Fiesta at 140,000 miles Tampa, FL

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start as expected. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the Transmission Control Module. The contact was informed that the TCM needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 140,000.

NHTSA complaint #11686615 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2011 Ford Fiesta at 106,902 miles Oakland Park, FL

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was pushed to the side of the road on several occasions. The vehicle was able to restart after 10 minutes; however, the failure recurred upon resuming driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed. The mechanic related the failure to Ford Campaign Number: 15B22 (Transmission Control Module Reprogramming for Overt TCM Failure Warning). The dealer was contacted, and an appointment was scheduled for the vehicle to be repaired under Ford Campaign Number: 15B22. The contact stated that upon towing the vehicle to the dealer, the dealer refused to service the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 106,902.

NHTSA complaint #11684826 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other Ford Fiesta problems