Reliable Auto DB

2012 Ford Fiesta reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2012 Ford Fiesta holds 617 complaints after 15 years, a rate of 57 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Fiesta years here — over the median of the other years, which is 9. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Latch and Air bags.

2011 Ford Fiesta SES hatchback
Photo by IFCAR, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons Public domain
Complaints

617

Per year

57

Recalls

3

Years on the road

15

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (274 of 617), then Structure (128) and Engine (68). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 45,000 miles, and the middle half falls between 26,000 and 72,501 miles. Those filings include 12 that report a crash, 5 that report a fire, and 13 that report an injury.

Next to 2013

The 2013 Fiesta has 667 complaints, 103 per year. The 2012 has fewer complaints per year than the 2013.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2012 Ford Fiesta. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (3)

Recall latches, locks, and linkages, doors, latch 2020-06-08 · NHTSA campaign 20V331000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Fiesta, 2013-2014 Fusion, 2015 Mustang, 2013-2015 Escape and C-Max, 2012-2015 Focus, 2014-2016 Transit Connect, 2013-2014 Lincoln MKZ, and 2015 MKC vehicles. These vehicles were previously recalled and repaired under recalls 15V-246, 16V-643 or 17V-210, however the repair may not have been completed properly. A component within the door latches may break making the doors difficult to latch and/or leading the driver or a passenger to believe a door is securely closed when, in fact, it is not.
Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the latch date codes to confirm if the repair was done correctly, and replace the side door latches if necessary, free of charge. Owners will also have the option to inspect their own vehicle's door latches and enter the date codes into a website to determine if the latches are correct. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 27, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S30.
Vehicles affected 2,147,323
Recall latches, locks, and linkages, doors, latch 2015-04-24 · NHTSA campaign 15V246000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) notified the agency on April 23, 2015, that they are recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured July 1, 2012, to May 31, 2013, and 2012-2014 Fiesta vehicles manufactured February 1, 2012, to May 31, 2013. On April 30, 2015, Ford expanded the recall to cover an additional 119,567 vehicles, including certain model year 2011 Ford Fiestas manufactured from November 11, 2009, to May 31, 2013 and certain model year 2013 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured from February 1, 2012, to June 30, 2012. A component within the door latches may break making the doors difficult to latch and/or leading the driver or a passenger to believe a door is securely closed when, in fact, it is not.
Remedy 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.
Vehicles affected 456,440
Recall Air bags 2012-10-05 · NHTSA campaign 12V488000
Summary Ford is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Fiesta vehicles, manufactured from November 3, 2009 through September 21, 2012. The vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 208, "Occupant Crash Protection." The passenger side curtain air bag will not deploy in the event of a side impact collision when the front passenger seat is empty. Although the side curtain air bag system was designed to suppress the side curtain air bag under this scenario, that information is not explained in the owner's guide for these vehicles as required by FMVSS No. 208.
Remedy 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.
Vehicles affected 154,471

NHTSA's count is every vehicle in that campaign. A campaign can cover other model years and other models.

Complaints by component (617 total)

Powertrain
274
Structure
128
Engine
68
Electrical system
66
Latches, locks, and linkages
57
Speed control
40
Exterior lighting
22
Air bags
15
Service brakes
15
Steering
13
Fuel and propulsion system
8
Seats
8
Electronic stability control (ESC)
7
Engine and engine cooling
7
Adaptive and mobility equipment
6
Tires
4
Seat belts
3
Suspension
3
Equipment
2
Hydraulic brakes
2
Visibility
2
Wheels
2
Visibility and wipers
1
Show 15 more Show less
Crash-flagged

12

Fire-flagged

5

Injury reports

13

Death reports

0

Of the 491 complaints that include an odometer reading, the median is 45,000 miles. The middle half fall between 26,000 and 72,501 miles.

Complaints filed per year

2201113201218201313820141362015812016322017282018692019272020162021232022162023720248202532026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated that while entering the vehicle and closing the front driver’s side door, the door failed to latch properly. While driving 70 MPH, the front driver’s side door…"
    Latches, locks, and linkages · filed 2026-09-09
  • "My daughter and 2 friends were driving on the highway, the dash flickers and goes back to normal, flickered again and the car started slowing down so she pulled over, ( car still moving) and puts the car in park but the…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-04-28
  • "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…"
    Powertrain · filed 2026-03-23
  • "The drivers side door latch will not latch, the door will swing open because the latch is defective. I have seen that this is a common issue with this vehicle and has been recalled on other 2012 ford fiestas but mine…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2025-12-19
  • "The door latches have a safety recall and needs to be fixed or observed to ensure proper road safety. In addition I cannot move onto my vehicle registration renewal until this recall is repaired. I do not see any…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2025-11-05

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2012 Ford Fiesta 4 DR FWD 4 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2012 Ford Fiesta 5 HB FWD 4 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Fiesta front-wheel drive 1.6L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 29 37 32 MPG $2050
Fiesta front-wheel drive 1.6L, 4-cyl Manual 5-speed Front-wheel drive 29 37 32 MPG $2050
Fiesta SFE front-wheel drive 1.6L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 29 38 32 MPG $2050

Specs and fitment

6th generation, 2011–2019
Body styles Sedan, Hatchback
Oil 5W-20 (1.6L, all trims incl. ST) , 4.2 qt capacity
Tire size 185/60R15 to 195/50R16

Known issues for this generation

U.S. 2011-2016 Fiesta models built with the optional PowerShift dual-clutch automatic transmission (DPS6) developed a well-documented pattern of rough shifting and repeat repairs to the clutch and clutch seals. NHTSA found no evidence that the transmission is a safety risk and did not order a recall. Ford settled a nationwide class action, Vargas v. Ford Motor Co., covering 2011-2016 Fiesta and 2012-2016 Focus PowerShift owners, with final court approval in March 2020; in August 2019 Ford separately extended the clutch warranty to seven years or 100,000 miles on roughly 560,000 of these cars. Only PowerShift-equipped cars are covered by the settlement.

Compare

Next year 2013 Ford Fiesta See every Ford Fiesta model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2012 Ford Fiesta reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2012 Ford Fiesta holds 617 complaints after 15 years, a rate of 57 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Fiesta years here — over the median of the other years, which is 9. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Latch and Air bags.

What are common problems with a 2012 Ford Fiesta?

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (274 of 617), then Structure (128) and Engine (68). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 45,000 miles, and the middle half falls between 26,000 and 72,501 miles. Those filings include 12 that report a crash, 5 that report a fire, and 13 that report an injury.

Is the 2012 Ford Fiesta more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 Fiesta has 667 complaints, 103 per year. The 2012 has fewer complaints per year than the 2013.

Has the 2012 Ford Fiesta been recalled?

The 2012 Ford Fiesta has 3 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2012 Ford Fiesta?

Owners have filed 617 complaints about the 2012 Ford Fiesta with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2012 Ford Fiesta get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2012 Ford Fiesta is 32 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What generation is the 2016 Ford Fiesta?

6th generation (2011-2019), the only Fiesta generation sold in the US.

Does the Ford Fiesta have PowerShift transmission problems?

2011-2016 Fiestas with the optional DPS6 dual-clutch automatic were covered by a 2020 class-action settlement and a 2019 clutch warranty extension; NHTSA did not order a recall.