2011 Ford Fiesta: engine and transmission complaints
VERY HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
62%
426 of 691 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system
62% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2011 Ford Fiesta are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. Well over half of everything owners reported is the drivetrain. That is a severe model-level pattern; every model year we track at this level has a documented failure behind it.
Worse than 82% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).
Excludes 39 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 58%).
The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.
What owners reported
POWER TRAIN11/02/2014CRASH5 INJURED
I WAS PULLING OUT OF A COUNTY PARK AFTER DARK, AND WAS TRYING TO GAUGE THE DISTANCE OF AN INCOMING CAR, TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT I HAD TIME TO PULL OUT. IN ORDER TO SEE BETTER, I LIGHTLY PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR, BUT INSTEAD OF SLOWLY INCHING FORWARD A FEW INCHES OR A FOOT, MY CAR LEAPT OUT INTO THE PATH OF THE ONCOM…
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),E04/18/2015CRASH4 INJURED
I REPORTED TO STERLING MCCALL ON 8/18/14 AT 5:50 P.M. THE PROBLEMS THAT I HAVE BEEN HAVING WITH MY 2011 FORD FIESTA. I ALSO REPORTED THE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM 14M01 .0N 8/20/14AT 7:19 A.M. I BROUGHT MY VEHICLE INTO STERLING MCCALL. STERLING MCCALL REFUSED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. I REPORTED TO LEGACY FORD ON 9/5/14…
AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE,WHEELS,ENGINE12/17/2014CRASH2 INJURED
I WAS REAR ENDED BY A FORD F350 SO HARD THAT I HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME, A HONDA ACCORD. THE BACK OF MY 2011 FORD FIESTA IS SMASHED IN AND THE FRONT OF THE CAR, IS SMASHED IN. THE BACK WINDOW IS SCATTERED, THE SUNROOF SLIDER FELL BACK INTO THE CAR, THE FRONT RIGHT WHEEL (PASSENGER SIDE) IS BENT, AND THE CAR DOES NOT …
Three of 426 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.
Recall campaigns on this model year (3)
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
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, 2…
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
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 Ju…
AIR BAGS
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 Mo…
This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.
Before you buy a 2011 Ford Fiesta
Ask the seller whether the transmission has ever been repaired or replaced, and whether the car has shown shuddering, slipping, delayed or harsh shifts, or a whine at speed.
Drive it from a cold start and long enough to warm up. Many transmission faults hide once the car is warm.
Get an independent pre-purchase inspection from a mechanic you choose, and tell them to focus on the transmission.
3 recall campaigns on this model year. Whether a specific car still has one open depends on the VIN; the report checks that.
Ask for service records. A transmission already replaced under warranty is a different car from one that was not.
Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.
Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history
report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition
of any individual vehicle.
