2012 Ford Fiesta: engine and transmission complaints
HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
55%
321 of 587 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system
55% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2012 Ford Fiesta are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. That is a model-level pattern, not bad luck.
Worse than 72% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).
Excludes 30 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 52%).
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 TRAIN,STRUCTURE,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL10/29/20251 INJURED
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 int…
POWER TRAIN08/02/20161 INJURED
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD FIESTA. WHILE DRIVING 29 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE STALLED AND ABRUPTLY STOPPED. IN ADDITION, THE TRANSMISSION EXPERIENCED A POWER TRAIN FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO SHIFT THE TRANSMISSION OUT OF GEAR. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED WHIPLASH, …
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER06/24/20161 INJURED
CAR JERKS AND SHUDDERS UNCONTROLLABLY. LURCHES INTO INTERSECTIONS AFTER COMING TO A STOP WHEN CLUTCH FAILS TO DISENGAGE. UNPREDICTABLE SPEED. DOES NOT ACCELERATE ONTO FREEWAY. JERKS VIOLENTLY WHEN TAKING FOOT ON OR OFF GAS PEDAL. DANGEROUS AND TERRIFYING. REPLACEMENT CLUTCH HAS BEEN ORDERED BY DEALERSHIP AND IS BACKORD…
Three of 321 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) 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…
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…
This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.
Before you buy a 2012 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.
