2012 Ford Fiesta: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 616 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 3 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
616
Complaints
3
Recalls
12
Crash reports
5
Fire reports
17
Injuries
34.7
Severity index
Severity index 34.7 - Low. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 129 2012 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2012 Ford Fiesta ranks 109 of 129 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 16% of its model-year peers. See the full 2012 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | 274 | 44.5% |
| STRUCTURE | 128 | 20.8% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 78 | 12.7% |
| ENGINE | 68 | 11.0% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 66 | 10.7% |
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 56 | 9.1% |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 40 | 6.5% |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 22 | 3.6% |
The single most-reported system is POWER TRAIN, cited in 274 of 616 complaints (44.5%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 2 |
| 2012 | 13 |
| 2013 | 18 |
| 2014 | 138 |
| 2015 | 136 |
| 2016 | 81 |
| 2017 | 32 |
| 2018 | 28 |
| 2019 | 69 |
| 2020 | 27 |
| 2021 | 16 |
| 2022 | 23 |
| 2023 | 16 |
| 2024 | 7 |
| 2025 | 8 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 2 |
Complaint volume is declining, consistent with a defect that was addressed by recall or that affected early builds.
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15V246000 | 24/04/2015 | 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 July 1, 2012, to May 31, 2013, and 2012-2014 Fiesta vehicles manufactured February 1, 2012, to May 31, 2013. On |
| 12V488000 | 05/10/2012 | 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 Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 208, "Occupant Crash Protection." The passenger side curtain air bag |
| 20V331000 | 08/06/2020 | 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, 2013-2014 Lincoln MKZ, and 2015 MKC vehicles. These vehicles were previously recalled and repaired under recal |
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.