2012 Ford FIESTA - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2012 Ford Fiesta receives respectable safety ratings across the board, with an overall rating of 4 out of 5. The car excels in side crash tests, earning a perfect score of 5 in that category. It also performs well in front crash tests, with a driver-side rating of 5 and a passenger-side rating of 4. The Fiesta is equipped with standard electronic stability control, which enhances its safety on the road.

Despite the solid safety ratings, it is important to note that there have been 601 complaints filed for this vehicle. Additionally, there have been 3 recalls issued for the 2012 Ford Fiesta. It would be advisable for owners and potential buyers to stay informed about any potential issues and ensure that all necessary recalls are addressed promptly.

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Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

601

Recall Count

3

Investigation Count

3

Safety Rating

4/5

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Safety Features

2012 Ford Fiesta 4 DR FWD Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2012 Ford Fiesta 4 DR FWD

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2012 Ford Fiesta 4 DR FWD Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2012 Ford Fiesta 4 DR FWD Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2011 Score 2012 Score 2019 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating 4 4 4
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 5 5 5
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 4 4 4

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2011 Score 2012 Score 2019 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating 5 5 4
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 4 4 4
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5 4
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front 4 4 4
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear 5 5 4
Overall Side Barrier Rating 5 5 4

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2011 Score 2012 Score 2019 Score
Rollover Rating 4 4 4
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating 4 4 5

Complaints for the 2012 Ford FIESTA

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"driving down the street and car started bucking and shifting improperly. i took it in to the dealership and the said the tcm might be under warranty. then they just said the transmission is bad"
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2024-04-01
Complaint:
"2012 ford fiesta dps6 automatic transmission failed as described in ford customer satisfaction program 14m02 rendering the car unable to maintain speed on an interstate highway, leading to a significant collision risk. this transmission was recently replaced (2 years, 10k miles ago) due to the same issue with the previous transmission. the car displayed a "transmission failed seek service" message or similar on the entertainment console with a wrench icon appearing on the dashboard. this is a known and widely reported issue with these vehicles, ford has not offered a permanent solution."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2023-08-09
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2012 ford fiesta. the contact received notification of technical service bulletin: 16-0109 (dps 6 automatic transmission – excessive transmission clutch shudder and/or transmission fluid leak); however, the part to do the repair was not yet available. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the repair. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission failed to shift properly with the check engine warning light illuminated. the dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not available. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 119,000."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2023-01-05
Complaint:
"i purchased a 2012 ford fiesta se on 3/3/23 from auto nation dealership in florida. i started noticing the excessive jerking & hesitating when i hit the gas petal. i can't pinpoint exactly when it started but it got progressively worse. i scheduled an appt. with mechanic for 7/26/23 after almost driving into car in front of me and concerned about getting hit from behind or even worse plowing into a pedestrian. the mechanic concluded problem with transmission- dual clutch b. after doing research i find out about ford recalls as a result of all the lawsuits and complaints on transmissions for this very vehicle. i then brought car to ford and was told that the recall didn't apply to my specific issue and would require upwards of $4000 to fix either by replacing specific pieces within the transmission or installing a new transmission. they also classified the vehicle as "unsafe to drive" the bottom line is ford knew the transmission was faulty when they manufactured the car. whether it's electrical or mechanical they're splitting hairs at this point. it's a failure with their transmission period. i've read many complaints concerning the issue i'm facing, and consumers shouldn't have to dish out thousands of dollars to correct anything that involves the transmission. it's unacceptable that a car i've own for 4 months is sitting in my garage and deemed "unsafe" any issues concerning the transmission should be included in the existing recall and ford should take ownership and pay for any repairs."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2024-09-07
Complaint:
"the dual-clutch transmission on this 2012 ford fiesta has ceased to shift gears correctly once it heats up after driving briefly, and becomes unable to shift in reverse. the engine also seems to occasionally be overspeeding between gears. the transmission control module, though recalled, is functioning properly and has been determined to not be the source of the issue. a similar problem occurred approximately the week before this issue began when the transmission control module (tcm) began throwing faults. the tcm was reprogrammed and the car functioned normally for a week before the issue seemed to recur. when brought to the nearest dealership, they determined that the tcm was not the cause of the issue. the vehicle has well under 100k miles. the nearest dealership thought that shift fork b was frozen, which caused damage to the clutch. a second opinion from another mechanic said that this was a common problem with the 2012 ford fiesta. i contacted ford customer care and was advised that the vin of this vehicle was not included in the 2012 service update for these same issues. however, since it is displaying the issues addressed by that service update and is under 100k miles, it may need to be."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2023-03-07
Complaint:
"on a relatively short trip i experience problems with the automatic transmission. it was not shifting properly. downshift from high gear to low gear way to quickly. rpms up above 2500. also too many rpms at stop; had be sure to hold down brake. very poor deceleration. danger to merger. this happened one day before we received "customer satisfaction program 14m02" from ford. which offered to replace tcm. before contacting ford dealer took to my mechanic who confirmed condition and said unsafe to drive. i then called ruge's ford in rhinebeck who said part is unavailable anywhere in united states. they are going to continue to try and locate a part"
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2023-02-07
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2012 ford fiesta. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "transmission malfunction, service now" message was displayed. the vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission control module (tcm) needed to be replaced; however, the part for the repair was on backorder. the vehicle was repaired; however, the contact then stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a loud abnormal sound was heard. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 101,347."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2024-04-09
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2012 ford fiesta. the contact stated while driving 15 mph and attempting to shift gears, the vehicle failed to respond. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the mechanic replaced the clutch, but the failure continued. the vehicle was not diagnosed. the manufacturer was contacted, and the manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not under recall. the contact was referred to the nhtsa hotline for assistance. the failure mileage was 108,000. the vin was not available."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2023-05-11
Complaint:
"loss of power transmission shudder 100,500 miles now started as a small issue at about 94,000 but not constantly, its bad now"
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2023-03-07
Complaint:
"ford is refusing to honor extension of warranty in attached notice from ford which extended warranty on (transmission control module) tcm module for 2012 ford fiestas to 10 years and 150,000 miles. computer check of systems reports by independent mechanic showed tcm failure. car disengaged from transmission during highway travel, car has trouble shifting, car sometimes will not start but if retry immediately restarts. when first starting car car will not go into gear even though selected on gear shift. sometimes when shifting failure occurs check transmission light goes on. problems temporarily fixes if perform transmission reset procedure. ford will not honor warranty. repair shops reporting 4 month backlog on replacement tcm. ford will not provide rental car while waiting for part. car is dangerous to drive because can lose power on highway and acts like car in neutral"
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2023-11-11

Recalls for the 2012 Ford FIESTA

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"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."
Consequence:
A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.
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.

Component(s) Involved: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES > DOORS > LATCH
Date of incident: 2015-04-24
Recall:
"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."
Consequence:
A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.
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.

Component(s) Involved: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES > DOORS > LATCH
Date of incident: 2020-06-08

FORD Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

FORD ranks 1 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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