2011 Ford FIESTA: complaints, problems and recalls
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
730 owner complaints analyzed
3 distinct recall campaigns
56,000 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2011 model year. Data snapshot: . 602 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Power Train is the most frequently named component, appearing in 336 of 730 complaints (46.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Transmission and shifting | 296 | 40.5% |
| Engine operation | 99 | 13.6% |
| Braking behavior | 55 | 7.5% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 55 | 7.5% |
| Steering behavior | 24 | 3.3% |
| Fuel system concerns | 2 | 0.3% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Power Train | 336 |
| Engine | 108 |
| Electrical System | 89 |
| Structure:Body | 89 |
| Unknown Or Other | 58 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 55 |
| Structure:Body:Door | 34 |
| Steering | 26 |
Power Train: 336; Engine: 108; Electrical System: 89; Structure:Body: 89; Unknown Or Other: 58; Vehicle Speed Control: 55; Structure:Body:Door: 34; Steering: 26
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 126 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 132 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 163 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 93 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 67 |
| 150,000 and above | 21 |
Under 25,000: 126; 25,000 to 49,999: 132; 50,000 to 74,999: 163; 75,000 to 99,999: 93; 100,000 to 149,999: 67; 150,000 and above: 21
50,000 to 74,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (163). 128 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 9 |
| 2011 | 42 |
| 2012 | 32 |
| 2013 | 44 |
| 2014 | 154 |
| 2015 | 131 |
| 2016 | 77 |
| 2017 | 37 |
| 2018 | 32 |
| 2019 | 76 |
| 2020 | 37 |
| 2021 | 13 |
| 2022 | 16 |
| 2023 | 13 |
| 2024 | 7 |
| 2025 | 9 |
| 2026 | 1 |
2010: 9; 2011: 42; 2012: 32; 2013: 44; 2014: 154; 2015: 131; 2016: 77; 2017: 37; 2018: 32; 2019: 76; 2020: 37; 2021: 13; 2022: 16; 2023: 13; 2024: 7; 2025: 9; 2026: 1
Pattern summary
Power Train leads the component reports. Transmission and shifting appears in 296 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 99 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 55 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Examples from the source records
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 10347296 · 2010-08-04 (August 4, 2010)
YOU'VE FILED A PROBLEM INCORRECTLY. THE BELOW COMPLAINT WAS FILED UNDER FIESTA, BUT IT'S CLEARLY AN F250 PICKUP THAT HAD THE PROBLEM. REPORT DATE : AUGUST 4, 2010 AT 04:22 PM SEARCH TYPE : VEHICLE YEAR : 2011 MAKE : FORD MODEL : FIESTA RESULTS : 1 | ALL RECORDS DISPLAYED MAKE : FORD MODEL : FIESTA YEAR : 2011 MANUFACTURER : FORD MOTOR COMPANY CRASH : NO FIRE : NO NUMBER OF INJURIES: 0 ODI ID NUMBER : 10344678 NUMBER OF DEATHS: 0 DATE OF FAILURE: JUNE 9, 2010 VIN : [XXX]... COMPONENT: SER…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10347296 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10357456 · 2010-09-25 (September 25, 2010)
THE NEW HEAD RESTRAINT POSITION ON THE CARS MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR MY WIFE TO DRIVE THE CAR COMFORTABLY. SHE HAS SHORT ARMS AND LEGS, WHICH REQUIRE THE SEAT TO BE FORWARD AND UPRIGHT. THE HEADREST IN THIS POSITION IS PLACES HER HEAD TIPPED DOWN TOWARD HER CHEST. AGAIN, UNCOMFORTABLE TO DRIVE. TO GET THE SEAT WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE TO DRIVE, AND HER LOOKING STRAIGHT OUT THE WINDSHIELD, THE HEADREST NEEDED TO BE REMOVED AND/OR INSTALLED BACKWARDS. THE BACKWARDS POSITION IS A SAFER OPTION. A HEADREST WITHOUT AS MUCH OF A PITCH FORWARD IS NEED…
Owner-reported narrative. 6 miles reported. Look up ODI 10357456 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10359045 · 2010-10-04 (October 4, 2010)
AIRBAG OFF LIGHT COMES ON FREQUENTLY WHEN ADULT PASSENGER IS SEATED IN 2011 FORD MUSTANG . YOUR WEB SITE DOES NOT ALLOW ME TO SELECT A FORD MUSTANG FROM THE DROP DOWN MENU SO MY APOLOGY BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO SELECT SOME SORT OR VEHICLE TO CONTINUE FILING THIS COMPLAINT. THE PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF LIGHT COMES ON AT VARIOUS STAGES OF DRIVING. MY WIFE WEIGHS 130 LBS AND IT GOES OFF WITH HER SITTING THERE. IT COMES OFF AND ON AT RANDOM TIMES FOR AS LONG AS 30 SECONDS WEATHER YOU ARE DRIVING STRAIGHT ,AROUND A CORNER , ACCELERATING OR DECELERATIN…
Owner-reported narrative. 20 miles reported. Look up ODI 10359045 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10360794 · 2010-10-16 (October 16, 2010)
DRIVER'S SEAT BELT LATCH HAS TROUBLE LATCHING OR DOESN'T HOLD. WILL BE REPLACING SEAT BELT LATCH THIS WEEK THROUGH DEALERSHIP. *TR
Owner-reported narrative. 2,164 miles reported. Look up ODI 10360794 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10362886 · 2010-10-29 (October 29, 2010)
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 FORD FIESTA. WHILE REVERSING OR ATTEMPTING TO STOP, THE CONTACT NOTICED A LOUD NOISE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST WHO STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSIN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED BY THE LOCAL DEALER BUT THE FAILURE CONTINUED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 200 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 1,046.
Owner-reported narrative. 200 miles reported. Look up ODI 10362886 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10368057 · 2010-11-28 (November 28, 2010)
TIRE BLOWOUT OF A NEW 2011 CAR, WITH LESS THEN 900 MILES ON IT. *TR
Owner-reported narrative. 900 miles reported. Look up ODI 10368057 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10369627 · 2010-12-08 (December 8, 2010)
2011 FORD FIESTA, HAVE HAD FOR 28 DAYS (PURCHASED ON 11/10/10) HAS BEEN IN TO SHOP TWICE. FIRST TIME THE ENGINE WAS VERY SLOW TO TURN ON--LIKE A DEAD BATTERY WITH CLICKING NOISES. THIS TIME, THE CAR WAS SLOW TO TURN ON AND WOULD NOT GO INTO GEAR, WOULD TRY TO REVERSE OR DRIVE AND IT WOULD REV LIKE IT WAS IN NEUTRAL. FINALLY GOT IT TO FUNCTION, BUT WAS VERY WORRIED ABOUT DRIVING IT. TOOK TO DEALERSHIP TODAY, THEY RECHARGED THE BATTERY AND SCRAPPED SOME PAINT OFF OF SOME PART AND PUT SOME KIND OF OIL ON IT. I WAS TOLD THAT BATTERY PROBLEMS C…
Owner-reported narrative. 1,200 miles reported. Look up ODI 10369627 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10371614 · 2010-12-17 (December 17, 2010)
THIS VEHICLE, BOUGHT NEW IN SEPTEMBER, 2010, HAD LOUD SOUNDS COMING FROM THE ENGINE AREA. FORD HAS PUT 2 NEW TRANSMISSIONS IN IT. THE 3RD REPAIR ATTEMPT WAS DIAGNOSED AS A PROBLEM THAT "ENGINEERING HAS TO COME UP WITH A SOLUTION". FORD, ON TWO OF THE 3 REPAIR ATTEMPTS, SENT OUT A FIELD ENGINEER TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE. THE FIRST ENGINEER (ON THE 2ND REPAIR ATTEMPT) SAID TO PUT ANOTHER NEW TRANSMISSION IN THE VEHICLE, (THE 2ND NEW TRANSMISSION TO BE PUT IN THE VEHICLE). THIS STILL DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM, ACCORDING TO THE SERVICE …
Owner-reported narrative. 200 miles reported. Look up ODI 10371614 at NHTSA ↗
Recall history
3 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.
12V488000 · Air Bags
Reported: 2012-10-05 (October 5, 2012)
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.
Consequence: An occupant in the right rear seating position will not have coverage from the side curtain air bag in a side impact collision when the front passenger seat is empty, increasing the risk of injury to the right rear occupant.
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.
NHTSA campaign record ↗15V246000 · Latches/Locks/Linkages:Doors:Latch
Reported: 2015-04-24 (April 24, 2015)
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.
NHTSA campaign record ↗20V331000 · Latches/Locks/Linkages:Doors:Latch
Reported: 2020-06-08 (June 8, 2020)
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.
NHTSA campaign record ↗