Ford
Ford Fiesta years to avoid
Years to avoid: 2014. Best years: 2017 and 2018.
The 2014 Ford Fiesta draws the most owner complaints for its age: 466, or 36 for each year on the road, against a median of 15 a year across the 6 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2014 is transmission shudder (102 reports).
- 1,007complaints
- 11recall campaigns
- 4model years with a page
Newest report Sep 25, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
Pick your model year
Owner complaints on file for each year.
Years to avoid
2014
Most reported: transmission shudder (102 reports, median 34,500 miles) and door latch (69 reports, median 44,136 miles).
Best years
2017
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
2018
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
Complaints for each year on the road
Each model year's NHTSA complaints divided by the calendar years it has been on sale, counting this one (a 2018 model has had 9). Older cars have had longer to collect complaints, so raw totals flatter the new ones. Blue bars are the years to avoid.
Within one model, sales change less from year to year than they do between models, so a jump here is mostly a jump in problems. The call: the years to avoid are the (up to three) highest at 1.5 times the model's median rate or more, and the best are the (up to three) lowest at two thirds of it or less, from 2016 on.
Guide How much should a years-to-avoid list decide? What these lists get wrong
At a glance
- Where the complaints sit
- The 2014 alone holds 466 of the 1,007 complaints across the 4 model years with a page here (46%).
- Problem across the years
- The top problem moves around from year to year. Transmission shudder leads in 2 of the 4 model years and has the most reports overall, 197. Pooled across the years, half of the 152 owners who gave a mileage for transmission shudder were under about 47,000 miles.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- 7% of Ford Fiesta complaints report a crash, a fire or an injury, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site. The highest share is on the 2019, 15 of its 105 complaints.
- Recalls on the top problem
- None of the 4 model years where owners report transmission shudder has a recall on the same system.
- When owners filed
- Filings peaked in 2019 at 171 (full calendar years only). In 2025 there were 83. So far in 2026, 42 more have come in. Filings on record start in 2015.
Photo: HJUdall, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Sixth generation (facelift)
| Year | Complaints | A year | Recalls | Most reported | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 avoid | 466 | 36 | 7 | Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard (102) | 45,000 |
| 2015 | 258 | 22 | 4 | Engine stalls or loses power while driving (65) | 59,000 |
| 2016 | 178 | 16 | 0 | Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard (43) | 60,000 |
| 2019 | 105 | 13 | 3 | Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails (41) | 51,000 |
Model years with too few complaints for a page of their own: 2017 (74), 2018 (35).
Year by year
2019 Ford Fiesta
105 owner complaints, 13 for each year on the road (0.9 times the model median). Most reported: infotainment (41 reports, median 52,000 miles) and brake wear (13 reports). 13 reports involved a crash and 9 people were hurt. 3 recalls, including 25V-695 on the backup camera and 24V-951 on the backup camera.
2016 Ford Fiesta
178 owner complaints, 16 for each year on the road (1.1 times the model median). Most reported: transmission shudder (43 reports, median 65,000 miles), stalling (33 reports, median 69,000 miles) and transmission warning light (19 reports, median 80,000 miles). 10 reports involved a crash and 10 people were hurt. No recalls.
2015 Ford Fiesta
258 owner complaints, 22 for each year on the road (1.5 times the model median). Most reported: stalling (65 reports, median 60,000 miles), transmission shudder (47 reports, median 63,000 miles) and misfire (22 reports, median 82,000 miles). 16 reports involved a crash and 24 people were hurt. 4 recalls, including 17V-209 on the engine and 15V-005 on the fuel system.
2014 Ford Fiesta avoid
466 owner complaints, 36 for each year on the road (2.4 times the model median). Most reported: transmission shudder (102 reports, median 34,500 miles), door latch (69 reports, median 44,136 miles) and stalling (62 reports, median 45,912 miles). 21 reports involved a crash and 16 people were hurt. 7 recalls, including 20V-331 on the latches and locks and 20V-177 on the latches and locks.
Recalls that cover several model years
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.
If the vehicle is started and driven with an insufficient level of coolant within the engine cooling system, the engine cylinder head may overheat, crack and leak oil.
On April 30, 2015, Ford expanded the recall to cover an additional 45,505 vehicles, including certain model year 2014-2015 Ford Transit Connect vehicles manufactured November 11, 2013, to August 29, 2014, 2014-2015 Ford Fiesta vehicles manufactured April 10, 2014, to June 17, 2014 and 2014 Ford Edge vehicles manufactured April 30, 2014, to May 21, 2014.
Questions
What Ford Fiesta years should you avoid?
The 2014 Ford Fiesta draws the most owner complaints for its age: 466, or 36 for each year on the road, against a median of 15 a year across the 6 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2014 is transmission shudder (102 reports).
What are the best years for the Ford Fiesta?
The 2017 and 2018 draw the fewest complaints for their age: 2017 has 74 (7 a year) and 2018 has 35 (4 a year). Model years before 2016 aren't called best, because complaints filed before 2015 aren't in the files this site reads and their counts run short.
What is the most common problem on the Ford Fiesta?
Transmission shudder, with 197 reports across the 4 model years that have a page here. It's the single most reported problem on the 2014 and 2016.
How many recalls does the Ford Fiesta have?
11 recall campaigns cover the Ford Fiesta model years 2014 to 2019 on this site. The widest, 15V-005 on the fuel system, covers 2 model years.
How many Ford Fiesta complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
7% of them, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site. The 2019 has the highest share.
Is there a recall for transmission shudder on the Ford Fiesta?
No. None of the 4 model years where owners report it has one on the same system.