2014 Ford Fiesta · symptom sheet
Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard
- 102owner reports
- 34,500median miles
- $2,200median quote
- 2involved a crash
Newest report Mar 24, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
188 of the 466 complaints on this car are about the transmission and drivetrain. 102 of those describe transmission shudder, which makes it the most reported problem on the 2014 Fiesta.
Narrower sheets: Transmission jerks, lurches or bangs into gear (53 reports)
Tick what matches of 102 reports
Transmission shudder on other Fiesta years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2019.
What this problem usually is
This is the biggest drivetrain group on the site: a transmission that shudders, slips, hesitates or bangs into gear. It's the everyday version of transmission trouble, where the car still drives but doesn't drive right, and it has three narrower sheets of its own for jerking, hesitation and slipping.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the clutch (37 reports).
Recalls and investigations
No recall on the transmission and drivetrain covers the 2014 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.
What owners paid
6 of the 102 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $1,500 to $2,500.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 14,000 and 55,000 miles, from the 83 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 11 service bulletins or notices for the 2014 Ford Fiesta that deal with this problem. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
Certain 2011 through 2014 Model Year Fiesta and Focus Vehicles Equipped with a DPS6 Automatic Transmission - Transmission Clutch Shudder / Transmission Input Shaft Seal Warranty Extension
Certain 2014 through 2015 Model Year Fiesta and 2014 through 2016 Model Year Focus Vehicles Equipped with a DPS6 Automatic Transmission - Transmission Clutch Shudder / Transmission Clutch Warranty Extension
MULTIPLE 2014-2016 VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 6F35 TRANSMISSION AND BUILT ON 1-JAN-2014 AND THROUGH 31-DEC-2015 MAY EXHIBIT HARSH REVERSE ENGAGEMENT AND HARSH/DELAYED 3RD AND 5TH GEAR UP/DOWN SHIFTS WITH NO DTCS PRESENT.
SOME 2011-2015 FIESTA VEHICLES BUILT ON OR BEFORE 10/15/2014 AND 2012-2016 FOCUS VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A DPS6 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION MAY EXHIBIT EXCESSIVE TRANSMISSION CLUTCH SHUDDER ON LIGHT ACCELERATION.
7 more on the 2014 Ford Fiesta page.
What owners wrote
“The DSP6 transmission is slipping out of gear and into neutral. This causes the car's momentum to fall below safe advised speeds on highways, and also can cause the car to jerk suddenly at intersections. Ford knows about this issue but is refusing to repair it.”
Filed Aug 23, 2021
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 2 of 102 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Taking it to a shop? How to describe this problem so it gets found
Other problems on this car
- Doors, latches or locks fail 69 reports
- Engine stalls or loses power while driving 62 reports
- Engine overheats or leaks coolant 32 reports