2015 Ford Fiesta · symptom sheet
Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard
- 47owner reports
- 63,000median miles
- 3involved a crash
Newest report Aug 14, 2025 · checked Oct 2, 2026
104 of the 258 complaints on this car are about the transmission and drivetrain. 47 of those describe transmission shudder. Only stalling is reported more often on this car.
Tick what matches of 47 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 (15 reports).
Recalls and investigations
No recall on the transmission and drivetrain covers the 2015 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 21,000 and 90,130 miles, from the 36 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 4 service bulletins or notices for the 2015 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 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.
FORD: 2012-2015 FOCUS AND 2011-2015 FIESTA MAY EXHIBIT TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKAGE AND EXCESSIVE TRANSMISSION CLUTCH SHUDDER ON LIGHT ACCELERATION ON VEHICLES THAT HAVE A DPS6 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION *CN
What owners wrote
“Transmission control module for a 2015 Ford Fiesta Is admitted by Ford as faulty, and a known issue. This part has had to be replaced several times, And there's no guarantee on durability Or that there won't be future issues. Ford has admitted safety issues include loss of transmission engagement while driving, lack of power and slow or delayed shifting, No start, shuddering, stalling, slipping, ECT.”
Filed May 2, 2024
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 3 of 47 reports involved a crash and 3 people were hurt. 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
- Engine stalls or loses power while driving 65 reports