How many recalls does the 2012 Ford Fiesta have?

The 2012 Ford Fiesta has 3 NHTSA safety recall campaigns on record.

How do I check if my 2012 Ford Fiesta has an open recall?

Enter your 17-character VIN at NHTSA's official recall lookup (nhtsa.gov/recalls) to see open, unrepaired recalls for your specific vehicle. Recall repairs are free.

What do owners complain about most on the 2012 Ford Fiesta?

Of 833 NHTSA complaints on file, the most-reported component is power train.

2012 Ford Fiesta Recalls

Recalls on record Updated July 2026

The 2012 Ford Fiesta has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 2,758,234 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 833 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the power train. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Recall campaigns

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 20V331000 2020-06-08 2,147,323 affected

Defect

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,…

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/LOCKS/LINKAGES 15V246000 2015-04-24 456,440 affected

Defect

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…

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.

AIR BAGS 12V488000 2012-10-05 154,471 affected

Defect

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…

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…

Complaints by component

POWER TRAIN

269

STRUCTURE:BODY

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

225

ENGINE

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Total complaints833

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“My daughter and 2 friends were driving on the highway, the dash flickers and goes back to normal, flickered again and the car started slowing down so she pulled over, ( car still moving) and puts the car in park but the car still continues to move. Passenger notices out the side mirror the car is…”

UNKNOWN OR OTHER · reported 2026-04-25

“While driving, my son's car started to have issues when it was shifting gears (it's an automatic). Then a warning came up on the dash saying something like "transmission malfunction, service immediately". We were on our way to a mechanic to pick up another vehicle so we left it with them. They…”

POWER TRAIN · reported 2026-03-18

“The drivers side door latch will not latch, the door will swing open because the latch is defective. I have seen that this is a common issue with this vehicle and has been recalled on other 2012 ford fiestas but mine has not been.”

UNKNOWN OR OTHER · reported 2025-12-19

“The door latches have a safety recall and needs to be fixed or observed to ensure proper road safety. In addition I cannot move onto my vehicle registration renewal until this recall is repaired. I do not see any visible malfunction but the doors do have to slam shut to ensure they are properly…”

UNKNOWN OR OTHER · reported 2025-11-04

“I was driving to work this morning; the car made a horrible "clunk" when I accelerated to around 20 then lost power and nearly crashed. The car then displayed error lights (yellow cel, yellow wrench icon, head unit showed "transmission issue service immediately" this is a direct result of the dps6…”

STRUCTURE:BODY · reported 2025-10-29

“I was driving to work this morning; the car made a horrible "clunk" when I accelerated to around 20 then lost power and nearly crashed. The car then displayed error lights (yellow cel, yellow wrench icon, head unit showed "transmission issue service immediately" this is a direct result of the dps6…”

POWER TRAIN · reported 2025-10-29

“I was driving to work this morning; the car made a horrible "clunk" when I accelerated to around 20 then lost power and nearly crashed. The car then displayed error lights (yellow cel, yellow wrench icon, head unit showed "transmission issue service immediately" this is a direct result of the dps6…”

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL · reported 2025-10-29

“My car has had transmission issues since I purchased the car, and the problems has gotten worse and now the car is not drivable. I have purchased parts after parts and still the problem. I have reached out to the company numerous times, and reached out to programs. Iam stuck without a car now.what…”

UNKNOWN OR OTHER · reported 2025-08-28

Defect investigations

Investigation EA15002 Opened 2015-02-27 · closed 2015-11-13

Door Latch Failure

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened an investigation based on consumer allegations of doors failing to latch and/or inadvertently opening on model year (MY) 2011-2013 Ford Fiesta, MY 2013 Ford Fusion and MY 2013 Lincoln MKZ vehicles. All of the affected vehicles share the same door latch design.ODI has…

Investigation EA15002 Opened 2015-02-27 · closed 2015-11-13

Door Latch Failure

Investigation EA15002 Opened 2015-02-27 · closed 2015-11-13

Door Latch Failure

Investigation EA15002 Opened 2015-02-27 · closed 2015-11-13

Door Latch Failure

Investigation EA15002 Opened 2015-02-27 · closed 2015-11-13

Door Latch Failure

Investigation EA15002 Opened 2015-02-27 · closed 2015-11-13

Door Latch Failure

Investigation PE14028 Opened 2014-09-11 · closed 2015-03-18

Door Latch Failure

On September 11, 2014 the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE14-028) to investigate claims of doors failing to latch and/or inadvertently opening on model year (MY) 2011-2013 Ford Fiesta vehicles. ODI has received 207 unique reports related to the alleged problem, with sixty-five…

Investigation PE14028 Opened 2014-09-11 · closed 2015-03-18