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4.1

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
28,564 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2012 Ford Fiesta steering problems

steering problem

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2012 Ford Fiesta Owner Comments

problem #13

Apr 092020

Fiesta

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Randomly my steering wheel will get locked up when driving. It makes it hard to turn. The safety warning comes on. Sometimes I can turn the vehicle off and back on a half hour later and the problem just disappears. Sometimes it takes longer.

- Middletown, DE, USA

problem #12

Nov 012017

Fiesta

  • miles
We bought our 2012 Ford Fiesta about a 2 years ago. Since then we have taken it to 2 mechanics and the problems persist. The transmission shudders and lurches forward at random. The car has major issues accelerating and has almost gotten us in many accidents. The car seems like it gets stuck in a lower gear and will not move out of it even as your foot is pressed all the way down.

- Royal Oak, MI, USA

problem #11

Jun 012013

Fiesta

  • miles
My car shudders a lot when stopping especially on the highway or merging off the highway' also happens in city or suburbs if going over 40 mph;, gear slips when stationery before hitting gas to move car, speed slows down or hesitates when hitting gas pedal, took to dealership many times and nothing ever got fixed. Ford sent a letter stating that I would get double the warranty on the transmission and I will receive a letter stating this, but will not confirm anymore. Problems occured after I purchased this Fiesta in June 2012 but did not know that it was not working properly until the recall came out and I took it in for the first time. I was told that I was "too late" to get anything to fix it or have it taken back by Ford because I had waited a year. I didn't even know that the car was working poorly! it was brand new and I thought this was the way it was okay to drive because the problems were not as noticable. It got much worse as time passed. I have repair invoices but I need to fine them. I want my complaint filed now so that I am not forgotten. I had a lemon lawyer contact me named trott, who told me that if I accepted a claim he would put in for me, it would be the best deal I would get in terms of attonement. He said he got $8K and took $3K for his work. I received a check for $5K. I asked Mr. Trott if I should get the car repair with this money. He said people are keeping the money and getting rid of their cars. I kept my car because I cannot afford to buy another one regardless of the $5K I received. I do not use my car very much now because I do not like that it shudders when I use the brakes and that it slows down when I hit the gas pedal. I will upload the documentation you ask for when I locate it.

- Shelby Twp., MI, USA

problem #10

Oct 092018

Fiesta

  • 20,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Door latches to not work when I was drivin my left door in the back open wide had one accident of

- Orange Park, FL, USA

problem #9

Oct 022017

Fiesta

  • 120,000 miles
At approximately 6:30 am on October 2, 2017 I left for work. About 1 mile down the road I suddenly loss power steering. I was travelling approximately 35 mph and was negotiating a curve at the time of failure. I failed to negotiate the curve and veered off the road coming to a stop before having a collision with any trees. I looked at my dash and there was a digital message that read power steering fault. I shut the car off and turned it back on and the problem persisted so I returned home driving approximately 15 mph. I was about 1.5 miles from a 9% downgrade with sharp curves; had this fault happened at that point I surely would have impacted a guard rail at best or gone off over a cliff at worst.

- Union, CT, USA

problem #8

Oct 312016

Fiesta

  • 32,000 miles
Tie rods and sway bars wore out at 32K miles and 5 years,1 month, as did original tires.. expected longer wear than this on such a new car, as I have gone > 100K on my previous small Ford suspensions untouched. Dealer wanted >$1100 to repair., so I went to Napa after market parts with lifetime warrantee to fix.

- St. Louis Park, MN, USA

problem #7

Jun 162014

Fiesta

  • 27,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My car has atransmission problem known by Ford. It shutters & stalls & is slow to change gears to the point where it could be dangerous. I am afraid that it will stall to the point where it could be rearended. It has been fixed once and needs to be again. I think it should be recalled along with thousands of others and the transmission be replaced. There is also a popping noise in the steering when I am turning. The next question asks when it happens and the answer is constantly.

- Jonesborough, TN, USA

problem #6

Dec 182014

Fiesta

  • 40,000 miles
I have had multiple incidents with the transmission of my 2012 Fiesta, beginning roughly in November of 2014. The first specific incident I can recall occurred on December 18, 2014. I was driving from toledo, Ohio to the detroit, mi airport and back. I had two other passengers in my car who noticed the violent shaking/shuddering problems that my vehicle was having when trying to accelerate. The shuddering occurs at both low speeds and high speeds. The shuddering does not occur daily but roughly 4-5 days a week, causing difficulties with acceleration, breaking, and controlling the vehicle. About two months ago I was stopped at a red light at a busy intersection. When I began to accelerate my car started shaking so violently that it could not move forward any more. At that time a semi-truck was coming up behind me and had to swerve to avoid hitting me. The speed limit at this busy intersection is 40mph. At this point my car is unsafe to drive, even though I have taken it in to the dealer multiple times to fix the transmission. So far, the repairs have been unsuccessful and I am told the potential parts to fix the issue (the clutch) is on back order for a minute of 6-8 weeks. I was told to continue driving my car in the mean time, and that no one can assist me at this time, even though I have been trying to rectify this issue since January 2015. Also, the clutch is not guaranteed to fix the problem, as it is the same make as the one currently in my car.

- Toledo, OH, USA

problem #5

Apr 012015

Fiesta

  • 100,793 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated that the check engine light and the power steering light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the battery needed to be replaced. The technician reset the system and the steering resumed normal operation. The failure mileage was 100,793.

- Sumner, IA, USA

problem #4

Jun 012014

Fiesta 4-cyl

  • 38 miles
I have bought my car in 2014 January for a good mileage and stylish look.the vehicle perform well for couple months. Later, I have brought my car to the Ford service in 2014 July with a complain of transmission and safety. Since then I have been in and out of the dealership with automatic transmission problems. My Fiesta now has 43K miles and has been to the dealer 2 times for transmission work if I would have time I would definitely bring my car to the service more. It is very unsafe. The last two visits have resulted in major repairs in an attempt to fix the problem and still the problem persists. The transmission shudders, hesitates, and lurches in stop and go traffic or when slowing then starting up again such as at a stop light or stop sign.again it is very unsafe to drive this car I am going to claim a lawsuit against them.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #3

Nov 052014

Fiesta 4-cyl

  • 25,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Key would not turn the ignition switch. The tow truck driver could not get the key to turn the ignition, he also could not get the brake-shift interlock override to work and could not get the car out of park. Ended up damaging the front bumper trying to hook-up to the front from the side and eventually towed it from behind with dollies. The ignition switch had to be replaced, the brake-shift interlock override still does not function.

- Muskegon, MI, USA

problem #2

Apr 012013

Fiesta

  • 500 miles
TL- the contact owns a 2012 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated that when accelerating the vehicle severely shakes. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the technician observed the vehicle and was unable to diagnose a failure. The manufacture was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 500 miles and the current mileage was 27,242 miles.

- Billings, MT, USA

problem #1

Jun 182012

Fiesta

  • 6,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fiesta. The contact was driving approximately 35 mph when the vehicle began to shake abnormally. The steering wheel vibrated and would steer the vehicle into the opposite direction upon turning. The steering wheel also seized for a brief moment. There was an illumination of the traction control on and traction control off warning indicators. The failure recurred four times. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis where the technician detected a trouble code within the steering angle sensor module however, they were unable to determine the cause of failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 6,000.

- Lessburg , VA, USA

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