Ford Fiesta: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Ford Fiesta: 9 model years scored from 3,158 NHTSA owner complaints and 23 recall campaigns. Worst year 2013, best year 2018.
Ford Fiesta: which years to avoid
Across 9 scored model years the Ford Fiesta ranges from 47/100 in 2013 to 95/100 in 2018 — a 48-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy a Fiesta at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Power Train (391 of them).
Avoid: 2013 — scored below 45 on the complaint and recall record.
Safest years: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 — scored 70 or better.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
Read the guide
Ford Focus and Fiesta 2011 to 2016: the PowerShift transmission, explained for buyers — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-01.
How the Fiesta changed, run by run
The federal record falls into 2 stretches of years that behave alike. A redesign shows up here as a step in the complaint rate that then holds.
2011–2014
Mean score 51/100, about 46 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Power Train more than anything else (1,239 complaints). 5 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2015–2019
Mean score 89/100, about 14 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Power Train more than anything else (258 complaints). The record improves by 38 points against the years before it. 2 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2018 (score 95). Worst: 2013 (score 47, AVOID).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 87 | BUY | $3,638 | 99 | 3 |
| 2018 | 95 | BUY | $3,592 | 35 | 0 |
| 2017 | 94 | BUY | $3,804 | 73 | 0 |
| 2016 | 90 | BUY | $4,178 | 178 | 0 |
| 2015 | 78 | BUY | $4,425 | 258 | 4 |
| 2014 | 52 | CAUTION | $4,914 | 502 | 7 |
| 2013 | 47 | AVOID | $5,084 | 667 | 3 |
| 2012 | 56 | CAUTION | $5,086 | 616 | 3 |
| 2011 | 50 | CAUTION | $5,314 | 730 | 3 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the Fiesta, through the years →
Fiesta sub-models & family
Variants & trims on record
Body, powertrain and trim variants of the Fiesta on the federal record. Variants folded into this nameplate are counted in this page's data; the rest have too thin a record for a page of their own yet.
What goes wrong on the Ford Fiesta
Across every Fiesta model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Power Train1,497 complaints across all Fiesta years · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair$1,290–$4,040
- Engine504 complaints across all Fiesta years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Unknown Or Other395 complaints across all Fiesta years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Structure385 complaints across all Fiesta years · typical job: Body, subframe or corrosion repair$1,070–$2,920
- Electrical System337 complaints across all Fiesta years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Latches/Locks/Linkages133 complaints across all Fiesta years · typical job: Door latch or lock actuator replacement$380–$760
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
Which Ford Fiesta years should I avoid?
On the NHTSA record the years to avoid are 2013 — each scores below 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. The 2013 is the weakest at 47/100, with its complaints concentrated in Power Train.
What are the best Ford Fiesta years to buy?
2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2018 at 95/100, on 35 complaints and 0 recall campaigns.
What is the most common Ford Fiesta problem?
1,497 of the complaints filed against the Fiesta across all its model years sit in the Power Train group — more than any other component.
Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04