2018 Ford Fiesta: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
35 NHTSA owner complaints · 0 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Read the guide
Ford Focus and Fiesta 2011 to 2016: the PowerShift transmission, explained for buyers, including 2018 — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-01.
Owner complaints: 35 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 4.38
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
The back up camera quit working. The back seats are taller and it has made it very difficult to see if there are children behind my vehicle. I reported it to the dealership and now I have to pay $200.00 to have them check it.
Purchased vehicle at the end of 2018 and this is the third time I have had to replace the horn. It's not a fuse, it's not wiring, it is the actual horn that either shorts or dies with no notice.
My engine has been malfuctioning over the following year. I've gotten repairs and it continues to do so. I'm asking for a recall.
Recalls: 0 campaigns
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
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What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes
Class-level estimates, priced as a city car of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.
What it costs to run
EPA combined 31 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $2,000
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
What this car's problems cost to fix
Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.
- Power Train10 complaints · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair (7.0 h labour + parts)$1,290–$4,040
- Unknown Or Other9 complaints · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair (2.0 h labour + parts)$360–$940
- Electrical System6 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
- Engine6 complaints · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,040–$2,220
- Air Bags5 complaints · typical job: Airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement (2.5 h labour + parts)$600–$1,700
- Fuel System2 complaints · typical job: Fuel pump or injector replacement (3.5 h labour + parts)$680–$1,620
Other Ford Fiesta years
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2018 Ford Fiesta?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Power Train (10 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2018 Ford Fiesta a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 95/100, computed from 35 NHTSA complaints and 0 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2018 Ford Fiesta's most common problem?
10 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2018 Ford Fiesta sit in the Power Train group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is transmission service or clutch-pack repair: about 7.0 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $1,290–$4,040 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.
What does a 2018 Ford Fiesta cost to run per year?
About $3,872 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $19,362 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.
Compare with
Other economys of about the same age.
What will a 2018 Ford Fiesta really cost YOU per year?
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorData sources
Complaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-10-04.
Thin evidence — 35 complaints, 0 recalls on record
- 35 NHTSA complaints on record (4.4/yr of exposure) — better than a typical year of this model (23.5/yr)
- 0 recall campaigns, 0 touching safety-critical systems
- Thin complaint record — this score is held close to the model's own average rather than read as evidence of quality