2015 Ford Fiesta problems, complaints & recalls

Updated from NHTSA data · How we count

Owners have filed 134 complaints with NHTSA about the 2015 Ford Fiesta, most often about transmission & drivetrain. There are 4 recalls for this model year.

Complaints
134
Recalls
4
Crashes
9
Fires
0
Injuries
17
Median mileage
79,500 mi
at time of problem

Key facts

  • Transmission & Drivetrain is the most-reported problem area, named in 57 of 134 complaints (43%).
  • Engine (36) and fuel, hybrid & EV propulsion (19) follow.
  • Half of the complaints that list mileage happened before 79,500 mi.
  • Owners reported 9 crashes, 0 fires and 17 injuries.
  • The 2015 Ford Fiesta has 4 recalls on file.
  • NHTSA has opened 3 defect investigations covering this vehicle.
  • It has the most serious complaint record of all 9 Ford Fiesta model years we track.
  • That is 12% more complaints than the 2014 model year (120).

2015 Ford Fiesta problems by category

  • 57 complaints
  • Engine · 1 crash
    36 complaints
  • Fuel, Hybrid & EV Propulsion · 2 crashes
    19 complaints
  • Other / Unknown
    16 complaints
  • Body & Structure · 1 crash
    13 complaints
  • Electrical System · 3 crashes
    11 complaints
  • Airbags · 3 crashes
    7 complaints
  • Brakes · 3 crashes
    7 complaints
  • Steering · 1 crash
    4 complaints
  • Acceleration & Cruise Control
    4 complaints
  • Suspension · 1 crash
    2 complaints
  • Wheels & Tires
    2 complaints
  • Driver Assistance & Safety Tech · 1 crash
    2 complaints
  • Visibility & Wipers
    2 complaints
  • Seats & Seat Belts
    1 complaints

A complaint can mention more than one problem area, so categories add up to more than the total.

Most-reported components

Component (as filed with NHTSA)Complaints
Power train47
Engine31
Fuel/propulsion system16
Unknown or other16
Electrical system9
Air bags7
Service brakes7
Structure:body7

When problems happen (mileage)

5Under 10k510k–30k830k–60k3460k–100k14100k–150k4150k+
Mileage at the time of the problem, for 2015 Ford Fiesta complaints that list mileage.

2015 Ford Fiesta recalls (4)

  • Recall 23V775000Nov 17, 202345,173 vehicles
    LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015 Fiesta, 2016 Fusion, and 2016 Lincoln MKZ vehicles sold, or ever registered in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. A component inside the door latches may break, which can make it difficult to latch or possibly allow the doors to open while driving.

    Risk: Vehicle doors opening unexpectedly while driving can increase the risk of a crash or injury.

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect the door latch date codes and if necessary, replace all four side door latches, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 20, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S15. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall number 20V-177.

  • Recall 20V177000Mar 23, 2020288,110 vehicles
    LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014-2015 Fiesta, 2014-2016 Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles sold, or ever registered in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. A component within the door latches may break making the doors difficult to latch and/or leading the driver or a passenger to believe a door is securely closed when, in fact, it is not.

    Risk: 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 Ford or Lincoln dealers will replace the side door latches, free of charge. The recall began September 21, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S15.

  • Recall 17V209000Mar 27, 2017208,584 vehicles
    ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014 Escape, 2014-2015 Fiesta ST, 2013-2014 Fusion and 2013-2015 Transit Connect vehicles equipped with 1.6L GTDI engines. If the vehicle is started and driven with an insufficient level of coolant within the engine cooling system, the engine cylinder head may overheat, crack and leak oil.

    Risk: If the cylinder head cracks and leaks oil, the oil may contact a hot engine or exhaust component, increasing the risk of a fire.

    Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install a coolant level sensor and the supporting hardware and software, free of charge. Interim notices informing owners of the safety risk were mailed April 21, 2017. The recall began on January 5, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S09.

  • Recall 15V005000Jan 9, 201554,543 vehicles
    FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) notified the agency on January 8, 2015, that they are recalling certain model year 2014 Ford Escape vehicles manufactured April 15, 2014, to May 8, 2014, and 2015 Lincoln MKC vehicles manufactured April 21, 2014, to May 15, 2014. On April 30, 2015, Ford expanded the recall to cover an additional 45,505 vehicles, including certain model year 2014-2015 Ford Transit Connect vehicles manufactured November 11, 2013, to August 29, 2014, 2014-2015 Ford Fiesta vehicles manufactured April 10, 2014, to June 17, 2014 and 2014 Ford Edge vehicles manufactured April 30, 2014, to May 21, 2014. Improper nickel plating of components within the fuel pump may result in the fuel pump failing.

    Risk: If the fuel pump fails, the vehicle may stall without warning, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began on February 27, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S30.

NHTSA defect investigations

  • EA26004Opened Jul 31, 2026Open

    Timing Belt Failure

    On December 18, 2025, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE25020 to investigate instances of timing belt failure in model year (MY) 2015-2017 Ford Fiesta and MY 2015-2018 Ford Focus vehicles manufactured by Ford Motor Company (Ford), equipped with a 1.0L engine and manual transmission (subject vehicles). Additionally, MY 2018-2021 Ford EcoSport and MY 2016-2018 Focus vehicles with a 1.0L engine and automatic transmission were analyzed as peer vehicles because they utilize a wet timing belt comprised of similar material as the timing belt in the subject vehicles. Through the PE, O…

  • PE25020Opened Dec 18, 2025Closed Jul 31, 2026

    Timing Belt Failure

    On December 18, 2025, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE25020 to investigate instances of timing belt failure in model year (MY) 2015-2017 Ford Fiesta and MY 2015-2018 Ford Focus vehicles manufactured by Ford Motor Company (Ford), equipped with a 1.0L engine and manual transmission (subject vehicles). Additionally, MY 2018-2021 Ford EcoSport and MY 2016-2018 Focus vehicles with a 1.0L engine and automatic transmission were analyzed as peer vehicles because they utilize a wet timing belt comprised of similar material as the timing belt in the subject vehicles. Through the PE, O…

  • RQ19005Opened Dec 19, 2019Closed Feb 7, 2022led to recall 20V177000

    Door Latch Failures

    In December 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation based on 235 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) alleging doors failed to latch when closed, and/or inadvertently opened while driving, on model year (MY) 2012-2014 Ford Fiesta, and 2013-2014 Fusion and Lincoln MKZ. Some VOQs reported the failure occurred after the latch had been remedied under a prior recall which involved fracture of the latch pawl spring tab due to thermally induced cyclic fatigue. Other VOQs alleged a similar failure in vehicles not previously recalled. A latch with a fractured pawl sprin…

NHTSA 5-Star safety ratings

VersionOverallFrontalSideRollover
2015 Ford Fiesta 4 DR FWD★★★★☆★★★★☆★★☆☆☆★★★★☆
2015 Ford Fiesta 5 HB FWD★★★★☆★★★★☆★★☆☆☆★★★★☆

Recent 2015 Ford Fiesta complaints

Excerpts of the newest owner complaints, lightly cleaned of personal details. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

  1. Filed Jul 15, 2026TXFuel, Hybrid & EV Propulsion
    Car sputters everytime I put gas in it. Sometimes shuts off. It’s every time I put gas. I’m not filling up the gas tank because I notice if I do fill it up. It gives me more problems .. occurring problem
    NHTSA complaint #11750704 · source
  2. Filed May 28, 202620,000 miAZTowedTransmission & Drivetrain
    The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer for recall repairs; however the issue persisted. After the repairs, while mother was driving on the highway, the vehicle stalled. The clutch became inoperable. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not further diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000.
    NHTSA complaint #11740709 · source
  3. Filed Apr 27, 2026CAElectrical SystemOther / UnknownSuspension
    I was driving on the highway, and my car started shaking. All of the sudden I couldn't push on the gas anymore, and out of the blue a notification popped up on my screen that said "transmission failure, service immediately" and the car fully stopped working. I was forced to coast to the side of the highway, where I ended up in an incredibly dangerous spot. I had to call the cops, have them come so I wouldn't get hit (it was fully night time), and had to wait for a tow truck…
    NHTSA complaint #11734158 · source
  4. Filed Apr 27, 2026WAEngineSteeringTransmission & Drivetrain
    I was driving for couple hours then my oil light came on check engine light came on. Vehicle started to shake very badly. I had to pull over and see what happened. I started the vehicle up again and the oil light and check engine light are still on. I know that these vehicles have the wet belt system on the automatics. But they don't have one for the manual transmission. There should be a recall for these just like the automatics.
    NHTSA complaint #11734102 · source
  5. Filed Feb 28, 2026CATransmission & Drivetrain
    Transmission going out with car having only 71,000 miles on it .a know fact that Ford knew when I bought this car new .and going out when on freeways or just about anywhere could me in danger
    NHTSA complaint #11721112 · source
  6. Filed Dec 25, 2025OKEngine
    Low pressure oil light came on and I stopped driving it 18 miles later drove about 25-30 mph hoping it wouldn’t seize on me before I got home. because I figure the oil pump is clogged with timing belt fragments and I can’t afford to replace the timing belt right now. Afraid to drive it because I have read it could seize up the engine. 1.0 eco boost manual transmission. Car ran great and I had no issues with it until the low pressure oil light came on. Been sitting since…
    NHTSA complaint #11707044 · source
  7. Filed Oct 25, 2025IDEngine
    This vehicle has experienced the exact issue of a Ford recall for other model year fiestas. The oil pump belt has experienced premature wear and failure, leading to a sudden loss of power. My local Ford dealer says that this vehicle should have been included in Ford recall #23S64 and that I should report this to NHTSA to document and hopefully expand the recall to all years that result in this issue.
    NHTSA complaint #11695600 · source
  8. Filed Sep 11, 2025140,000 miFLTowedTransmission & Drivetrain
    The contact owns a 2015 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start as expected. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the Transmission Control Module. The contact was informed that the TCM needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was…
    NHTSA complaint #11686615 · source

Compare the 2015 Ford Fiesta with another vehicle →

Other 2015 Ford models

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data, as of Oct 11, 2026. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology