Ford Fiesta - Problems, Statistics, and Analysis

Ford Fiesta owners have reported a total of 4,280 problems for their cars built in the 11 model years listed in the chart below. The chart shows the number of problems reported across all service years for each given model year of the Ford Fiesta. The 2011 Ford Fiesta cars have the most problems reported (1,030 problems).

Table 1. Total number of problems by model year for Ford Fiesta

Model Year Number of Problems
  2019 Fiesta
103
  2018 Fiesta
49
  2017 Fiesta
102
  2016 Fiesta
253
  2015 Fiesta
361
  2014 Fiesta
642
  2013 Fiesta
908
  2012 Fiesta
830
  2011 Fiesta
1,030
  2002 Fiesta
1
  2001 Fiesta
1

🔍 Common problems of Ford Fiesta

The following chart shows the 27 most common problems for Ford Fiesta cars. The number one most common problem is related to the vehicle's power train (1,464 problems). The second most common problem is related to the vehicle's engine and engine cooling (543 problems).

Table 2. Common problems of Ford Fiesta

Problem Category Number of Problems
  Power Train
1,464
  Engine And Engine Cooling
543
  Equipment
517
  Structure
369
  Electrical System
334
  Vehicle Speed Control
196
  Other Fuel System
138
  Latches/locks/linkage
131
  Air Bag
103
  Service Brakes
86
   
  Steering
73
  Electronic Stability Control
57
  Exterior Lighting
52
  Suspension
43
  Wheel
28
  Visibility
27
  Seat Belt
25
  Seats
25
  Back Over Prevention
24
  Gasoline Fuel System
19
  Tire
8
  Traction Control System
8
  Forward Collision Avoidance
5
 
2
  Lane Departure
1
  Firerelated
1
  Air Brake
1

📉 Compare Reliability Across Model Years Using PPMY Index

It would not be fair to compare the Ford Fiesta of an older model year to newer model years since older vehicles have been in service longer and thus are expected to have more problems. In order to compare the reliability across Fiesta model years, we use the PPMY index which is defined as the problems reported per thousand vehicles per Year. A smaller PPMY index indicates greater reliability of the given model year cars.

    PPMY = P / S / Y * 1000,

where P = total problems reported during the life of a Ford Fiesta model year; S = total units sold of the model year; Y = years since the debut of the model year (the age of the vehicle).

The results are shown in Table 3.

Table 3. Use PPMY Index to Compare Reliability Across Fiesta Model Years

Fiesta
Model Year
Problems Sales [1] Vehicle
Age
PPMY Index
  2019 10363,3767    
0.23
  2018 4940,4198    
0.15
  2017 10248,3509    
0.23
  2016 25367,32810    
0.38
  2015 36170,21211    
0.47
  2014 64275,66512    
0.71
  2013 90867,15013    
1.04
  2012 83060,15814    
0.99
  2011 1,03077,55715    
0.89

📊 Number of Problems Reported During the First Year

Another way to measure the reliability across the model years of the Ford Fiesta is to use the total number of problems reported during the vehicle's first year in service, as shown in the Table 4.

Table 4. Number of problems in vehicle's; first service year

Model YearProblems Reported
  2019 Fiesta
8
  2018 Fiesta
3
  2017 Fiesta
9
  2016 Fiesta
14
  2015 Fiesta
24
  2014 Fiesta
102
  2013 Fiesta
199
  2012 Fiesta
56
  2011 Fiesta
82


Fiesta Service Bulletins
Fiesta Safety Recalls
Fiesta Defect Investigations
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