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2012 Ford Fiesta

Buyable, but go in with open eyes: this car has specific known issues to check before money changes hands.

Recalls, complaint breakdown & inspection checklist, all in a shareable PDF

616 owner complaints · 3 recalls · data verified July 17, 2026 · source: NHTSA

Cautionwillitcar.com

Buy-rated alternatives from this era

Other 20102014 cars in the same rough price bracket with a clean, matured Buy verdict — worth cross-shopping before you commit to the 2012 Ford Fiesta.

2011
Ford F-350 Regular Cab
Buy100/100
2011
Mercedes-benz Sprinter 2500 Cargo Van (lwb)
Buy100/100
2011
Mercedes-benz Sprinter 2500 Cargo Van (swb)
Buy100/100

Why caution?

Transmission & drivetrain problems dominate (44% of complaints, typically reported near 46k miles).

Complaint reports have faded. Early issues appear resolved or aged out.

The math, shown

Full methodology →
Complaint volume (40%)57
Severity (30%)59
Recall load (20%)84
Trend (10%)100

Complaints filed per year

Fading = early teething worked out. Climbing = problems aging in.

20112026 YTD

How it crashes

NHTSA’s own crash tests, separate from the reliability score above.

4/5 overall

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Rating · 2012 Ford Fiesta 5 HB FWD

Front crash
Side crash
Rollover

Rollover risk in a single-vehicle crash: 14%

Stability control: StandardForward collision warning: NoLane departure warning: No

3 open NHTSA defect investigations on file, separate from the recalls above.

Source: nhtsa.gov/ratings. Star ratings compare vehicles within the same class and size, not across every car on the road.

The road ahead

What breaks on a 2012 Ford Fiesta, plotted where owners report it happening.

030k mi60k mi90k mi120k miTransmission & drivetrain~46k mi · 274 reportsBody & structure~33k mi · 128 reportsEngine~25k mi · 68 reportsElectrical system~58k mi · 66 reportsSpeed control~15k mi · 40 reports

Also reported (mileage varies): Latches & locks (56)

Mileage medians come from owners who mentioned an odometer reading in their NHTSA complaint, a rough guide, not a schedule.

Transmission & drivetrain

44%

274 complaints · typically near 46k mi · 5 in the last 2 years

I was driving to work this morning; the car made a horrible "clunk" when I accelerated to around 20 then lost power and nearly crashed. The car then displayed error li…

Body & structure

21%

128 complaints · typically near 33k mi · 1 in the last 2 years

FRONT PASSENGER DOOR LATCH DON'T STAY SHUT AND NOT ABLE TO LATCH SHUT, MOVING TURNING LEFT THE DOOR SWUNG OPEN.IN CITY STREET.. NOTICE IT WAS ON A RECALL... TURNED IT …

Engine

11%

68 complaints · typically near 25k mi

Car TCM blew and Leif Johnson refusing to schedule repairs with loaner car for fix.

Electrical system

11%

66 complaints · typically near 58k mi · 1 in the last 2 years

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle hesitated to move forward or backwards. Additionally, the contact s…

Recalls (3)

Safety recall repairs are free at the brand’s franchised dealers. Before buying, run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and make the seller show the work was done.

Latches/locks/linkages · 20V331000

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Fiesta, 2013-2014 Fusion, 2015 Mustang, 2013-2015 Escape and C-Max, 2012-2015 Focus, 2014-2016 Transit Connect, 2013-2014 Lincoln MKZ, and 2015 MKC vehicles. These vehicles were previously recalled and repaired under recalls 15V-246, 16V-643 or 17V-210, however the repair may not have been completed properly. 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.

Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the latch date codes to confirm if the repair was done correctly, and replace the side door latches if necessary, free of charge. Owners will also have the option to inspect their own vehicle's door latches and enter the date codes into a website to determine if the latches are correct. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 27, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S30.

Latches/locks/linkages · 15V246000

Ford Motor Company (Ford) notified the agency on April 23, 2015, that they are recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured July 1, 2012, to May 31, 2013, and 2012-2014 Fiesta vehicles manufactured February 1, 2012, to May 31, 2013. On April 30, 2015, Ford expanded the recall to cover an additional 119,567 vehicles, including certain model year 2011 Ford Fiestas manufactured from November 11, 2009, to May 31, 2013 and certain model year 2013 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured from February 1, 2012, to June 30, 2012. 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.

Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace all four door latches with an improved part, free of charge. Interim notifications were mailed to owners on June 5, 2015. The recall began on December 18, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S16.

Air Bags · 12V488000

Ford is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Fiesta vehicles, manufactured from November 3, 2009 through September 21, 2012. The vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 208, "Occupant Crash Protection." The passenger side curtain air bag will not deploy in the event of a side impact collision when the front passenger seat is empty. Although the side curtain air bag system was designed to suppress the side curtain air bag under this scenario, that information is not explained in the owner's guide for these vehicles as required by FMVSS No. 208.

Risk: An occupant in the right rear seating position will not have coverage from the side curtain air bag in a side impact collision when the front passenger seat is empty, increasing the risk of injury to the right rear occupant.

Fix: Ford will notify owners and dealers will reprogram the vehicle's software free of charge so that it no longer suppresses the passenger side curtain air bag when the front passenger seat is empty, and consistent with the description in the owner's guide. The safety recall began on October 26, 2012. Owner's may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332.

Before you hand over money

Verify the recall work was done

NHTSA’s free lookup shows whether this exact car had its recall remedies completed.

Free NHTSA VIN check

Get a pre-purchase inspection

A $150 to $250 independent inspection of this exact 2012 Ford FIESTA beats every score on the internet, including ours.

What to ask for

Not set on the 2012? See how every Fiesta model year scores →

Cross-shopping? Compare the 2012 Ford Fiesta against another car →

What owners say

Real owners of this exact model-year, shown separately from the NHTSA score. If they disagree, that’s worth knowing.

See what owners are saying about other cars →

The fine print: this verdict is computed from public NHTSA complaint and recall records for the 2012 Ford Fiesta as a model, not for any individual car. A well-maintained example of an “Avoid” can outlast a neglected “Buy”. Informational only, so always get a professional pre-purchase inspection.