There are 50 owner-reported electrical system complaints for the 2011 Ford Fiestain NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
Door locks keep unlocking and locking as I'm driving. It is very loud. 4 or 5 times as I'm going 35 and 60 mph
I am reporting a serious mechanical and safety issue involving my 2011 Ford Fiesta. After receiving a partially state-funded engine replacement in June 2025, my vehicle began experiencing serious transmission problems shortly after. Within a month, it went into limp mode multiple times, and warning lights appeared: the wrench light, incline warning, and “Transmission Malfunction – Service Now” messages. A diagnostic scan revealed multiple DTCs related to the Transmission Control Module (TCM), Input/Output Shaft Speed Sensors, and Clutch A disengagement (P286F) — which I understand are linked to known issues with this model’s transmission. These failures make the car dangerous to drive. The vehicle has lost power unexpectedly, putting me at risk of an accident. I’ve also been told by the repair shop that I may now need a new transmission and/or TCM, despite just receiving a major engine repair. I am unable to afford another large repair and this situation has severely impacted my ability to travel safely. I am requesting an investigation into the Ford Fiesta’s transmission problems and to confirm whether this should have been covered by a recall or warranty extension. I want to also add that my transmission clutch was repaired by Ford only 2 years ago. Please advise if this falls under known manufacturer defects or safety bulletins, and whether Ford Motor Company can be held responsible for the faulty transmission and associated safety risks.
I am having issues with the fuse box under the hood. I keep shorting out on my headlights ans AC clutch relay. I've purchased new head lights (bulbs), replaced them and they still didn't work. I checked the fuses after investigation online and they have blown. I had my AC completely fixed and it ran fine for a while, then stopped working. I had it checked and was told the AC relay clutch fuse was loose. I replaced it. Three weeks later it shorted out, again.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start as intended. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that there was abnormal corrosion around the wiring harness, causing an electrical fault. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 22N11. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 105,000.
The low beam headlights do not turn on, all the other lights work as normal including the high beams. The fuses have not blown and there are no warning lamps or messages. This is a known problem with this make and model, there is a recall in Canada for this issue. The safety of others is put at extreme risk in any kind of low light condition (fog, rain, etc.) As well as my own safety by not being able to see in front of me. It is illegal to drive with high beams on in residential areas so I am just unable to drive at night. The vehicle has not been inspected yet. I suspect this is related to the design of the fuse box which allows debris and moisture to get into the relays, again, see the Canadian recall.
I have a 2011 Ford Fiesta. The vehicle has a really serious issue relating to the fuse box that is mounted under the hood. This issue has a recall and I scheduled it for service at the Ford dealer in bryan, ohio. (Bryan Ford) I have issues with this vehicle that make it extremely unsafe for me and my family to drive. The headlights randomly go out while driving, both passenger and drivers side are affected by this. The doors will not lock and I have no horn now either, making us a target for car jacking. About a month before I found out there was a recall for this I hit a racoon and it knocked off the plastic wheel cover. After I took it in to have the recall fixed Bryan Ford refused to repair this recall due to the missing plastic. I believe my family and I are going to be seriously injured in this vehicle because of the electrical problems related to the recalled fusebox. I blow a headlight approximately once a week and the fuses blow constantly. I believe they do not want to fix this because it is a very time consuming repair that they feel isn't worth thier time. The anxiety I have while driving this car after dark is excruciating and i feel that my families lives are worth the time for this repair. Is this legal for them to decline a known and well documented safety issue related to the fuse box in this vehicle? Perhaps a buy back should be recalled since this does make the vehicle a serious Hazzard to anyone on the road including my family.
The vehicle engine has periodically stopped due to a known issue with the fuse box. The same known issue has also affected the headlights and while the engine failure has led to possible safety issues with vehicle control and potential dangerous situations where the vehicle has stopped in high traffic areas, the most significant danger is with the lighting malfunctioning during night driving.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH at night he was informed that the exterior rear lights were not working. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with junction box electrical failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 183,968. ? Lights stopped working inside, the rear exterior lights, and then the front lights. Ford reports VIN is not part of the recall, but consumer's vehicle has the exact same issue as the other ones. Diagnosed with corrosion from dealership.
Interior lighting stopped working. Rear lights stopped working and then front lights stopped working. There is a known recall on this, but Ford states it doesn’t include my VIN. However, when you go to the recall it shows the exact same issue with corrosion in the fuse junction box. Bill Estes Ford diagnosed it as corrosion of fuses in that box. Ford won’t work with me even though this is a known issue with 2011,2012,2013 Fiesta’s.I was almost rear ended not knowing my rear lights were not working in the dark.
MY HEADLIGHTS KEEP GOING OUT AND I KEEP CHANGES THE FUSES. IT LASTS FOR ABOUT A MONTH, THEN HAPPENS AGAIN. IT'S THE FUSE BOX. IF CANADA CAN HAVE A RECALL ON THIS, BECAUSE YOU NEED HEADLIGHTS TO DRIVE, IT'S A SAFETY ISSUE. WHY CAN'T THE UNITED STATES RECALL THESE CARS AND FIX THEM. WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE. CANADA CARES MORE ABOUT THERE PEOPLE'S SAFETY THEN THE UNITED STATES. IS THAT RIGHT. I WAS DRIVING THE CAR. IT HAPPENED YESTERDAY FEBRUARY 9, 2021.
TROUBLE WITH DASH LIGHTS, SEAT HEATERS, TRACTION CONTROL CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND BATTERY LIGHT ALL ON. FUSE BOX COMPLETELY CORRODED EXACTLY AS DESCRIBED IN CANADIAN RECALL OF FUSE BOXES ON 2011 FIESTAS, I AM IN U.S. $1200 INTO ATTEMPTING TO SOLVE PROBLEM, STILL WILL NEED TO REPLACE FUSE BOX COSTING HUNDREDS MORE.
In 2019 the Ford Fiesta refused to crank, key in the ignition the cars dash would light up, but the only sound produced was a small tick. After several unsuccessful visits to the mechanic, we finally took it to the Ford dealership and it was discovered that the TCM needed to be reprogrammed or replaced, after getting it replaced, for no charge, we no longer experienced the cranking issue. Apparently, the Ford dealership was aware of the recall but this information was left out upon purchase from CarMax. This information was not listed on this site either. I'm reporting this issue so that the next owner of the vehicle won't be surprised and devastated like we were.
THE PAST TWO DAYS MY CAR HAS BEEN ACTING UP SERIOUSLY, THE CAR DOESN'T WANT TO GO IN REVERSE AT ALL, THE FAN WON'T WORK.THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS COME ON EVERY TIME YOU TURN ON THE CAR. WHEN YOU MESS WITH THE FUSE BOX THE CAR STARTS WORKING FINE. THE FAN SMOKES LIKE NO OTHER SO YOU HAVE TO TAKE THE RELAY OUT. THE CAR ALSO DELAYS WHEN GEARS ARE CHANGING. *TR
FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE WITH TCM / SUSPECTED TO BE RELATED TO RECALL ON FUSE BOX. ELECTRICAL COMMUNICATION BETWEEN FUSE BOX AND TCM ISN'T WORKING. *TR
RECENTLY MY DASH LIGHTS WENT OUT AS WELL AS MY TAIL LIGHTS. UPON CHECKING THE FUSE BOX LOCATED UNDER THE HOOD, I FOUND IT FILLED WITH SAND AND OTHER FOREIGN MATERIALS. FURTHERMORE, ALL OF THE FUSES WERE CORRODED AND WHEN I TRIED TO REMOVE THEM, THEY BROKE, THUS I WAS UNABLE TO REPLACE THEM. IT IS APPARENT THAT THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW WITH THIS EQUIPMENT AS THE BOX DOES NOT PROPERLY SEAL EVEN THOUGH IT IS EXPOSED TO THE ELEMENTS UNDERNEATH THE HOOD. AFTER RESEARCHING FURTHER, I DISCOVERED THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM AMONG 2011 FORD FIESTA OWNERS AND THAT THE REPAIR FOR THIS IS VERY COSTLY. BECAUSE THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM, IT WOULD SEEM THAT FORD SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR CORRECTING THIS DESIGN FLAW AS THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT MAKES THE VEHICLE UNUSABLE AFTER DARK. FURTHERMORE, I AM CONVINCED THAT OTHER FUSES WILL SOON FAIL AND THEN THE VEHICLE MAY NOT BE USEFUL UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. IN ADDITION, I HAD BEEN EXPERIENCING INTERMITTENT ENGINE STOPPAGES WHILE AT A STOP LIGHT OR WHEN IDLING IN TRAFFIC. THERE WAS NO REASON FOR THIS TO OCCUR AND I SUSPECT THIS IS ALSO RELATED TO THE ELECTRICAL FUSE BOX ISSUE. WOULD YOU PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE AND HELP PROTECT CONSUMERS FROM A DESIGN FLAW THAT IS BEYOND OUR CONTROL. I'VE ATTACHED A PHOTO OF WHAT THE FUSE BOX LOOKED LIKE THE FIRST TIME I EVER OPENED IT. *TR
WORK ORDER WITH DETAILS IS INCLUDED.
DOOR FROM THE DRIVER SEAT SIDE WON'T WORK BUT ALL THE REST DOES
I JUST PURCHASED THE CAR ON 9/14/2019. LOW BEAM DRIVERS FRONT LIGHT DOESN'T WORK. SO WE THOUGHT A FUSE OR BULB. NOT THAT. IT IS SOMETHING ELECTRICAL. THE CAR DOES NOT START NOW. IT'S PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY. HAVE TO GET IT TOWED TO THE DEALER NOW. I DON'T KNOW WHY THEY DIDN'T TAKE CARE OF THIS. THEY KNEW THERE WAS A PROBLEM. THE MECHANICS CHECKED IT, WASHED IT AND FILLED IT UP. SO I CALLED THEM BACK TODAY. THEY SAID NOTHING. NOW I HAVE TO PAY MORE MONEY TO GET MY CAR FIXED. THEY'LL HERE FROM ME AGAIN AFTER IT GOES TO THE DEALER.
UPON SHIFTING INTO NEUTRAL AND OR JUST ENGAGING THE CLUTCH THE ENGINE WILL SHUT OFF, USUALLY AS I APPROACH A STOP LIGHT OR AM IN A PARKING LOT. SOMETIMES IT IS A ROUGH STOP LIKE THE TRANSMISSION WAS NOT FULLY DISENGAGED, BUT MOST OFTEN IT IS SMOOTH AS IF TURNING OF THE CAR WITH THE KEY. THE SILENT SHUT DOWN OCCURS BOTH WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION, ANY WHERE FROM 1-70 MPH, AND WHEN A COMPLETE STOP HAS BEEN REACHED. I HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN AT LEAST TWO DOZEN TIMES IN THE 2.5 YEARS I HAVE DRIVEN THIS CAR. APPROXIMATELY, 80% OF THE TIME IT IS THE 'SILENT SHUT DOWN', WHERE I DO NOT EVEN NOTICE THE CAR IS NOT RUNNING UNTIL I PUT THE CAR BACK INTO GEAR AND TRY TO ACCELERATE. I HAVE ALMOST BEEN REAR ENDED AT STOP LIGHTS IN TRAFFIC SEVERAL TIMES BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE. THIS ISSUE HAS OCCURRED AT ALL TIMES OF THE YEAR WITH THE AIR CONDITIONER BOTH ON AND OFF, BUT IT IS MUCH MORE PREVALENT IN THE WARM WEATHER WITH THE AIR CONDITIONER RUNNING. IN THE PAST WEEK IT HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES ALL OF WHICH WERE WITH THE AIR ON, AND THE ENGINE SILENTLY SHUT DOWN.
1) DOOR LATCHES ARE FAULTY. ANY DOOR CAN OPEN WHILE CAR IS IN MOTION. ALSO, DOOR LATCH SENSORS ARE FAULTY AND CAUSE ALL INTERIOR LIGHTS TO COME ON IF IT THINKS A DOOR IS OPEN. HAPPENS WITHIN 1ST MILE DRIVEN EVERY TIME SINCE 80K MILES. 2) IN SNOW, THE PIECE OF BODY PLASTIC IN FRONT OF THE FRONT TIRES CAN GET CAUGHT AND DRAGGED UNDERNEATH THE FRONT TIRES. 3) ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS: FUSE BOX RUSTS, PRONGS BREAK OFF IN FUSE BOX. SOMETIMES PUSHING CLUTCH IN WOULD CAUSE LIGHTS TO DIM OR SPEAKER STATIC (MANUAL TRANSMISSION). PROBLEMATIC 12V (ALWAYS HOT) ROUTINELY BROKE 12V DEVICES. DEALERSHIP WAS UNABLE TO FIX THIS AT LAST WARRANTY MAINTENANCE. 4) SEVERAL DEALERSHIPS WERE UNABLE TO SOLVE OR FIND THE CAUSE OF ANY OF THE FOLLOWING: BRAKE ROTOR USUALLY CAUSES HOWLING SOUND UNDER 30MPH AFTER A FEW MILES, (STARTED AROUND 50,000 MILES) AND CAR SOMETIMES SHUT OFF WHILE STOPPED & IDLING (RARE, STARTED AROUND 70,000 MILES). ALSO, MANUAL TRANSMISSION LEVER GETS TOO STICKY TO MOVE WITHOUT EXTREME FORCE UNPREDICTABLY, (STARTED AROUND 25,0000 MILES). EVERY TIME WAS TOLD TRANSMISSION FLUID LOOKS FINE. 5) HIGH PITCHED WHIRRING SOUND AND LOSS OF POWER WITH AC OR DEFROSTER, WORSE AS TIME WENT ON 6) CAR WAS SOLD BECAUSE COST TO REPAIR FAULTY DOOR SENSORS LEADING TO HEADLIGHTS NEVER TURNING OFF, THEREBY CAUSING BATTERY TO DRAIN BELOW 12V REGULARLY, EXCEEDED THE CAR'S VALUE. CAR WOULD NOT PASS INSPECTION WITH THIS ISSUE & NEEDED FREQUENT JUMP STARTS. 7) EXTREME DISTRACTION: "SYNC" INTERFACE WILL CUT OFF STEREO AUDIO WITHOUT WARNING TO TRY AND CONNECT TO MOBILE PHONE FOR A VEHICLE HEALTH REPORT IN THE MIDDLE OF DRIVING. 8) AIR FLOW SENSOR GOES OFF FREQUENTLY STARTING AROUND 50,000 MILES, ONLY SOLUTION IS SPRAYING IN LOTS OF AIR FLOW SENSOR CLEANER. 9) DRIVERS SIDE WINDSHIELD WIPER FELL OFF ABOUT A DOZEN TIMES, EVEN DEALERSHIP INSTALLED. VERY UNSAFE CAR IN MY OPINION.
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026