Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2011 Ford Fiesta owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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. …
1)14MO2 - The transmission control module (TCM) failed. Yes it is available for inspection upon request, however the issue has been repaired since the malfunction. The vehicle could no longer be controlled. It could not shift gear. The check engine light came on, but the vehicle was not operational. A 65 year old disabled operator was transporting her 6 year old granddaughter home from school when the malfunction took place. Two lives inside the vehicle were placed at risk as well as the lives of other drivers and passengers in the vicinity. The problem has been confirmed by the dealer. Ford issued a 14MO2 warranty extension on this part. We brought the vehicle to Covert Ford of Hutto, TX who confirmed the warranty extension. However, they would not cover the repair, because the extension expired 3 months prior. …
On August 5 I fell asleep and ran into the back of a truck stopped at a light. My knee air bag deployed but the steering wheel bag did not and the shoulder belt did not deploy causing me to hit the steering wheel very hard bruising my sternum and causing surrounding muscle inflammation that is still sore today.
While leaving a parking lot after loading camera equipment and groceries into the rear backseat from the rear passenger side door I pulled out onto the main road and as I turned left into the u-turn, my rear passenger door swung open releasing my equipment and some of the groceries out into the road. Thankfully no one was following close and I was able to pull aside and pick up my belongings. Thinking I had not shut the door all the way I shut the door to only hear an empty "thunk" and the door bounced back. I attempted to resolve the issue in a variety of ways to no success and my final solution was to use a ratchet strap to secure the door shut. It was only upon researching how to fix this that I realized I could post here. …
I put my baby into her car seat, closed the back passenger door, and started driving when the "door ajar" warning light on the dash appeared. I immediately stopped and saw that the back passenger door was ajar. Her door would not stay closed. Nothing I attempted would fix it. The car was never damaged, and the broken door received barely any use, as she is under six months old. I had to tie a swaddle blanket to the handle and hold on while driving us home. I immediately called the dealership where we had purchased the car (Ford akins) and was told that there were no recalls, despite the fact that there is an ongoing investigation, and that we would be charged to fix a glaring safety issue even though we had purchased the extended warranty and the car was exactly four years old. …
Rear passenger door flung open while driving. Had to hold closed with one hand while driving in downtown traffic. Not a pleasant experience. Even though there's a recall on all the door latches, due to a shortage of parts Ford only has to replace the one that is broken, and will schedule the rest of the recall as the parts become available in the 3rd quarter. We're in the 3rd quarter, shouldn't their be enough parts available to fix the other three doors? 3rd quarter ends September 1st. Really, I have to wait weeks for the other latches? They can't efficiently be replaced all at once? Who assumes the liability for the other three doors while I wait to be scheduled? How am I supposed to feel comfortable having passengers in my vehicle or driving myself? …
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, the front passenger door swung open when it was leaned on by the passenger. The door ajar warning light illuminated. The contact mentioned that the door crashed into an electrical pole, a mail box, and storm drain marker. The VIN was included in the NHTSA campaign number: 15V246000 (latches/locks/linkages). The contact mentioned that the vehicle was taken to the dealer prior to the failure and was told by the dealer that the vehicle would not be repaired until the failure was experienced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and wanted the contact to sign an agreement form that would require the contact to release Ford from any claims and actions, present or in the future from any issues, suspected or unsuspected, before repairing the vehicle. …
I took the vehicle in to a dealership several years ago to address the faulty door latch assembly (passenger-side rear) as per the recall on this vehicle. I was told that this was due to a design flaw in the assembly (basically using a cheap part that easily breaks). Last year, I had another door latch assembly (driver-side rear) fail after having all four of them supposedly replaced. I once again took it to the dealer who charged several hundred dollars as it was outside of the 1 year warranty window. The dealer and Ford both told me I was out of luck and it was my problem. Just last night I had another assembly fail, this time the driver-side front. I refuse to pay any money to them as these things are clearly faulty and a safety hazard, but they refuse to address the issue properly. …
Dropped off passenger in her driveway from front passenger seat. We both got out of car. When I returned to car I fastened seat belt. Turned on ignition switch and 'open door' signal came on for passenger door. I got out of car, shut passenger front door and it did latch properly, got back into drivers seat and drove down her street. Stopped at stop sign and signaled to make left hand turn into a four lane parkway. Pulled out veering left to reach proper lane as passenger door flew open, which tripped red open door warning light and the audio warning. Startled the bejesus out of me. I had to carefully cross all lanes to pull off roadway to right side shoulder to keep the opened right side front door from being hit by other cars. Problem was sudden onset and I had never had a problem with warning lights or latch before 10/30/15, and I am the only owner car has had.
Now on two different occasions the door locking mechanism has failed. First time sept 16th 2014 rear driver side passenger door lock failed. Which is the least used door. Then the second time the drivers door lock failed.bad luck or bad manufacturing processes and to add insult to injury Ford dealerships are not providing loaner cars at their full expense. You have to get a loaner car from budget rental . They said it will be reimbursed to you less the tax? The Ford dealer here in las vegas could not even give us an estimated time for the repair. Very bad for Ford with a service record like this. This leads me to the conclusion that I will not be going back to Ford for our next vehicle. A door locking mechanism failing? How did this even get a 1 star rating?
Body complaints in other Fiesta years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2011 Ford Fiesta?
NHTSA has 125 complaints about the body & structure of the 2011 Ford Fiesta, 17% of the model year's 730 complaints. The component named most often is body (89 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2011 Ford Fiesta body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2011 Ford Fiesta, though it has 3 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2011 Ford Fiesta body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 55,000 miles, and 7% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 1 fire and 4 injuries to body & structure problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.