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 reported to sterling mccall on 8/18/14 at 5:50 p.m. The problems that I have been having with my 2011 Ford Fiesta. I also reported the customer satisfaction program 14m01 .0n 8/20/14at 7:19 a.m. I brought my vehicle into sterling mccall. Sterling mccall refused to fix the problem. I reported to legacy Ford on 9/5/14at 4:05 p.m. To [redacted]. The problems that I have been having with my2011 Ford Fiesta. I also reported the customer satisfaction program14m01. On 9/11/14at 6:59 p.m. I brought vehicle into legacy Ford. They gave me a rental car at 7:15 p.m. On 9/12/14 legacy Ford refused to fix the problem. I filed a case [redacted]-5211951 with the customer relationship center at 2:15p.m. I brought my 2011 Ford Fiesta to Firestone for a diagnostic on 12/4/14. The find was that the article supersedes TSB 11-9-2 to update the issue statement and service procedure. …
My 2011 Ford Fiesta se will not start. Electrical issues , PCM possibly. When you try to start the car all lights flicker, battery is fine and continues to attempt to start even after the key is turned back in non-starting position. The radio and USB/charging ports don't work either. This potential repair is going to cost me more than this thing is worth. Ford shouldn't sell crap. I bought this car because I needed reliable safe transportation not to have a money pit with no transportation and a loan. I literally just spent $1000 at a garage for maintenance and it wouldn't start when I went to pick it up yesterday. Now the Ford dealership is guessing pm! I shouldn't have to pay for this, Ford should recall the PCM and fix the electrical or stop ripping people off with garbage.
"Takata recall had the vehicle approximately one week purchased from a private. I stopped at a stop sign and car died on me and left me stranded at a 4 way stop. I tried to get vehicle started and it started briefly and died on me. I was frantic as I am an older lady with my grandchild that was scared to death. I was pushed off the road by a concerned citizen who helped us push 2011 Ford Fiesta off the road. I had the unit towed and had motor replaced. The car still will not run and I have gone through all my saving on this piece of junk. It is now at a Ford dealership and they still are scratching their head and cannot fix unit. It is located at halliday Ford Lincoln incorporated, 1700 columbus ave, washington court house, ohio, 43160, telephone [phone].
My car had the transmission control module reprogrammed on 06/06/16 and is having the same issue as we speak 8/24/16. The car jerks, doesn't accelerate properly and is doing what it wants, very unsafe as it doesn't want to shift and jolts when it does. It's almost like its stuck in gear. This car has been nothing but problems and I'm irritated that this was repaired 2 months ago and the problem clearly isn't fixed. I'm pregnant and am very dissapointed that Ford can allow a problem like this to continue without proper resolution and safety for its customers.
Fuse box is filled with dirt. Apparently it's an issue on 2011 Fiesta. I was not informed by Ford about the issue. They had some type of recall on that: TSB 17b16. I am the original owner. The car shuts down occasionally on idle, while driving in the city. Very sudden, "clean" shutdowns. No rough idle. Quite often I would not realize that the engine is down until I press accelerator and there is no action. It is out of the blue. Dangerous in traffic!
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Ford Fiesta. While driving 30 MPH, the transmission slipped out of gear and the shift lever locked into position and would not move. The check engine, service engine soon, and traction control warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed, but there were no failure codes. The failure recurred twice. The failure mileage was 91,147.
Car cannot be driven in snow. If trying to start from a complete stop in 1" of snow, the traction control will cut power to the wheels, leaving you stuck in place. This is very dangerous as it can leave the driver stuck in the middle of an intersection as happened to me today. Ford has since added a way to disable the traction control, but this model year is extremely dangerous in the snow.
Took my car in twice for the TCM and it's even worse. Shuddering, electrical failures,loss of engagement while driving, and worst of all Ford is denying me service until I put another 1,500 miles on the car! Not sure if this is even legal. Trying to press for a lemon law now.
Early year 2011 models of Ford Fiesta do not have the ability to disable the elec. Stability control known as advanctrac for driving in icy conditions. While driving up a hill with snow and/or ice cover the front drive tires started to spin slightly. The engine automatically reduced power immediately to both wheels until all forward momentum ceased. At this point the vehicle started sliding backward down the hill with no control since there was no power to the wheels. This was extremely dangerous as the hill had a steep drop-off on one side and trees on the other. I was able to drive our 2010 Ford focus and our 2001 Chevrolet blazer up the same hill at that time with no issues or hesitation. A similar event has occurred on a level road where the snow is deep and the vehicle has come to a stop. …
My boyfriend went out to start my car up and warm it up for me... It would turn over...then after trying again it started. I went out to go to work and went to back out of the drive way and my car would not go in reverse. I then put it in drive and moved up a little and then proceeded to back out and then when I went to put it in drive again it would go any where.it was like the gear go stuck. I had to have my boyfriend push my car back into the driveway.I then called jones junction where I purchased the car and had it towed into their shop because I had coverage on it for repair for them to call me and say there is nothing wrong with my car. I did some research myself and found that this has been an issue with the 2011 Ford Fiesta transmission electronic controls . …
Traction Control complaints in other Fiesta years
Frequently asked questions
How common are traction control problems on the 2011 Ford Fiesta?
NHTSA has 23 complaints about the stability & traction control of the 2011 Ford Fiesta, 3% of the model year's 730 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2011 Ford Fiesta traction control problems?
No. NHTSA lists no stability & traction control 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 traction control problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 38,000 miles, and 33% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 4 injuries to stability & traction control 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.