Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2019 Ford Fiesta owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated while at a complete stop at the traffic light, the vehicle inadvertently lunged forward and crashed into the rear of another occupied vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. There were no injuries sustained. A police report was filed. The contact was able to continue driving. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle lost power with the message "Transmission Hot Wait 5 Minutes" displayed on the instrument panel. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic where the mechanic diagnosed the vehicle with a defective dual transmission clutch. The contact was informed that although the transmission could be repaired, the failure might likely return, and the mechanic could not warranty the repair. The contact called several other transmission shops and was provided the same information. Despite the initial repair, the contact stated that the failure returned approximately 15,000-20,000 miles later. The vehicle was taken to back to the independent mechanic where the transmission was replaced another time. …
The contact called on behalf of her son who owns a 2019 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated her son informed her that while driving at various speeds, the transmission was shifting hard. There were no warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that while her son attempted to drive from a complete stop, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the half shaft was fractured and needed to be replaced. The half shaft was replaced. Additionally, the contact stated that the rear windshield wipers activated erroneously while attempting to use the front windshield wipers. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000. …
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The contact continued to drive the vehicle, and the sound was coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the same dealer, where it was diagnosed with a synchronization failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced, and two motor mounts also needed to be replaced. The motor mounts were replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 67,000.
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard an abnormal sound emanating from the engine compartment, after which the vehicle lost motive power. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the clutch and observed abnormal wear. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 109,000.
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure reoccurred. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 67,649.
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the transmission started slipping and the vehicle would not properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission clutch and seal kit was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 60,000.
The transmission does not shift properly.\n And causes it to overheat, this has been a known problem with Ford motor company. I have called and can get no help with them. The repair cost way more than my vehicle is worth. I can't find a transmission company to even do it. There have been buybacks and extended warranties for this very issue. However, my car has more miles. Than the extended more, she allows and Had I had known about this before the end of June of last year. They would have covered it, and I think this is unfair. I'm a [redacted] veteran that's disabled, and as far as the back up camera, it's been out Within a year of me purchasing the car and I have trouble with my neck and I needed the backup camera that's one of the reasons I bought the car and now they have waited so long that the transmission is having issues. …
The transmission on this vehicle has several issues. It is available for inspection. 1. The transmission gets stuck in park. The dealership was able to reproduce. They replaced shifter mechanism, but issue returned several days later. The only way to prevent this was to disengage the brake lockout, which is a safety issue. 2. The transmission occasionally does not detect that it is in park when turning the car on as displayed on the cluster. This prevents ignition. Some combination of rocking the car or shifting out of park and back into park generally corrects this, but this is a stranding safety issue. 3. Occasionally the transmission will not shift into reverse. Shifting into and out of park and restarting the engine several times generally fixes this, but can be a safety issue when trying to park or make a multi-point turn as it can leave the car blocking traffic. …
My clutch slave cylinder failed with approximately 64000 mi on the vehicle. This is a hydraulic system sharing the same reservoir as the brakes. The clutch pedal stuck to the floor leaving me unable to change gear while driving on the highway. Had to pull off on the side of the road and manually pull up the clutch with my hand. After that it functioned seemingly fine. I took the car to a local garage who diagnosed the issue and said it was fairly common on these cars. Part has not been replaced yet so it cannot be inspected but it is scheduled to go in to have the transmission dropped and slave cylinder replaced. There were no lamps messages or other warning signs prior to the incident on the highway aside from a slight softening of the clutch feel which occured during the months proceeding the failure. …
Transmission complaints in other Fiesta years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2019 Ford Fiesta?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2019 Ford Fiesta, 20% of the model year's 105 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2019 Ford Fiesta transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain recall for the 2019 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 2019 Ford Fiesta transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 67,000 miles, and 11% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to transmission & drivetrain 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.