⌘K
Your vehicleHome›Ford› Fiesta
Ford · Compact Sedan

Ford Fiesta

Every model year 2016–2019: recalls, owner complaints, NHTSA crash ratings and EPA efficiency side by side, each value traced to the file it came from.

4 Model years 2016–2019
3 Recalls NHTSA campaigns, all years
393 Complaints owner reports, all years
B Newest grade 2019 Safety Signal
2018 Best on record cleanest filed year
Ford Fiesta — photograph via Wikimedia Commons
Ford Fiesta · Photo: Damian B Oh · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Every Ford Fiesta model year

Source: NHTSA · EPA · one row per year
YearPowertrainsSafetyRecallsComplaintsCrashBest efficiency
2019GasB3105★★★★☆31 mpg
2018GasA035★★★★☆31 mpg
2017GasA074★★★★☆35 mpg
2016GasA0179★★★★☆35 mpg

Which model year the record favours

Source: recalls and complaints per year on the road
Years to avoid, with the reasons →Best on the record 2018

On the filed record so far, the 2018 is the cleanest Fiesta year we hold, and the 2019 the one to check hardest.

Both figures are divided by the number of years the car has been on sale, because otherwise the oldest year on the page loses every time simply for having been around longer. The current model year and any year under three on the road are left out: their records are not finished.

YearSafety SignalRecalls /yrComplaints /yr
2018A04
2017A08
2016A018
2019B0.415

Which Ford Fiesta years reported which system early

Source: NHTSA complaints, odometer at report

Earliest on the record: 2016 engine complaints at 0.95× the mileage of same-age vehicles (median 59,000 miles). Latest: 2017 power train at 1.75× (70,000 miles).

YearPower TrainEngine
20171.75×1.22×
20161.35×0.95×

Each cell is that model year’s median odometer when owners reported the system, divided by the median for the same system across every make’s complaints on the same model year. under 0.67× reported early; 1.5× or more late; a dash means too few readings. When problems get reported, not how often — complaint counts are in the table above. Across the whole fleet: which systems go first.

What owners filed about the Ford Fiesta, by system

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsEvery system, every year →

The systems the federal record is deep on for this nameplate: the complaints per model year, the mileage owners reported them at, and every recall, investigation and manufacturer bulletin filed under the heading — each one linked, none a failure rate.

Advertisement

What changed year to year

Source: computed from the filed record
  • 2018: best combined mpg 35 → 31; 4 → 3 EPA configurations

Common questions about the Ford Fiesta

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Which Ford Fiesta year is the best used buy?

On the recall record, the 2018 Fiesta comes out top of the years before the current one: Safety Signal grade A (100/100), 0 recalls and 35 owner complaints on file. That ranks paperwork, not condition — a specific car's history and service record still decide it.

What Ford Fiesta years should I avoid?

No Fiesta model year carries a D or F Safety Signal or a standing advisory. The ranking page orders every year on recalls and complaints per year on the road, and says why.

How many recalls does the Ford Fiesta have?

Across model years 2016–2019, NHTSA has posted 3 recall campaigns for the Ford Fiesta. They are counted per model year in the table above, because a campaign almost never covers the whole run — it covers a build range.