2015 Ford Fiesta Problems, Recalls & Reliability
Verdict
CautionComplaint Index
50/100
#5 most-complained of 9 Fiesta years
Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology
The 2015 Ford Fiesta has a complaint index of 50 and ranks 5th worst of 9 model years, earning a Caution verdict. It has 258 complaints, 4 recalls, and its top problem area is Transmission & Powertrain at 40% of complaints, with median failure mileage of 49,210.
- Complaints
- 258
- Recalls
- 4
- Crashes / fires
- 16 / 0
- Injuries / deaths
- 24 / 0
- NHTSA overall rating
- 4 / 5 ★
- EPA combined MPG
- 30
- 27 city / 35.5 hwy
Top 2015 Ford Fiesta problems
NHTSA owner complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.
- Transmission & Powertrain104 (40%)
- Engine84 (33%)
- Fuel System44 (17%)
- Other36 (14%)
- Electrical System20 (8%)
- Structure & Body18 (7%)
- Airbags14 (5%)
- Brakes10 (4%)
- Suspension, Wheels & Tires10 (4%)
- Steering8 (3%)
What owners report
- Transmissions fail to downshift after passing and hold at high RPM before slipping into neutral unexpectedly.
- Some owners report the transmission locking up shortly after purchase, causing jerking and hesitation when trying to accelerate or reverse.
- Engines lose power suddenly at highway speed with the check engine and wrench lights on, tied to a defective throttle body.
- Airbags fail to deploy during side-impact or rear-end collisions, in some cases leading to injuries.
- Brakes reportedly fail to engage normally, requiring extra pedal pressure to stop the vehicle.
2015 Ford Fiesta recalls
4 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.
- NHTSA 23V775000Nov 17, 2023Structure & Body45,173 vehicles
Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015 Fiesta, 2016 Fusion, and 2016 Lincoln MKZ vehicles sold, or ever registered in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. A component inside the door latches may break, which can make it difficult to latch or possibly allow the doors to open while driving.
Risk: Vehicle doors opening unexpectedly while driving can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the door latch date codes and if necessary, replace all four side door latches, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 20, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S15. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall number 20V-177.
- NHTSA 20V177000Mar 23, 2020Structure & Body288,110 vehicles
Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014-2015 Fiesta, 2014-2016 Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles sold, or ever registered in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. A component within the door latches may break making the doors difficult to latch and/or leading the driver or a passenger to believe a door is securely closed when, in fact, it is not.
Risk: A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and Ford or Lincoln dealers will replace the side door latches, free of charge. The recall began September 21, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S15.
- NHTSA 17V209000Mar 27, 2017Engine208,584 vehicles
Engine and engine cooling:engine
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014 Escape, 2014-2015 Fiesta ST, 2013-2014 Fusion and 2013-2015 Transit Connect vehicles equipped with 1.6L GTDI engines. If the vehicle is started and driven with an insufficient level of coolant within the engine cooling system, the engine cylinder head may overheat, crack and leak oil.
Risk: If the cylinder head cracks and leaks oil, the oil may contact a hot engine or exhaust component, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install a coolant level sensor and the supporting hardware and software, free of charge. Interim notices informing owners of the safety risk were mailed April 21, 2017. The recall began on January 5, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S09.
2015 Ford Fiesta fuel economy and fuel cost
- City
- 27 MPG
- Highway
- 35.5 MPG
- Combined
- 30 MPG
- Annual fuel cost (EPA)
- $2,150
- 15,000 mi/yr
- Fuel
- Regular
- Current regular gas
- $4.32/gal
- national avg.
EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.
2015 compared with other Fiesta years
Frequently asked questions
- Is the 2015 Ford Fiesta reliable?
- Based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, the 2015 Fiesta carries a Caution verdict with a complaint index of 50, ranking 5th worst among the 9 model years with data. It has 258 complaints and 4 recalls.
- What is the biggest problem with the 2015 Ford Fiesta?
- Transmission & Powertrain issues are the top problem area, making up 40% of complaints, with a median failure mileage of 59,000.
- Does the 2015 Ford Fiesta have any recalls?
- NHTSA lists 4 recalls for the 2015 Fiesta, covering structure/body door latches, an engine coolant sensor issue, and a fuel pump recall. None are do-not-drive recalls.
- How does the 2015 Fiesta compare to other Fiesta years?
- The 2015 model's complaint index of 50 is better than 2011 (100), 2012 (75), 2013 (88), and 2014 (63), but worse than 2016 (38), 2017 (13), 2018 (0), and 2019 (25).