AutoUtility currently tracks 35 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2018 Ford Fiesta. Powertrain & Transmission issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 10 complaints (28.6% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 4 filings cite a crash, 1 reports one or more fatalities.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 35 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Powertrain & Transmission (10 reports • 28.6% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Electrical System (6), Engine & Cooling (5)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 4 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 0 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 0 injury filings • 1 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2018 Ford Fiesta
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Powertrain & Transmission
Electrical System
Engine & Cooling
Air Bags & Restraints
Fuel & Propulsion System
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2018 Ford Fiesta
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"The back up camera quit working. The back seats are taller and it has made it very difficult to see if there are children behind my vehicle. I reported it to the dealership and now I have to pay $200.00 to have them check it."
"Back-up camera goes in and out intermittently, sometimes the image is very faint and then totally disappears into a black screen, or says it is not available at this time, then goes black. This started about 4 months ago and I have not been able to identify a triggering factor, rain nor heat does..."
"Purchased vehicle at the end of 2018 and this is the third time I have had to replace the horn. It's not a fuse, it's not wiring, it is the actual horn that either shorts or dies with no notice."
"Hello, I have zero idea why I am emailing, I may be secretly hoping for...anything. I drive a 2018 Ford Fiesta SE, I have owned it since 2019 as that is when I purchased it used. Over the weekend I experienced transmission issues and an auto shop informed me that I am in need of a transmission..."
"My engine has been malfuctioning over the following year. I've gotten repairs and it continues to do so. I'm asking for a recall."
Complaint History for Ford Fiesta
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2019)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Ford Fiesta | 258 | 16 | 4 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Ford Fiesta | 178 | 10 | 0 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 Ford Fiesta | 73 | 7 | 0 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Ford Fiesta Current Page | 35 | 4 | 0 | Current |
| 2019 Ford Fiesta | 97 | 13 | 3 | View 2019 Problems → |
Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2018 Ford Fiesta
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 16 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Back Over Prevention / Camera NHTSA category: BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Doors, Latches & Locks NHTSA category: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,WHEELS,SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.