2016 Ford Fiesta

Family: Fiesta · filed with NHTSA as FIESTA

Summary

Of the 169 complaints that name a component, 60% concern Powertrain (101).
These are complaint counts, not failure rates: they are not divided by how many cars were sold, because no public source reports U.S. sales by model year.
Not enough history to compare this year with the rest of its generation.
No recalls filed for this model year.
2 federal defect investigations cover this model year.

In the news

Ford PowerShift transmission: 2011–2016 Fiesta and Focus guide OCT 16, 2026
NHTSA asks Ford to prove oil changes prevent 1.0 EcoBoost belt failures OCT 12, 2026

At a glance

Owner complaints: 179
Recalls: 0
Investigations: 2
NCAP overall: 4 of 5 stars
Combined MPG: 29–35
Annual fuel cost: $1,800–$2,150
Median mileage at complaint: 57,183 mi (n = 117)
Crashes / fires / injuries / deaths: 10 / 1 / 10 / 1

What owners report

Powertrain

101 complaints · 60% of complaints that name a component · median 65,000 mi (n = 72)

Owner report I have come to find that this vehicle suffers from premature slave cylinder failure, there are roughly 62,000 miles on the vehicle. Typical failure is reported to Ford between 70,000 and 80,000 miles. First symptoms appeared at roughly 58,000 miles. As I am a single father and a full time communications worker, I was n…

Owner report The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as intended and hesitated to respond. Additionally, the vehicle failed to reverse as intended. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was di…

Engine

35 complaints · 21% of complaints that name a component · median 59,000 mi (n = 20)

Owner report I am reporting a severe safety defect regarding a sudden loss of motive power caused by the internal oil pump drive 'wet belt' system on my 2016 Ford Fiesta SE 1.0L EcoBoost (Manual Transmission). While driving, the vehicle's engine oil pressure warning light illuminated. Shortly thereafter, the vehicle suffered a sudd…

Owner report The contact owns a 2016 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was a continuous swishing sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the local independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the water pump was faulty and needed to be replaced. T…

Electrical System

26 complaints · 15% of complaints that name a component · median 59,000 mi (n = 14)

Owner report Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 110,000. It was later discovered that the actual mileage was 190,000.

Owner report My key battery apparently died and the whole car shut off in the middle of the forlane 75 mph. Had no breaks lights, or anything there Should be a warning sign or should let u keep driving to get off the road

6% of complaints name no specific component and are left out of the shares above.

Across the generation (2011–2019)

To compare years fairly, each year is counted over the same span: complaints received up to two calendar years after its model year. A year is compared only when that span is over and it holds at least 50 complaints. Median of the comparable years: 171.

Model year	All complaints	First three years	Note
2011	730	127
2012	617	171
2013	668	309	most complaints
2014	504	188
2015	259	55	fewest complaints
2016	179	28	not compared
2017	75	21	not compared
2018	35	12	not compared
2019	105	14	not compared

Recalls

None on file.

Federal investigations

Action	Component	Opened	Closed	Recall
EA26004	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS	2026-07-31	open
PE25020	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS	2025-12-18	2026-07-31

EA26004: Timing Belt Failure

PE25020: Timing Belt Failure

Engines and fuel economy

Version	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Fuel cost / yr
Fiesta FWD	1.6L 4cyl	Automatic (AM-S6)	Front-Wheel Drive	27	36	30	$2100
Fiesta FWD	1.6L 4cyl	Manual 5-spd	Front-Wheel Drive	27	35	30	$2100
Fiesta SFE FWD	1.0L 3cyl	Manual 5-spd	Front-Wheel Drive	31	41	35	$1800
Fiesta ST FWD	1.6L 4cyl	Manual 6-spd	Front-Wheel Drive	26	32	29	$2150

Fuel cost is EPA's estimate at the fuel prices of its last update, not today's.

Crash test ratings (NCAP)

Variant	Overall	Frontal	Side	Rollover
2016 Ford Fiesta 5 HB FWD	★★★★☆	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★★★☆
2016 Ford Fiesta 4 DR FWD	★★★★☆	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★★★☆

Service bulletins

Ford issued 110 service bulletins listed against this model year, most often about equipment.

A bulletin tells dealers how to fix a known condition. It is not a recall and not a defect finding. Most bulletins cover several model years at once, so one listed here may not be specific to this year. The number of bulletins tracks how long and how widely a model was sold, so it is not a measure of reliability.

Date	Component	Summary
2026-08-25	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	Customer Satisfaction Program 26L02 Certain 2014-2021 Model Year Various Vehicles 1.0L Fox Classic Engine Timing Belt and Oil Pump Belt Interval Change
2026-03-25	BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING	Advance Notice – Customer Satisfaction Program 25N17 Certain 2015-2025 Model Year Multiple Vehicle Lines Rear View Camera Replacement If Required After Dealer Evaluation
2026-02-24	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with wired keyless entry keypad systems and accessory wireless keyless entry keypad systems may or may not come with a wallet card containing the master code. Unlike the integrated wired keypad, the access…
2025-11-26	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	This article supersedes TSB 24-2165 to update the TSB Service Procedure. Some vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit various SYNC performance related concerns including but not limited to: Display operation concerns Na…
2025-11-12	POWER TRAIN	Some 2015-2021 Ford and Lincoln vehicles may exhibit an illuminated MIL with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) P0011, P0012, P0014, P0015, P0016, P0017, P0018, P0019, P0021, P0022, P0024 and/or P0025. Pinpoint test HK in the Powertrain Contro…
2024-05-27	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	This article supersedes TSB 21-2175 to update the TSB Service Procedure. Some 2016 MKS, 2016-2017 Navigator, 2016-2018 F-150/Focus/C-MAX/Edge/Fiesta/MKX/Transit Connect/Mustang, 2017-2018 Continental/Fusion/MKZ, 2017-2019 Explorer, 2016-201…
2024-04-24	EQUIPMENT	All accessory stick-on keyless entry keypads come with a wallet card containing the master code. If the accessory keypad was factory installed, this card will be placed in the glove box and should be handed to the vehicles owner during ini…
2024-03-06	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING	For 2015-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with turbocharged engines and customer concern of an engine oil leak, refer to Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 303-00 for oil leak inspection and testing methods. Ford has evaluated turbocharg…
2023-04-04	STRUCTURE	For 2000-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles, swapping a module from a vehicle for diagnosis purposes is likely to cause errors and is not recommended. It is also not recommended to order a replacement module using a vehicle identification numbe…
2021-12-23	EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:NAVIGATIONAL SYSTEM(GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM)	Some 2016-2021 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with SYNC 3 may exhibit a condition where the navigation voice prompts are inoperative after a SYNC map update. This may be due to an incomplete installation of the SYNC map software. If pos…

How to read this page

Complaint counts are not failure rates. A model that sells more cars draws more complaints, and owners file more often after news coverage or a recall. That is why this page compares a model year only with other years of the same generation, never with other models.

Each complaint is counted once, even when it names several components; a complaint that names several systems appears under each of them. Owner reports are quoted as filed and have not been verified by NHTSA or by us.

Every model year of this Fiesta, including the ones without a page of their own, is listed on the Ford Fiesta model page.

Sources

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation: complaints, recalls and investigations (bulk files, data as of 2026-10-28).
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program: crash test ratings.
U.S. EPA / DOE fueleconomy.gov: engines, transmissions and fuel economy.

MotorAlmanac is independent and not affiliated with NHTSA, EPA or any manufacturer. This page summarises public records; it is not a mechanical inspection. Before buying a used car, check its VIN for open recalls and have it inspected.