2012 Ford Fiesta: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed Apr 28, 2026 · WV · crash · fire · 3 injuries

My daughter and 2 friends were driving on the highway, the dash flickers and goes back to normal, flickered again and the car started slowing down so she pulled over, ( car still moving) and puts the car in park but the car still continues to move. Passenger notices out the side mirror the car is on fire, she jumped out; the car then accelerates ( still in park) and hits the “jersey wall “ where the rest of the car eventually went into flames. My daughter & friend ( who was in the back) got out thru the driver side door, the back doors would not open and the Airbags did not deploy.

Filed Aug 22, 2024 · Engine · CA

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the engine compartment, and the vehicle began to vibrate violently, after which the contact observed white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The contact also stated that there was a coolant odor throughout the interior of the vehicle. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The overheating and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 17V209000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Jan 10, 2023 · Acceleration, Engine · 28,100 miles · NC

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission module and battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. While driving, the vehicle continued to jerk and there was smoke coming through the vents. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, there was an abnormal booming sound detected. The contact had to depress the accelerator pedal continually for the vehicle to respond as needed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted but provided no additional assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 28,100. The consumer stated parts alone were $872 of which he doesn't have due to his disability.

Filed Jul 6, 2021 · Electrical · 160,000 miles · KY · fire

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that occasionally there was smoke coming from the engine compartment. The contact also stated that the vehicle would not restart. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with the battery needing to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure still occurred. The contact then towed the vehicle to another independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with nothing needing to be replaced. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

Filed Jul 30, 2019 · Electrical, Engine · 43,048 miles · FL · fire

I was driving down a city street in my friend's 2012 ford fiesta I noticed a weird smell, I kept going about a quarter of a mile til I reached my destination. My friend gets in the car he noticed the smell . I looked out the windshield and I see a lil smoke coming from the hood, all the sudden alot of smoke comes out . I pop the hood shut the car off and get out of there . My friend runs and grabs fire extinguishers him and another man try to open the hood it won't open you could see the flames coming underneath the car then there is a pop . They take a shovel beat on it enough to open it enough where they could put the fire out. Thank god they were there,no one got hurt. I am enclosing pictures of my car, my friend didn't have full coverage insurance so he's without a car right now . All this happened within 10 min.it was very scarey, I'm glad I stopped at my friend's place because I might not have made it out in time.we didn't make a police report nor did we call the fire department .a piece of the car was laying on the ground after the fire.the hood release burned . That's why we couldn't get the hood open . I am sending pictures after the fire . The car lights and the security system still works and it started right after, we turned it off right away

Filed Jul 10, 2019 · Electrical · 150,000 miles · OH · fire

The fuse box is getting moisture causing headlights not to work properly and no fuses or relays can be changed because they are corroded in the box. Car loses power, radio caught fire, doors lock on there own or don't lock at all, major malfunction of all electrical components. 2011 and 2013 were recalled for this issue. Why wasn't 2012? Car has issues while driving and it's going to cause an accident if not taken care of.

Filed Apr 20, 2019 · Engine, Lights · 88,000 miles · PA

This car has been a disaster from day one. The transmission issues that ford is aware of have almost caused numerous accidents. The car bucks and carries on all the time. While stopped for a red light you push on gas and it doesn't move them all the sudden it darts into traffic. About 6 months ago low beams stopped working and nobody knows why. Then 2 weeks ago all the sudden car overheats and within 2 minutes dies causing $2000 worth of damage. Im told these are common and im lucky it didn't catch on fire. What's next. Fyi, the lights still don't work which causes a safety hazard. Why is this car not recalled??