The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated that while entering the vehicle and closing the front driver’s side door, the door failed to latch properly. While driving 70 MPH, the front driver’s side door opened. The contact secured the door with a bungee cord and continued driving. A dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was previously repaired under the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V246000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages). Additionally, the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 20V331000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages). The manufacturer, Ford Motor Company, was notified of the failure by phone, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.
2012 Ford Fiesta locks problems
57 complaints (9% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 45,345.
- owner complaints
- 57
- of this car's complaints
- 9%
- typical mileage
- 45,345
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 2
Which part fails
- Doors: latch26
- Hood: latch1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Ford Fiesta locks problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2012 Ford Fiesta locks
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
Latches/locks/linkages: doors: latch
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Fiesta, 2013-2014 Fusion, 2015 Mustang, 2013-2015 Escape and C-Max, 2012-2015 Focus, 2014-2016 Transit Connect, 2013-2014 Lincoln MKZ, and 2015 MKC vehicles. These vehicles were previously recalled and repaired under recalls 15V‑246, 16V‑643 or 17V‑210, however the repair may not have been completed properly. 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 dealers will inspect the latch date codes to confirm if the repair was done correctly, and replace the side door latches if necessary, free of charge. Owners will also have the option to inspect their own vehicle's door latches and enter the date codes into a website to determine if the latches are correct. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 27, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S30.
Recall number 20V331000 · Recall details
Latches/locks/linkages: doors: latch
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) notified the agency on April 23, 2015, that they are recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured July 1, 2012, to May 31, 2013, and 2012-2014 Fiesta vehicles manufactured February 1, 2012, to May 31, 2013. On April 30, 2015, Ford expanded the recall to cover an additional 119,567 vehicles, including certain model year 2011 Ford Fiestas manufactured from November 11, 2009, to May 31, 2013 and certain model year 2013 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured from February 1, 2012, to June 30, 2012. 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 dealers will replace all four door latches with an improved part, free of charge. Interim notifications were mailed to owners on June 5, 2015. The recall began on December 18, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S16.
Recall number 15V246000 · Recall details
Related investigations
Door Latch Failures
In December 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation based on 235 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) alleging doors failed to latch when closed, and/or inadvertently opened while driving, on model year (MY) 2012-2014 Ford Fiesta, and 2013-2014 Fusion and Lincoln MKZ. Some VOQs reported the failure occurred after the latch had been remedied under a prior recall which involved fracture of the latch pawl spring tab due to thermally induced cyclic fatigue. Other VOQs alleged a similar failure in vehicles not previously recalled. A latch with a fractured pawl spring tab typically results in a ?door will not close? condition, however in certain somewhat rare circumstances, may result in the door coming open while driving. In response to ODI?s investigation, Ford has announced three field actions, as discussed below.On March 23, 2020, Ford submitted Safety Recall 20V‑177 (Ford 20S15), a regional recall campaign to address door latch failures in vehicles not previously recalled under Safety Recalls 15V‑246, 16V‑643 and 17V‑210. The recall affects vehicles currently or ever registered in certain high ambient temperature states (see 20V‑177 for affected states). As a remedy, Ford will replace all four door latches free of charge.On August 24, 2020, Ford issued a non-safety regional field action (Ford 20R01) to address door latch failures on the same model/MY vehicles not covered under 20V‑177 (i.e., not currently/ever registered in affected states). According to Ford, spring tab failure rates for vehicles covered by this action are about half that of the 20V‑177 vehicles. Under this action, dealers will replace all door latches, free of charge, if either; a) the vehicle exhibits a related latch concern, or b) if the vehicle owner expresses a concern about the latches in their vehicles. Details can be found under the federal safety agency TSB No. 10190990, a copy of which is available in this investigative file available at June 8, 2020, Ford submitted Safety Recall 20V‑331 (Ford 20S30) addressing vehicles previously remedied under the federal safety agency Recalls 15V‑246, 16V‑643 and 17V‑210, where the repair may not have been properly completed, specifically not all of the door latches were replaced, or replaced correctly. This recall involves an inspection of the latches, with the option for a consumer self-inspection; owners could view the date codes on their latches (and confirm child safety locks are present on the rear doors) and then submit the information to Ford?s mobile app or website. A dealership inspection option was also available. Any vehicle found to have unreplaced defective latches requires the replacement of all door latches as directed by Ford.Regarding the 4,494 reports cited above, 1,485 involve scope-related failures (with 13% alleging door opening), and the remaining 3,009 reports involving remedy concerns (with 18% alleging door opening - note ODI was unable to verify the allegations of door opening). The three ODI injuries were all relatively minor. Ford?s reported injury incidences include one (unconfirmed) report of an ejection, three minor injuries with the others involving undisclosed injuries. Ford?s crashes involved two (unconfirmed) crashes alleging the incident door contacted another vehicle and three involving doors striking other property.The recalled vehicles include MY 2011-2015 Ford Fiesta, 2013-2016 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ, 2015 Ford Mustang and Lincoln MKC, 2013-2015 Ford Escape and Ford C-MAX, 2012-2015 Ford Focus and 2014-2016 Ford Transit Connect.Ford's actions address ODI's concerns at this time. ODI will take further action if warranted by new information. The reference (OD
RQ19005
Door Latch Failure
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened an investigation based on consumer allegations of doors failing to latch and/or inadvertently opening on model year (MY) 2011-2013 Ford Fiesta, MY 2013 Ford Fusion and MY 2013 Lincoln MKZ vehicles. All of the affected vehicles share the same door latch design.ODI has received 281 unique reports related to the alleged problem, with over 100 claiming that the door(s) opened inadvertently while the vehicle was in motion. There were no crashes reported however three separate injuries were indicated, all caused by a rebounding door striking a consumer after they attempted to close it. In response to ODI's Information Request (IR) letter, Ford Motor Company (Ford) responded with 1,102 unique reports related to the alleged problem. There were no injury claims but there were two claims of low speed accidents occurring involving the door opening while driving and damaging property. Ford also submitted 10,883 warranty claims related to door latch failures.Many customers indicated that the door would not latch at all and accordingly they decided to restrain the door by other means (looping the seatbelt through the door, or using rope or tape) in order to drive the vehicle.Some customers also reported multiple door latch failures occurring on the same vehicle on different doors occurring months apart.On April 23rd, 2015 Ford notified ODI that it would conduct a safety recall (15V‑246) to remedy door latches failures on certain MY 2011-2014 Ford Fiesta and MY 2013-2014 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles.According to Ford, the pawl spring tab located within the door latch can break off, or separate and result in a ?door will not close condition.The recalled vehicles include Fiesta vehiclesmanufactured from the start of the MY 2011 to May 2013 and Fusion and MKZ vehicles manufactured from the start of the MY 2013 year until May 2013.In May 2013 Ford reports that it made a manufacturing quality control change, specific to the spring tab, to improve the performance of the existing part.The door latch spring tab was redesigned and the new latch was phased into production in December 2014 with a new part number.Ford will replace all four door latches on the affected vehicles with the new latch design currently in production.The recall action initiated by the manufacturer appears to address the safety risks of concern to ODI.Accordingly, the investigation is closed.The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at www-odi.the federal safety agency.dot.gov/owners/Searchreference under the identification (ODI) numbers found in the attached list.
EA15002
Door Latch Failure
On September 11, 2014 the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE14-028) to investigate claims of doors failing to latch and/or inadvertently opening on model year (MY) 2011-2013 Ford Fiesta vehicles. ODI has received 207 unique reports related to the alleged problem, with sixty-five claiming that the door(s) opened inadvertently while the vehicle was in motion. Two injuries were reported, both caused by a rebounding door striking a consumer after they attempted to close it. In response to ODI's Information Request (IR), Ford Motor Company (Ford) responded with 451 unique reports related to the alleged defect.One claim involved an incident in which property damage incurred after a door opened while driving at low speed and struck another vehicle. Ford also submitted 1,079 warranty claims related to door latch failures. Additionally Ford informed ODI in its IR response that MY 2013 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles utilize the same door latch as the MY 2011-13 Fiesta. In it's response, Ford stated that it does not believe that a latched door experiencing this condition will inadvertently unlatch and that there are many overt warning associated with a door that does not latch. ODI noted that the rate of occurrence for this failure is comparable to other door latch failure investigations and questions the effectiveness of warning signals given the number of complainants alleging that the door(s) opened while the vehicle was in motion. Therefore, ODI is upgrading this investigation to an Engineering Analysis (EA15-002) in order to further investigate the scope, frequency and consequence of this failure.ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at under the identification (ODI) numbers listed in the attached document.
PE14028
What 2012 Ford Fiesta owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated while attempting to close the doors, the four doors failed to latch properly. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to be repaired; however, while driving off the lot, the contact became aware that the radio was inoperable, and the brake pedal was firm and difficult to depress. The vehicle was not taken back to the dealer. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 127,000. The VIN was unavailable.
2012 ford fiesta. Consumer writes in regard to defective door latch. The consumer has contacted the dealer several times for repairs and informed by the dealer that parts were not available.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated while driving 50 mph and coming to a stop, she heard an abnormal sound and the vehicle started shuddering and inadvertently stalled. The "Transmission Failure" message appeared on the instrument panel along with several other unknown warning lights. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission had failed, and the failure was related to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 20V331000 (LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES). The contact stated the failure reoccurred while driving and the vehicle was taken to the dealer who informed the contact that the parts for the recall repair were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 105,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
Right front passenger door latch failed (155364 miles on odometer). Can't close/lock door. Latches were replaced under recall 2/28/18 @ 148,721 miles.*dt
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford fiesta. The contact stated that the rear passenger door was stuck in the open position. The contact attempted to close the door, but was unsuccessful. The dealer was not contacted and the failure recurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 153,750. The VIN was unknown.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford fiesta. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired by mac haik ford (515 I-35e, desoto, tx 75115, 469‑530‑3559) regarding the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v246000(latches/locks/linkages). Months later, the rear driver's side door opened while the vehicle was being driven on a highway. The contact pulled over to close the rear door. Bob tomes ford (950 s central expy, mckinney, tx 75071, 1‑888‑485‑3971) replaced the part, but it failed a third time. The contact felt that the same oem part was the source of the failures. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified that the recall remedy failed. The failure mileage was not available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford fiesta. The contact stated that the rear driver side door would not close and remain shut. The vehicle was taken to de paula ford (1101 central ave, albany, ny) and the door latch was replaced. The failure was remedied, but the same failure recently occurred on the front driver side door. The manufacturer was notified and stated that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v246000(structure). The contact indicated that the vehicle experienced the same failure listed in the recalls. The failure mileage was 40,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford fiesta. While driving 60 MPH, the front passenger door became ajar. The contact was unable to securely latch the door. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v246000 (latches/locks/linkages). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 81,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford fiesta. While driving 45 MPH, the driver side door opened without warning. The contact thought that she had not locked the door correctly, but the failure occurred again. While driving 45 MPH, the front and rear passenger side doors opened without warning the following day. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 37,000.
Questions about the 2012 Ford Fiesta locks
Does the 2012 Ford Fiesta have locks problems?
Owners have filed 57 complaints about the locks of the 2012 Ford Fiesta, 9% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2012 Ford Fiesta locks problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 45,345 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Ford Fiesta locks?
Yes, 2 recalls: 20V331000, 15V246000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Ford Fiesta have the most locks problems?
The Ford Fiesta model years with the most locks complaints are 2012 (57 complaints), 2013 (47 complaints) and 2011 (41 complaints).
Other 2012 Ford Fiesta problems
Transmission 274Body 128Engine 75Electrical 66Acceleration 40Lights 22Brakes 17Airbags 15Steering 13Fuel system 8Seats 8Driver assistance 7Tires 4Seat belts 3Suspension 3Visibility 3Wheels 2
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