Fiesta named as 1 of 13 cars to avoid buying by Forbes

[XR650R]

The normal fiesta is regularly in the worst cars, or least reliable cars because of the automatic transmission.

It's not even that bad. People who drive automatics just thought it felt weird.

 

[XanRules]

It's not even that bad. People who drive automatics just thought it felt weird.

The Powershift is prone to failure. I forget the specifics but it's a design flaw - my understanding is that it's never a question of if that transmission is going to blow up, but when.

Okay I looked up the specifics - due to the design of the transmission, the clutch material and TCM solder are both prone to overheating. The clutch material then transfers onto the transmission case and eventually the clutch wears out AND the inside of the transmission case gets gooped up with clutch material, and the TCM chip/solder can crack which obviously impacts the performance of the module itself.

In contrast, the Fiesta ST uses a fairly stout Getrag unit. I rarely hear about them blowing up, even at higher power levels than stock.

Regarding the OP, however, "overpriced" is a bizarre claim for sure. I've seen brand-new Fiesta SEs listed for under $10k.

 

[BRGT350]

The Powershift is bad, in fact it is horrible, beyond horrible. It is the Jim Hackett of transmissions. I would say the Powershift ruined the Fiesta since it was marked down and attacked over quality and reliability from the very beginning. Sadly, every Fiesta model took a hit thanks to that transmission. I can't tell you how many people during the Fiesta Movement with the ST and comments on my YouTube page are convinced the ST uses the same 6-speed automatic. Ford should have pulled it as soon as they could and installed a normal transmission and just taken a hit in MPG. The transmission was needed to hit their performance and MPG target along with really long gear ratios in the 5-speed. Both the 5-speed and Powershift were terrible in comparison to the IB-5 in the European car. My EU Fiesta felt lighter, faster, and more athletic in comparison to my 2011 with a 5-speed.

As for being costly, I am not following where Forbes is coming from. My dad just bought a new Fiesta sedan for $13k. That is the same price I paid for my Focus, 18 years ago! Since Ford is no longer going to make cars, except for the Mustang, and taking their SUV's upmarket. I have been researching what cars or crossovers I would consider driving. In doing so, you realize how good of a value the Fiesta ST is. I have been looking at Audi, Jaguar, Alfa Romeo, BMW, and Mazda. You really need to start piling on the options for what the ST comes with at half of the price point. When you look at hp/dollar, the ST is an outstanding value! The Fiesta was never designed to be the cheapest of the B-segment cars, it was always targeted to be a premium B-segment car that would provide the features of a far larger car for people looking to downsize and not wanting to give up their features. It wasn't a Yaris. It was closer to being a Mini Cooper. That reminds me that I should start looking back at Coopers again. I honestly haven't found anything that provides the same level of value, performance, looks, racing heritage, quality, and with a hatch that compares to the Fiesta. Even at $50k as a ceiling, there just isn't a lot of vehicles out there that compare. VW might, but I refuse to ever consider a VW. I would rather walk.

 

[ShadowBlackMower]

ST costly?? People are buying them new for under 20k. Doesn't seem costly for what you get to me...

Yeah, I paid $19k OTD with extended warranty, tech package/rado gray wheel options only with 203 miles on it

 

[Scotman2]

As far as reliability goes, the basic manual transmission Fiesta is considered average. The Powershift is what wrecked it for Fiesta. Although, i have driven several Powershift Fiesta rental cars in the last six months with no unusual issues. So, maybe the multiple engineering updates and software fixes seem to be working. I think it strange that almost none of the bad reputation has stuck to the many thousands of Focus with the same transmission and issues.
I plan to find a nice 2005 or 06 Mazda 6. Sport wagon with the 2.5 v6 and manual transmission or a Jaguar X type wagon, as my next vehicle purchase. My 97 Mercury Sable wagon is past its prime as a beater.

 

[austinpowers]

I paid 18k and change for my 2017 ST 201a. Has 3400 on it now. Just took a trip from Tulsa to Dallas and back with 3 adults in the car comfortably. I love the car it is so fun to drive, great value. I have already upgraded the wheels and tires and cold air intake plus sync 3 3.0. Forbes couldn't be more wrong I had a 14 SE hatch before this 70k miles TCM went out once but it's free under warranty even after 60k miles.

 

[BRGT350]

As far as reliability goes, the basic manual transmission Fiesta is considered average. The Powershift is what wrecked it for Fiesta. Although, i have driven several Powershift Fiesta rental cars in the last six months with no unusual issues. So, maybe the multiple engineering updates and software fixes seem to be working. I think it strange that almost none of the bad reputation has stuck to the many thousands of Focus with the same transmission and issues.
I plan to find a nice 2005 or 06 Mazda 6. Sport wagon with the 2.5 v6 and manual transmission or a Jaguar X type wagon, as my next vehicle purchase. My 97 Mercury Sable wagon is past its prime as a beater.

The 2011-2012 Fiesta and Focus Powershifts were really bad. I drove a number of them as rentals and they were scary. I had a 2016 Fiesta rental in Hawaii with a Powershift and it was far better. My dad has a Powershift in his 2016 Focus and he noticed it has started to act up in the last few months. The newer ones are so much better than the first few years. I would say the 2011 Fiesta Powershift was the worst and so many owners couldn't drive their new cars due to problems, no fixes, backordered parts, faulty programming, leaks, and odd behavior. Critics jumped on the first year of a new transmission and used it to beat on the Fiesta for the rest of it's life. Counting the Fiesta Movement cars, I have had 4 Fiesta's and the only problems were a bricked MFT in the ST and a dead battery from the GPS tracker in the European car. Considering how much time our Escape has been in the shop for repairs, the Fiesta is vastly more reliable.

 

[D1JL]

I owned a '11 Fiesta SES with the PowerShift and it worked great, I never had a bit of trouble.
I now own a "14 Fist and have enjoyed every minute of it.

However I must agree with Forbes.
I would never buy a Fiesta.


Dave

 

[captainmorbid]

My first Fiesta was a DCT, I had no catastrophic issues with it. I actually enjoyed how it shifted. I did have a bearing failure, and while it was in for that it had a axle seal replaced.

I’m with Dave, I’ll never buy Fiesta, especially not two 2011s and a 2017 ST. Nope.


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