The most persistent complaint is dust entering the cabin around the front and rear seats despite two dealer visits and door seal replacements. Ford's regional customer care manager told one owner this was a design issue with complaints from multiple regions, and no further fix was available.
The second major issue is interior door handle failure. Owners report the driver-side return spring unseating, preventing the door from latching safely. Some owners point to NHTSA Campaign 15V040000 and recall 15S02, but Ford refused coverage on at least one vehicle because it was built six months after the recall cutoff date—even though the defect was identical. Multiple owners waited months for recall parts that never arrived; one owner's car sat outside deteriorating while the dealer held it for the recall work.
Owners also note difficulty entering and exiting the vehicle, citing low seating height and ground clearance as design constraints.
One complaint mentions ABS and brake warning lights along with a Takata recall reference, though details are sparse.
Failure modes owners describe
Door seal leakage / dust ingress
Dust entering the cabin around front and rear seats despite dealer replacement of door seals on two separate occasions. Ford acknowledged this as a design issue and confirmed similar complaints from other regions.
When: August 2013 (after multiple dealer visits)
Symptoms owners cite: Dust coming in around front and rear seats; Persistent issue despite seal replacement
Repairs/costs cited: Door seals replaced twice by dealer; problem not resolved.
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Ford stated design issue; no further remedy available.
Interior door handle / latch failure
Driver-side and/or rear interior door handles become loose or inoperable, with return springs unseating so the door will not latch properly. Affects 2011 model-year cars both inside and outside the stated recall window. Multiple owners cite NHTSA Campaign 15V040000 (Structure) and recall 15S02.
When: Occurred at 89,000 miles in one case; timing varies by owner
Symptoms owners cite: Interior door handle loose; Return spring unseated; Door will not latch or does not feel safe; Door latch defective
Codes mentioned: 15V040000, 15S02
Repairs/costs cited: Recall parts unavailable for extended periods (some cases months); dealers unable to complete repairs; one owner charged $300+ for separate work while waiting.
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: NHTSA Campaign 15V040000 issued; Ford refused coverage on some vehicles built outside the recalled date range despite identical defect.
Difficulty entering/exiting vehicle
Vehicle design makes it difficult for certain body types to enter and exit. Consumer cited doorway height, seating design, and low ground clearance as contributing factors.
When: Not specified
Symptoms owners cite: Difficulty entering vehicle; Difficulty exiting vehicle; Low ground clearance
Synthesized from 10 NHTSA owner complaints — unverified consumer
allegations, summarized for patterns. The verbatim filings appear below.