2013 Ford Fiesta Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Fiesta years
- Far more complaints than other years 2nd of 11 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- 4 out of 5 stars
Owners have filed 668 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Ford Fiesta. That ranks 2nd out of 11 Fiesta model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is power train (391 complaints, 59%), typically at around 20,000 miles. Complaints mention 12 crashes, 4 fires, 9 injuries. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 3 defect investigations involving it.
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- 668owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 3NHTSA investigations
- 12complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2013 Ford Fiesta problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train problems | 391 | 59% | 20,000 | “grinding noise” (6%) | — |
| Engine problems | 110 | 16% | 17,650 | “take off” (9%) | — |
| Unknown or Other | 91 | 14% | 48,200 | — | — |
| Structure problems | 78 | 12% | 39,000 | “door latch” (44%) | — |
| Electrical System problems | 62 | 9% | 58,000 | “engine malfunction” (11%) | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 47 | 7% | 52,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 43 | 6% | 15,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 14 | 2% | 30,663 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 13 | 2% | 40,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 13 | 2% | 54,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 10 | 1% | 90,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 10 | 1% | 18,304 | — | — |
| Suspension | 7 | 1% | 16,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 1% | 24,204 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 4 | 1% | 73,500 | — | — |
| Steering | 4 | 1% | 46,500 | — | — |
| Seats | 3 | 0% | 63,002 | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 2 | 0% | 22,500 | — | — |
| Wheels | 2 | 0% | 29,250 | — | — |
| Equipment | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 0% | 500 | — | — |
| Lane Departure | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 0% | 40,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 1 | 0% | 500 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 1 | 0% | 1 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2013 Ford Fiesta recalls (3)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch
Problem: 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.
Fix: 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.
Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch
Problem: 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.
Fix: 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.
Air bags
Problem: Ford is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Fiesta vehicles, manufactured from November 3, 2009 through September 21, 2012. The vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 208, "Occupant Crash Protection." The passenger side curtain air bag will not deploy in the event of a side impact collision when the front passenger seat is empty. Although the side curtain air bag system was designed to suppress the side curtain air bag under this scenario, that information is not explained in the owner's guide for these vehicles as required by FMVSS No. 208.
Risk: An occupant in the right rear seating position will not have coverage from the side curtain air bag in a side impact collision when the front passenger seat is empty, increasing the risk of injury to the right rear occupant.
Fix: Ford will notify owners and dealers will reprogram the vehicle's software free of charge so that it no longer suppresses the passenger side curtain air bag when the front passenger seat is empty, and consistent with the description in the owner's guide. The safety recall began on October 26, 2012. Owner's may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Door Latch Failures (RQ19005) — opened Dec 19, 2019, closed Feb 7, 2022, led to recall 20V177000.
- Door Latch Failure (EA15002) — opened Feb 27, 2015, closed Nov 13, 2015, led to recall 15V246000.
- Door Latch Failure (PE14028) — opened Sep 11, 2014, closed Mar 18, 2015, led to recall 20E010000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
My transmission is going out I call ford they tell me there's no recalls on my transmission but I paid for a vin recall check and there is a recall on my transmission
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fiesta. The contact received the recall notification letter for NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V331000 (latches, locks, and linkages). The contact stated that the passenger-side door opened while driving at 30-35 MPH. While her daughter was driving, the passenger side rear…
The vehicle experienced a sudden transmission failure while driving. Before the failure, the car began shuddering and hesitating during acceleration. It then started making loud metal grinding noises from the transmission area and eventually lost the ability to move properly when placed in Drive or…
I was driving down [XXX] . I stopped at a stoplight. When the light turned green I pressed the gas to accelerate when suddenly mid intersection my transmission went out causing me to have no power. Approximately 5 minutes prior to this I did get a message about a transmission malfunction. Due to…
My low beam heads both stopped working at the same time. Upon investigation I identified the problem came from corrosion of the relay in the battery junction box. This problem exactly matches a Ford recall for some 2013 Ford fiesta manufactured in Canada. My vehicle is not covered by this recall…
Other Ford Fiesta years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 Fiesta | 105 | 3 |
| 2018 Fiesta | 35 | 0 |
| 2017 Fiesta | 74 | 0 |
| 2016 Fiesta | 178 | 0 |
| 2015 Fiesta | 258 | 4 |
| 2014 Fiesta | 503 | 7 |
| 2013 | 668 | 3 |
| 2012 Fiesta | 617 | 3 |
| 2011 Fiesta | 730 | 3 |
| 2002 Fiesta | 1 | 0 |
| 2001 Fiesta | 1 | 0 |
See all Ford Fiesta problems by year, every Ford model, or the Ford VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2013 Ford Fiesta?
Owners most often report power train, engine, unknown or other problems. The top one, power train, accounts for 391 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2013 Ford Fiesta?
Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2013 Ford Fiesta a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Fiesta model years, the 2013 has far more complaints than most years, and NHTSA rates it 4 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.