Model year record

2013 Ford Fiesta recalls & problems

The 2013 Ford Fiesta has 3 safety recalls and 668 owner complaints on file with NHTSA. The most-reported problem area is power train (393 complaints).

Recalls3safety recalls

Complaints668filed by owners

Crashes · fires12 · 4reported in complaints

NHTSA overall4 ★crash-test stars

2013 Ford Fiesta in an NHTSA crash test — NHTSA crash test

Safety recalls

Latches/locks/linkagesJun 8, 2020

Doors › Latch

Recall 20V3310002,147,323 vehiclesopened after NHTSA action (ODI)

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/linkagesApr 24, 2015

Doors › Latch

Recall 15V246000456,440 vehiclesopened after NHTSA action (ODI)

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 bagsOct 5, 2012

Air bags

Recall 12V488000154,471 vehicles

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.

Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.

Crash test ratings

2013 Ford Fiesta 5 HB FWD

Overall★★★★★

Frontal crash	★★★★★
Side crash	★★★★★
Rollover	★★★★★
Rollover risk	14.3%

2013 Ford Fiesta 4 DR FWD

Overall★★★★★

Frontal crash	★★★★★
Side crash	★★★★★
Rollover	★★★★★
Rollover risk	14.3%

2013 Ford Fiesta NHTSA side crash test — NHTSA side barrier crash test

2013 Ford Fiesta NHTSA side pole crash test — NHTSA side pole crash test

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (New Car Assessment Program). Ratings are comparable only between vehicles of similar size and weight, and ratings from 2011 on use tougher tests than earlier years. Photos: NHTSA.

Fuel economy

Fiesta FWD

32mpg combined

City / highway	29 / 37 mpg
Fuel	Regular Gasoline

1.6 L · 4 cyl · Automatic (AM6) · Front-Wheel Drive · about $2,100/year to fuel

Fiesta FWD

32mpg combined

City / highway	29 / 37 mpg
Fuel	Regular Gasoline

1.6 L · 4 cyl · Manual 5-spd · Front-Wheel Drive · about $2,100/year to fuel

Fiesta SFE FWD

32mpg combined

City / highway	29 / 38 mpg
Fuel	Regular Gasoline

1.6 L · 4 cyl · Automatic (AM6) · Front-Wheel Drive · about $2,100/year to fuel

EPA estimates from fueleconomy.gov for each engine and transmission sold. Annual cost is the EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current fuel and electricity price assumptions. Your results will vary.

What owners report

Problem area	Complaints	Crashes	Fires	Injuries	Typical mileage*
Power trainAutomatic transmission; Clutch assembly	393	4	0	1	20,000 mi
Engine	110	2	4	1	17,650 mi
Unknown or other	91	2	3	4	48,200 mi
StructureBody; Body › Door	78	1	0	0	39,000 mi
Electrical systemSoftware	62	0	1	0	58,000 mi
Latches/locks/linkagesDoors › Latch	47	1	0	1	52,000 mi
Vehicle speed control	43	0	0	0	15,000 mi
Fuel/propulsion system	14	0	0	0	30,662 mi
Air bagsSensor › Occupant classification › Front passenger; Sensor › Occupant classification	14	5	0	3	61,000 mi
Electronic stability control (esc)	13	0	1	1	54,000 mi
Service brakes	10	3	0	1	18,304 mi
Exterior lightingHeadlights	10	0	0	0	90,000 mi

*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.

Recent owner complaints

Engine
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
Sep 3, 2026
Latches/locks/linkages
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 door came ajar. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was able to inspect and confirm the failure. The repair was approved then denied. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, who referred her to another dealer. The approximate failure mileage was 88,000.
May 13, 2026 · 88,000 miles
Power train
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 Reverse. This created a safety risk because the vehicle could not accelerate normally in traffic and became difficult to control. The issue appears related to the transmission and/or clutch system. Warning messages and abnormal shifting behavior occurred prior to the failure. I previously asked a dealership in 2020/2021 to inspect and repair the transmission issues while the vehicle was still…
Apr 16, 2026
Power train
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 the transmission going out I was stuck in the intersection. I had it towed to a shop where they have confirmed that the Transmission Control Module (TCM) has failed. There are a couple parts of the transmission that they have not been able to confirm whether they are working due to the TCM failing. I believe that the TCM failing can put drivers in a potentially unsafe position like it did to me. I…
Mar 21, 2026
Exterior lighting
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, but the problem and failure point is identical. The text of that recall is as follows: "Safety recall in certain Canadian provinces of select 2012-13 Ford Fiesta vehicles for potential battery junction-box corrosion Ford is issuing a safety recall for certain 2012-13 Ford Fiesta vehicles in the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island…
Feb 9, 2026
Power train
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, there was a loud rattling sound coming from the vehicle and the vehicle experienced a loss of power and decelerated. The vehicle was driven to a nearby service station. After restarting the vehicle and shifting to drive(D), the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The vehicle was later towed to the local mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was 131,000.
Dec 12, 2025 · 131,000 miles
Power train
My car has 74,000 actual miles and the transmission is acting up kicking out of gear and loosing coummcation with the tcm and a sensor comes on about bad clutch pack
Dec 31, 2001
Structure › Body
Top of the driver side door handle broke free from the door. The car has previously been cleared of any recall defects - but a loose door handle may absolutely have something to do with the inner workings of the door/latch and may be a safety issue.
Apr 2, 2025

Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.

NHTSA defect investigations

Door Latch FailuresClosedLed to recall 20V177000
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…
RQ19005 · opened Dec 19, 2019 · closed Feb 7, 2022
Door Latch FailureClosedLed to recall 15V246000
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…
EA15002 · opened Feb 27, 2015 · closed Nov 13, 2015
Door Latch FailureClosedLed to recall 20E010000
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…
PE14028 · opened Sep 11, 2014 · closed Mar 18, 2015