2013 Ford FIESTA - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2013 Ford Fiesta receives an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5, indicating above-average safety features across various crash scenarios. It excels in side crash and rollover ratings, scoring 5 out of 5. Additionally, it scores well in front crash and rollover categories with 4 out of 5 ratings.

One notable safety feature of this Ford Fiesta model is its standard electronic stability control, which helps maintain control in challenging driving conditions. However, it does not come equipped with forward collision warning or lane departure warning systems.

On the downside, there have been 641 complaints reported for this vehicle, which is quite high, and it also has 3 recalls associated with it. The number of recalls and complaints are important factors to consider when evaluating the overall safety and reliability of a car. It is recommended for owners to stay informed about any recalls and promptly address them with the manufacturer to ensure the safety of the vehicle.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

641

Recall Count

3

Investigation Count

3

Safety Rating

4/5

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Safety Features

2013 Ford Fiesta 4 DR FWD Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2013 Ford Fiesta 4 DR FWD

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2013 Ford Fiesta 4 DR FWD Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2013 Ford Fiesta 4 DR FWD Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2011 Score 2013 Score 2019 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating 4 4 4
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 5 5 5
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 4 4 4

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2011 Score 2013 Score 2019 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating 5 5 4
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 4 4 4
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5 4
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front 4 4 4
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear 5 5 4
Overall Side Barrier Rating 5 5 4

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2011 Score 2013 Score 2019 Score
Rollover Rating 4 4 4
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating 4 4 5

Complaints for the 2013 Ford FIESTA

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2013 ford fiesta. the contact stated while accelerating from a complete stop, the vehicle would jerk and would hesitate to respond. additionally, the contact stated that the failure recurred while driving from a complete stop, and the vehicle stalled in the middle of the road. the check engine warning light was illuminated. the contact stated that her husband depressed the accelerator pedal and was able to continue driving; however, the vehicle failed to exceed 20 mph. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the tcm was replaced under ford campaign number: 14m02. the contact stated that while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle was shuddering. the contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. the failure mileage was approximately 2,500."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2018-06-11

Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2013 ford fiesta. the contact stated that while his daughter was attempting to reverse; after shifting into reverse, the vehicle failed to move. the check engine warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission control module and the clutch. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the nhtsa hotline for assistance. the failure mileage was unknown."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2025-06-10

Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2013 ford fiesta. the contact stated while driving approximately 35 mph, the transmission seemed to have slipped out of gear, and the vehicle decelerated to 10 mph. as the contact depressed the accelerator, the vehicle was bucking into gear. the contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated and there was an indicator flashing that the transmission had overheated. the contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the tcm needed to be replaced. additionally, the tcm failure caused damages to the transmission and the transmission needed to be repaired. the vehicle had not been repaired. the contact drove the vehicle from the dealer to her residence; however, while driving, the vehicle stalled and was towed to the residence. the contact researched online and related the failure to customer satisfaction program: 14m02 automatic transmission control module (power train). the manufacturer had been informed of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 147,000."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2024-04-06

Complaint:
"the contact’s daughter owns a 2014 ford fiesta. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently decelerated while the accelerator pedal was depressed. the contact then stated that that while the accelerator pedal was depressed the vehicle hesitated. no warning lights was illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure could not be duplicated; however, the technician found that the clutch was slipping, and the clutch and shift forks failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vin was not included in a recall. the manufacturer referred the contact to the nhtsa hotline. the failure mileage was approximately 37,000."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2024-04-10

Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2013 ford fiesta. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 30-35 mph, the vehicle was shaking and shuddering. the vehicle failed to move forward and stalled. the vehicle was restarted. the “transmission overheating - service immediately” message was displayed. the vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where the transmission control module was replaced, and it was diagnosed that the clutch needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the nhtsa hotline. the failure mileage was approximately 171,000."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2023-12-09

Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2013 ford fiesta. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unintendedly shifted into neutral(n). additionally, the contact stated that the transmission failed to shift into reverse(r) as needed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, who performed a relearn, a visual inspection, and an adaptation test. no failure was found; however, the contact stated that the failure recurred. additionally, the check engine warning light was illuminated. the contact related the failure to customer satisfaction programs: 15n22 (transmission control module), 19n07 (transmission control module), and 14m02 (transmission control module). the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 52,901."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2021-03-02

Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2013 ford fiesta. the contact stated while attempting to shift into reverse, the vehicle failed to shift into the intended gear with the check engine warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to a dealer and the contact was informed that the transmission control module needed to be replaced. the contact was informed that the vehicle was not under recall. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not under recall and provide no further assistance. the failure mileage was 78,175."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2023-05-07

Complaint:
"the contact's daughter owns a 2013 ford fiesta. the contact stated that while her daughter was attempting to reverse out of a parking spot, the vehicle failed to respond with the engine revving. there was no warning light illuminated. the contact stated that her daughter turned off and restarted the vehicle several times; however, the failure persisted. the contact's daughter shifted into drive(d) and the vehicle responded. the vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the tcm needed to be replaced and that the failure was related to an unknown extended warranty program that had expired. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the nhtsa hotline for assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 100,000. the vin was not available."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2023-07-04

Complaint:
"i bought a ford fiesta in 2013 at ford parkway, winston salem. i received a letter from ford to recall this car due to the transmission being defective stating that i can either file a lawsuit or bring the car to ford to replace the transmission. ford said they would replace the transmission. after that, i noticed that the noise was a bit less than before and my wife started using the car but not daily because she has been working from home, which resulted in having less than 56k mileage. recently, i noticed that the car was not running smoothly, and a loud noise started to come every time i drive the car. i went to ford parkway, they said the entire transmission needs to be replaced, i told them that they should have done so when they said they did back to 2017. however, the service department informed me that they only replaced the outer shaft and the clutches back then, even though this was a known manufacturer defect issue and ford stopped making this model because of that. now, because of not driving this car daily for long miles like most people do, the transmission problem popped up later than expected and after my warranty period has expired which i wouldn't have benefit from it anyway because of the coverage that was for the transmission software only. i talked with the service director at ford parkway, and explained to him that the warranty period should have nothing to do with the defect issue because lots of people who were lucky enough discovered this fatal issue early enough to get reimbursed and settled from ford without waiting all that long as in my case because of not driving the car daily. i also talked to ford customer service and asked to speak with a regional manager, they refused and said that they opened a case for me but they could not let me talk with the regional manager because he couldn't do anything. i have the call ref number. please advise on how this fatal issue can be settled as it threats our safety every time we drive the car."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2023-08-03

Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2013 ford fiesta. the contact stated while driving 20 mph, the vehicle failed to accelerate properly. the contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the mechanic stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted, and the manufacturer stated that there was no recall for the failure and referred the contact to the nhtsa hotline to file a complaint. the failure mileage was 100,000."
Components Involved: POWER TRAIN
Date of incident: 2020-09-12

Recalls for the 2013 Ford FIESTA

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"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."
Consequence:
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.

Component(s) Involved: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES > DOORS > LATCH
Date of incident: 2015-04-24

Recall:
"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."
Consequence:
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.

Component(s) Involved: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES > DOORS > LATCH
Date of incident: 2020-06-08

FORD Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

FORD ranks 1 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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