2013 Ford Fiesta problems
NHTSA has received 918 complaints about the 2013 Ford Fiesta, and 42% of them involve drivetrain & axles. After that come engine (12%) and body & structure (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 918 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Drivetrain & axles 42% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 19 and 10
- Injuries and deaths
- 14 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 30,000 miles 754 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 313 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 119 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 115 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 85 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 58 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 21 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 14 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 21 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 8 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 754 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 30,000 miles. For drivetrain & axles specifically, the median reported mileage is about 20,000 miles (315 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 19 complaints mention a crash; 10 complaints mention a fire; 14 injuries reported. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 86% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2013 ranks 2nd most-complained-about out of 9 model years of the Ford Fiesta with enough data (693 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
This happened back in NOV. 2016. I seen the the recall from Ford on 2.9 million cars. Although my make and model is not specifically named in the recall, it is exactly what happened to me. I went to eat at a diner and pulled in to the parking space. I put the car in park, and took my foot off the brake. When I did so, my car jumped forward on to the sidewalk and crashed into the building. This caused both myself and my mother who was 82 at the time to be thrown forward toward the dash and front windshield.
The vehicle suffered a direct rear impact from another vehicle traveling approximately 95 mph while this Ford Fiesta was traveling 60 mph forward. Both front seats were positioned upright with a properly seated driver and a passenger seated whilst turning his body behind the seat. The impact was severe enough to trigger the Ford Fiesta's SOS Post-Crash Alert System. As a result of the impact, both front seats of the vehicle broke free of their positions and reclined backwards.
Tl* the contact owned a 2013 ford fiesta. The contact stated that while driving about 45 MPH, the second vehicle in front slammed on their brakes causing the vehicle in front to abruptly stop as a result the contact rear end the vehicle in front. The brake was stiff and was unable to brake. There were no warning lights. The hood, headlight, radiator, and front bumper were destroyed but the air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained muscle aches and pains and was taken to the emergency center.
Was at a complete stop. Went to step on gas to turn right and the car would not go above 7 MPH for about 8 seconds, then it shifted hard into second gear and sped down the street. I completed 4 more turns around the block of my housing track and at all 4 it did the same thing until I reached my driveway and had it towed to a dealer.
The car makes a terrible grinding sound. I noticed it stutter at take off and took it to the dealership. The service manager said the clutch had to be replaced, a common issue with the ford fiesta. After the clutch was replaced, the grinding sound remained. Even with a new clutch, the car makes me nervous. Needless to say, dissatisfied with this service department, I described the grinding sound to a service manager at another dealership. He told me the grinding is normal and that there's nothing that can be done.