Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2013 Ford Fiesta owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed however, the vehicle would not accelerate. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that as he restarted the vehicle and switched gears to drive, the vehicle would not move. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the brake calipers had seized onto the rotors. The contact stated that the brake calipers, brake pads, brake lines, and the rotors were replaced; however, the failure reoccurred intermittently while driving. The independent mechanic diagnosed that the ABS assembly needed to be replaced. …
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fiesta. The vehicle had failed to start. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to reverse. The transmission warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was not safe to drive. The contact related the failure to Ford Campaign Number: 14M02. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission clutch, the TCM, and the doors needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated that his vehicle was under recall NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V246000 (LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES). The contact stated that he went to get his vehicle repaired and was advised that there were no programs in place for the recall and that they will not repair his vehicle until it was known for a fact that Ford will reimburse the dealer. The contact stated it had been a long period of time that he had been waiting to get his vehicle repaired due to recall. The failure mileage was unknown
Rear Passenger Door Latch Failed. We were forced to use a ratchet strap to return home safely due to door swinging open on turns. The safety recall for this was created in 2015 but as of June 2023 there is still not a solution from Ford. They also will not reimburse any repair done after 2017. This is unacceptable.
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.
I purchased a 2013 Ford Fiesta I purchased on December 23, 2015 at the laurel, maryland carmax store. On Saturday, September 24th, I went to jim coleman Toyota to buy a Toyota prius. They examined my Ford for its trade-in value. The manager, who was a former carmax manager, examined the car and informed me that my Ford Fiesta has unibody damage. The rear driver's side as be replaced. The car has unibody damage was not disclosed to me when I purchased this car on December 23, 2015. I purchased the car for $14,000, which is far above the blue book value of $9,419. In March 2016, I bought the car to carmax in laurel for overheating. The heat pump was replaced for $250. Additionally, on September 15th, I paid for repairs at the carmax gaithersburg store. …
I was driving approximately 40 MPH when the right rear door of my vehicle flew open rapidly. I was afraid of the door striking another vehicle or injuring my passenger and had to quickly pull over. In order to pull over safely, the passenger was forced to grab ahold of the door so that I could steer the vehicle out of traffic. Once I reached the side of the road, we examined the door, at first thinking that perhaps it had been improperly shut. We discovered, in fact, that was not the case. There was some defect in the car that caused the door to fly open while the vehicle was in motion. The car was not drivable as-is because the door would not latch so we had to tie the door shut from the interior to drive it home safely. The dealership mechanic was not open at that time. Once home, I could not activate the alarm system so the car sat unlocked overnight with the interior lights on. …
This past Saturday, I opened my rear passenger side door, and it took a few attempts to close it again. It did not want to latch. I wasn't sure why it happened, and all but forgot about it. Later in the day, I picked up some friends from the airport, and the same thing happened. I opened the door to load in a suitcase and it took several attempts to get it to latch closed again. Then, on Sunday, I lent my car to my visiting friends, and while they were driving the door popped open. It did not fly open or cause alarm, it just came unlatched. When they stopped the car they used the seat belt to hold the door closed. They texted me to let me know what was happening. We discovered that just only two days earlier a recall had been issued on the door latches on my make and model of car. The most frustrating part is that the dealership says they are not ready to fix the problem. …
The rear passenger side door, where my son sits in his booster, stopped closing one afternoon on our way to his soccer game. I used a piece of rope to tie the door across the car to the door opposite until I could get my car into the Ford dealership the next day. I searched the internet and saw an article regarding other 2013 Ford Fiesta's having the same issue. I took my vehicle the next day to the dealership and since I was there I let them know that my car, which only had 15K miles on it, has a problem with acceleration. When I accelerate I hear an airy sound coming from the engine and I lose power so that I accelerate very slowly. This is a huge safety issue when getting onto the highway. I was advised when I picked up the car that the lock was a recall item as was an issue with the cooling system that they fixed. …
Background: NHTSA case no. 861644 , recall no. 15V246000 on September 15, 2015, the front right door of my vehicle failed to latch while I was unloading groceries while parked in my driveway. This problem was fixed by shamaley Ford as a recall repair. In September 2015, shamaley Ford stated to me, and apparently also to Ford motor co., that all four door latches were replaced, not just the front right door latch that failed. On July 31, 2016, I put one bag of groceries in the back seat and, I thought, closed the rear left door. I drove out of the parking lot. About a half-block away, I saw a dashboard warning light that my rear left door was not closed. I pulled off the road and attempted to close the door. I could not close the door. The latch of the rear left door of the vehicle failed. …
Body complaints in other Fiesta years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2013 Ford Fiesta?
NHTSA has 78 complaints about the body & structure of the 2013 Ford Fiesta, 12% of the model year's 668 complaints. The component named most often is body (56 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2013 Ford Fiesta body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2013 Ford Fiesta, though it has 3 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2013 Ford Fiesta body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 39,000 miles, and 33% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to body & structure problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.