Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
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's girlfriend owns a 2013 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the headlights were inoperable. Upon inspection, the contact noticed that there was corrosion on both headlight relays after opening the fuse box. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with headlight relay corrosion. The headlight relays needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 53,000.
we broke down in hopskinville kentucky at a gas station. had problems with going into drive and reverse. not wanting to shift. got it going on highway. wouldnt shift into gears lost of power. engine roars loudly and has difficulty shifting to higher gears when we attempt to accelerate. It feels like gears ears slipping or catching when speeding up or slowing down.Unpredictable shifting Trouble shifting into higher gear Trouble downshifting Getting stuck in the same gear. yes it has cause it would not shift and be stuck in the road.. took it to lovegreens in kirksville MO back at home. been nothing but issues and problems. they have lied to us and the ford customer service. they never ran a test on my vehicle they told ford that they havent done a test cause i was trying to get a loaner vehicle,. it has not been inspected. …
Static through speakers - possible cause, alternator, spark plugs, or faulty wiring. Passenger air bag light - comes on and off on its own randomly. Overheats - with fluids all topped off and car parked and running for 5 minutes it will start extremely overheating with visible smoke. Not sure why. Wire cover - plastic panel on ground towards front of door on driver side needs better coverage. Panel just keeps popping off showing wires. Not sure to what. If gets wet from getting in and out of car can shock you while your driving if touch it just right. Emergency break - don't work Warming indicator - says doors are open when they aren't. Headlights - work when they want to. Theft alarm - don't work Hood pop lever - the lever to pop your hood isn't connected well. The whole lever is just hanging under my steering wheel from the cords. …
Ford Fiesta 2013 had a transmission malfunction warning pop up and the car aggressively jerked back then wouldn't accelerate past 25 mph. The warning light stayed on. The car a couple miles after the incident wouldn't accelerate at all even though the engine was on. This type of stopping happened twice. This issue is not related to my driving or accident but due to Ford producing a car with set malfunctions.
I have a 2013 Ford Fiesta that I had financed through a 3rd party just right at a year . The ride was rough to begin with and I began experiencing problems such as a loud shrieking/grinding noise under the hood , which triggered the check engine light . Also pressing the gas and the car not accelerating properly which causes jerking , stalling , and etc. I had a mechanic look at it and did minor repairs but this problem is reoccurring. Recently , I was backing out of a parking spot and shifted the car into drive from being in reverse and pressed the gas and it didn't accelerate it just made a loud revving noise and jerked until I proceeded out the parking lot into traffic. The car continued to jerk really ridiculously, and I had to put on emergency lights and pull over into the nearest parking lot. I then had to call someone to trail me home. …
Key was not in the ignition, opened car door after work in parking lot and heard loud static coming from radio/audio system (this has happened several times before but the most recent incident was the worst). Please note the incident has happened while the car was moving up the 55 miles per hour and also while the car has been parked - key not in ignition. I hear 'cracking and popping' regularly and sometimes the volume is terrifying and startling. It could actually cause an auto crash - think about driving down the road and the audio system starts blaring static at 10+ unexpectedly... My radio/cd player does not work properly and if it does work for a few minutes, I will hear loud cracking and loud popping and then the radio/cd cuts off. The car feels 'electrified' (the hair on my arms has raised). …
Ongoing issue - key was not in the ignition, you hear loud static coming from radio/audio system. Please note this happens randomly while the car is moving or parked - key not in ignition. The radio no longer functions - you hear 'cracking and popping' regularly and sometimes the volume is startling driving down the road and the audio system starts blaring static, you jump reacting to the noise. This causes distracted driving which is illegal in california and many other states. This is a safety issue. There are hundreds of complaints online in many blogs about this product who are experiencing the same problem. Intervention by NHTSA is needed before someone is hurt in an accident from being distracted by this blaring noise. Some consumers can not afford to replace or remove the systems. …
I bought this car from a houston Honda dealership in May of 2017, I late September 2017, early October 2017, I took my car into the Honda dealership because my 'traction control', 'ABS', & 'anti-skid' lights came on. My radio cut in & out, my headlights would cut off and on/dim while driving, causing the gears in my car to shift. I was told to take it to Ford. I took it to Ford, they diagnosed it, I needed a new 'TCM' which is the computer system inside of the car. The warranty covered it, & I got a new one. After that, I was told I needed a new battery, so I got one, put it in, the car ran good for a month or so. The 'TCM' slipped again, & I was back to square one. November 2017 is then the transmission problems really began; interior dashboard lights began to flicker, & my engine light came on, shortly after exiting the highway, my car stopped accelerating. …
Turn signals stopped working, replaced bulbs with no luck. Checked fuses and it was blown, replaced fuse and it worked for about 45 minutes then blew the fuse again. Every time we replace the fuse it blows within an hour. Radio stopped working and would make very loud popping noise while driving. We finally had to pull the fuse for the radio to make it stop. So now there is no working radio as we are afraid to replace the fuse. My daughter drives this lemon daily as it is her only transportation to work. She still owes more for the car than she could get if she tried to trade it in on something else. This car needs to be classified as a lemon and taken off the roads. She has had nothing but problems since she bought it, but she didn't get it new so by the time she bought it of course there was no warranty and now she is stuck with it. …
There is an issue with the battery light randomly coming on when the vehicle is started, making one believe the vehicle's charging system is in need of repair. When this first occurred it was recommended since I was traveling close to 200 miles everyday, that I have the alternator replaced as it was thought a diode was going out. The alternator was replaced, and the vehicle still has this light come on and illuminate, making you think there is a problem. Even when light is on the charging system is operating as it should. All components are good. It randomly comes on and stays on, until the car is turned off and restarted, sometimes a couple cycles of the key is needed. I have seen on forums where owners have paid some major dollars tracking this issue. Problem is since it is random, the car's driver doesn't know whether there is an issue or not. …
Electrical complaints in other Fiesta years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2013 Ford Fiesta?
NHTSA has 62 complaints about the electrical system of the 2013 Ford Fiesta, 9% of the model year's 668 complaints. The component named most often is software (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2013 Ford Fiesta electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system 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 electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles, and 22% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to electrical system 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.