Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power windows, windshield, wipers, mirrors, sunroof).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2013 Ford Focus owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the windshield wipers were inadvertently activated. The windshield wipers failed to operate when the contact attempted to activate the wipers. The contact was unable to drive the vehicle when it rained due to the failure. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The mechanic informed the contact that an unknown part needed to be replaced and the vehicle needed to be taken to the dealer for repair. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was not manufactured with the unknown part and the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
There are multiple issues going wrong with my car and I have 5 children and this makes me angry and scared to drive it 1. Vehicle completely shuts down if you go under 1/4 tank and NOT on red at all! No gas light or anything 2. The hesitation from stop to go is getting worse" mechanics tell me this is normal" for a focus and now sometimes when accelerating on the highway it gets stuck in certain speeds and feels rougher 3. Now there is a chain like rattling noise upon idle that is annoying and embarrassing 4 the codes state oxygen sensor ,speed sensor,fuel valve issue, and power train and abs... It's 100.00 per issue to diagnose. How is anyone able to afford this? I'm not a mechanic but everytime I take my car in they give it back saying there's no issue or I have to pay more fees to find the issue before anything can be replaced? This is crazy! …
I was backing out of my parents drive way and as soon as I turned my wheel straight the wind shield wipers started going and would not stop I turned my car off and took the key out and they still would not stop and then they stopped working completely. They worked for 3 days like usual and then they started going by themselves again and are currently not working, I've talked to people who have had this issue and they had a recall on their wipers. If it starts raining I can not see because sometimes they refuse to work, and when they start going by themselves it's harder for me to see because they go full speed and will not stop even when the car is off and the key is out, they went for about 20 minutes while my car was off. This is a serious saftey issue and it's happened to multiple other people with the same vehicle as me and they did everything to try to fix it and nothing worked.
Ford Focus 2013 se - while driving (in motion), driver's side door unlatched and swung open, and would not close, horn stopped working, interior displays and lights flickered, when pulled over, car would not start. If we were on a highway it would have been tremendously dangerous. Later car did start, but door would not latch, radio was reset, hazards would turn on and off at random. Door latch and horn would not work after this event. Shortly prior to this issue, horn started working at random, wipers would not turn off. When inspected, advised battery was bad and had corroded negative wire to battery. One week after replaced, this event occurred. Clutch in vehicle also jitters when increasing speed from full stop, allegedly corrected at Ford dealership after recall (2 years ago). Per research this issue is being caused by a faulty clutch interfering with electrical system.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the windshield wipers activated independently and continued to stay on even after the contact turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the an electrical short in the windshield wiper module caused the wiper blades to fail to respond and advised the contact to take the vehicle to a dealer. The vehicle was taken to billy howell Ford Lincoln 1805 atlanta hwy, cumming, ga 30040 where the dealer stated that the vehicle was not under recall but offered to diagnose the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.
My wife ran out of gas on the highway, at highway speed, when the gauge said she had many more miles to go until empty. She did not expect to run out of fuel and doing so caused a great risk of person al injury and even greater inconvenience. The dealer May want to charge money to fix a problem that is most likely the same parts that I have heard are on recall for the 2012 Focus. There also seems to be a wiring issue with the wiper system. It was discovered to not be working one day when I went to use the wiper washer fluid to clean the windshield. There was no fuse problems or warnings that thing might be a problem. This is also most likely a recurring model year issue that has not been fixed but also has not been recalled yet.
I was driving my car out of the gas station and I turned left and honked the horn because someone was still sitting at the green light. As I turned my steering wheel back straight the wipers came on by themselves and wouldn't go back off. This has been going on for a year. They turn on by themselves even when the key is out of the ignition. I have video proof not pictures. They don't work in the rain and I've tried just about everything I can to fix them but to no avail. If you look up wipers coming on by themselves on 2013 Ford Focus you'll see that my car isn't the only one doing this. I'm scared someone is going to get injured or possibly killed because they couldn't see when a rainstorm sneaks up on them.
While driving at highway speeds in the rain, front wipers stopped working causing visibility issues. Rear wipers continued to work correctly. After parking, we tried the wipers again, still would not work. Tried wipers again later in day in a garage, they still would not work. Checked fuse, fuse is still good. Swapped fuse with another known working fuse, both fuses worked but wipers still did not work. Later wipers started working without prompt, again causing visibility issues as it was not raining, but would not slow down or turn off. Shut car off, removed key from ignition and wipers continued to run until fuse was pulled again.
"Takata recall" windshield wipers come on randomly, they will speed up and slow down. They will not turn off even when car is parked and key is out of ignition. This is a very serious safety hazard. I have had to drive down the road when it is not raining and the windshield wipers turn on by themselves. I am concerned this will also drain my battery and/or be a fire hazard. This has happened while driving, sitting stationary, and when car is completely off. I do not have a document to upload as I was driving but I can take a video if needed.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 Ford Focus. The contact stated that the windshield wipers failed to operate as intended. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer priority Ford (3420 n military hwy, norfolk, va 23518, [phone]) where it was diagnosed with needing the body security module (BSM) fuse box to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000.
Window & Wiper complaints in other Focus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are window & wiper problems on the 2013 Ford Focus?
NHTSA has 29 complaints about the windows, wipers & sunroof of the 2013 Ford Focus, 1% of the model year's 2,112 complaints. The component named most often is sun/moon roof assembly (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2013 Ford Focus window & wiper problems?
No. NHTSA lists no windows, wipers & sunroof recall for the 2013 Ford Focus, though it has 11 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 Focus window & wiper problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 33% before 25,000 miles.
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.