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2013 Ford Fiesta: Problems, Recalls and MPG

What this means

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 2013 Ford Fiesta, most recently filed June 2020. Owners have filed 667 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the power train. In NHTSA crash tests it earned 4 stars overall.

Data summary generated from official records. Methodology Data: NHTSA, DOT, EPA · Refreshed Oct 6, 2026
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Recalls (3)

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 2013 Ford Fiesta. Check whether yours was repaired with NHTSA's free VIN lookup ↗

Only NHTSA and your automaker know whether your specific car was repaired. PlainVIN shows every recall campaign listed for a model year, with the official text and how many cars have been fixed so far.

Check on NHTSA ↗
Listed for 2013 Ford Fiesta. Not checked against your VIN.
Recall 20V331000 Filed Jun 8, 2020

Doors May Open While Driving

Latches/locks/linkages · doors · latch
Official NHTSA text
Summary
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.
58.4% repairedof 2,147,323 vehicles
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA or ask a dealer to check campaign 20V331000
Listed for 2013 Ford Fiesta. Not checked against your VIN.
Recall 15V246000 Filed Apr 24, 2015

Doors may Unexpectedly Open

Latches/locks/linkages · doors · latch
Official NHTSA text
Summary
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.
70.4% repairedof 456,440 vehicles
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA or ask a dealer to check campaign 15V246000
Listed for 2013 Ford Fiesta. Not checked against your VIN.
Recall 12V488000 Filed Oct 5, 2012

Passenger Side Curtain Air Bag/FMVSS 208

Air bags
Official NHTSA text
Summary
Ford is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Fiesta vehicles, manufactured from November 3, 2009 through September 21, 2012. The vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 208, "Occupant Crash Protection." The passenger side curtain air bag will not deploy in the event of a side impact collision when the front passenger seat is empty. Although the side curtain air bag system was designed to suppress the side curtain air bag under this scenario, that information is not explained in the owner's guide for these vehicles as required by FMVSS No. 208.
Consequence
An occupant in the right rear seating position will not have coverage from the side curtain air bag in a side impact collision when the front passenger seat is empty, increasing the risk of injury to the right rear occupant.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners and dealers will reprogram the vehicle's software free of charge so that it no longer suppresses the passenger side curtain air bag when the front passenger seat is empty, and consistent with the description in the owner's guide. The safety recall began on October 26, 2012. Owner's may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332.
Repair progress not yet reported154,471 vehicles potentially affected
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA or ask a dealer to check campaign 12V488000

PlainVIN shows public government records for education. It isn't a vehicle inspection or legal advice. Check your own VIN with NHTSA or your dealer.

Owner complaints (667)

667 complaints filed with NHTSA (owner reports, not verified findings). The power train is mentioned most often.

12involved a crash
4involved a fire
9injuries reported
0deaths reported

As reported by owners in their complaints. These are reports, not NHTSA findings.

Most-reported components

Complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2013 Ford Fiesta, by component (top 10). One complaint can list several components, so these add up to more than 667.Source: NHTSA ODI owner complaints · Retrieved Oct 6, 2026 · Report a data error

How 2013 compares with other Fiesta years

Best and worst Fiesta years →
2001200220112012201320142015201620172018
This year (2013)Other yearsStill collecting reports

Counts are owner reports, not failure rates. Higher sales years tend to draw more reports. Owners are still filing reports for recent model years, so these counts will grow. Source: NHTSA ODI, retrieved Oct 6, 2026.

Crash tests: 4 stars overall

Overall★★★★☆
Frontal crashDriver 5★ · Passenger 4★★★★★☆
Side crashDriver 4★ · Passenger 5★★★★★★
Side pole★★★★☆
RolloverRollover risk 14.3%★★★★☆
Front seat of a modern car with the seat belt buckled across the passenger seat
Compare fairly. Compare stars only between vehicles of similar size and weight. Ratings apply to the tested configuration.

Source: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP), 2013 Ford Fiesta 4 dr fwd, retrieved Oct 6, 2026.

Fuel economy: up to 32 mpg combined

32
mpg combined
29
city
37
highway
EPA annual fuel cost
$2,100
CO₂ tailpipe
275 g/mi
EPA class
Subcompact Cars

What it costs you to run

$2,041per year
$170per month
469gallons a year

Miles ÷ 32 mpg × $4.354 (EIA US average regular, week of Oct 5, 2026, all taxes included). Source: EPA · EIA.

EPA label estimates from lab tests; your mileage will vary.

Specs by configuration

2013 Ford Fiesta configurations with EPA data
Engine · transmissionDriveCity / Hwy / CombEPA $/yrCO₂ g/mi
1.6 L 4-cyl · AutomaticFront-Wheel Drive29 / 37 / 32$2,100275
1.6 L 4-cyl · 5-speed manualFront-Wheel Drive29 / 37 / 32$2,100276
1.6 L 4-cyl · AutomaticFront-Wheel Drive29 / 38 / 32$2,100272

Source: EPA fuel economy data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026. Configurations are listed when EPA and NHTSA records match.

Used blue SUV on a sunny dealer lot with its hood open and a clipboard on the fender

Looking at a 2013 Fiesta for sale?

Print a one-page buyer's checklist: each recall campaign with a box to tick when the seller shows proof of repair, the top complaint areas to inspect, crash stars, MPG, and a link back to this page.

All Fiesta years

Where to next

2013 Ford Fiesta FAQ

How many recalls does the 2013 Ford Fiesta have?

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns: 20V331000 (latch), 15V246000 (latch), 12V488000 (air bag). Use NHTSA's VIN lookup to see whether a specific car was repaired.

What are the most common 2013 Ford Fiesta problems?

Owners filed 667 complaints with NHTSA. Power train (391), Engine (109), Unknown or other (91) are mentioned most. These are owner reports, not verified findings.

What mpg does the 2013 Ford Fiesta get?

EPA rates the 1.6 L 4-cyl · Automatic version at 29 city, 37 highway and 32 combined mpg. Other configurations are listed in the fuel economy section.

What safety rating did the 2013 Ford Fiesta get?

NHTSA rated the 2013 Ford Fiesta 4 dr fwd 4 stars overall, with 4 stars frontal, 5 stars side and 4 stars rollover (14.3% rollover risk).

How does the 2013 Fiesta compare with other years?

Among the 2001–2018 Ford Fiesta model years at least five years old, the 2001 drew the fewest complaints (1) and the 2011 the most (730). The 2013 drew 667. Counts are owner reports, not failure rates.

How this page was madeSources, processing, limits, review and changes

Processing

  • Complaints are counted per component. One complaint can list several, so component totals add up to more than the total.
  • Fuel cost = miles per year ÷ EPA combined mpg × EIA weekly price for your region.

Limitations

  • Complaint counts are owner reports, not verified findings or failure rates. There is no sales denominator.
  • Recall campaigns are listed for the model year. Only NHTSA and the automaker know whether a specific car was repaired.
  • Recent model years are still collecting reports.

Review

Data compiled automatically from the official files listed here.

Changelog

  • 2026-10-06 Data refreshed from the official files.
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