2013 FORD FIESTA Complaints

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fiesta. The contact received the recall notification letter for NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V331000 (latches, locks, and linkages). The contact stated that the passenger-side door opened while driving at 30-35 MPH. While her daughter was driving, the passenger side rear door came ajar. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was able to inspect and confirm the failure. The repair was approved then denied. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, who referred her to another dealer. The approximate failure mileage was 88,000.

The vehicle experienced a sudden transmission failure while driving. Before the failure, the car began shuddering and hesitating during acceleration. It then started making loud metal grinding noises from the transmission area and eventually lost the ability to move properly when placed in Drive or Reverse. This created a safety risk because the vehicle could not accelerate normally in traffic and became difficult to control. The issue appears related to the transmission and/or clutch system. Warning messages and abnormal shifting behavior occurred prior to the failure. I previously asked a dealership in 2020/2021 to inspect and repair the transmission issues while the vehicle was still under warranty, but they stated the problem was not “bad enough” at that time and did not perform any repairs. The vehicle is currently inoperable due to this malfunction.

I was driving down [XXX] . I stopped at a stoplight. When the light turned green I pressed the gas to accelerate when suddenly mid intersection my transmission went out causing me to have no power. Approximately 5 minutes prior to this I did get a message about a transmission malfunction. Due to the transmission going out I was stuck in the intersection. I had it towed to a shop where they have confirmed that the Transmission Control Module (TCM) has failed. There are a couple parts of the transmission that they have not been able to confirm whether they are working due to the TCM failing. I believe that the TCM failing can put drivers in a potentially unsafe position like it did to me. I was stuck in an intersection of 2 very busy roads due to this failure. I dont currently have the part that failed with me. It is still currently on the vehicle. The vehicle and component has not been inspected by anyone other than the shop it was towed to. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

My low beam heads both stopped working at the same time. Upon investigation I identified the problem came from corrosion of the relay in the battery junction box. This problem exactly matches a Ford recall for some 2013 Ford fiesta manufactured in Canada. My vehicle is not covered by this recall, but the problem and failure point is identical. The text of that recall is as follows: "Safety recall in certain Canadian provinces of select 2012-13 Ford Fiesta vehicles for potential battery junction-box corrosion Ford is issuing a safety recall for certain 2012-13 Ford Fiesta vehicles in the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Quebec. In affected vehicles, battery junction-box relay or fuse corrosion can lead to a loss of low-beam headlamps and daytime running lamps while driving. This action affects 13,564 vehicles in Canada. Affected vehicles were built at Cuautitlán Assembly Plant from June 25, 2011, through April 27, 2013. Dealers will clean the battery junction box, install foam sealing to the cover and replace any corroded fuses, terminals or relays. There will be no charge to the customer for these services. The Ford reference number for this recall is 19S28"

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, there was a loud rattling sound coming from the vehicle and the vehicle experienced a loss of power and decelerated. The vehicle was driven to a nearby service station. After restarting the vehicle and shifting to drive(D), the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The vehicle was later towed to the local mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was 131,000.

My car has 74,000 actual miles and the transmission is acting up kicking out of gear and loosing coummcation with the tcm and a sensor comes on about bad clutch pack

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.

PowerShift dual-clutch transmission, slipping, bucking, and shuddering during acceleration. Subject of a class-action lawsuit.

Request Reversal of Recall Cancellation by the Ford Dealer. RE: Safety Recall Notice 20S30/NHTSA Recall 20V-331 VIN [XXX] ***IMPORTANT SAFETY RECALL *** I have been working with the Service Manager, Forest at James Hodge Ford in Muskogee, Oklahoma, (1-918-682-1345) and Ford Customer Relationship Center at 1-866-436-7332. In March of 2025, an inspection was completed on my 2013 Ford Fiesta in regards to this safety recall. IAW service manager performed an inspection of the door latches and closed out the recall. The issue for this recall states that my vehicle was previously repaired under Safety Recall 15S15 or 16S30. Evidently this was completed by the previous owner but it states that it is possible that one or more of the door latches was not replaced or may not have been replaced correctly. This proved to be true because in April while on vacation I was driving when my door swung open. After grabbing it I was able to find a place to stop. Then, I discovered the latch would not close! I found a rope to wrap around it to keep it closed to finish out my vacation. Ford has recognized and issued a safety recall due to the risk of doors not closing or doors opening while driving. As stated in the letter I received about the recall the risk is: If a door latch is not replaced, there is still a risk that the pawl spring tab inside the door latch could break. This condition will typically prevent the door from latching. Where the door is able to be closed, the door may unlatch while driving, increasing the risk of injury. I returned the car to the Ford Dealer and was told the recall was for an inspection only and was cancelled. I began calling the Ford Customer Relationship Center at 1-866-436-7332 on May 1st. Case # [XXX] I have been unsuccessful obtaining a reversal of the cancellation of the recall that is a critical danger. I have been ignored, lied to and promised it would be fixed. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

All 4 door airbags spontaneously deployed while driving. The air bag deployment knocked me unconscious and I woke up on the shoulder of the road. The vehicle dialed 911 after the incident occurred.