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2013 Ford Fiesta: engine stalls while driving

72 of the 668 complaints about the 2013 Ford Fiesta describe engine stalls while driving.

owner complaints
72
of this car's complaints
11%
typical mileage
30,211
recalls
0
Is there a fix? 12 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Engine stalls while driving by model year

What owners say

Filed Mar 16, 2024 · Electrical, Transmission · TN

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. I recently had it towed to a local transmission shop after it jerked/stalled out really bad on me in heavy traffic again and didn't really want to accelerate to the proper speed. The mechanics at the Transmission shop ran a thorough diagnostic , and other tests and let me know that it's the Transmission Control Module that needs replaced and that it has to go to the dealership. Well I called a Ford Dealership , and the representative said it takes months to get in a new Transmission Control Module and also that even when replaced it really does not fix the problem as per many other similar situations the service representative has dealt with. I have been completely screwed all the way around with this car and I'm not even sure why there isn't a recall on these 2013 Fod Fiesta because they are really dangerous and it's so very inconvenient with all the troubles that come with it.

Filed Nov 6, 2023 · Transmission · 2,500 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated while accelerating from a complete stop, the vehicle would jerk and would hesitate to respond. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure recurred while driving from a complete stop, and the vehicle stalled in the middle of the road. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that her husband depressed the accelerator pedal and was able to continue driving; however, the vehicle failed to exceed 20 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the TCM was replaced under Ford Campaign Number: 14M02. The contact stated that while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle was shuddering. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 2,500.

Filed Oct 31, 2023 · Transmission · 147,000 miles · MI

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the transmission seemed to have slipped out of gear, and the vehicle decelerated to 10 MPH. As the contact depressed the accelerator, the vehicle was bucking into gear. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated and there was an indicator flashing that the transmission had overheated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the TCM needed to be replaced. Additionally, the TCM failure caused damages to the transmission and the transmission needed to be repaired. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact drove the vehicle from the dealer to her residence; however, while driving, the vehicle stalled and was towed to the residence. The contact researched online and related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 14M02 Automatic Transmission Control Module (Power Train). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 147,000.

Filed Sep 13, 2023 · Transmission · 171,000 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30-35 MPH, the vehicle was shaking and shuddering. The vehicle failed to move forward and stalled. The vehicle was restarted. The “Transmission Overheating - Service Immediately” message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where the transmission control module was replaced, and it was diagnosed that the clutch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 171,000.

Filed Jul 28, 2022 · Transmission · 83,000 miles · CT

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated that while coming to a stop, the vehicle shuddered and hesitated before stalling. The transmission failure message was displayed. Additionally, on several occasions, the vehicle would not immediately respond after shifting to reverse(R). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission clutch was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified but no assistance was offered. The approximate failure mileage was 83,000.

Filed Jul 14, 2021 · Transmission · 40,000 miles · NM

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Fiesta. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle loss motive power and stalled. Occasionally while driving, the transmission erroneously shifted into neutral and the vehicle failed to accelerate. The vehicle was examined by an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the shift control module was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were not yet contacted regarding the failure. The failure mileage was 40,000. The VIN was not available.

Filed May 16, 2021 · Engine, Transmission · 144,000 miles · TX

Purchased used on march 2021 dealership somehow made it drive perfect until I drove it for 2 days. Then noticed engine shifting issues, loss of transmission engagement while driving, no-start, or a lack of power. Idles very rough in parked position- spitting and sputtering. Vehicle stalling, losing power while driving, rpms at 4 while on highway @ 65-70 MPH as if it never changed out of 2nd or 3rd gear. Called ford and had the TCM updated april 2021 at gabriel ford dealership,livingston texas.the update did not help and I was told that I needed to “drive it like I stole it” but that makes the power-train issues worse. Ford dealership pointed me to the federal safety agency to write a complaint. As of may 15, 2021 it doesn't matter if its on highway, local in town, low MPH or 65 MPH the transmission continues to jerk, lose power, sputter, after updating the check engine warning light never came on when transmission issues happened. Vehicle jerking. After driving about 20 miles with rpms at 4 stopping at a light then trying to accelerate the vehicle sputtered and would not gain acceleration, very slow to gain acceleration. Loss of acceleration power will cut out & car will buck & sputter, also makes a grinding or noise then stopped. It's almost caused accidents with my children in the car!. Rpm revs up really high but the speed doesn’t change. At a red light my car began acting funny when the light turned green the car was hesitant to go it was having trouble shifting and accelerating the check engine light never came on. This vehicle power train transmission is faulty and very dangerous. Highway or street driving, in traffic, presenting a dangerous driving hazard. Current mileage @144,000

Filed May 4, 2021 · Engine · 120,000 miles · KY

Vehicle randomly stalls in traffic while accelerating on the interstate. Turning off vehicle for a few minutes and turning it back on usually temporarily fixes the issue. This has nearly caused an accident with an eighteen wheeler.

Filed Apr 13, 2021 · Transmission · 78,000 miles · VA

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford fiesta. The contact stated while at stationary and attempting to depress the accelerator pedal, the vehicle nearly stalled while in motion. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.

Filed Apr 2, 2021 · Transmission · 150,000 miles · GA

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford fiesta. The contact stated while driving 5 MPH, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle jerked while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be repaired. The contact referenced manufacturer communication number: 14m02-s4 (power train) as a possible solution. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

Filed Oct 13, 2020 · Transmission · 30,211 miles · MO

Tl* the contact owns 2013 ford fiesta. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle shuddered and jerked while shifting into 1st gear causing the vehicle to stall with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was turned off, restarted, and resumed normal operation after approximately 30 minutes. The vehicle was taken to metro ford (2860 s. Noland rd, independence, mo 64055) however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact stated that the transmission was replaced. The vehicle was not drivable. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the warranty was expired. The failure mileage was 30,211.

Filed Sep 26, 2019 · Engine · 117,762 miles · NC

Received a costumer service letter (15b22/19n07) stating issue with transmission TCM and to bring car into dealer for evaluation/fix. Once car was brought into dealership was told we needed to pay $200 for a diagnostic test of the car to see if it is eligible for the recall. We have had several issues with the transmission in this vehicle such as skipping gears, loss of power and the car even stalling out. If this is a recall issue due to defective transmission I feel I as a consumer should not have to pay a dime to fix their problem. I am aware of a large news story that involved this particular vehicle transmission issues resulting in several deaths due to accident caused by this problem.

Questions about the 2013 Ford Fiesta stalling

Is engine stalls while driving a common problem on the 2013 Ford Fiesta?

72 of 668 owner complaints about the 2013 Ford Fiesta (11%) mention engine stalls while driving. The model year with the most reports is 2011.

Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2013 Ford Fiesta?

There are 0 recalls and 12 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.

Other symptoms on the 2013 Ford Fiesta

Jerking 133Hesitation 97Shudder 93Door locks 90Grinding brakes 81Check engine light 47Slipping 40Transmission failure 39Loss of power 36Headlights 21Won't shift 20Harsh shifting 15Won't start 13Sudden acceleration 11Overheating 9Engine failure 7Adaptive cruise 6No deployment 6Airbag light 5Warning lights 5

All model years of the Ford Fiesta

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