2013 Ford Transit Connect reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 32 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Ford Transit Connect over 14 years — 3 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Transit Connect years here — over the median of the other years, which is 3. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Gear position indicator, Engine, and Adaptive and mobility equipment.

2010 Ford Transit Connect XLT — Photo by Atarivideomusic, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons Public domain

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (7 of 32), then Engine (5) and Structure (4). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 35,700 miles, and the middle half falls between 17,900 and 88,000 miles. Those filings include 3 that report a crash.

Next to 2012 and 2014

The 2012 Transit Connect has 26 complaints, 4 per year, and the 2014 has 127 complaints, 7 per year. The 2013 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2012. The 2013 has fewer complaints per year than the 2014.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2013 Ford Transit Connect. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (4)

Recall powertrain, automatic transmission, gear position indicator 2022-06-10 · NHTSA campaign 22V413000

Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Escape, 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2016 Fusion, 2013-2021 Transit Connect, and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.

Remedy Dealers will replace the under hood shift bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 1, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available in 4th Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S43.

Vehicles affected 2,925,968

Recall powertrain, automatic transmission, gear position indicator 2021-05-24 · NHTSA campaign 21V376000

Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2021 Transit Connect vehicles equipped with 2.5L engines. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.

Remedy Dealers will replace the underhood shifter cable bushing, and add a protective cap, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on June 29, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S24.

Vehicles affected 192,080

Recall Engine 2017-03-27 · NHTSA campaign 17V209000

Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014 Escape, 2014-2015 Fiesta ST, 2013-2014 Fusion and 2013-2015 Transit Connect vehicles equipped with 1.6L GTDI engines. If the vehicle is started and driven with an insufficient level of coolant within the engine cooling system, the engine cylinder head may overheat, crack and leak oil.

Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install a coolant level sensor and the supporting hardware and software, free of charge. Interim notices informing owners of the safety risk were mailed April 21, 2017. The recall began on January 5, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S09.

Vehicles affected 208,584

Recall Adaptive and mobility equipment 2014-11-05 · NHTSA campaign 14V706000

Summary Cummings Mobility Conversion & Supply (Cummings) is recalling certain model year 2006-2014 Ford E-150, E-250, E-350, Chevrolet Express, 2006-2008 Dodge Sprinter, and 2009-2014 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, and 2013 Ford Transit Connect vehicles manufactured January 1, 2006, to October 8, 2014, equipped with certain model S2005, S2010, S5005, S5010, S5505, and S5510 wheelchair lifts manufactured by Ricon Corporation after January 1, 2006. The platform side plate of the affected wheelchair lifts may crack.

Remedy Cummings will notify owners to take buses to a Ricon dealer or service center who will install supplemental platform support bumpers. Any platform that has already started cracking will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began January 13, 2015. Owners may contact Cumming's customer service at 1-800-639-5438 or Ricon customer service at 1-800-322-2884. Cumming's number for this recall is 14E-041.

Vehicles affected 34

NHTSA's count is every vehicle in that campaign. A campaign can cover other model years and other models.

Complaints by component (32 total)

Powertrain

Engine

Structure

Electrical system

Electronic stability control (ESC)

Service brakes

Exterior lighting

Speed control

Air bags

Fuel and propulsion system

Latches, locks, and linkages

Seat belts

Suspension

Visibility and wipers

Wheels

Show 7 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Of the 23 complaints that include an odometer reading, the median is 35,700 miles. The middle half fall between 17,900 and 88,000 miles.

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"The Front Suspension Subframe Crossmember had rusted though and the front tires become out of alignment SUDDENLY causing the vehicle to veer of course. The vehicle is then disabled and must be towed and the Front…"
Suspension · filed 2024-03-25
"Power transmission failure due to electrical issues. 63k miles only."
Powertrain, Electrical system · filed 2023-06-12
"Transmission. I was driving down the road in my Ford transit going 65 miles an hour I I started to have major transmission problems from traffic slow down so I slow down with it down to 30 miles an hour after doing so…"
Powertrain · filed 2022-07-14
"The Transit was parked on a slope and was in "Park", but it rolled back down the slope and hit a parked car."
Powertrain · filed 2022-07-12
"The contact owns a 2013 Ford Transit Connect. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the front driver’s side door was unlatched independently. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated…"
Latches, locks, and linkages · filed 2022-06-23

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2013 Ford Transit Connect VAN FWD	2 stars	3 stars	2 stars	3 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
Transit Connect Van	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic 4-speed	Front-wheel drive	21	27	23 MPG	$2800
Transit Connect Wagon front-wheel drive	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic 4-speed	Front-wheel drive	22	26	23 MPG	$2800

Specs and fitment

1st-generation (US market), 2010–2013

Body styles Cargo van, Passenger wagon

Oil 2.0L, 5W-20 synthetic blend , 4.5 qt capacity

Tire size 205/65R15

Known issues for this generation

Safety recall 12S36 (NHTSA 12V-374) covers certain 2011-2012 Transit Connect vans whose windshield wiper arms may not have been adequately riveted, which can let a wiper arm clear the glass incompletely or inconsistently, or detach entirely, reducing driver visibility; Ford's dealers replace the driver and passenger side wiper arm and blade assemblies free of charge. The recall began on August 15, 2012.

Compare

Previous year 2012 Ford Transit Connect Next year 2014 Ford Transit Connect See every Ford Transit Connect model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2013 Ford Transit Connect reliable?

What are common problems with a 2013 Ford Transit Connect?

Is the 2013 Ford Transit Connect more reliable than the years next to it?

Has the 2013 Ford Transit Connect been recalled?

The 2013 Ford Transit Connect has 4 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2013 Ford Transit Connect?

Owners have filed 32 complaints about the 2013 Ford Transit Connect with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2013 Ford Transit Connect get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2013 Ford Transit Connect is 23 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

When did the Ford Transit Connect stop being sold in the US?

Ford ended US and Canadian Transit Connect sales after the 2023 model year; production stopped in December 2023, though the model continues in Europe.

Could the first Ford Transit Connect tow a trailer?

No. Ford's own owner's manual for the 2010-2013 model years states the vehicle is not equipped to tow and no towing package was available.