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Ford · NHTSA safety record

2013 Ford F-53

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 8 safety complaints about the 2013 Ford F-53 with the US government. Of those, no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering the steering.

The most complained-about system is the brakes, named in 3 complaints, 38% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 17,150 miles, the median across the 5 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers May 2015 to November 2022 · How this is counted

What is on file

8 complaints on file

8

Complaints

0

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

0

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
SERVICE BRAKES 3 · 38%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 · 25%
SUSPENSION 2 · 25%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 · 13%
STRUCTURE 1 · 13%
VISIBILITY 1 · 13%
0 4 8

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 8.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2017 at 3.

4 3 2 1
15 17 18 22

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2015 to 2022.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA has not crash tested the 2013 Ford F-53. Its New Car Assessment Program tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It is not a low score.

What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke during ordinary use.

Recall campaigns

1 on file

STEERING

12V422000 · August 29, 2012

The defect
Ford is recalling certain model year 2013 F-53 motorhome stripped chassis vehicles manufactured from July 10, 2012 through July 13, 2012. Theses vehicles were assembled with incorrect steering gear adapter plate retention fasteners. Steering gear adapter plate fasteners could lead to torque loss in the steering gear attachment, potentionally leading to loosening and subsequent separation of the stearing gear over time.
The risk
Separation of the steering gear may lead to a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering gear adapter plate retention fasteners, free of charge. The safety recall was completed on September 7, 2012. Owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332.

FORD MOTOR COMPANY · up to 31 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

SERVICE BRAKES
Brakelines are rusted and I am afraid they will rust through and cause brake failure. Looked at a 2017 model and the brakelines look to be coated to prevent this from happening.

NHTSA complaint 11493183. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

300 miles

HEADLIGHTS WILL ONLY ILLUMINATE THE HIGHWAY A SHORT DISTANCE AHEAD (50-60 FT) OF THE VEHICLE. CANNOT DRIVE AT NIGHT. ALSO, THE BRAKES TO NOT SEEM TO BE ADEQUATE. *DT CONSUMER SOLD THE VEHICLE.*JB

NHTSA complaint 11101328. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD

35,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD F-53. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT WINDSHIELD FIBER GLASS WAS SEPARATING FROM THE MOTOR HOME. UPON INSPECTION, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE GLUE BETWEEN THE FIBER GLASS AND METAL WAS PEELING AND CAUSED THE SEPARATION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED AND NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 35,000.

NHTSA complaint 11099011. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SUSPENSION

17,150 miles

MOTOR HOME WAS PURCHASED NEW IN MAY OF 2013. WHILE DRIVING THIS SUMMER I NOTICED MORE SWAY/ROLL THAN USUAL, SO I RESEARCHED 'FORD F53 CHASSIS- HANDLING ISSUES'. I FOUND THAT A LOT OF OWNERS REPORTED PROBLEMS WITH SOME OF THE BRACKETS ON THE REAR SWAY BARS. SOME HAD LOOSE OR MISSING BOLTS, LOOSE OR BENT OR MISSING BRACKETS ( EITHER SIDE). I WANTED TO SEE IF THIS COULD BE THE ISSUE I WAS HAVING WITH THE NOTICEABLE INCREASE SWAY/ROLL, SO I CRAWLED UNDER RIG TO INSPECT THE BRACKETS ON JULY 3RD, 2017. I FOUND THE SWAY BAR BRACKET ON DRIVERS SIDE, WAS BENT, BROKEN AND HANGING DOWN. THE UPPER BOLT WAS TIGHT AND HOLDING THE OTHER PIECE OF THE BRACKET (ABOUT 1" SQUARE) THE LOWER BOLT WAS LOOSE AND

NHTSA complaint 11021463, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SUSPENSION
THE REAR STABILIZER BAR (ALSO CALLED AN ANTI-SWAY BAR) BRACKET BOLTS CAME LOOSE. THE UNIT HAD UNDER 5,000 MILES ON IT. I TORQUED THE BOLTS AND THEY CAME LOOSE AGAIN AFTER ANOTHER FEW THOUSAND MILES. I WAS A CERTIFIED ASE TECHNICIAN AND ALSO AN AUTOMOTIVE INSTRUCTOR FOR 35 YEARS (RETIRED) AND EVENTUALLY FIXED THE PROBLEM WITH LOCK TIGHT ON THE BOLT THREADS. I HAVE HEARD OF MANY OTHERS WITH THE SAME ISSUES ON THE F-53 RV CHASSIS. BECAUSE THE BOLTS WERE JUST LOOSE NO DRIVING ISSUES WERE NOTICED. MANY HAVE REPORTED TO ME ABOUT MISSING BOLTS AND BRACKETS. WHEN THIS HAPPENS A LOSS OF SWAY CONTROL WILL OCCUR. SINCE ONLY BOLTS WERE LOOSE I DON'T HAVE PICTURES.

NHTSA complaint 11021254. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
2014 FOREST RIVER FR3. CONSUMER REQUESTS REIMBURSEMENT FOR ELECTRIC DOUBLE STEP RECALL NOTICE REPAIRS. *LD UPDATED 07/10/2017*JS

NHTSA complaint 11002229. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Ford F-53

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2021 13 2 —
2020 32 2 —
2018 11 1 —
2016 15 1 —
2014 17 1 —

Other 2013 Ford models

F-150 2,982 Escape 2,750 Edge 2,445 Explorer 2,235 Focus 2,112 Fusion 1,791 Fiesta 667 Taurus 584

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Ford on this site — 359 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst