What breaks most · 1990 to 2019 model years
Ford F-150 problems by year
Owners have filed 23,221 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Ford F-150 across model years 1990 to 2019. Three years stand out: 1997 for engine and cooling complaints, 2004 for visibility complaints and 2011 for powertrain and transmission complaints. The quietest years are 1990, 2017 and 2009.
- Years to check closely: 1997, 2004, 2011
- Fewest complaints: 1990, 2017, 2009
- Complaints on file
- 232211990 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 19972742 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 12461728 fires · 1077 injuries · 56 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 65kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 324Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 0 | 0 | Fuel system (5) | |
| 302 | 12 | 6 | Fuel system (148) | |
| 470 | 20 | 9 | Fuel system (231) | |
| 577 | 22 | 13 | Fuel system (259) | |
| 668 | 62 | 13 | Brakes (hydraulic) (139) | |
| 620 | 47 | 7 | Brakes (hydraulic) (139) | |
| 315 | 21 | 7 | Electrical system (53) | |
| 2742 | 162 | 26 | Engine and cooling (529) | |
| 1371 | 82 | 18 | Fuel system (177) | |
| 1038 | 86 | 18 | Engine and cooling (219) | |
| 1050 | 79 | 17 | Electrical system (183) | |
| 1192 | 89 | 19 | Engine and cooling (233) | |
| 787 | 46 | 10 | Engine and cooling (196) | |
| 389 | 39 | 11 | Engine and cooling (69) | |
| 1974 | 69 | 16 | Visibility (841) | |
| 1035 | 48 | 14 | Visibility (260) | |
| 521 | 52 | 14 | Engine and cooling (76) | |
| 437 | 35 | 7 | Engine (90) | |
| 307 | 31 | 1 | Steering (49) | |
| 277 | 24 | 2 | Speed control and throttle (49) | |
| 677 | 18 | 1 | Electrical system (138) | |
| 1548 | 26 | 6 | Powertrain and transmission (460) | |
| 1209 | 27 | 4 | Engine (400) | |
| 1473 | 45 | 3 | Powertrain and transmission (473) | |
| 565 | 21 | 8 | Brakes (153) | |
| 628 | 18 | 14 | Brakes (147) | |
| 574 | 27 | 14 | Brakes (143) | |
| 197 | 16 | 18 | Body and structure (41) | |
| 255 | 22 | 19 | Body and structure (72) | |
| 8 | 0 | 9 | Unknown or other (3) |
What fails on the 1997 Ford F-150
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 19% |
529 | 5 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1997 Ford F-150 |
| Tires | 11% |
305 | 14 | — |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 8% |
222 | 14 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 1997 Ford F-150 |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 8% |
222 | 1 | Shop body and structure parts for the 1997 Ford F-150 |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 8% |
214 | 4 | Shop fuel system parts for the 1997 Ford F-150 |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 8% |
213 | 21 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1997 Ford F-150 |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 7% |
204 | 2 | Shop suspension parts for the 1997 Ford F-150 |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 7% |
201 | 12 | Shop steering parts for the 1997 Ford F-150 |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Engine front cover gasket failed in line with recall 99b29. FORD does not include my truck built 1997 in recall campaign indicating the original recall has been inadequate.
-
I have had sunroof fixed twice. Keeps jumping off track & now need to get it fixed for third time. Also, all 4 power windows have failed and had to be fixed a few times.
-
Out put sensor went bad truck would not shift out of 5th gear and there was no speed o meter .driving on the highway at 75mph truck downshifted into 3rd gear then went to 5th gear but wouldn't shift out of 5th gear plus theirs no recall.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Ford F-150 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1997, 2004, 2011 carry the most filings on the Ford F-150. The 1997 alone has 2742 complaints, led by engine and cooling.
What is the most common Ford F-150 problem?
On the 1997 model year, the most-reported component is engine and cooling with 529 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Ford F-150 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Ford F-150 complaints that include mileage is about 65,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.