What breaks most · 1990 to 2026 model years
Ford F-150 problems by year
Owners have filed 37,712 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Ford F-150 across model years 1990 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2013 for powertrain and transmission complaints, 1997 for engine and cooling complaints and 2018 for powertrain and transmission complaints. The quietest years are 1990, 2024 and 1991.
- Years to check closely: 2013, 1997, 2018
- Fewest complaints: 1990, 2024, 1991
- Complaints on file
- 377121990 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 20132979 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 16181899 fires · 1424 injuries · 67 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 70kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 423Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 0 | 0 | Fuel system (6) | |
| 304 | 12 | 6 | Fuel system (149) | |
| 470 | 20 | 9 | Fuel system (231) | |
| 586 | 22 | 13 | Fuel system (260) | |
| 676 | 62 | 13 | Brakes (hydraulic) (139) | |
| 626 | 47 | 7 | Brakes (hydraulic) (139) | |
| 324 | 21 | 7 | Electrical system (56) | |
| 2758 | 165 | 26 | Engine and cooling (529) | |
| 1381 | 83 | 18 | Fuel system (177) | |
| 1044 | 86 | 18 | Engine and cooling (219) | |
| 1074 | 81 | 17 | Electrical system (191) | |
| 1236 | 91 | 19 | Engine and cooling (234) | |
| 821 | 51 | 10 | Engine and cooling (196) | |
| 423 | 43 | 11 | Engine and cooling (69) | |
| 2028 | 74 | 16 | Visibility (841) | |
| 1112 | 50 | 14 | Visibility (260) | |
| 585 | 58 | 14 | Engine and cooling (77) | |
| 488 | 40 | 7 | Engine (105) | |
| 369 | 39 | 1 | Engine (53) | |
| 324 | 28 | 2 | Speed control and throttle (54) | |
| 842 | 23 | 1 | Electrical system (166) | |
| 2188 | 45 | 6 | Powertrain and transmission (824) | |
| 1780 | 40 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (678) | |
| 2979 | 77 | 3 | Powertrain and transmission (1335) | |
| 1521 | 38 | 8 | Powertrain and transmission (418) | |
| 1695 | 50 | 14 | Powertrain and transmission (396) | |
| 2033 | 56 | 14 | Powertrain and transmission (567) | |
| 1426 | 42 | 18 | Powertrain and transmission (533) | |
| 2289 | 64 | 19 | Powertrain and transmission (994) | |
| 1313 | 17 | 9 | Powertrain and transmission (722) | |
| 719 | 19 | 11 | Powertrain and transmission (349) | |
| 997 | 13 | 29 | Powertrain and transmission (309) | |
| 584 | 20 | 23 | Powertrain and transmission (157) | |
| 404 | 18 | 12 | Powertrain and transmission (155) | |
| 185 | 17 | 10 | Powertrain and transmission (55) | |
| 102 | 6 | 12 | Powertrain and transmission (24) | |
| 7 | 0 | 2 | Forward collision system (4) |
What fails on the 2013 Ford F-150
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 45% |
1335 | 25 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 18% |
547 | 4 | Shop engine parts for the 2013 Ford F-150 |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 11% |
322 | 2 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2013 Ford F-150 |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 11% |
319 | 29 | Shop brakes parts for the 2013 Ford F-150 |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 10% |
301 | 6 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2013 Ford F-150 |
| Unknown or other | 8% |
225 | 4 | — |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 7% |
216 | 7 | Shop steering parts for the 2013 Ford F-150 |
| Wipers and visibilityWiper motors and blades | 5% |
146 | 0 | Shop all wipers and visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
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.
-
I was driving on interstate approximatly 70 mph when it downshifted into second gear and and almost got rearended by a semi truck that was following behind my truck and luckily was able to swerve to miss hitting us. I Believe it is the 6r80 transmission conductor plate that is the cause of the issue
-
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.
-
Truck will not shift into 7th gear, will down shift to 1st gear once it reaches 6th gear around 40mph. Causing the vehicle back tires to brake and skid and lose control of vehicle.
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 6, 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, 2013, 1997, 2018 carry the most filings on the Ford F-150. The 2013 alone has 2979 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common Ford F-150 problem?
On the 2013 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 1335 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 70,000 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.