What breaks most · 2001 to 2018 model years
Ford Transit problems by year
Owners have filed 144 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Ford Transit across model years 2001 to 2018. Three years stand out: 2015 for powertrain and transmission complaints, 2016 for powertrain and transmission complaints and 2017 for powertrain and transmission complaints. The quietest years are 2001.
- Years to check closely: 2015, 2016, 2017
- Fewest complaints: 2001
- Complaints on file
- 1442001 to 2018, all trims
- Worst year
- 201566 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 52 fires · 17 injuries · 9 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 35kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 82Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Suspension (1) | |
| 3 | 0 | 3 | Powertrain and transmission (1) | |
| 66 | 1 | 26 | Powertrain and transmission (22) | |
| 43 | 2 | 21 | Powertrain and transmission (10) | |
| 23 | 2 | 18 | Powertrain and transmission (4) | |
| 8 | 0 | 14 | Body and structure (3) |
What fails on the 2015 Ford Transit
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 33% |
22 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 17% |
11 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2015 Ford Transit |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 15% |
10 | 0 | Shop brakes parts for the 2015 Ford Transit |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 14% |
9 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2015 Ford Transit |
| Unknown or other | 14% |
9 | 0 | — |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 9% |
6 | 1 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2015 Ford Transit |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 8% |
5 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2015 Ford Transit |
| Wheels | 5% |
3 | 0 | — |
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.
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62 mph on cruz hwy 501 the flange on the back of the transmission snapped the drive shaft was free spinning. Ripping brake lines out and killing the motor,was able to stop using parking brake.this is the third truck in my terminal this has happened to it is only a matter of time before someone gets hurt.
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Driving on hiway suddenly no drive power when accelerating,inability to drive no gas pedal responding i call the FORD dealer and said that ther is no recalls on that but looking on internet found recall 17s15
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Noise in rear end, started at 30000 miles. Most noticeable when turning a corner. FORD recalled a similar problem with recall # 17s15 in their 2017 model year transit vans. Of which this is one! The problem is the flexible coupling in the rear end fails causing the drive shaft to fall out.
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 Transit years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2015, 2016, 2017 carry the most filings on the Ford Transit. The 2015 alone has 66 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common Ford Transit problem?
On the 2015 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 22 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Ford Transit problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Ford Transit complaints that include mileage is about 35,000 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.