What breaks most · 2001 to 2026 model years
Ford Transit problems by year
Owners have filed 776 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Ford Transit across model years 2001 to 2026. Two years stand out: 2015 for powertrain and transmission complaints and 2016 for powertrain and transmission complaints. The quietest years are 2001, 2014 and 2021.
- Years to check closely: 2015, 2016
- Fewest complaints: 2001, 2014, 2021
- Complaints on file
- 7762001 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 2015192 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 2513 fires · 43 injuries · 10 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 65kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 152Across 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) | |
| 192 | 4 | 26 | Powertrain and transmission (78) | |
| 154 | 7 | 21 | Powertrain and transmission (60) | |
| 98 | 4 | 18 | Powertrain and transmission (40) | |
| 57 | 1 | 14 | Engine (14) | |
| 37 | 2 | 9 | Unknown or other (7) | |
| 83 | 1 | 9 | Seats (27) | |
| 23 | 2 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (6) | |
| 37 | 2 | 16 | Backup camera and sensors (11) | |
| 56 | 2 | 18 | Electrical system (13) | |
| 28 | 0 | 10 | Body and structure (6) | |
| 2 | 0 | 4 | Forward collision system (1) | |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | Wheels (3) |
What fails on the 2015 Ford Transit
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 41% |
78 | 1 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 18% |
35 | 1 | Shop engine parts for the 2015 Ford Transit |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 14% |
26 | 1 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2015 Ford Transit |
| Unknown or other | 13% |
24 | 1 | — |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 10% |
19 | 0 | Shop brakes parts for the 2015 Ford Transit |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 10% |
19 | 1 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2015 Ford Transit |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 5% |
10 | 2 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2015 Ford Transit |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 4% |
8 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2015 Ford Transit |
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.
-
rear wheels lock up at highway speeds, F-150 is recalled, why is my F-250 not recalled same transmission 6r80. Please help. Thanks
-
The car has the same problem it had before the recall. The dealer who supposedly fixed it says it's no longer under the recall warranty.
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 Transit years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2015, 2016 carry the most filings on the Ford Transit. The 2015 alone has 192 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 78 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 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.