A complaint is an unverified report a driver files with NHTSA about a problem they had. It is not a recall or a proven defect, and a popular model on the road in large numbers naturally collects more of them. Still, a cluster of complaints about one part is often the earliest public signal of a problem, sometimes years before a recall. Here is how the Ford F-150 complaints break down.

Of those complaints, 873 mention a crash, 379 mention a fire, 804 report an injury, and 19 report a death. These are owner-reported and not confirmed by NHTSA, but they are worth knowing when you weigh up a vehicle.

Most-reported Ford F-150 problem areas

Ford F-150 complaints by model year

2010
1135
2011
2971
2012
2437
2013
3939
2014
1912
2015
2164
2016
2516
2017
1755
2018
2791
2019
1658
2020
870
2021
1573
2022
1211
2023
899
2024
347
2025
204
2026
3

How to read these complaints

A few things are worth keeping in mind when you read these numbers. Complaints are self-reported and unverified, so they lean toward the problems owners noticed and bothered to report, not a clean sample of every vehicle. A model that sold in big numbers will gather more complaints than a rare one, even at the same defect rate, so the raw totals say as much about popularity as reliability. What is genuinely useful is the shape: a tight cluster of complaints about one part, especially one that also shows crashes, fires, or injuries, is the kind of pattern that sometimes turns into a recall or a federal investigation later.

What to do about a Ford F-150 problem

If you own a Ford F-150 and recognize one of these problems, start by checking whether it is already covered by a free recall repair, then look the vehicle up by its VIN to see what is open on your exact car. It is also worth filing your own complaint with NHTSA: complaints are how defects get noticed in the first place, and enough of them about the same part can trigger an investigation. Keep your repair records either way, since they matter for warranty and lemon-law claims. Start with the Ford F-150 recall history, then run a VIN recall check for your specific vehicle.

Common questions about Ford F-150 problems

What are the most common problems with the Ford F-150?
Across 28,385 complaints to NHTSA for the 2010 to 2026 Ford F-150, the most-reported areas are the power train, engine, and electrical system. A complaint is an owner report, not a confirmed defect, but the busiest categories point to where owners run into trouble.
How many complaints does the Ford F-150 have?
NHTSA has 28,385 complaints on record for the Ford F-150 across the 2010 to 2026 model years. Owners file these directly with NHTSA, so the count grows over time and tends to be higher for popular models.
Have any Ford F-150 crashes or fires been reported?
Of those complaints, 873 mention a crash, 379 mention a fire, 804 report an injury, and 19 report a death. These are owner-reported and not confirmed by NHTSA, but they are worth knowing when you weigh up a vehicle.
Are complaints the same as recalls?
No. A complaint is an unverified report from an owner. A recall is an official action by the manufacturer or NHTSA to fix a known safety defect, with a free repair. Complaints can be an early warning, but only a recall obligates a fix. The Ford F-150 recall history is on its own page.

Complaints come from NHTSA's consumer complaints database and are reports filed by owners, not confirmed defects. See the methodology and data sources for detail. This page is a reference, not legal or safety advice.