2003 Ford F-150 Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other F-150 years
- Far fewer complaints than other years 25th of 33 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 4 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 423 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Ford F-150. That ranks 25th out of 33 F-150 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is engine and engine cooling (69 complaints, 16%), typically at around 93,000 miles. Complaints mention 43 crashes, 37 fires, 36 injuries. There are 4 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 3 defect investigations involving it.
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- 423owner complaints
- 4safety recalls
- 3NHTSA investigations
- 43complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2003 Ford F-150 problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling problems | 69 | 16% | 93,000 | “spark plug” (45%) | $1,200 |
| Power Train problems | 62 | 15% | 40,000 | “four wheel” (13%) | — |
| Electrical System | 47 | 11% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 32 | 8% | 74,640 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 32 | 8% | 85,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 29 | 7% | 90,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 28 | 7% | 138,183 | — | — |
| Tires | 21 | 5% | 59,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 20 | 5% | 145,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 20 | 5% | 102,611 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 19 | 4% | 56,700 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 17 | 4% | 15,750 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 16 | 4% | 15,500 | — | — |
| Visibility | 16 | 4% | 62,750 | — | — |
| Steering | 15 | 4% | 46,610 | — | — |
| Suspension | 14 | 3% | 29,500 | — | — |
| Wheels | 13 | 3% | 45,250 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 10 | 2% | 77,250 | — | — |
| Equipment | 7 | 2% | 34,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 6 | 1% | 61,500 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 6 | 1% | 44,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 4 | 1% | 103,500 | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 3 | 1% | 7,502 | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 2 | 0% | 39,944 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 0% | 247,000 | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2003 Ford F-150 recalls (4)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly:mounting
Problem: Ford is recalling certain 1997 through 2003 model year ford f-150, 2004 model year ford f-150 heritage, 1997 through 1999 model year f-250 less than 8,500 lbs. Gross vehicle weight rating (gvwr), and 2002 and 2003 lincoln blackwood vehicles manufactured from june 20, 1995, through august 4, 2004, originally sold, or currently registered in, connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia. Prolonged exposure to road deicing chemicals may cause severe corrosion of the fuel tank straps which secure the tank to the vehicle.
Risk: As a result of the corrosion, one or both straps may fail allowing the fuel lines to separate from the tank, or in some cases, causing the tank to contact the ground. Either scenario may result in a fuel leak presenting a fire hazard.
Fix: Ford will notify owners and instruct them to take their vehicles to a ford or lincoln dealer to have the fuel tank straps replaced with straps that have increased corrosion protection. Early in this campaign, if replacement straps are not available, dealers may install a cable support under the strap as an interim repair or a steel reinforcement over the existing strap as a permanent repair. Any repairs will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on september 16, 2011. Owners may contact ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's recall campaign number is 11s21
Vehicle speed control
Problem: On certain pickup trucks, passenger vehicles, sport utility vehicles, and motor homes chassis, the speed control deactivation switch may, under certain conditions, leak internally and then overheat, smoke, or burn.
Risk: This could result in an underhood fire.
Fix: Dealers will install a fused wiring harness. Owners of the passenger cars included in this campaign will be instructed to return their vehicles to their dealers to have the speed control deactivation switch disconnected as an interim repair. As soon as repair parts are available (expected october 2007), owners will be instructed to return to the dealers for installation of a fused wiring harness. The recall began on august 13, 2007, and mailing completed by september 19, 2007. Owners may contact ford at 1-888-222-2751.
Vehicle speed control
Problem: On certain trucks equipped with speed control, gasoline or natural gas engines, the speed control deactivation switch may overheat.
Risk: Overheating could result in smoke, burn, or an underhood fire.
Fix: Dealers will install a fused wiring harness into the speed control system free of charge. The recall began on march 12, 2007. Owners may contact ford at 1-800-392-3673. (note: also see recalls 05v017, 05v388, and 06v286)
Steering:gear box:shaft pitman
Problem: On certain pickup trucks, the pitman arm to steering gear retaining nut was not fully tightened to the required specification.
Risk: If the pitman arm to gearbox attachment nut loosens, a noise and a loose feel in the steering could occur. If the condition progressed and service was not sought, the nut could back off completely and the pitman arm could separate from the gear causing a loss of steering. If the warning is not heeded and steering is lost, a crash may result.
Fix: Dealers will tighten the pitman arm retaining nut to specifications. Owner notification began on october 1, 2003. Owners should contact ford at 1-866-436-7332.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Fuel Tank Strap Failure Due to Corrosion (EA11006) — opened May 4, 2011, closed Aug 19, 2011, led to recall 11V385000.
- Cng regulator leak (PE08063) — opened Oct 31, 2008, closed Feb 27, 2009.
- Spark plug ejection from cylinder head (DP05005) — opened Sep 22, 2005, closed Jan 4, 2006.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
I moved my vehicle from driveway to park on the street so my husband could park in the driveway. I then turned my vehicle off and roughly 2 hours later, a lady came screaming "fire fire fire!" I went to see where she was talking about and my truck was smoking under the hood, I then called the fire…
The contact owns a 2003 Ford F-150 equipped with Firestone Tires, Tire Line: Firestone, Tire Size: 265/70/R17, DOT Number: (N/A). The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and occupied, there was a burning rubber odor coming from the outside of the vehicle. The contact exited the vehicle…
UNKNOWN - however there were NO warning lights or any other indication of malfunction or to service the truck. I took the truck to an independent service center & they did a full inspection & I did receive an estimate for repairs.
My husband was shoveling snow off of our vehicles and seen smoke coming from under the hood of his truck. When he opened the hood the truck was on fire on the right side. The truck was turned off when this happened. He threw snow on top of it to put the fire out and unplugged the battery to prevent…
Well the passenger side in front seat seat belt needs replaced due to getting stuck after front airbags in dash and steering wheel after deployment from barley tapping a vehicle in front of the truck
Other Ford F-150 years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 F-150 | 0 | 1 |
| 2026 F-150 | 12 | 5 |
| 2025 F-150 | 107 | 13 |
| 2024 F-150 | 193 | 11 |
| 2023 F-150 | 413 | 13 |
| 2022 F-150 | 597 | 23 |
| 2021 F-150 | 1,028 | 29 |
| 2020 F-150 | 736 | 11 |
| 2019 F-150 | 1,336 | 9 |
| 2018 F-150 | 2,318 | 18 |
| 2017 F-150 | 1,449 | 17 |
| 2016 F-150 | 2,074 | 13 |
| 2015 F-150 | 1,729 | 13 |
| 2014 F-150 | 1,537 | 8 |
| 2013 F-150 | 2,989 | 3 |
| 2012 F-150 | 1,783 | 4 |
| 2011 F-150 | 2,191 | 6 |
| 2010 F-150 | 843 | 1 |
| 2009 F-150 | 324 | 2 |
| 2008 F-150 | 369 | 1 |
| 2007 F-150 | 488 | 2 |
| 2006 F-150 | 585 | 4 |
| 2005 F-150 | 1,112 | 3 |
| 2004 F-150 | 2,029 | 5 |
| 2003 | 423 | 4 |
| 2002 F-150 | 821 | 2 |
| 2001 F-150 | 1,236 | 8 |
| 2000 F-150 | 1,075 | 6 |
| 1999 F-150 | 1,044 | 7 |
| 1998 F-150 | 1,381 | 8 |
| 1997 F-150 | 2,758 | 14 |
| 1996 F-150 | 324 | 2 |
| 1995 F-150 | 626 | 2 |
See all Ford F-150 problems by year, every Ford model, or the Ford VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2003 Ford F-150?
Owners most often report engine and engine cooling, power train, electrical system problems. The top one, engine and engine cooling, accounts for 69 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2003 Ford F-150?
Yes, 4 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2003 Ford F-150 a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other F-150 model years, the 2003 has far fewer complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.