Ford F-150 Equipment Problems
Owners have filed 257 complaints with NHTSA about equipment problems on the Ford F-150 across 24 model years. The 2022 model year has the most (45). The words owners use most often: “spare tire” (16% of reports).
- 257equipment complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 2mention a crash
- 11mention an injury
- 9related recalls
- 39%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Spare tire: mentioned in 40 of 257 complaints (16%)
- Air conditioner: mentioned in 13 of 257 complaints (5%)
At what mileage do equipment problems happen?
Based on 96 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 257 complaints, 2 mention a crash, 10 a fire, 11 an injury.
Ford F-150 equipment complaints by model year
| Model year | Equipment complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 F-150 | 4 | 1% | 81,865 |
| 2022 F-150 | 45 | 8% | 15,829 |
| 2021 F-150 | 10 | 1% | 18,500 |
| 2019 F-150 | 1 | 0% | 60,000 |
| 2018 F-150 | 4 | 0% | 135,000 |
| 2015 F-150 | 1 | 0% | — |
| 2014 F-150 | 1 | 0% | 200,000 |
| 2013 F-150 | 1 | 0% | — |
| 2010 F-150 | 3 | 0% | 52,800 |
| 2009 F-150 | 4 | 1% | 54,936 |
| 2008 F-150 | 6 | 2% | 2,500 |
| 2007 F-150 | 6 | 1% | 20,000 |
| 2006 F-150 | 7 | 1% | 2,034 |
| 2005 F-150 | 7 | 1% | 45,988 |
| 2004 F-150 | 32 | 2% | 38,500 |
| 2003 F-150 | 7 | 2% | 34,000 |
| 2002 F-150 | 10 | 1% | 62,000 |
| 2001 F-150 | 12 | 1% | 97,525 |
| 2000 F-150 | 12 | 1% | 86,000 |
| 1999 F-150 | 20 | 2% | 64,500 |
| 1998 F-150 | 17 | 1% | 68,521 |
| 1997 F-150 | 40 | 1% | 125,000 |
| 1996 F-150 | 2 | 1% | — |
| 1995 F-150 | 5 | 1% | 94,500 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (9)
Equipment:other:labels
Model years: 2025
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 F-150 vehicles. The air bag warning label may be missing from the dashboard. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: A missing air bag warning label will not warn occupants about the risks of air bag deployment, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: Ford will mail owners the warning labels, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 7, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C12.
Equipment:other:labels
Model years: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2025 Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, 2020-2024 Escape, Lincoln Corsair, 2018-2024 F-150, Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The air bag warning label may be missing from the dashboard. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirement Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: Without a label that shows the proper restraint usage guidelines, the occupants may have an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Ford will mail owners the warning labels, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 19, 2024. Owners may call Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24C39.
Engine; equipment:electrical
Model years: 2015, 2016
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2016 F-150 pick-up trucks equipped with 3.5L GTDI engines and block immersion heaters that were potentially relocated from their originally installed location. The incorrect location could put the heater too close to hot engine components, possibly resulting in a damaged cable.
Risk: A damaged cable could cause a resistive short, increasing the risk of overheated or melted wiring, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the block heater's location and its cable, replacing components as necessary, free of charge. If the replacement parts are not available, dealers will disable the existing block heater cable from being used until parts become available. The recall began April 9, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S08.
Engine; equipment:electrical
Model years: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Ford F-150 and 2017-2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty, F-350 Super Duty, F-450 Super Duty, and F-550 Super Duty pick-up trucks equipped with an engine block heater and previously remedied under recall 18V894. During the previous repair, the block heater cable's splice connector may have been damaged.
Risk: A damaged cable could cause a resistive short, increasing the risk of overheated or melted wiring, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will disable the engine block heater from being used. When replacement cables become available, a second notice will be mailed and dealers will replace the engine block heater cord, free of charge. The recall began May 31, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S11.
Equipment:other:labels
Model years: 1999
Problem: Certain light duty pickup trucks equipped with a heavy duty service package fail to comply with the requirements of fmvss no. 120, "tire selection and rims for motor vehicles other than passenger cars." a typographical error occurred resulting in an incorrect tire size and pressure on the safety certification label for these vehicles.
Risk: If the tires are inflated to the pressure indicated on the label, the customer will experience a harsher ride.
Fix: Owners will be sent a corrected tire information label and installation instructions. The customer may also have the dealer install the label on the vehicle, if they so desire. Owner notification began december 20, 2001. Owners who do not receive the free label and installation instructions within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1-866-436-7332.
Equipment:other:owners/service/other manual
Model years: 2001
Problem: Vehicle description: certain sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks, and passenger vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of fmvss 225, "child restraint anchorage systems." the affected expedition/navigator owner guides do not identify the locations of seating positions equipped with tether anchorages, and do not provide instructions for securing child seats to these tether anchorages. The f150 sc owner guides do not provide the procedure for securing child seats to the tether anchorages. The taurus/sable owner guides do not identify the center rear seating position as having latch compatible lower anchorages.
Risk: In the event of a crash, the child seat may not be properly attached increasing the risk of injury to the child.
Fix: Owners will be provided with owner guide inserts revised to provide the required information, and instructions for affixing these inserts to their owner guides. Customers will also be advised that if they prefer, their dealer will affix the inserts to their owner guides.
Equipment:other:labels
Model years: 1998, 1999, 2000
Problem: Vehicle description: bi-fuel cng pickup trucks and bi-fuel cng vans, modified by cfi control systems, inc., fail to conform to the requirements of fmvss no. 303, "fuel system integrity of compressed natural gas vehicles." the label affixed to the fuel filler door by the vehicle modifier contains the inspection date and expiration date of the cng tank. However, it does not contain the statement "see instructions on the fuel container for inspection and service life."
Risk: These vehicles do not comply with the requirements.
Fix: Owners will be provided a label with the required statement, along with instructions for affixing the label at the fuel filler door. Owner notification began november 2, 2000. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
Equipment:other:labels
Model years: 1999
Problem: Vehicle description: 4x4 vehicles with off road and high fgawr option packages, and 4x2 vehicles with sport option package. The tire and rim identification information is incorrect on the certification labels for these vehicles. This does not meet the requirements of fmvss no. 120, "tire selection and rims for motor vehicles other than passenger cars."
Risk: If incorrect tire information is given, underrated tires could be placed on the truck causing excessive tire wear or, in extreme cases, possible tire blowouts.
Fix: Owners will be provided with a revised label overlay.
Equipment:other:labels
Model years: 1996, 1997
Problem: The certification labels on the involved vehicles has incorrect rear tire inflation pressure designations. This does not comply with fmvss no. 120, "tire selection and rims for motor vehicles other than passenger cars."
Risk: Incorrect inflation pressures could cause premature wear of the rear tires. .
Fix: Owners will be provided with correct certification labels and instructions for installing these labels. Dealers can install this label if the owner so desires.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 45-50 MPH on the freeway, the navigation screen turned blank, and the speedometer decreased to zero. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the rear end…
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while parked and attempting to start the vehicle, the check engine light illuminated. The vehicle was serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 24E012000 (EQUIPMENT), but the remedy failed to repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the…
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at various speeds, the steering wheel was pulling to the left or to the right, forcing the contact to keep and maintain a strong grip on the steering wheel while driving. There was no warning light illuminated…
The contact owns a 2014 Ford F150. The contact stated that on several occasions while the vehicle was being reversed, the rearview camera displayed a solid black screen, or an inverted screen. The contact stated that the screen failed to display as intended. The contact stated that on a separate…
Started truck then we heard a loud pop, similar to a gun shot. Then we heard crackling through the speakers. Audio volume controls were ineffective as well as radio on/off controls. Turned truck off and restarted no pop this time but the crackling continued. I called my local Ford dealer to…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Ford F-150s have equipment problems?
No. NHTSA has 257 owner complaints about equipment for the Ford F-150. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Ford F-150 equipment?
Yes: 9 safety recalls list equipment. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
What do owners say about equipment problems on the Ford F-150?
The most frequent phrase is “spare tire”, in 40 of 257 complaints, followed by “air conditioner” (13).
Other Ford F-150 problems
- Power Train problems (8,965)
- Engine problems (4,522)
- Electrical System problems (3,641)
- Vehicle Speed Control problems (2,689)
- Engine and Engine Cooling problems (2,502)
- Steering problems (2,253)
- Service Brakes problems (2,080)
- Visibility problems (2,074)
See all Ford F-150 problems.