Ford F-150 Structure Problems
Owners have filed 2,017 complaints with NHTSA about structure problems on the Ford F-150 across 32 model years. The 1997 model year has the most (226). The words owners use most often: “door latch” (9% of reports).
- 2,017structure complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 53mention a crash
- 55mention an injury
- 9related recalls
- $930typical repair cost reported by owners
- 34%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.
- Door latch: mentioned in 173 of 2,017 complaints (9%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical structure repair on the Ford F-150 at $930, and half of them between $670 and $1,400.
Based on 35 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (1999–2026), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do structure problems happen?
Based on 1,133 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 2,017 complaints, 53 mention a crash, 32 a fire, 55 an injury.
Ford F-150 structure complaints by model year
| Model year | Structure complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 F-150 | 1 | 8% | — |
| 2025 F-150 | 3 | 3% | — |
| 2024 F-150 | 3 | 2% | 3,700 |
| 2023 F-150 | 23 | 6% | 7,000 |
| 2022 F-150 | 14 | 2% | 32,500 |
| 2021 F-150 | 36 | 3% | 46,000 |
| 2020 F-150 | 22 | 3% | 7,800 |
| 2019 F-150 | 32 | 2% | 9,000 |
| 2018 F-150 | 193 | 8% | 10,000 |
| 2017 F-150 | 111 | 8% | 22,250 |
| 2016 F-150 | 199 | 10% | 20,000 |
| 2015 F-150 | 147 | 8% | 27,500 |
| 2014 F-150 | 31 | 2% | 71,000 |
| 2013 F-150 | 48 | 2% | 50,000 |
| 2012 F-150 | 24 | 1% | 78,000 |
| 2011 F-150 | 33 | 2% | 59,500 |
| 2010 F-150 | 92 | 11% | 52,000 |
| 2009 F-150 | 34 | 10% | 36,834 |
| 2008 F-150 | 23 | 6% | 54,000 |
| 2007 F-150 | 31 | 6% | 93,300 |
| 2006 F-150 | 44 | 8% | 84,000 |
| 2005 F-150 | 77 | 7% | 71,000 |
| 2004 F-150 | 104 | 5% | 72,500 |
| 2003 F-150 | 32 | 8% | 74,640 |
| 2002 F-150 | 45 | 5% | 85,000 |
| 2001 F-150 | 65 | 5% | 119,000 |
| 2000 F-150 | 66 | 6% | 67,500 |
| 1999 F-150 | 95 | 9% | 85,245 |
| 1998 F-150 | 138 | 10% | 85,000 |
| 1997 F-150 | 226 | 8% | 130,000 |
| 1996 F-150 | 7 | 2% | 181,000 |
| 1995 F-150 | 18 | 3% | 77,775 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (9)
Structure:body
Model years: 2026
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2026 Maverick, F-150, and Bronco Sport vehicles. Certain vehicle joints may be improperly tightened. This can lead to detached parts, unsecured cargo, degraded crash protection, electrical system failure, or a loss of vehicle stability.
Risk: Improperly tightened vehicle joints may lead to a loss of vehicle control, electrical failure, or detached parts, increasing the risk of a crash or fire.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and tighten the vehicle joints or repair and replace the joint retention mechanisms as necessary, free of charge. Owner notifications letters are expected to be mailed September 21, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S60. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on August 26, 2026.
Structure:frame and members:underbody shields; power train:driveline:driveshaft
Model years: 2021, 2022
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2022 F-150 vehicles. Underbody heat and noise insulators may loosen and contact the aluminum driveshaft, which could damage the driveshaft and cause it to fracture.
Risk: A fractured driveshaft can cause a loss of drive power, or a loss of vehicle control if the driveshaft contacts the ground. Additionally, unintended movement could occur while parked if the parking brake is not engaged. Any of these scenarios increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and repair the driveshaft, as necessary, and properly attach the underbody insulators, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 1, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S53.
Structure:frame and members:underbody shields; power train:driveline:driveshaft
Model years: 2021, 2022
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2022 F-150 vehicles. Underbody heat and noise insulators may loosen and contact the aluminum driveshaft, which could damage the driveshaft and cause it to fracture.
Risk: A fractured driveshaft can cause a loss of drive power, or a loss of vehicle control if the driveshaft contacts the ground. Additionally, unintended movement could occur while parked if the parking brake is not engaged. Any of these scenarios can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and repair the driveshaft as necessary, and properly attach the underbody insulators, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 4, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S56.
Seat belts:pretensioner; structure:body:roof and pillars
Model years: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford F-150 Regular Cab and SuperCrew Cab vehicles. If a front seat belt pretensioner deploys as the result of a crash, the sparks may ignite materials such as carpeting or insulation within the B-pillar area.
Risk: A vehicle fire could result if materials ignite inside the vehicle.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will remove the B-pillar insulation material and wiring harness tape, and install heat resistant tape, free of charge. The recall began September 28, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S27.
Structure:body:roof and pillars
Model years: 2018
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 Ford F-150 Raptor Super Cab pick-up trucks not equipped with a moonroof. The structural roof braces may be missing rivets at the attachment of the roof rail, thereby reducing the structural integrity.
Risk: If the structural integrity is reduced, in the event of a rollover crash, there may be an increased risk of injury .
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install the rivets for the roof brace attachments, free of charge. The recall began October 17, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S29.
Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch; structure:body:door
Model years: 2015, 2016, 2017
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 F-150, and 2017 F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 vehicles originally produced with black or body colored exterior door handles that may have been subsequently equipped with a chrome exterior door handle cover accessory kit purchased from a Ford dealer. These accessory door handle covers may cause the doors to unlatch in a side impact collision. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 206, "Door Locks and Door Retention Components."
Risk: If the doors unlatch and open in a side impact collision, the occupants have an increased risk of injury.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will remove the accessory covers and refund the purchase price. The recall began July 13, 2017. Owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for the recall is 17C09.
Structure:frame and members:underbody shields
Model years: 2015
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2015 Ford F-150 vehicles manufactured January 30, 2015, to January 31, 2015. The affected vehicles may have loose or missing underbody heat shields.
Risk: A missing underbody heat shield can lead to degradation or melting of the fuel or vapor lines, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicle for missing underbody heat shields and fasteners, and will install the missing components as required, free of charge. The recall began on May 13, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S12.
Structure:body:door
Model years: 2009, 2010
Problem: Ford is recalling certain model year 2009 and 2010 f-150 vehicles manufactured from january 18, 2008, through november 30, 2009. The interior door handle housing embossment retaining the interior door handle spring may fracture during normal usage resulting in insufficient spring force to return the handle to the fully stowed position.
Risk: In the event of a side impact crash, the door handle spring can fail causing the door latch to open.
Fix: Owners will be initially notified and instructed to take their vehicles to a ford or lincoln/mercury dealer if any interior door handle is loose or fails to return to the stowed position after activation for replacement of the affect module. Once parts become available, owners will be renotified and instructed to take their vehicles to a ford or lincoln/mercury dealer for inspection of each interior door handle. Depending on the results of the inspection, the dealer will either add a spring embossment reinforcement or replace the interior door handle module free of charge. The safety recall began on february 10, 2011. Owners may contact ford at 1-866-436-7332.
Structure:body
Model years: 2011
Problem: Ford is recalling certain model year 2011 f-150, f-250, f-350, f-450, f-550, edge and lincoln mkx vehicles. During a six-day production period, the supplier of the body control module manufactured modules that may have the potential for an internal short.
Risk: If an electrical short develops, an overheating condition may occur which can result in an unattended vehicle fire.
Fix: Dealer will replace the body control module if necessary free of charge. The safety recall began on january 11, 2011. Owners may contact ford at 1-866-436-7332.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Ford recall #25SB7 notice from dealer. Took it in since my moonroof has the exact problem mentioned in the recall notice. For some reason, my truck has no recall notice.
Due to cracking in the body seam towards the roof on the A-pillar on the drivers side. During moderate to heavy rain water enters the cab of the truck and soaks the floorboard and thus soaks electrical components underneath said floor board. Ford motor company refuses to fix it under warranty and I…
I am reporting a potential safety defect involving the hood latch sensor or electrical system on my 2017 Ford F-150, currently at 151,895 miles. On three occasions (10/3/26, 10/4/26, and 10/7/26), the "Hood Ajar" warning appeared while driving, accompanied by an audible chime, although the hood…
While driving truck, it had an electrical fritz that caused the car to become undrivable, with systems not responding. when stopped to power cycle, the car would accessory on but not attempt to start. the horn would go off randomly. was able to manually put the truck into neutral and push into a…
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while reversing at 3 MPH out of the driveway, the vehicle suddenly stopped and lowered to the ground. The contact exited the vehicle and became aware that the front driverâs side control arm had fractured and the subframe and the whole…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Ford F-150s have structure problems?
No. NHTSA has 2,017 owner complaints about structure 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 structure?
Yes: 9 safety recalls list structure. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
How much does it cost to fix structure problems on the Ford F-150?
Owners report a typical cost of $930 (half paid between $670 and $1,400), from 35 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about structure problems on the Ford F-150?
The most frequent phrase is “door latch”, in 173 of 2,017 complaints.
Other Ford F-150 problems
- Power Train problems (8,971)
- Engine problems (4,524)
- Electrical System problems (3,642)
- Vehicle Speed Control problems (2,690)
- 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.