Ford Transit Electrical System Problems
Owners have filed 106 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the Ford Transit across 12 model years. The 2015 model year has the most (19). The words owners use most often: “odometer fraud” (9% of reports).
- 106electrical system complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 3mention a crash
- 2mention an injury
- 5related recalls
- 62%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.
- Odometer fraud: mentioned in 10 of 106 complaints (9%)
- Sale purchase: mentioned in 9 of 106 complaints (8%)
- Discovered discrepancy: mentioned in 8 of 106 complaints (8%)
- Safety risk: mentioned in 8 of 106 complaints (8%)
At what mileage do electrical system problems happen?
Based on 42 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 106 complaints, 3 mention a crash, 9 a fire, 2 an injury.
Ford Transit electrical system complaints by model year
| Model year | Electrical System complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Transit | 1 | 20% | — |
| 2025 Transit | 1 | 25% | — |
| 2024 Transit | 5 | 18% | — |
| 2023 Transit | 14 | 24% | 75,000 |
| 2022 Transit | 11 | 28% | 6,500 |
| 2021 Transit | 3 | 13% | 320,000 |
| 2020 Transit | 14 | 17% | 3,145 |
| 2019 Transit | 5 | 14% | 247,742 |
| 2018 Transit | 9 | 16% | 240,000 |
| 2017 Transit | 12 | 12% | 44,800 |
| 2016 Transit | 12 | 8% | 28,000 |
| 2015 Transit | 19 | 10% | 81,700 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (5)
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel
Model years: 2022, 2023
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2023 Transit vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 22V415. The Instrument Panel Cluster may not properly illuminate warning lights or gauges. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 101, "Control and Displays."
Risk: An instrument panel that does not illuminate critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the instrument panel cluster software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 23, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C19.
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel; visibility:defroster/defogger/hvac system
Model years: 2022, 2023
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2023 Transit vehicles. The heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system's controls, including those for defog and defrost, may become inoperative.
Risk: Loss of the ability to control the defrost or defog function decreases the driver's visibility under certain driving conditions, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the remote climate control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on November 11, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S65.
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel
Model years: 2022
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022 Transit vehicles. The Instrument Panel Cluster may not properly illuminate telltales or gauges and the speedometer and tachometer pointers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 101, "Control and Displays," and 102, "Trans Shift Lever Seq/Starter Interlock/Trans Braking Effect," and 105, "Hydraulic and Electric Brake Systems," and 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: Failure to illuminate the cluster display could render safety-related telltales and gauges unreadable, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the instrument panel cluster software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 26, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22C11.
Electrical system:wiring
Model years: 2015, 2016, 2017
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Ford Transit vehicles, equipped with a trailer tow module. Water can enter the tow modules and corrode the wiring causing issues such as rapidly flashing turn signals, loss of instrument panel display, an electrical short and possibly the deployment of seatbelt pretensioner.
Risk: An electrical short can increase the risk of a fire. Turn signal, instrument cluster or seatbelt pretensioner problems can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will add a drainage hole in the driver's door stepwell and incorporate a fuse into the vehicle's wiring harness, free of charge. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Note: This is an expansion of recall 17V-668 (Ford recall 17S34). Ford's number for this recall expansion is 17S34-S1.
Electrical system:wiring
Model years: 2015, 2016, 2017
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Ford Transit vehicles, equipped with a trailer tow module. Water can enter the tow modules and corrode the wiring causing issues such as rapidly flashing turn signals, loss of instrument panel display, an electrical short and possibly the deployment of seatbelt pretensioner.
Risk: An electrical short can increase the risk of a fire. Turn signal, instrument cluster or seatbelt pretensioner problems can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will add a drainage hole in the driver's door stepwell and incorporate a fuse into the vehicle's wiring harness, free of charge. The recall began on February 9, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S34.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The rearview camera is not working. On a vehicle of this size, a functioning rearview camera is especially important for helping to prevent backing incidents. The issue occurs every time the vehicle is driven, and the display shows, âRear View Camera not available.â Dealers have advised that…
Secondary alternator fails to charge lithium battery bank.
Rear A/C stopped working at 8k miles. Took it in under warranty. They have zero motors in the U.S. and have not provided a solution. I can not safely transport our children or an elderly woman in 100 degree heat without A/C. They say it is still usable and will not guarantee to pay for rental.
This is the second time this occurred. Please refer to 11757120. While travelling approximately 65 mph the vehicle had a complete shutdown including the engine and all electrical systems in the chassis. When a vehicle has a complete shutdown while driving it is inherently dangerous and life…
The rearview/360-degree camera system on my 2023 Ford Transit 350 continues to fail, resulting in the rearview camera image and/or other camera views becoming unavailable. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. This is a large passenger van with significant blind areas, and the loss…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Ford Transits have electrical system problems?
No. NHTSA has 106 owner complaints about electrical system for the Ford Transit. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Ford Transit electrical system?
Yes: 5 safety recalls list electrical system. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
What do owners say about electrical system problems on the Ford Transit?
The most frequent phrase is “odometer fraud”, in 10 of 106 complaints, followed by “sale purchase” (9).
Other Ford Transit problems
- Power Train problems (237)
- Engine problems (108)
See all Ford Transit problems.