Ford
Ford F-150 Lightning years to avoid
Years to avoid: 2023. Best years: 2024.
The 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning draws the most owner complaints for its age: 110, or 28 for each year on the road, against a median of 18 a year across the 3 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2023 is infotainment (32 reports).
- 110complaints
- 9recall campaigns
- 1model years with a page
Newest report Sep 29, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
Pick your model year
Owner complaints on file for each year.
Years to avoid
2023
Most reported: infotainment (32 reports) and dead battery (16 reports).
Best years
2024
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
Complaints for each year on the road
Each model year's NHTSA complaints divided by the calendar years it has been on sale, counting this one (a 2018 model has had 9). Older cars have had longer to collect complaints, so raw totals flatter the new ones. Blue bars are the years to avoid.
Within one model, sales change less from year to year than they do between models, so a jump here is mostly a jump in problems. The call: the years to avoid are the (up to three) highest at 1.5 times the model's median rate or more, and the best are the (up to three) lowest at two thirds of it or less, from 2016 on.
Guide How much should a years-to-avoid list decide? What these lists get wrong
At a glance
- Where the complaints sit
- The 2023 has the most complaints of any Ford F-150 Lightning year here: 110 of 110 (100%).
- Problem across the years
- Infotainment is the top problem in every model year with a page, 32 reports in all.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- 10% of Ford F-150 Lightning complaints report a crash, a fire or an injury, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site.
- Recalls on the top problem
- Every model year where owners report infotainment also has a recall on the same system. A recall on the same system doesn't always cover the failure owners describe, so compare its summary with the complaints.
- When owners filed
- Filings peaked in 2024 at 49 (full calendar years only). In 2025 there were 27. So far in 2026, 21 more have come in.
Photo: Elise240SX, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Model years with too few complaints for a page of their own: 2022 (91), 2024 (30).
Year by year
2023 Ford F-150 Lightning avoid
110 owner complaints, 28 for each year on the road (1.5 times the model median). Most reported: infotainment (32 reports), dead battery (16 reports) and brake wear (14 reports). 8 reports involved a crash and 4 people were hurt. 9 recalls, including 25V-272 on the electrical system and 25V-131 on the electrical system.
Questions
What Ford F-150 Lightning years should you avoid?
The 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning draws the most owner complaints for its age: 110, or 28 for each year on the road, against a median of 18 a year across the 3 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2023 is infotainment (32 reports).
What are the best years for the Ford F-150 Lightning?
The 2024 draws the fewest complaints for its age: 30, or 10 for each year on the road.
What is the most common problem on the Ford F-150 Lightning?
Infotainment, with 32 reports across the 1 model years that have a page here. It's the single most reported problem on the 2023.
How many recalls does the Ford F-150 Lightning have?
9 recall campaigns cover the Ford F-150 Lightning model years 2023 on this site.
How many Ford F-150 Lightning complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
10% of them, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site.
Is there a recall for infotainment on the Ford F-150 Lightning?
Yes, on every model year where owners report it.