Ford
Ford F-150 years to avoid
Years to avoid: 2018. Best years: 2024.
The 2018 Ford F-150 draws the most owner complaints for its age: 2,311, or 257 for each year on the road, against a median of 143 a year across the 11 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2018 is transmission shudder (519 reports).
- 13,419complaints
- 110recall campaigns
- 13model 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
2018
Most reported: transmission shudder (519 reports, median 63,000 miles) and stalling (251 reports, median 53,000 miles).
Best years
2024
Most reported: headlights (30 reports) and infotainment (19 reports).
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. Too new to judge: 2025 and 2026.
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
- No single year holds most of the file. The busiest, the 2018, has 17% of the 13,419 complaints across 13 model years.
- Problem across the years
- The top problem moves around from year to year. Transmission shudder leads in 4 of the 12 model years and has the most reports overall, 1,657. Pooled across the years, half of the 744 owners who gave a mileage for transmission shudder were under about 68,000 miles.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- 4% of Ford F-150 complaints report a crash, a fire or an injury, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site. The highest share is on the 2024, 24 of its 189 complaints.
- Recalls on the top problem
- 10 of the 11 model years where owners report transmission shudder have a recall on the same system. The 2019 has none. A recall on the same system doesn't always cover the failure owners describe, so compare its summary with the complaints.
- When owners filed
- Complaints are still climbing. 2025 brought 2,637, the most of any year so far. So far in 2026, 2,314 more have come in. Filings on record start in 2015.
Photo: Bull-Doser, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: Bull-Doser, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Thirteenth generation
| Year | Complaints | A year | Recalls | Most reported | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 1,718 | 143 | 14 | Brakes grind, pulse or wear early (315) | 51,600 |
| 2016 | 2,057 | 187 | 14 | Brakes grind, pulse or wear early (339) | 49,000 |
| 2017 | 1,441 | 144 | 18 | Timing chain or cam phaser rattles (164) | 58,000 |
| 2018 avoid | 2,311 | 257 | 19 | Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard (519) | 50,000 |
| 2019 | 1,329 | 166 | 9 | Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard (385) | 62,000 |
| 2020 | 730 | 104 | 11 | Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard (193) | 48,000 |
Photo: Kevauto, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Fourteenth generation
| Year | Complaints | A year | Recalls | Most reported | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,015 | 169 | 29 | Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard (94) | 45,000 |
| 2022 | 594 | 119 | 23 | Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails (63) | 30,000 |
| 2023 | 408 | 102 | 13 | Brakes grind, pulse or wear early (48) | 30,000 |
| 2024 best | 189 | 63 | 11 | Headlights too dim or fail (30) | 13,290 |
| 2025 | 106 | new | 13 | Brakes grind, pulse or wear early (20) | 5,200 |
| 2026 | 10 | new | 5 |
Year by year
2026 Ford F-150
10 owner complaints so far; too new to call. 5 recalls, including 26V-576 on the transmission and drivetrain and 26V-577 on the suspension system.
2025 Ford F-150
106 owner complaints so far; too new to call. Most reported: brake wear (20 reports) and driver assist (18 reports). 6 reports involved a crash and 3 people were hurt. 13 recalls, including 25V-823 on the brakes and 25V-488 on the brakes.
2024 Ford F-150 best
189 owner complaints, 63 for each year on the road (0.4 times the model median). Most reported: headlights (30 reports), infotainment (19 reports) and brake wear (14 reports). 17 reports involved a crash and 12 people were hurt. 11 recalls, including 26V-578 on the fuel system and 26V-104 on the electrical system.
2023 Ford F-150
408 owner complaints, 102 for each year on the road (0.7 times the model median). Most reported: brake wear (48 reports, median 14,000 miles), drivetrain problems (32 reports, median 35,991 miles) and infotainment (31 reports). 18 reports involved a crash and 11 people were hurt. 13 recalls, including 26V-578 on the fuel system and 26V-489 on the backup camera.
2022 Ford F-150
594 owner complaints, 119 for each year on the road (0.8 times the model median). Most reported: infotainment (63 reports, median 24,000 miles), drivetrain problems (49 reports, median 34,000 miles) and stalling (45 reports, median 29,043 miles). 20 reports involved a crash and 29 people were hurt. 23 recalls, including 26V-489 on the backup camera and 26V-104 on the electrical system.
2021 Ford F-150
1,015 owner complaints, 169 for each year on the road (1.2 times the model median). Most reported: transmission shudder (94 reports, median 60,000 miles), drivetrain problems (85 reports, median 54,520 miles) and stalling (80 reports, median 35,000 miles). 13 reports involved a crash and 8 people were hurt. 29 recalls, including 21V-407 on the steering system (do not drive) and 26V-402 on the transmission and drivetrain.
2020 Ford F-150
730 owner complaints, 104 for each year on the road (0.7 times the model median). Most reported: transmission shudder (193 reports, median 65,600 miles), stalling (86 reports, median 36,000 miles) and infotainment (75 reports, median 6,650 miles). 19 reports involved a crash and 17 people were hurt. 11 recalls, including 20V-197 on the transmission and drivetrain and 26V-373 on the exterior lighting.
2019 Ford F-150
1,329 owner complaints, 166 for each year on the road (1.2 times the model median). Most reported: transmission shudder (385 reports, median 65,000 miles), stalling (177 reports, median 60,000 miles) and timing chain failure (136 reports, median 72,000 miles). 17 reports involved a crash and 25 people were hurt. 9 recalls, including 26V-373 on the exterior lighting and 25V-442 on the backup camera.
2018 Ford F-150 avoid
2,311 owner complaints, 257 for each year on the road (1.8 times the model median). Most reported: transmission shudder (519 reports, median 63,000 miles), stalling (251 reports, median 53,000 miles) and timing chain failure (227 reports, median 66,000 miles). 64 reports involved a crash and 52 people were hurt. 19 recalls, including 26V-375 on the transmission and drivetrain and 18V-213 on the transmission and drivetrain.
2017 Ford F-150
1,441 owner complaints, 144 for each year on the road (1.0 times the model median). Most reported: timing chain failure (164 reports, median 73,000 miles), transmission shudder (162 reports, median 82,000 miles) and engine rattle (120 reports, median 72,200 miles). 42 reports involved a crash and 34 people were hurt. 18 recalls, including 19V-278 on the engine and 18V-894 on the engine.
2016 Ford F-150
2,057 owner complaints, 187 for each year on the road (1.3 times the model median). Most reported: brake wear (339 reports, median 37,700 miles), stalling (183 reports, median 55,100 miles) and door latch (159 reports, median 20,000 miles). 56 reports involved a crash and 48 people were hurt. 14 recalls, including 22V-150 on the brakes and 20V-332 on the brakes.
2015 Ford F-150
1,718 owner complaints, 143 for each year on the road (1.0 times the model median). Most reported: brake wear (315 reports, median 51,000 miles), stalling (159 reports, median 58,250 miles) and door latch (108 reports, median 25,000 miles). 50 reports involved a crash and 80 people were hurt. 14 recalls, including 20V-332 on the brakes and 26V-237 on the transmission and drivetrain.
2014 Ford F-150
1,511 owner complaints, 116 for each year on the road (0.8 times the model median). Most reported: brake wear (341 reports, median 49,700 miles), rear window shattering (135 reports, median 59,000 miles) and drops into neutral (117 reports, median 130,000 miles). 36 reports involved a crash and 36 people were hurt. 8 recalls, including 14V-316 on the steering system (do not drive) and 20V-332 on the brakes.
Recalls that cover several model years
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."
When towing a trailer, the integrated trailer module (ITRM) may lose communication with the vehicle, possibly causing a loss of brake and turn signal lights, or a loss of brake function.
During the previous repair, the block heater cable's splice connector may have been damaged.
Water and contaminants may get into the block heater cable's splice connector causing corrosion and damage.
The fuel tank may be improperly secured and leak fuel, or detach from the vehicle while driving.
A software error may cause the rearview camera image to delay, freeze, or not display when the vehicle is in reverse.
Compare the F-150 with its rivals
Side by side over the model years both have on file: what owners complain about, the mileage problems start at, recalls, investigations and crash reports.
- F-150 vs Chevrolet Silverado 15002014 to 2026
- F-150 vs Ram 15002014 to 2026
- F-150 vs Toyota Tundra2016 to 2026
- F-150 vs GMC Sierra 15002014 to 2026
Questions
What Ford F-150 years should you avoid?
The 2018 Ford F-150 draws the most owner complaints for its age: 2,311, or 257 for each year on the road, against a median of 143 a year across the 11 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2018 is transmission shudder (519 reports).
What are the best years for the Ford F-150?
The 2024 draws the fewest complaints for its age: 189, or 63 for each year on the road. Model years before 2016 aren't called best, because complaints filed before 2015 aren't in the files this site reads and their counts run short.
What is the most common problem on the Ford F-150?
Transmission shudder, with 1,657 reports across the 13 model years that have a page here. It's the single most reported problem on the 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.
How many recalls does the Ford F-150 have?
110 recall campaigns cover the Ford F-150 model years 2014 to 2026 on this site. The widest, 24V-852 on the equipment, covers 7 model years.
How many Ford F-150 complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
4% of them, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site. The 2024 has the highest share.
Is there a recall for transmission shudder on the Ford F-150?
On 10 of the 11 model years where owners report it: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.