2018 Ford F-150 · symptom sheet
Airbag warning light or recall
- 38owner reports
- 31,000median miles
- 24involved a crash
Newest report Aug 25, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
38 of the 2,311 complaints on this car describe airbag.
Tick what matches of 38 reports
Airbag on other F-150 years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026.
What this problem usually is
Airbag complaints split into a few kinds. The most common is an airbag warning light that won't go out. Others involve the passenger seat sensor switching the passenger bag off with an adult sitting there, an airbag that didn't deploy in a crash, or one that went off without a crash at all. A large share also come from owners waiting on a recall part.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the occupant sensor (13 reports).
Recalls and investigations
No recall on the airbags covers the 2018 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.
NHTSA investigations into the airbags on the F-150
Inadvertent airbag deployment. Closed apr 25, 2011, led to recall 11V-107.
Inadvertent airbag deployment. Closed jan 19, 2010, led to recall 11V-107.
Inadvertent air bag deployment. Closed aug 15, 2000, led to recall 93V-155.
None of these investigations covers the 2018 model year.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 9,000 and 68,000 miles, from the 21 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 1 service bulletin or notice for the 2018 Ford F-150 that deal with this problem. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
Some 2015-2020 F-150, 2017-2022 Super Duty and 2018-2021 Expedition vehicles may experience a cracked or splitting driver air bag cover. This may be due to the air bag cover tear seam design.
What owners wrote
“The steering wheel has cracked in the center area housing the AIR BAG and HORN. I believe this is a safety hazard. With the crack going over half of the way through the steering wheel, there is a chance of the AIR BAG DEPLOYING without cause.”
Filed Nov 1, 2022
“I pushed my horn and the cover that goes over horn and airbag broke/cracked. You are able to see the white from the airbag.”
Filed Feb 3, 2022
“My air bag in the steering wheel is starting to come out I am worried it is going to deploy with the way it looks. See photo...I called the Ford Dealership and they refused to report it.”
Filed Sep 1, 2021
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 24 of 38 reports involved a crash and 22 people were hurt. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Taking it to a shop? How to describe this problem so it gets found
Other problems on this car
- Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard 519 reports
- Engine stalls or loses power while driving 251 reports
- Timing chain or cam phaser rattles 227 reports
- Engine rattles or ticks 195 reports
- Transmission fails or needs replacement 180 reports
- Doors, latches or locks fail 164 reports
- Check engine light or misfire 119 reports
- Transmission drops into neutral or downshifts on its own 114 reports
- Engine failure, knocking or rod bearing 91 reports
- Brakes grind, pulse or wear early 91 reports
- Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 89 reports
- "Service Transmission" message or wrench light comes on 65 reports
- Burns oil or oil level rises 54 reports
- Tailgate or liftgate will not open or close 48 reports
- Wheel bearing, tires or wheels 47 reports
- Windshield cracks or distorts 42 reports
- Power steering cuts out or goes heavy 40 reports
- Rear window shatters or explodes 38 reports
- Vehicle fire 32 reports
- Loses power when accelerating 30 reports
- Seat belt or seat problems 29 reports
- Auto start-stop will not restart the engine 29 reports
- Driveshaft, axle or transfer case problems 26 reports