Ford F-150 reliability by year
134 recall campaigns and 20,217 owner complaints across 22 model years. Best year to buy: 2009. Year to avoid: 2021.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
Years to avoid — and why 14 flagged on the NHTSA record
Cleaner on the data: 2016, 2019, 2020 . Still verify the specific vehicle.
At-a-glance: every year color-coded
Each cell shows the last two digits of the model year and its 0–10 reliability score from NHTSA data. Click any year to see the full record. ★ best year · ✕ year to avoid.
Year-by-year reliability 22 model years · newest first
Per-year recall counts add up to 233, more than the 134 campaigns above, because a single NHTSA campaign often covers several model years and is counted once in each.
Common trouble spots across the F-150 aggregated across 22 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a Ford F-150?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume and severity weighting, the 2009 Ford F-150 scores 7.0/10 — the strongest in the 2005–2026 range. 324 complaints on file, 2 active recalls. Reliability scores reflect the federal complaint record, not subjective owner reviews.
Which Ford F-150 year should I avoid?
The 2021 Ford F-150 scores 2.0/10 — the weakest in the lineup. 997 owner complaints with NHTSA, 29 active recalls. That doesn't mean every 2021 is a problem — it means failure rates run higher than peer model years on the same platform.
Which years of the Ford F-150 should I avoid?
On the NHTSA complaint and recall record, the model years to be most careful with are 2014 (avoid — the steering — 1 fatality report and 7 crash-related complaints on the steering); 2013 (avoid — the powertrain — 1 fatality report and 3 fire-related complaints on the powertrain); 2012 (avoid — the brakes — 7 fire-related complaints on the electrical system); 2011 (avoid — the brakes — 8 fire-related complaints and 4 crash-related complaints on the electrical system); 2010 (avoid — the electrical system — 17 fire-related complaints on the electrical system); 2008 (avoid — the engine — 5 fire-related complaints on the electrical system). The cleaner years on the data are 2020, 2019, 2016. This is our read of the federal data, not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection of the specific vehicle.
How many years of the Ford F-150 are tracked?
22 model years (2005 through 2026) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 134 distinct recall campaigns and 20,217 owner complaints. Those campaigns land on 233 model-year entries in total, because one campaign often covers several years at once — which is why per-year recall counts add up to more than the campaign count.
What's the most-reported problem on the Ford F-150?
powertrain is the most-reported category — 3,923 complaints across 17 model years. Average shop repair runs about $2,500.