Owner complaints · Engine · every model year

Ford F-150 engine problems, 2016–2026

2,105 of the 10,822 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the Ford F-150 2016–2026 name the engine (NHTSA’s “Engine” heading — the engine and its cooling system). The loudest years: 2018 (594), 2019 (384), 2017 (382). Filed under the same heading across these years: 1 manufacturer bulletin, 6 recall campaigns, 1 NHTSA investigation. Every figure is a linked federal record; none is a failure rate, none a repair cost, and none a verdict on one car.

2,105 complaints, 11 model years 19% of everything filed about the F-150 typically at 61k miles

Ford F-150 engine problems by model year

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications

One row per model year on file, newest first. A year marked in depth has its own page: the complaints, the owners’ words and every document under this heading for that year.

Model year	Complaints naming the engine	Share of the year’s	Typically at	On file under the heading
2026	3	20%	—	—	the year →
2025	0	—	—	18 TSBs · 3 recalls	the year →
2024	24	11%	—	30 TSBs · 2 recalls	the year →
2023	43	9%	—	54 TSBs	the year →
2022 in depth	59	7%	12k	59 TSBs · 1 recall · 1 investigation	the record →
2021 in depth	130	10%	40k	83 TSBs · 1 recall · 1 investigation	the record →
2020 in depth	139	19%	59k	69 TSBs	the record →
2019 in depth	384	29%	70k	97 TSBs · 1 recall	the record →
2018 in depth	594	26%	63k	128 TSBs · 2 recalls	the record →
2017 in depth	382	26%	69k	105 TSBs · 1 recall	the record →
2016 in depth	347	17%	57k	80 TSBs · 1 recall	the record →

Two things the counts carry that are not the car: how many of each year were sold, and how long each has been on the road — an older year out-counts a newer one before anything is wrong with it. The share column is the honest comparison across years: what part of that year’s complaints named the engine. Nothing here is a rate.

When the engine complaints were filed, and at what mileage

Source: NHTSA complaint database

2,105complaints name the engine, all years

Filed per calendar year, every model year together: 2016: 22 · 2017: 25 · 2018: 48 · 2019: 84 · 2020: 88 · 2021: 92 · 2022: 150 · 2023: 328 · 2024: 482 · 2025: 557 · 2026: 229

61kmiles, typically

Across the model years, half of the 1,035 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the engine problem between 32,000 and 90,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.

In owners’ own words

Source: NHTSA complaint database

Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the engine, from the model years with the most to say. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.

My truck has had an engine stumbling, hesitation, and misfiring problem since day 1 of ownership. The dealership said it would resolve itself after 2000miles of normal driving but it has not. It has progressively gotten worse over 10 months of ownership. It is much worse during hot summer weather (ie temps above 90f).

Engine Dec 13, 2018 NHTSA owner report

The truck has acceleration problems.. Its known as the dead pedal.. I have taken it back to Ford twice. They tell me all the trucks have this problem. Im afraid that it going to cause a accident. My wife will not drive the truck because of this

Engine at 700 miles Dec 10, 2018 NHTSA owner report

Driving on a road and the truck abruptly shut off, displayed an error message on the screen showing "auto stop/start, put the vehicle in park and restart engine" ( I dont use the auto stop/start feature) this issue should be looked into asap the vehical model shutting down randomly possibly leading into a serious accident or death

Engine at 34,000 miles Sep 8, 2020 NHTSA owner report

1. Engine begins to run rough during high speeds. 2. Rear cabin noise while driving (hear outside noises like a window is open)

Engine at 278 miles Aug 16, 2020 NHTSA owner report

I bought 2017 F-150 platinum from levittown Ford I own it less than 1 year and have now 15,000 miles on it. My problem first started around may of 2018 it was random happening off and on I was getting a grinding noise when I started the truck only when I stared in usually first thing in the morning or if it sat for more than 6 or more…

Engine at 14,000 miles Aug 20, 2018 NHTSA owner report

What is on file about the engine, across the years

Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications

Recall campaigns filed under this heading, any model year

25V344000 High
Jun 13, 2025 · 156 vehicles
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Transit, F-150, and Explorer vehicles. The connecting rod and rod bearing components may have manufacturing defects that can lead to engine damage and engine failure.
25V198000 Critical
Mar 28, 2025 · 4,356 vehicles
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024-2025 F-150, Expedition, and 2024 Lincoln Navigator vehicles equipped with 3.5L GTDI engines. The engine may have a misaligned engine cup plug, which can result in a rapid oil leak.
24V851000 Critical
Dec 20, 2024 · 2,490 vehicles
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024-2025 F-150, 2024 Expedition and 2024 Lincoln Navigator vehicles equipped with a 3.5L GTDI engine. The engines may have a misaligned engine cup plug, which can result in a rapid oil leak.
24V635000 High
Aug 23, 2024 · 90,736 vehicles
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Bronco, F-150, Edge, Explorer, Lincoln Nautilus, and Lincoln Aviator vehicles equipped with either a 2.7L or 3.0L Nano EcoBoost engine. The engine intake valves may break while driving, which can result in engine failure and a loss of drive power.
18V894000 Critical
Dec 18, 2018 · 410,289 vehicles
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Ford F-150 and 2017-2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty, F-350 Super Duty, F-450 Super Duty, and F-550 Super Duty pick-up trucks equipped with an engine block heater. Water and contaminants may get into the block heater cable's splice connector causing corrosion and damage.
17V672000 High
Oct 23, 2017 · 22 vehicles
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-150 vehicles equipped with 3.5L engines. The cylinder heads may have been machined without lubrication supply holes for the camshaft bearing journals.

NHTSA investigation

EA23002 Loss of Motive Power
opened Sep 29, 2023 · closed Oct 31, 2024
On July 22, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) granted a Defect Petition (DP22001) and opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE22007) to investigate allegations of loss of motive power in model year (MY) 2021 Ford Bronco vehicles equipped with 2.7L EcoBoost engines. Complainants were reporting sudden engine failure while driving resulting in a loss of motive power, often without the abilit…

1 manufacturer bulletin filed under this heading, any model year

25L05 Other 2025
Sep 2, 2026
Updated instructions

Every one filed under the heading is listed. Quote the document number at a service desk — it is a diagnosis the maker has already written down.

Other systems with a record on the Ford F-150

Source: the same files

Every system, every model year: Ford F-150 problems by year →

From here

Every 2027 model on file, by price Compare two vehicles, trim vs trim See what a VIN was priced at See what owners reported

Common questions

Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communications

Which Ford F-150 years have the most engine complaints?

2018, 594; 2019, 384; 2017, 382. Raw counts, and an older year has had longer to collect them; by share of each year's own complaints the loudest is the 2019 (29%).

Is there a recall for the engine on the Ford F-150?

Yes — 6 campaigns are filed under this heading across these model years: 25V344000 (2025), 25V198000 (2025), 24V851000 (2025), 24V635000 (2022). A recall is matched by VIN, and applies to specific years; check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

When do engine problems show up on the Ford F-150?

Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 61,000 miles across the model years; half of them between 32,000 and 90,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.

What does NHTSA's "Engine" heading cover?

The engine and its cooling system. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.