2013 Ford F-150 Problems: Transmission / driveline (2,984 Complaints)
The most-reported problem on the 2013 Ford F-150 is Transmission / driveline (37% of 2,984 owner reports). There are 3 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Transmission / driveline — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.
1,102 of 2,984 filings named Transmission / driveline (37% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.
Second is Brakes (325 reports).
There are 3 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Brakes and Transmission / driveline. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.
The 2012 has 1,773 reports on file; this year has 2,984. Older years collect more reports just by being on the road longer. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.
What to check before you buy a 2013 Ford F-150
A useful visit to this page takes five minutes. YearTell does not score years and cannot see the vehicle in front of you.
Look up the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov. This year has 3 campaigns on file below.
Transmission / driveline. Have a shop drive it and check the transmission: hard or delayed shifts, burnt-smelling fluid, and 4WD engagement if equipped.
Brakes. Have a shop check pads, rotors, fluid and whether the pedal feels firm.
Engine. Have a shop check for oil consumption, coolant leaks, rough idle and unusual engine noise.
Skim a few owner reports below for Transmission / driveline. Look for the same symptom repeating.
Take that list to a mechanic. Do not turn the complaint total into a score.
What owners reported
System named most often:Transmission / driveline 1,102 complaints · 36.9% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Which systems owners named
Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.
“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.
View component data as a table
System / Component
Complaints
Share of Reports
Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
1,102
36.9%
18 crashes · 2 fires
Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)
325
10.9%
24 crashes · 1 fires
Engine (ENGINE)
323
10.8%
1 crashes · 9 fires
Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL)
228
7.6%
6 crashes · 0 fires
Steering (STEERING)
196
6.6%
7 crashes · 0 fires
Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY)
173
5.8%
0 crashes · 2 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)
148
5.0%
1 crashes · 11 fires
Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM)
112
3.8%
0 crashes · 2 fires
Wheels (WHEELS)
40
1.3%
1 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover
453
15.2%
8 crashes · 11 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations · Snapshot 2026-10-15 · Open source record
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
When reports and recalls showed up
When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.
Campaign 16V345000 was reported 1,106 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
Campaign 19V075000 was reported 2,123 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
Campaign 19V433000 was reported 2,242 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.
In short, these campaigns were filed about Brakes and Transmission / driveline.
Recall campaign 16V345000
Brakes
Report date
Component:
Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)
Consequence:
Loss of brake fluid from the primary reservoir results in a complete loss of front brake function, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy:
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake master cylinder and, if necessary, the brake booster, free of charge. The recall began on October 28, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S24.
Unexpectedly downshifting into first gear may result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy:
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began March 4, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S07.
Unexpectedly downshifting into first gear may result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy:
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began June 24, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S19.
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
What owners actually wrote
Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.
Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-10-14
I am submitting this complaint because my 2013 Ford F-150 3.5L EcoBoost developed a serious and potentially life-threatening engine defect that placed me and my family in immediate danger. While traveling on a major interstate/highway, the engine warning light and wrench light illuminated, and the truck subsequently lost power and stalled while I was driving. This occurred in active highway traffic, creating an extremely dangerous situation. My family and I were almost killed because the vehicle unexpectedly lost propulsion while we were traveling at highway speed and surrounded by other vehicles. The defect is especially hazardous because the failure can occur without providing a safe opportunity to move the vehicle out of traffic. An unexpected engine shutdown on a major interstate can leave the vehicle disabled in an active travel lane or in an unsafe location, exposing the occupants to a high risk of being struck by another vehicle. The loss of engine power also compromises the driver's ability to accelerate away from dangerous traffic situations. The condition is consistent with the **timing-component degradation and engine performance/stalling concerns described in Ford's technical-service information, including TSB 18-2305**, concerning the 3.5L EcoBoost engine. The timing components can deteriorate to the point that the engine experiences serious drivability problems and may stall. In my case, this was not merely a warning light or minor mechanical issue—the vehicle actually **stalled while being driven on a major interstate with my family inside**. This defect represents an immediate **hazardous safety condition** because an engine that unexpectedly stalls at highway speed can cause a driver to lose the ability to maintain speed, merge, maneuver, or safely remove the vehicle from traffic. The danger is substantially increased when children or family members are passengers. Ford is well aware of this defect. I am asking NHTSA to investigate
Vehicle Information: 2013 Ford F-150 SuperCrew 3.5L V6 EcoBoost (VIN: [XXX]) While operating the vehicle, experienced a severe and sudden degradation of brake hydraulic pressure. The brake pedal travels abnormally deep and requires the driver to "double-pump" (fully let off the brake pedal and re-press it a second time) to achieve enough line pressure to stop the vehicle. Additionally, while stopped at an intersection, the vehicle began violently jerking and resisting movement because the brake calipers failed to release, holding the vehicle back until a heavy secondary press of the pedal forced the system to recede. Safety Risk & Background: This behavior matches the exact mechanical failure profile of Ford Safety Recall 16S24 and Recall 20S31 (internal failure of the brake master cylinder rear cup seal leaking corrosive fluid directly into the vacuum brake booster). I am the original owner of this vehicle from new. My exact VIN is currently excluded from the official recall database due to an early 2013 manufacture date boundary. However, the vehicle is suffering from the identical catastrophic failure of the identical under-recalled factory braking component, resulting in extreme deceleration failure and unintended brake lockup while moving. This constitutes an immediate crash hazard to my teenage driver that is currently operating this vehicle. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
My truck is shifting erratically going from 5/6th gear down to 1st/2nd. It looses power. My battery light comes on, the wrench comes on, check engine light comes on but no codes come up. I have already put in a new transmission at my cost.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the transmission downshifted into first gear. The service vehicle soon warning light was illuminated and the vehicle was restarted and the contact continued driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the lead frame had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V075000 (POWER TRAIN); as a possible cause for the failure. The failure mileage was 126,149.
Was driving on the interstate and the speedometer stopped working, the truck shifted to first gear and entered limp home mode. This is a know issue with the lead frame and even though I only have 95k miles on the truck, ford only offered a 10 year extended warranty CSP 19N01 to cover it which has expired on time. This is a known issue and could have caused an accident on the interstate. This issue should be scheduled as a recall rather than an extended warranty that can expire. So because we do not drive the truck that often we are now being forced to pay for a known issue that Ford is aware of.
What are the most common problems on the 2013 Ford F-150?
Owners named Transmission / driveline most often — 1,102 of 2,984 reports (37%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.
Are there recalls for the 2013 Ford F-150?
NHTSA lists 3 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Brakes and Transmission / driveline. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.
What should I inspect before buying a 2013 Ford F-150?
Look up the VIN for open recalls. Have a shop drive it and check the transmission: hard or delayed shifts, burnt-smelling fluid, and 4WD engagement if equipped. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.
Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?
No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Methodology & Data Integrity
Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-10-14. YearTell is not a government agency.