2016 FORD F-150 — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 2,018 complaints · 14 recalls
Most-reported system: POWER TRAIN (474 complaints · 23.5%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 55
  • Fires 25
  • Injuries 48
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2015 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution POWER TRAIN appears in 474 of 2,018 owner complaints (23.5%) in this vehicle snapshot. POWER TRAIN: 474 complaints, 23.5% of reports POWER TRAIN 474 · 23.5% · 3 crash reports 1 fire reports SERVICE BRAKES: 307 complaints, 15.2% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 307 · 15.2% · 20 crash reports ENGINE: 240 complaints, 11.9% of reports ENGINE 240 · 11.9% · 1 crash reports 2 fire reports STRUCTURE: 149 complaints, 7.4% of reports STRUCTURE 149 · 7.4% VISIBILITY: 126 complaints, 6.2% of reports VISIBILITY 126 · 6.2% · 3 fire reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 94 complaints, 4.7% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 94 · 4.7% · 3 crash reports 10 fire reports FUEL SYSTEM: 67 complaints, 3.3% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 67 · 3.3% · 1 crash reports 1 fire reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 65 complaints, 3.2% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 65 · 3.2% · 3 crash reports 1 fire reports STEERING: 55 complaints, 2.7% of reports STEERING 55 · 2.7% · 2 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 603 complaints, 29.9% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 603 · 29.9% · 10 crash reports 9 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
POWER TRAIN 474 23.5% 3 crashes · 1 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 307 15.2% 20 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 240 11.9% 1 crashes · 2 fires
STRUCTURE 149 7.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 126 6.2% 0 crashes · 3 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 94 4.7% 3 crashes · 10 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 67 3.3% 1 crashes · 1 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 65 3.2% 3 crashes · 1 fires
STEERING 55 2.7% 2 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 603 29.9% 10 crashes · 9 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 2016; the first recall shown was reported in Feb 2016. 2016-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2016-Q2: 24 owner reports 24 2016-Q3: 54 owner reports 54 2016-Q4: 69 owner reports 69 2017-Q1: 56 owner reports 56 2017-Q2: 26 owner reports 26 2017-Q3: 25 owner reports 25 2017-Q4: 45 owner reports 45 2018-Q1: 43 owner reports 43 2018-Q2: 38 owner reports 38 2018-Q3: 54 owner reports 54 2018-Q4: 56 owner reports 56 2019-Q1: 54 owner reports 54 2019-Q2: 58 owner reports 58 2019-Q3: 55 owner reports 55 2019-Q4: 40 owner reports 40 2020-Q1: 51 owner reports 51 2020-Q2: 28 owner reports 28 2020-Q3: 35 owner reports 35 2020-Q4: 41 owner reports 41 2021-Q1: 36 owner reports 36 2021-Q2: 38 owner reports 38 2021-Q3: 34 owner reports 34 2021-Q4: 34 owner reports 34 2022-Q1: 29 owner reports 29 2022-Q2: 35 owner reports 35 2022-Q3: 54 owner reports 54 2022-Q4: 34 owner reports 34 2023-Q1: 43 owner reports 43 2023-Q2: 44 owner reports 44 2023-Q3: 53 owner reports 53 2023-Q4: 46 owner reports 46 2024-Q1: 42 owner reports 42 2024-Q2: 51 owner reports 51 2024-Q3: 69 owner reports 69 2024-Q4: 27 owner reports 27 2025-Q1: 93 owner reports 93 2025-Q2: 64 owner reports 64 2025-Q3: 66 owner reports 66 2025-Q4: 29 owner reports 29 2026-Q1: 92 owner reports 92 2026-Q2: 98 owner reports 98 2026-Q3: 49 owner reports 49 Owner reports Jan 2016 Jul 2026 Recall campaign 16V110000 ◆ Recall campaign 16V110000 Recall campaign 16V475000 ◆ Recall campaign 16V475000 Recall campaign 17V331000 ◆ Recall campaign 17V331000 Recall campaign 17V526000 ◆ Recall campaign 17V526000 Recall campaign 17V652000 ◆ Recall campaign 17V652000 Recall campaign 17V767000 ◆ Recall campaign 17V767000 Recall campaign 18V568000 ◆ Recall campaign 18V568000 Recall campaign 18V894000 ◆ Recall campaign 18V894000 Recall campaign 19V278000 ◆ Recall campaign 19V278000 Recall campaign 20V098000 ◆ Recall campaign 20V098000 Recall campaign 20V332000 ◆ Recall campaign 20V332000 Recall campaign 21E027000 ◆ Recall campaign 21E027000 Recall campaign 22V150000 ◆ Recall campaign 22V150000 Recall campaign 26V237000 ◆ Recall campaign 26V237000 Investigation RQ16001 ● Investigation RQ16001 Investigation PE18008 ● Investigation PE18008 Investigation PE25002 ● Investigation PE25002 Investigation EA26001 ● Investigation EA26001
  • Campaign 16V475000 was reported 159 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 17V331000 was reported 487 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 17V652000 was reported 634 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 18V568000 was reported 325 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 20V332000 was reported 1,499 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 21E027000 was reported 1,824 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 22V150000 was reported 2,140 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 26V237000 was reported 3,625 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2016-Q1 Owner reports 6
2016-Q2 Owner reports 24
2016-Q3 Owner reports 54
2016-Q4 Owner reports 69
2017-Q1 Owner reports 56
2017-Q2 Owner reports 26
2017-Q3 Owner reports 25
2017-Q4 Owner reports 45
2018-Q1 Owner reports 43
2018-Q2 Owner reports 38
2018-Q3 Owner reports 54
2018-Q4 Owner reports 56
2019-Q1 Owner reports 54
2019-Q2 Owner reports 58
2019-Q3 Owner reports 55
2019-Q4 Owner reports 40
2020-Q1 Owner reports 51
2020-Q2 Owner reports 28
2020-Q3 Owner reports 35
2020-Q4 Owner reports 41
2021-Q1 Owner reports 36
2021-Q2 Owner reports 38
2021-Q3 Owner reports 34
2021-Q4 Owner reports 34
2022-Q1 Owner reports 29
2022-Q2 Owner reports 35
2022-Q3 Owner reports 54
2022-Q4 Owner reports 34
2023-Q1 Owner reports 43
2023-Q2 Owner reports 44
2023-Q3 Owner reports 53
2023-Q4 Owner reports 46
2024-Q1 Owner reports 42
2024-Q2 Owner reports 51
2024-Q3 Owner reports 69
2024-Q4 Owner reports 27
2025-Q1 Owner reports 93
2025-Q2 Owner reports 64
2025-Q3 Owner reports 66
2025-Q4 Owner reports 29
2026-Q1 Owner reports 92
2026-Q2 Owner reports 98
2026-Q3 Owner reports 49
Recall campaign 1 16V110000
Recall campaign 1 16V475000
Recall campaign 1 17V331000
Recall campaign 1 17V526000
Recall campaign 1 17V652000
Recall campaign 1 17V767000
Recall campaign 1 18V568000
Recall campaign 1 18V894000
Recall campaign 1 19V278000
Recall campaign 1 20V098000
Recall campaign 1 20V332000
Recall campaign 1 21E027000
Recall campaign 1 22V150000
Recall campaign 1 26V237000
Defect investigation 1 RQ16001
Defect investigation 1 PE18008
Defect investigation 1 PE25002
Defect investigation 1 EA26001
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (14)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16V110000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    If an adult is incorrectly classified as a child, the passenger frontal air bag will not deploy during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
    Remedy:
    Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the Occupant Classification System Module (OCSM) with new software, free of charge. The recall began on March 11, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S05.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16V475000

    Report date
    Component:
    SEATS
    Consequence:
    The seat back may not adequately restrain the occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
    Remedy:
    Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the seat back frame, free of charge. The recall begin on August 18, 2016. Owners may contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 16C11.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 17V331000

    Report date
    Component:
    LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
    Consequence:
    If the doors unlatch and open in a side impact collision, the occupants have an increased risk of injury.
    Remedy:
    Ford will notify owners, and dealers will remove the accessory covers and refund the purchase price. The recall began July 13, 2017. Owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for the recall is 17C09.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 17V526000

    Report date
    Component:
    SEAT BELTS
    Consequence:
    If the left rear inflatable seat belt buckle separates from it's mounting bracket, the seat occupant may not be adequately restrained, increasing their risk of injury.
    Remedy:
    Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the seat belt assembly, replacing the attaching rivet as necessary, free of charge. Interim notices informing owners of the safety risk were mailed October 18, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when the remedy becomes available. Owners may contact Ford Customer Service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17C12.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 17V652000

    Report date
    Component:
    LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
    Consequence:
    A door that opens while driving can increase the risk of injury.
    Remedy:
    Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the door latch actuation cables and repair if necessary, and install water shields over the door latches, free of charge. The recall began October 12, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S33.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 17V767000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    In the event of a crash, a seat occupant that is not properly restrained has an increased risk of injury.
    Remedy:
    Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tightness of the power seat track upper pivot link bolt, either applying threadlocker or replacing the lift link and hardware, free of charge. Interim letters are expected to go out January 15, 2018. Owners will receive a second notice when the remedy becomes available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S40.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  7. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 18V568000

    Report date
    Component:
    SEAT BELTS
    Consequence:
    A vehicle fire could result if materials ignite inside the vehicle.
    Remedy:
    Ford will notify owners, and dealers will remove the B-pillar insulation material and wiring harness tape, and install heat resistant tape, free of charge. The recall began September 28, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S27.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  8. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 18V894000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    When the heater is plugged in, prolonged corrosion could cause a resistive short, increasing the risk of overheated or melted wiring which can increase the risk of a fire.
    Remedy:
    Ford will notify owners, and dealers will disable the block heater cable, free of charge. Once parts are available, Dealers will replace the engine block heater cable, free of charge. The recall began June 3, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S45.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  9. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 19V278000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    A damaged cable could cause a resistive short, increasing the risk of overheated or melted wiring, increasing the risk of a fire.
    Remedy:
    Ford will notify owners, and dealers will disable the engine block heater from being used. When replacement cables become available, a second notice will be mailed and dealers will replace the engine block heater cord, free of charge. The recall began May 31, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S11.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  10. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 20V098000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    A damaged cable could cause a resistive short, increasing the risk of overheated or melted wiring, increasing the risk of a fire.
    Remedy:
    Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the block heater's location and its cable, replacing components as necessary, free of charge. If the replacement parts are not available, dealers will disable the existing block heater cable from being used until parts become available. The recall began April 9, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S08.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  11. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 20V332000

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    A loss of brake fluid may result in a change in brake pedal travel and feel, increased pedal effort and reduced front brake function, possibly requiring greater effort and distance to stop the vehicle. These conditions can increase the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake master cylinder and inspect the brake booster, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. Ford issued owners an interim notification on June 30, 2020. The recall began on October 28, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S31.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  12. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 21E027000

    Report date
    Component:
    SUSPENSION
    Consequence:
    An incorrectly installed ball joint may cause the ball joint stud to break, which can compromise front wheel control, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    DRiV will notify owners, and dealers will inspect, and if necessary replace the ball joint, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed May 5, 2021. Owners may contact Tenneco Automotive customer service at 1-877-489-6659.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  13. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 22V150000

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    A loss of brake fluid may result in a change in brake pedal travel, increased pedal effort and reduced front brake function, requiring greater effort and distance to stop the vehicle. These conditions can increase the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will replace the brake master cylinder. If the master cylinder is leaking, the brake booster will also be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. An interim owner notification letter notifying customers of the safety defect were mailed on April 29, 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed April 29, 2022. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall number 20V-332. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S11.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  14. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 26V237000

    Report date
    Component:
    POWER TRAIN
    Consequence:
    Unexpectedly downshifting into second gear may result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Dealers will update the powertrain control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 24, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S28. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on April 15, 2026.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 2018 complaints · page 1 of 81

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

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

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources