Ford F-150 Years to Avoid: No Year Stands Out

Years to avoid: No year stands out Every ranked year drew 161 to 501 complaints, under twice the 388 complaints of a typical F-150 year.
Best years: 2019 Under three quarters of the 388 complaints of a typical F-150 year since 2016, with no open NHTSA investigation or do-not-drive or park-outside recall. The 2020 drew few complaints too, but its first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less. The 2017 also drew few complaints, but it is named in an open NHTSA investigation.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 12, 2026

Every model year since 2010 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 25 mpg combined, arrived in 2018. Excludes the electric F-150 Lightning.

F-150 problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical F-150 year drew 388 complaints in its first three years: the median of its years since 2016, higher than the median of all its ranked years (343.5). Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (388), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2018 F-150 Most described: jerking, lurching or harsh shifting	501	2,335	18
2016 F-150 Most described: loss of power or limp mode	496	2,098	13
2021 F-150 Most described: jerking, lurching or harsh shifting	486	1,323	29
2022 F-150 Most described: jerking, lurching or harsh shifting	429	826	23
2012 F-150 Most described: loss of power or limp mode	399	1,784	4
2015 F-150 Most described: loss of power or limp mode	359	1,753	13
2023 F-150 Most described: jerking, lurching or harsh shifting	347	515	13
2013 F-150 Most described: loss of power or limp mode	340	2,994	3
2011 F-150 Most described: loss of power or limp mode	294	2,195	6
2017 F-150 Most described: jerking, lurching or harsh shifting	256	1,469	17
2014 F-150 Most described: loss of power or limp mode	211	1,541	8
2010 F-150 Most described: stalling or shutting off	176	843	1
2020 F-150 Most described: jerking, lurching or harsh shifting	174	746	11
2019 F-150 Best Most described: jerking, lurching or harsh shifting	161	1,350	9

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your F-150 for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Ford dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	24 mpg Hybrid	8	20
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Hybrid	16	131
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Hybrid	11	234
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Hybrid	13	515
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Hybrid	23	826
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Hybrid	29	1,323
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	24 mpg Diesel	11	746	4 to 5 stars
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Diesel	9	1,350	4 to 5 stars
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Diesel	18	2,335	4 to 5 stars
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Gas	17	1,469
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	21 mpg Gas	13	2,098
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Gas	13	1,753
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	19 mpg Gas	8	1,541
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	19 mpg Gas	3	2,994
2012 MPG · Recalls and problems	19 mpg Gas	4	1,784
2011 MPG · Recalls and problems	19 mpg Gas	6	2,195
2010 MPG · Recalls and problems	17 mpg Gas	1	843	Not rated

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2018: 2,335 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Ford F-150
Model year	Complaints
2010	843
2011	2,195
2012	1,784
2013	2,994
2014	1,541
2015	1,753
2016	2,098
2017	1,469
2018	2,335
2019	1,350
2020	746
2021	1,323
2022	826
2023	515
2024	234
2025	131
2026	20

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 17 to 22 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2026); highest in 2015. Hybrid: 23 to 25 mpg (2021 to 2026); highest in 2021.

Best gas version
Best hybrid version

2026: gas 21 mpg · hybrid 24 mpg

Show as a table

Ford F-150 best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best hybrid version
2010	17	–
2011	19	–
2012	19	–
2013	19	–
2014	19	–
2015	22	–
2016	21	–
2017	22	–
2018	22	–
2019	22	–
2020	22	–
2021	22	25
2022	22	25
2023	22	25
2024	21	23
2025	21	23
2026	21	24

Every F-150 year's ratings in one table

Comparisons

Questions

Which Ford F-150 years should you avoid?

No Ford F-150 year stands out enough to avoid: none drew twice the 388 owner complaints of a typical F-150 year or more in its first three years. Counts ranged from 161 to 501. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Ford dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

What are the best Ford F-150 years?

The 2019 F-150 is the best year: it drew 161 owner complaints in its first three years, under three quarters of the 388 complaints of a typical F-150 year since 2016, and it has no open NHTSA investigation or recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside. The 2020 drew few complaints too, but its first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less. The 2017 also drew few complaints, but it is named in an open NHTSA investigation. Only years since 2016 are considered, since owners filed fewer complaints in the early 2010s. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Ford F-150 years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2018 (501), 2016 (496), and 2021 (486) drew the most.

Which Ford F-150 years have the most recalls?

The 2021 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (29), then the 2022 (23). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. Two recalls tell owners not to drive the car or to park it outside until it is repaired: NHTSA 14V-316 (2014 models) and NHTSA 21V-407 (2021 models).

What are the most common Ford F-150 problems?

In the 22,157 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2010 to 2026 models, owners most often describe loss of power or limp mode (2,136 complaints); jerking, lurching or harsh shifting (1,833 complaints); and stalling or shutting off (1,195 complaints). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Ford F-150 year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 25 mpg combined, first reached by the 2018 diesel version.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.