2013 Ford F-150 Recalls and Problems

NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls and 2,982 owner complaints for the 2013 Ford F-150.

Recalled components: powertrain and brakes. Most-described problem: loss of power or limp mode (366 complaints, 12%). Most-reported area: powertrain (1,337 complaints, 45%; median mileage when it happened: 94,000).

Data: NHTSA recall, complaint and investigation filesUpdated Oct 2, 2026

Best year

Excludes the electric F-150 Lightning.

3 safety recalls for the 2013 Ford F-150

Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.

Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

NHTSA investigations

NHTSA has opened 3 investigations that name the 2013 Ford F-150; all 3 are closed. An investigation means NHTSA is reviewing reports of a problem. It is not a finding that the vehicle has a defect.

A preliminary evaluation is NHTSA's first step, to gather information and decide whether to look further. A recall query is a review of whether a recall covered the right vehicles or whether its fix works. NHTSA lists investigations by make, model and model year only, so one can apply to only some versions of a model, such as one engine; its summary says which.

What owners report

Owners have filed 2,982 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 F-150. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.

Problems owners describe

• Loss of power or limp mode366 · 12%
  Median 60,900 miles at failure, from 282 reports with mileage
• Check engine light295 · 10%
  Median 84,000 miles at failure, from 251 reports with mileage
• Gauge cluster or speedometer failure181 · 6%
  Median 111,400 miles at failure, from 124 reports with mileage
• Stalling or shutting off175 · 6%
  Median 66,300 miles at failure, from 159 reports with mileage
• Jerking, lurching or harsh shifting161 · 5%
  Median 89,300 miles at failure, from 110 reports with mileage
• Shaking, shuddering or vibration140 · 5%
  Median 20,000 miles at failure, from 129 reports with mileage
• Brake failure or a soft or hard pedal133 · 4%
  Median 53,300 miles at failure, from 106 reports with mileage
• Power steering problems or locked steering133 · 4%
  Median 78,600 miles at failure, from 113 reports with mileage

Counted from the complaint text: a complaint counts once for each problem it describes (how we match them). Some complaints describe none of these. Compare other models in the problem owners report most for every model year.

Areas named in complaints

• Powertrain1,337 · 45%
  Most named: automatic transmission (26); automatic transmission, control module (tcm/pcm/tecm) (5) · Median 94,000 miles at failure, from 908 reports with mileage
• Engine547 · 18%
  Median 55,500 miles at failure, from 444 reports with mileage
• Brakes359 · 12%
  Most named: foundation components, master cylinder (8); antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, wheel speed sensor/tone ring (5) · Median 59,000 miles at failure, from 280 reports with mileage
• Electrical system322 · 11%
  Most named: wiring, fuses and circuit breakers (11); instrument cluster/panel (7) · Median 67,000 miles at failure, from 235 reports with mileage
• Speed control301 · 10%
  Most named: accelerator pedal (3) · Median 69,100 miles at failure, from 184 reports with mileage
• Steering216 · 7%
  Median 74,000 miles at failure, from 183 reports with mileage
• Visibility/wiper146 · 5%
  Median 56,000 miles at failure, from 132 reports with mileage
• Unknown or other225 · 8%
  Median 65,000 miles at failure, from 128 reports with mileage

A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.

Ford F-150 recalls and complaints by model year

The highlighted bars are the 2013 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2018 F-150 drew the most (501) and the 2013 drew 340.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

2013 F-150 MPG

Questions