2013 Ford F-150 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (1105) · Vehicle Speed Control (294) · Service Brakes (293)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Ford F-150 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
2,212 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (3)
Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (Tcm/Pcm/Tecm) 2019-06-10 · campaign 19V433000 · 107,857 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013 F-150 vehicles equipped with 5.0L or 6.2L gasoline engines, that previously had the powertrain control module (PCM) software reprogrammed under recall 19V-075. The software used to reprogram the PCM did not have the necessary updates to prevent the transmission from unexpectedly downshifting into first gear, regardless of vehicle speed.
Risk: Unexpectedly downshifting into first gear may result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (Tcm/Pcm/Tecm) 2019-02-11 · campaign 19V075000 · 1,263,051 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2013 F-150 vehicles equipped with a 6-speed automatic transmission. The transmission may unexpectedly downshift into first gear, regardless of vehicle speed.
Risk: Unexpectedly downshifting into first gear may result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:fluid 2016-05-24 · campaign 16V345000 · 225,012 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 F-150 vehicles manufactured August 1, 2013, to August 31, 2014 equipped with 3.5L engines. The master cylinder rear cup seal may roll, resulting in brake fluid leakage from the primary reservoir into the brake booster.
Risk: Loss of brake fluid from the primary reservoir results in a complete loss of front brake function, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (141)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-04-29 · 25H05 S1 · Other
harvest program 25h05 – supplement #1 certain 2011-2021 model year vehicles software verification harvest program
Unknown Or Other 2026-02-24 · SSM 54601 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
ford and lincoln vehicles equipped with wired keyless entry keypad systems and accessory wireless keyless entry keypad systems may or may not come with a wallet card containing the master code. unlike the integrated wired keypad, the accessory wireless keypad master code cannot be retrieved from the
Unknown Or Other 2025-11-19 · 25H05 · Other
this is a proactive investigation program by ford motor company to inspect a limited number of affected vehicles that are customer-owned. ford is voluntarily conducting this program to evaluate the software currently installed on one or more electronic modules in the affected vehicles.
Unknown Or Other 2024-10-10 · SSM 53040 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
while performing a transmission repair on some 2012-2024 ford and lincoln vehicles, a transmission seal kit may be on backorder due to supply chain interruptions.
Wheels 2024-07-24 · TSB 24-2188 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this article supersedes tsb 22-2219 to update the parts list and service procedure to clarify applicable steps by vehicle application. some 2003-2020 expedition/navigator and 2006-2020 f-150 (non-raptor) vehicles equipped with 4wd may exhibit grinding/clicking/ratcheting noise from the front wheel a
Equipment 2024-04-24 · SSM 52476 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
all accessory stick-on keyless entry keypads come with a wallet card containing the master code. if the accessory keypad was factory installed, this card will be placed in the glove box and should be handed to the vehicle s owner during initial delivery. unlike the integrated (wired) factory keypad,
Showing the 6 most recent of 141 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-28 · Power Train“the recall on 2014 ford f150 vin [xxx] had a recall in 2020 that was supposedly fixed with a software update the recall was powertrain / transmission (nhtsa id: 24v444000 / ford campaign 24s37): loss of signal between the transmission output shaft speed sensor and the powertrain control module can cause the transmission to unexpectedly downshift…”
2026-10-27 · Power Train · 65,000 mi“the contact owns a 2013 ford f-150. while the contact's son was driving approximately 30 mph, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted and remained stuck in first or second gear. in addition, the engine revved while the accelerator pedal was not depressed, and the speedometer was inoperable. the contact stated that the failure recurred while drivi…”
2026-10-23 · Vehicle Speed Control“my 2013 ford f-150 is experiencing the dangerous failure associated with nhtsa safety recall 19s07. while driving, the transmission abruptly and unexpectedly downshifted into 1st gear at speed. this causes sudden, violent deceleration equivalent to a severe rear-end collision, creating an extreme safety hazard and loss of vehicle control. to protec…”
2026-10-21 · Vehicle Speed Control“was driving my truck on the highway, when it slammed into 1st gear on its own, was going about 65 mph and almost lost control of the vehicle. i have taken it immediately to a ford dealership for repairs, and they are saying that they are unable to replicate what happened. at the time it showed a wrench icon and check engine light, and i am certai…”
2026-10-20 · Unknown Or Other“while i'm driving and say i speed up or accelerate it feels like sometimes down shifts and then starts to go normal…”
2026-10-13 · Power Train“the truck randomly hard downshifts and the gauges stop working and it wont shift back out of third gear. i can stop the truck and shut it off and when i turn it back on it still will be in third gear. if i turn it to manual sometimes i can get it to go down to second but it is a hard shift and then will hard shift back into third and stay. a wrench…”
2026-10-09 · Power Train“truck will not shift into the correct gears when driving, would jump from 1st to a higher gear, it would shift weird and would lose the dash gauges when the truck was shifting. …”
2026-10-07 · Engine“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 w…”
2026-10-06 · Service Brakes · 💥 crash“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 pres…”
2026-10-06 · Power Train“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.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.