2016 Ford F-150 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (529) · Service Brakes (281) · Engine (181)
🧭 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
1,147 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (14)
Power Train:automatic Transmission 2026-04-14 · campaign 26V237000 · 1,392,935 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 F-150 vehicles. A loss of signal between the transmission range sensor and the powertrain control module can cause the transmission to unexpectedly downshift into second gear.
Risk: Unexpectedly downshifting into second gear may result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:master Cylinder 2022-03-11 · campaign 22V150000 · 195,864 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, and 2016-2018 F-150 vehicles equipped with 3.5L Ecoboost engines. The brake master cylinder may allow brake fluid to leak from the front wheel circuit into the brake booster.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Suspension:front:control Arm:upper Ball Joint 2021-04-12 · campaign 21E027000 · 2,394 vehicles
Defect: Tenneco Automotive (DRiV) is recalling certain MOOG K500359 ball joints, for aftermarket installation on 2015-2018 Ford F-150 trucks. The ball joint may have a misaligned dust boot and may be missing alignment hole and installation warning tag, which may lead to improper alignment of the ball joint.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:master Cylinder 2020-06-08 · campaign 20V332000 · 292,311 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014-2017 F-150 pickup trucks equipped with 3.5L Ecoboost engines. The brake master cylinder may leak brake fluid into the brake booster.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Engine 2020-02-21 · campaign 20V098000 · 13,854 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2016 F-150 pick-up trucks equipped with 3.5L GTDI engines and block immersion heaters that were potentially relocated from their originally installed location. The incorrect location could put the heater too close to hot engine components, possibly resulting in a damaged cable.
Risk: A damaged cable could cause a resistive short, increasing the risk of overheated or melted wiring, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: 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.
Engine 2019-04-08 · campaign 19V278000 · 131,068 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Ford F-150 and 2017-2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty, F-350 Super Duty, F-450 Super Duty, and F-550 Super Duty pick-up trucks equipped with an engine block heater and previously remedied under recall 18V894. During the previous repair, the block heater cable's splice connector may have been damaged.
Risk: A damaged cable could cause a resistive short, increasing the risk of overheated or melted wiring, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: 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.
Engine 2018-12-18 · campaign 18V894000 · 410,289 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Ford F-150 and 2017-2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty, F-350 Super Duty, F-450 Super Duty, and F-550 Super Duty pick-up trucks equipped with an engine block heater. Water and contaminants may get into the block heater cable's splice connector causing corrosion and damage.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Seat Belts:pretensioner 2018-08-31 · campaign 18V568000 · 1,619,112 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford F-150 Regular Cab and SuperCrew Cab vehicles. If a front seat belt pretensioner deploys as the result of a crash, the sparks may ignite materials such as carpeting or insulation within the B-pillar area.
Risk: A vehicle fire could result if materials ignite inside the vehicle.
Fix: 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.
Seats 2017-11-29 · campaign 17V767000 · 177,264 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016 F-150 and Explorer vehicles. Loose power seat adjuster pivot bolts may cause the front seat cushions to detach and not properly restrain the seat occupant in the event of a crash.
Risk: In the event of a crash, a seat occupant that is not properly restrained has an increased risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
Latches/Locks/Linkages:doors:latch 2017-10-16 · campaign 17V652000 · 1,101,107 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Ford F-150, and 2017 F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 Super Duty trucks. The doors on these vehicles may have a bent or kinked actuation cable or the door latches may freeze after water gets into the latch. Either condition can result in the doors opening while driving although they appear to be closed.
Risk: A door that opens while driving can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
Seat Belts:rear/Other 2017-08-28 · campaign 17V526000 · 117,423 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 F-150, and 2017 F-250 and F-350 trucks equipped with a crew cab. The left rear inflatable seat belt buckle assembly may be inadequately attached to its mounting bracket. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages."
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Latches/Locks/Linkages:doors:latch 2017-05-22 · campaign 17V331000 · 14,410 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 F-150, and 2017 F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 vehicles originally produced with black or body colored exterior door handles that may have been subsequently equipped with a chrome exterior door handle cover accessory kit purchased from a Ford dealer. These accessory door handle covers may cause the doors to unlatch in a side impact collision. As such, these vehicles may fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Risk: If the doors unlatch and open in a side impact collision, the occupants have an increased risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
Seats:front Assembly:recliner 2016-06-28 · campaign 16V475000 · 5,280 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2016 Ford Explorer and F-150 vehicles equipped with a manual recline driver's seat. The seat back frame may have insufficient welds which may not meet the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 202, "Head Restraints" and 207, "Seating Systems."
Risk: The seat back may not adequately restrain the occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification 2016-02-25 · campaign 16V110000 · 2,894 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2016 F-150 trucks manufactured April 27, 2015, to November 22, 2015, and equipped with Multi-Contour Seats (MCS). The front passenger seat Occupant Classification System (OCS) that calibrates the air bag deployment level may incorrectly classify an adult as a child when the seat massage feature is activated.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (283)
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.
Power Train 2026-07-09 · 26N04 · Other
customer satisfaction program 26n04 certain 2015-2017 model year f-150 vehicles equipped with a 6r80 transmission transmission molded leadframe replacement
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-25 · 25N17 · Other
advance notice – customer satisfaction program 25n17 certain 2015-2025 model year multiple vehicle lines rear view camera replacement if required after dealer evaluation
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
Electrical System 2025-11-26 · TSB 25-2570 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this article supersedes tsb 24-2165 to update the tsb service procedure. some vehicles listed in the model statement above may exhibit various sync performance related concerns including but not limited to: display operation concerns navigation inoperative voice recognition concerns phone co
Power Train 2025-11-12 · SSM 54366 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2015-2021 ford and lincoln vehicles may exhibit an illuminated mil with diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) p0011, p0012, p0014, p0015, p0016, p0017, p0018, p0019, p0021, p0022, p0024 and/or p0025. pinpoint test hk in the powertrain control and emissions diagnosis (pc/ed) or in section 303-14 of th
Unknown Or Other 2025-03-15 · SSM 53495 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2016-2020 f-150 vehicles may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (mil) with diagnostic trouble code (dtc) p0630 stored in the powertrain control module (pcm). this may be due to aftermarket modifications to the body control module (bcm), such as changes to the tire size or axle ra
Showing the 6 most recent of 283 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-27 · Power Train“i am filing this complaint regarding a serious transmission safety issue with my son's 2016 ford f-150, which is subject to ford safety recall 26s28 / nhtsa recall 26v237 and is also within the scope of nhtsa engineering analysis ea26001 concerning unintended transmission downshifts. the truck was operating normally before the recall repair. ford …”
2026-10-27 · Unknown Or Other“i am filing this complaint on behalf of myself in regards to fords customer service team. i submitted the paperwork to receive a refund for this repair on august the 5th and they denied it on october the 23. i have since obtained the missing documentation they requested and no one at the ford customer service dept will let me speak to a supervisor …”
2026-10-27 · Electrical System“back windshield spontaneous combustion overheating back shield …”
2026-10-26 · Power Train · 116,500 mi“the contact owns a 2016 ford f-150. the contact stated that while driving, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted, the rear wheels locked up, and the vehicle decelerated. the wrench icon was displayed, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. the contact stated that there was an abnormal grinding sound coming from the engine compartme…”
2026-10-26 · Power Train · 163,000 mi“the contact owns a 2016 ford f-150. the contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under nhtsa campaign number: 26v237000 (power train); however, the failure occurred after the recall repair. while starting the vehicle, the transmission started out at 5th gear with the engine revving, and while driving at various speeds, the transmissi…”
2026-10-26 · Power Train“my truck was driving fine since i bought it 9 years ago. ford sent me a letter saying to come in for a recall (recall 26s28). i went to my local ford dealership for the recall work, and after that my truck started driving very poorly. the transmission would shudder, and studder at all rpms (unsafe at highway speeds). i called the dealership and…”
2026-10-26 · Power Train“my 2016 ford f-150 5.0l v8 has experienced repeated failures involving the transmission gear-position system and inability to start. during the most recent incident, i was stopped at a traffic light when a wrench warning illuminated on the dashboard and all transmission gear-position indicators disappeared. the vehicle remained operational but exh…”
2026-10-24 · Unknown Or Other“i purchased my truck in xxx. shortly afterwards as i was driving at approx 45 mph, the rear end just locked up and felt like something had snapped inside the transmission or transfer case. i had an extended warranty which ford took full advantage of claiming that the rear end had locked up due to a bad 4 wheel drive switch and i knew i was being l…”
2026-10-24 · Vehicle Speed Control“ford finally sent me a recall notice just this year in may. i have called multiple dealers and bomaritto ford in [xxx] told me 2 and a half years ago to bring my truck in and they'll replace the lead frame free of charge however any dealerships i contacted in [xxx] denied any such recall. when i received the recall letter from ford it stated the tr…”
2026-10-22 · Service Brakes“driving on highway lost power to gas pedal truck dash flashed and turned off. bunch of lights and a gear turned on. i drove to dealership immediately and left the truck there. was later told i have a 4 serious safety hazard recalls and one that is paused and because of this can’t be fixed and leaves the truck unusable. leaving me without a vehicle …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.