Car Issues Tracker
Vehicle complaints, recalls & safety data — sourced from NHTSA

2017 Ford F-150: Complaints, Recalls, and Known Problems

Owners have filed 1,066 safety complaints about the 2017 Ford F-150 with U.S. regulators. Here's what the federal data shows, system by system.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · Retrieved July 14, 2026 · Counts change as new reports are filed

1,066
Complaints
18
Recalls
3
Investigations
5★
Overall crash rating

Complaints for this vehicle report 35 crashes, 19 fires, 31 injuries. No deaths have been reported.

Key findings
  1. Engine & cooling leads the complaint list, cited in 312 of 1,066 complaints, followed by Power train / transmission.
  2. Complaints peaked 7 years after the model year (223 filed in 2024) — a pattern consistent with wear-out failures rather than assembly defects.
  3. 2 recalls are do-overs. NHTSA records show recall repairs that were previously performed incorrectly — worth a VIN check even if you had recall work done.
  4. 3 NHTSA defect investigations are associated with this vehicle.

What owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA name the vehicle system involved. For the 2017 Ford F-150, here is how reports break down by system.

Complaints by vehicle system
System mentions in 1,066 complaints · a complaint can cite more than one system
Engine & cooling
312
Power train / transmission
281
Body & structure
137
Other / unspecified
132
Electrical
93
Brakes & stability
81
Visibility & lighting
56
Steering
49

"There is an engine rattle when starting the vehicle. I took my vehicle to Ford of Upland dealership. They said I need to replace my VCT Solenoids and water pump. This was a known issue for this year and make of vehicle and I never received any notification. Now, they want to change me $6000 to repair it. There was TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN 23-2143 issued for this defect."

Owner complaint filed July 2025 · Power Train,Engine · NHTSA ODI 11672353

"While traveling at highway speeds, my truck will downshift from 6th gear to first gear. On occasion, the heads up display will randomly flash between different driving modes (reverse, M, Neutral) as if it is resetting. This also happens at medium speeds (20-30 mph)"

Owner complaint filed June 2025 · Power Train,Vehicle Speed Control,Engine · NHTSA ODI 11667377

Complaints didn't fade — they kept coming

For most vehicles, complaint volume spikes early and tapers off. The 2017 Ford F-150 inverts that curve — filings peaked in 2024, 7 years after the model year.

Complaints filed per year — 2017 Ford F-150
Year the complaint was filed, not the incident year
46
101
109
80
72
102
149
223
184
171819202122232425
2026 is a partial year (through July 14, 2026). A late peak is the signature of wear-out failures: parts that don't fail until the vehicle has years and miles on it.

How the 2017 compares with other model years

Across the Ford F-150 model years we track, the 2013 has the most complaints on file (2,796); the 2017 ranks 8 of 8.

Total complaints by model year — Ford F-150
All complaints on file per model year, as of July 14, 2026
2,137
1,717
2,796
1,362
1,425
1,686
2017
1,066
1,835
Older model years have had more time on the road to accumulate complaints — compare adjacent years, not endpoints.

Recall history: 18 recalls, including 2 do-overs

18 recalls apply to some or all 2017 Ford F-150 vehicles. Note the flagged campaigns: they cover vehicles whose earlier recall repairs were performed incorrectly.

Jan 201717V-053
Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Gear Position Indication (Prndl)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 F-150 trucks equipped with an eight-inch productivity screen. In these vehicles, the instrument cluster may lose power after the initial vehicle start-up in cold ambient temperatures. Several gauges, including the transmission gear position indicat…

May 201717V-331
Latches/Locks/Linkages:Doors:Latch

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 …

May 201717V-332
Seats:Front Assembly:Recliner

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 Ford Explorer, F-150, F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 vehicles equipped with a manual driver's seat back recliner mechanism. In the event of a crash, the seat back frame may not restrain the occupant due to having inadequate welds. As such, these veh…

Aug 201717V-529
Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator Module

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 F-150 and Mustang vehicles. The air bag inflator within the passenger frontal air bag module may rupture in the event of a crash.

Aug 201717V-526
Seat Belts:Rear/Other

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 M…

Sep 201717V-599
Seats

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 Ford F-150, F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 trucks with manually-adjusted front passenger seats. The seat belt anchor may not be adequately welded to the seat cushion frame. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Mot…

Oct 201717V-652
Latches/Locks/Linkages:Doors:Latch

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 doo…

Oct 201717V-671
Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Lever And Linkage:Column Shift

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 F-150 vehicles equipped with ten-speed transmissions. The pin that attaches the transmission shift linkage to the transmission may come out, preventing the transmission from responding to movement of the shift lever.

Apr 201818V-213
Power Train:Automatic Transmission

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Ford F-150 and 2018 Ford Expedition and Mustang and Lincoln Navigator vehicles equipped with 10-speed automatic transmissions. A roll pin may not have been installed in the transmission, potentially causing a loss of the "Park" function.

Aug 201818V-568
Seat Belts:Pretensioner

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.

Dec 201818V-894
Engine

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…

Apr 201919V-278Repair done incorrectly
Engine

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 hea…

Jun 202020V-332
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Master Cylinder

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.

Apr 202121E-027
Suspension:Front:Control Arm:Upper Ball Joint

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.

Mar 202222V-150
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Power Assist

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.

Apr 202525V-236
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Master Cylinder

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2018 F-150, Expedition, and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The brake master cylinder may allow brake fluid to leak from the front wheel circuit into the brake booster.

Apr 202626V-237
Power Train:Automatic Transmission

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.

Jun 202626V-370Repair done incorrectly
Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/Panel

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 F-150 vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 17V053. The instrument cluster may lose power after initial vehicle start-up in cold ambient temperatures. Several gauges, including the transmission gear position indicator, may no…

Does your car have an open recall?

Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit. Look up your 17-character VIN on the official NHTSA site to see open recalls for your specific vehicle. Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov →

Crash-test ratings

NHTSA crash ratings measure how the car protects occupants in a crash — a separate question from the reliability complaints above. A vehicle can be both crashworthy and trouble-prone.

★★★★★
Overall
★★★★★
Frontal crash
★★★★★
Side crash
★★★★☆
Rollover

Frequently asked questions

How many complaints does the 2017 Ford F-150 have?

As of July 14, 2026, owners have filed 1,066 complaints about the 2017 Ford F-150 with NHTSA. The most-reported system is engine & cooling.

How many recalls does the 2017 Ford F-150 have?

The 2017 Ford F-150 has 18 NHTSA recalls on file. 2 recalls reopen earlier campaigns whose repairs were performed incorrectly. Recall repairs are free at any dealer.

Is the 2017 Ford F-150 safe in a crash?

NHTSA gives the 2017 Ford F-150 an overall crash rating of 5 out of 5 stars. Crash ratings measure occupant protection in a collision; they do not measure reliability, which is what the complaint data above reflects.

Methodology & source

All figures come from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public APIs: the Office of Defects Investigation complaint database, the recalls database, and NCAP safety ratings, retrieved July 14, 2026.

Complaints are self-reported by consumers and are not verified by NHTSA or by this site. A single complaint may cite multiple vehicle systems, so system mentions can sum to more than the complaint total. Complaint volume is influenced by fleet size, media attention, and recall notices, and is not by itself a measure of defect rates.

This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer. Nothing here is repair, purchase, or legal advice. For your specific vehicle, use the official NHTSA VIN lookup and consult a qualified technician.