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

2018 Ford F-150: Complaints, Recalls, and Known Problems

Owners have filed 1,835 safety complaints about the 2018 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

1,835
Complaints
19
Recalls
2
Investigations
4★
Overall crash rating

Complaints for this vehicle report 58 crashes, 29 fires, 45 injuries, 3 deaths.

Key findings
  1. Power train / transmission leads the complaint list, cited in 695 of 1,835 complaints, followed by Engine & cooling.
  2. Stalling is a recurring theme. 111 of the 1,835 reports describe the engine stalling — many while driving.
  3. Complaints peaked 6 years after the model year (384 filed in 2024) — a pattern consistent with wear-out failures rather than assembly defects.
  4. 3 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.

What owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA name the vehicle system involved. For the 2018 Ford F-150, here is how reports break down by system.

Complaints by vehicle system
System mentions in 1,835 complaints · a complaint can cite more than one system
Power train / transmission
695
Engine & cooling
516
Body & structure
239
Other / unspecified
196
Electrical
135
Visibility & lighting
89
Steering
80
Brakes & stability
73

"The transmission is hard shifting and staying in 6th gear most of the time. And when I pulled into my driveway the transmission was shifting back down to first and rolling backwards before shifting back to 6th gear allowing me to make a couple feet of forward progress at a time..."

Owner complaint filed August 2025 · Power Train,Forward Collision Avoidance · NHTSA ODI 11678007

"My 2018 F150 has a faulty transmission, started slipping and down shifting. These transmissions need to be recalled. In the shop now. These on going issues need to be addressed and resolved. Thank you [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)"

Owner complaint filed July 2025 · Power Train · NHTSA ODI 11673161

Complaints didn't fade — they kept coming

For most vehicles, complaint volume spikes early and tapers off. The 2018 Ford F-150 inverts that curve — filings peaked in 2024, 6 years after the model year.

Complaints filed per year — 2018 Ford F-150
Year the complaint was filed, not the incident year
1
106
230
164
129
185
273
384
363
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 2018 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 2018 ranks 3 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
1,066
2018
1,835
Older model years have had more time on the road to accumulate complaints — compare adjacent years, not endpoints.

Recall history: 19 recalls, including 3 do-overs

19 recalls apply to some or all 2018 Ford F-150 vehicles. Note the flagged campaigns: they cover vehicles whose earlier recall repairs were performed incorrectly.

Sep 201717V-598
Structure:Body:Roof And Pillars

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 Ford F-150 Raptor Super Cab pick-up trucks not equipped with a moonroof. The structural roof braces may be missing rivets at the attachment of the roof rail, thereby reducing the structural integrity.

Oct 201717V-672
Engine

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-150 vehicles equipped with 3.5L engines. The cylinder heads may have been machined without lubrication supply holes for the camshaft bearing journals.

Oct 201717V-669
Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Lever And Linkage:Column Shift

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-150 vehicles equipped with a 3.3L engine, a 6-speed transmission and a column mounted shift lever. Quickly moving the shift lever from Park to Drive may cause a loss of gear indication on the instrument cluster display and a momentary selection o…

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.

Apr 201818V-214
Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Gear Position Indication (Prndl)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-650 and F-750 vehicles equipped with 6-speed automatic transmissions and 2018 Ford F-150 and Expedition vehicles equipped with 10-speed automatic transmissions (excluding Expedition vehicles with a Rotary Gear Shift Dial on the console). The gear…

Jun 201818V-392
Fuel System, Gasoline:Delivery:Fuel Pump

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 Ford Expedition, F-150, and Lincoln Navigator vehicles equipped with 3.5L GTDI V6 engines. These vehicles have high pressure fuel pump assemblies with welds that can fracture, which may cause an oil or fuel leak.

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…

Aug 201919V-633
Seats:Front Assembly:Recliner

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 F-150 and 2019-2020 F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 Super Duty pickup trucks, and 2018-2019 Ford Explorer, 2019-2020 Expedition, and 2020 Escape vehicles equipped with driver and/or passenger's manual front seat back recliner mechanisms. Also i…

Feb 202020V-097
Exterior Lighting:Headlights

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 F-150 trucks equipped with high series LED headlamps with Autolamp (On/Off) functionality. The Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) may remain activated instead of dimming to parking lamps when the Master Lighting Switch (MLS) is manually rotated from …

Mar 202121V-155
Tires

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-150, 2018-2020 F-250, F-350, and 2019 Escape vehicles equipped with Continental tires. On the affected vehicles, it is possible that one or more tires were cured for too long during tire production.

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.

Dec 202121V-983
Latches/Locks/Linkages:Tailgate:Latch

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-150 vehicles with manual and power release tailgates. The tailgate latches may unlatch unexpectedly while driving.

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.

Nov 202424V-852
Equipment:Other:Labels

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2025 Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, 2020-2024 Escape, Lincoln Corsair, 2018-2024 F-150, Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The air bag warning label may be missing from the dashboard. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirement …

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.

Jun 202626V-373Repair done incorrectly
Exterior Lighting:Headlights

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 F-150 vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 20V097. When the headlight switch is turned from "Autolamps" to "Headlamps On," the Daytime Running Lamps (DRLs) may remain fully bright instead of dimming to parking lamps as …

Jun 202626V-375Repair done incorrectly
Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Control Module (Tcm/Pcm/Tecm)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-150 vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 17V669. Quickly moving the shift lever from Park to Drive may cause a loss of gear indication on the instrument cluster display and a momentary selection of an unintended gear, such…

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 2018 Ford F-150 have?

As of July 14, 2026, owners have filed 1,835 complaints about the 2018 Ford F-150 with NHTSA. The most-reported system is power train / transmission.

How many recalls does the 2018 Ford F-150 have?

The 2018 Ford F-150 has 19 NHTSA recalls on file. 3 recalls reopen earlier campaigns whose repairs were performed incorrectly. Recall repairs are free at any dealer.

Is the 2018 Ford F-150 safe in a crash?

NHTSA gives the 2018 Ford F-150 an overall crash rating of 4 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.