MODELYEARINDEX

Which Ford F-150 years to avoid

No Ford F-150 model year in 2010–2021 falls into the flagged band. The weakest are 2016 and 2015, and even those sit close to this model’s own median.

Ownership label · Ford F-150 Full report
C
Grade 2010–2021
2016 vs model median 1.1×
Model median3× median
Brakes 229
Body & Interior 182
Engine 98
Weakest

2015 · 2016

Best

2010 · 2014

What the record shows

Written from this model’s own complaint and recall history.

Start with what the record does not show: no F-150 model year here falls into the flagged band. Across sixteen years the truck stays close to its own median, which for America’s best-selling vehicle — and therefore one of the most complained-about by raw count — is the more interesting finding.

Its weakest years, 2015 and 2016, are the first two of the aluminium-bodied thirteenth generation, and brakes lead both. Owners describe the pedal going to the floor with no warning; several filings name a failed master cylinder, and Ford recalled trucks of this era for a master cylinder that could leak brake fluid into the brake booster and reduce braking. A second cluster concerns adaptive cruise control applying the brakes when nothing is ahead. The median odometer reading at complaint is around 29,000 miles.

Body and interior complaints are the second group, largely door latches that fail to hold in cold weather — the subject of its own recall campaign. Both issues are recall matters with a documented remedy, so on any truck you are considering, run the VIN through NHTSA’s lookup first. 2010 and 2014 record the lowest complaint rates of any F-150 year here.

Reviewed Claude, 10 August 2026, against the model's own record and NHTSA campaign filings

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2010
0.53× 450 B
2011
1.08× 947 C
2012
1.13× 969 C
2013
1.15× 998 C
2014
0.52× 502 B
2015
0.96× 963 C
2016
1.05× 1,010 C
2017
0.51× 483 C
2018
1.04× 946 C
2019
0.54× 507 B
2020
0.47× 451 B
2021
1.05× 1,190 C
2022 P
1.09× 1,093 C
2023 P
0.68× 722 C
2024 P
0.35× 305 B
2025 P
0.18× 193 B

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2015 C 963 reports · median 36,228 mi

  1. Brakes 215

    As I pulled out of my driveway and came to first stop the brake pedal went to the floor. Took it to dealer and the master cylinder was bad. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Body & Interior 179

    2015 ford f-150 manual on page 263 has instructions for proper setup of an equalizing hitch for towing a trailer. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Engine 85

    Total loss of power while driving. At 3022 miles the engine cut off while at 40-50mph. A smart data link was replaced. At 3619 miles the engine cut off again while accelerating at 40-50 MPH. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

31 crash · 7 fire · 81 injuries

2016 C 1,010 reports · median 29,000 mi

  1. Brakes 229

    My 2016 F150 has adaptive cruise control ("ACC") that applies brakes in the event a vehicle is detected in lane ahead in order to match speed and maintain safe distance. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Body & Interior 182

    This vehicle as described by the vehicle identification number has a drivers door latch problem, door will not close properly, will open by itself when making a right turn when the outside temp is below freezing. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Engine 98

    So I've got 16,000 miles on my new 2016 F150 truck. Last week I was cruising down the highway in the fast lane when all of a sudden the truck shudders then loses all drivetrain power. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

42 crash · 24 fire · 40 injuries

The best year for the F-150

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2010 is the best-scoring F-150 model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 84.2 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations. On complaint rate alone the lowest is 2020 at 0.47× this model’s median, against 0.53× for 2010.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2010 0.53× 450 B
2014 0.52× 502 B
2019 0.54× 507 B

Recalls

115 campaigns on record, 2 carrying a Park It or Park Outside warning.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
26V104000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INTEGRATED TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL 2021–2025 4,381,878
18V568000 SEAT BELTS:PRETENSIONER 2015–2018 1,619,112
26V237000 POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 2015–2017 1,392,935
19V075000 POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM) 2011–2013 1,263,051
17V652000 LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH 2015–2017 1,101,107
25V315000 BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE 2021–2024 1,076,138
23V509000 PARKING BRAKE:ELECTRICAL 2021–2023 870,701
25V455000 FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP 2021, 2022 850,318
26V402000 POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 2021 741,195
22V250000 VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:LINKAGES 2020, 2021 652,996
19V633000 SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER 2018–2020 639,137
20V575000 BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA 2020 620,246

+ 103 further campaigns

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2016 were reported at a median of 29,000 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Ford F-150 years should you avoid?
No Ford F-150 model year in 2010–2021 scores in the flagged band. The weakest are 2016 and 2015.
What is the best year for the Ford F-150?
2010 is the best-scoring Ford F-150 model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 84.2 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Ford F-150 have?
115 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Ford F-150 model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2016 F-150
Complaints in window
1,010
Severity-weighted
1,436.5
Model median (weighted)
1,368
vs model median
1.05×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
14
Open investigations
1
Score 55.4 C