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Ford F-150 2015–2020

13th generation · P552

NHTSA data through 12 August 202611,893 complaints, 5,594 with mileageMethod

On this generation, failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 15,000 and 79,500 miles.

10%

3,500

25%

15,000

Median

46,000

75%

79,500

90%

118,000

Tallest bin: 678 complaints between 0 and 5,000 miles. Based on 5,594 complaints that record mileage. Bin width 5,000 miles.

What this can and cannot tell you: these are complaints owners chose to file, not a failure rate. Popular models accumulate more of them simply by being common. How this is built.

What fails, and when

Each bar spans the middle half of reports for that system; the tick marks the median.

1. Transmission and driveline72,000median 72,000 miles, middle half 32,000 to 110,000
2. Engine60,000median 60,000 miles, middle half 30,000 to 87,000
3. Problems owners could not categorise23,000median 23,292 miles, middle half 7,000 to 43,000
4. Electrical system39,000median 39,000 miles, middle half 13,000 to 60,000
5. Brakes40,000median 40,000 miles, middle half 14,000 to 60,000
6. Body structure18,000median 17,750 miles, middle half 6,000 to 40,000
7. Throttle and speed control33,000median 33,000 miles, middle half 9,500 to 66,000

Which systems, and when

Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 46,000 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.

The transmission and driveline accounts for 29.1% of complaints (3,460 reports, 1,116 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails late — a median of 72,000 miles, considerably beyond the vehicle's overall median. That pattern is consistent with normal service life rather than a defect, though it matters for anyone buying an example already near that mileage. The middle half of these reports falls between 32,000 and 110,000 miles.

A single system taking 29.1% of all complaints is a concentration worth noting. It means that for this generation, most of what owners reported came back to one area of the car rather than being distributed across many small faults.

The engine accounts for 15.3% of complaints (1,820 reports, 879 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 60,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 30,000 and 87,000 miles.

Problems owners could not categorise accounts for 8.9% of complaints (1,054 reports, 354 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails early — a median of 23,292 miles, well before the vehicle's overall median. Failures clustered this far below the rest of the car usually point to a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear, because wear does not selectively target one system on low-mileage examples. The middle half of these reports falls between 7,170 and 43,000 miles.

The electrical system accounts for 7.0% of complaints (830 reports, 363 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 39,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 13,000 and 60,000 miles.

The brakes account for 6.6% of complaints (786 reports, 577 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 40,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 13,800 and 60,000 miles.

Body structure accounts for 5.9% of complaints (703 reports, 464 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails early — a median of 17,750 miles, well before the vehicle's overall median. Failures clustered this far below the rest of the car usually point to a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear, because wear does not selectively target one system on low-mileage examples. The middle half of these reports falls between 5,900 and 39,900 miles.

Differences between model years

Within this generation, complaint volume is not constant across model years. The 2018 model year drew the most — 2,816 complaints — while 2020 drew the fewest at 886. The median year sits at 1,983.

Recalls and what they cover

NHTSA records 45 recall campaigns covering vehicles in this generation. A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator concluded there was a safety defect or a standard was not met, and that a free remedy is owed to owners — including second and later owners.

The campaigns cluster around the transmission and driveline (7), seats (5), the electrical system (4). Repeated recalls against the same area of the car generally mean the first remedy did not fully resolve the underlying problem.

Recall status is specific to the individual vehicle, not the model. Checking a VIN against NHTSA's lookup is free and takes under a minute, and it is the only way to know whether a particular car has had the work done.

Reported severity

Of the 11,893 complaints filed against this generation, 367 reported a crash; 158 reported a fire; 384 reported an injury; 7 reported a fatality. Crash-involved reports represent 3.1% of the total.

These are owner-reported outcomes, not verified investigations, and they are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. They are included because the distinction between a fault that strands a car and a fault that causes a collision is the one that matters most, and it is not visible in a complaint count alone.

What this means if you are buying one

For a buyer, failures on this generation are spread rather than concentrated: the middle half falls between 15,000 and 79,500 miles, with a median of 46,000. There is no single mileage threshold to watch, which means condition and maintenance records are more informative than the odometer.

On inspection, the transmission and driveline and the engine are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. The engine in particular shows a median failure mileage of 60,000, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.

None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.

Documented problems

By model year

Recalls (45)

What owners reported

Front seat back cooling system (ted) is malfunctioning. When seat cooling is selected, after 30 minuets, the back of the front seats reach extreme temperatures, resulting in burning everyone that touches the back of the front seats. I've measure the temperatures, at the top of the map pocket, at over 115 degrees, when…

2015 · Seats

Since buying my truck brand new around a year ago,i have had consistent problems with my transmission. Most of the time, in the "drive" option, the transmission jerks jolts while changing gears. It is very loud, and makes you feel like something bad just happened. Most importantly, the transmission shifts into first…

2015 · Transmission and driveline

My truck odometer shows i have 26582 miles on the truck. And the engine hours shows i have 867 hours. However rusty wallace service department said i have 63000 miles according to the PCM!!! I have transmission problems and they do not want to fix the truck under warranty. I content that the truck is still under…

2015 · Transmission and driveline

Built from 5,594 NHTSA complaints with mileage · snapshot 2026-08-12 · open data · reproduce this page

Other generations

• F-150 1992–1996
• F-150 1997–2003
• F-150 2004–2008
• F-150 2009–2014
• F-150 2021–2025