2003 Ford F-150 problems
The 2003 Ford F-150 has 527 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (19%) concerns engine. After that come drivetrain & axles (9%) and electrical system (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 527 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 19% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 57 and 47
- Injuries and deaths
- 54 and 1
- Typical mileage
- 65,000 miles 391 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 89 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 36 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 56 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 37 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 51 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 27 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 21 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 21 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 19 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 9 |
| 200k+ miles | 25 |
What the data shows
Among the 391 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 65,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 102,000 miles (82 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 57 complaints mention a crash; 47 complaints mention a fire; 54 injuries reported; 1 death reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 87% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2003 ranks 29th most-complained-about out of 36 model years of the Ford F-150 with enough data (244 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 4 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Dt: on 7-9-05 the contact's son was involved in a car accident on the highway. He was driving a 2003 ford f-150. He hit a guard rail and went into a ditch about 100 yards and hit an overpass sign post made of cement. The truck burst into flames. The coroner said that the fire caused the death of the contact's son. She said that he did not have a broken bone. The fire department and the police department. Were notified. The fire department did not have an investigation as to the cause of the fire.
While driving at 30 MPH, vehicle was involved in a rear end collision . Then, it collided with a utility pole and erupted into flames. Consumer sustained cracked ribs and was hospitalized. Police arrived on the scene.
I was pulling out of my rd onto wolf pen , my dog tried to get on my lap, he made me total my truck as soon as , I hit the driver airbag tried to deploy but it cought fire and the guy that stopped told me to get out my truck was on fire !! I've had bad neck problems and back problems, I don't appreciate how ford motor company ?! Treated me !!!!!!
On, march 21, 2003 I purchased a new 2003 ford f-150 xlt. We were driving back home from the dealership at 65 MPH when we started down a small hill, the trucks front end started shaking and vibrating pretty bad, and didn't stop shaking and vibrating until I came to a stop. I pulled onto a side street and stopped. I looked for a problem and could see nothing wrong. Put the truck in drive and continued my way home, the problem had now stopped.
After a rainstorm and while driving, my windshield wipers stopped working, my radio/cd player started turning off and on, my panel light dimmed, and I heard a clicking noise under my driver side dash board. There was also a clicking noise coming from the engine. While stationary and key out of the ignition, I noticed water on the driver side floor, and when I looked under I could see drops of water sliding off I believe my emergency bake and brake pedal, and an ongoing clicking sound under the steering wheel.