2017 Ford F-150 problems
The 2017 Ford F-150 has 1,857 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (30%) concerns drivetrain & axles. After that come engine (21%) and electrical system (7%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 1,857 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Drivetrain & axles 30% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 54 and 25
- Injuries and deaths
- 52 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 50,000 miles 800 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 | 188 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 141 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 127 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 96 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 83 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 63 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 41 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 30 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 12 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 13 |
| 200k+ miles | 6 |
What the data shows
Among the 800 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 50,000 miles. For drivetrain & axles specifically, the median reported mileage is about 84,000 miles (173 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 54 complaints mention a crash; 25 complaints mention a fire; 52 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2017 ranks 16th most-complained-about out of 36 model years of the Ford F-150 with enough data (734 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 17 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.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, there was an abnormal whistling and dinging sound coming from the vehicle, and the powertrain malfunction warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle independently downshifted, and the rear driver’s side of the vehicle slid to the left, and the front passenger’s side of the vehicle crashed into another parked vehicle.
When I use the brakes, the doors open and passengers fall on the roadway. Then get struck by passing vehicles. It hurts when getti ng run over. Plus it sucks when the doors open randomly in traffic.
With the vehicle in park, with the weight of the vehicle resting on the transmission's parking pawl, or resting on the parking brake, when the engine is started, there is an intermittent clunk that can be heard. It can vary from no clunk to a very loud clunk that can be heard from 40ft or more. This can happen when vehicle is hot, cold, driven short distances or long distances, on an incline or not. The 3 dealerships have reproduced the issue, but have called it normal or a characteristic.
I was on a highway in rain on cruise control approaching an off ramp. My speed was 72 MPH as set by cruise control. I applied the brakes to disengage and slow for the off-ramp which is sharp. As I approached I started to apply more brake pressure. The vehicle began accelerating as I was going into the turn. I stomped on the brakes and the brakes went to the floor repeatedly while still accelerating. I navigated the turn at high speed with the back end breaking loose and fish tailing.