2008 Ford F-150 problems & reliability
368 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2008 Ford F-150, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
27 complaints report injuries (45 injured, 2 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2008 Ford F-150 vehicles were involved in 248 fatal crashes with 136 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 53 | 14% |
| Steering | 53 | 14% |
| Power Train | 50 | 14% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 41 | 11% |
| Electrical System | 29 | 8% |
| Air Bags | 28 | 8% |
| Structure | 23 | 6% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 22 | 6% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 21 | 6% |
| Service Brakes | 21 | 6% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 64,172 miles (middle 50% between 30,000 and 100,000 miles), based on 301 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The mirrors are not convex, the do not meet safety standards for viewable angles. Impossible to use to back up.”
Visibility · filed Dec 11, 2025
“Walmart Auto Center installed the incorrect tire size 255/70R17 on my factory setup with factory wheels. Westlake SU318 All Season 255/70R17 112T SUV/crossover tires were installed in place of the correct size 245/70R17 tires. Walmart is refusing to fix my truck and I had the brake lines blow out 3 weeks after…”
Wheels · filed Nov 25, 2025
“The contact owns a 2008 Ford F-150. The contact stated that after turning off the vehicle, the contact attempted to restart the vehicle and became aware that the gear shifter was not in park(P). The contact inspected the gear shift lever, and the gear shifter was in the park(P); however, the contact was unable to move…”
Power Train · filed Aug 26, 2025
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- TIRE VALVE CRACKING
Preliminary Evaluation PE08060 · opened Oct 14, 2008 · closed Apr 9, 2009
Technical service bulletins
39 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2008 Ford F-150. The 10 most recent:
Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with wired keyless entry keypad systems and accessory wireless keyless entry keypad systems may or may not come with a wallet card containing the master code. Unlike the integrated…
SSM 54601 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 24, 2026
This article supersedes TSB 22-2219 to update the Parts List and Service Procedure to clarify applicable steps by vehicle application. Some 2003-2020 Expedition/Navigator and 2006-2020 F-150 (non-Raptor) vehicles…
TSB 24-2188 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 24, 2024
All accessory stick-on keyless entry keypads come with a wallet card containing the master code. If the accessory keypad was factory installed, this card will be placed in the glove box and should be handed to the…
SSM 52476 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 24, 2024
For 2000-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles, swapping a module from a vehicle for diagnosis purposes is likely to cause errors and is not recommended. It is also not recommended to order a replacement module using a vehicle…
SSM 51536 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 4, 2023
Some 2003-2020 Expedition/Navigator and 2006-2020 F-150 (non-Raptor) vehicles equipped with 4WD may exhibit grinding/clicking/ratcheting noise from the front wheel area. This may be due to partial engagement of the…
TSB 22-2219 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 21, 2022
Some 2003-2020 Expedition/Navigator and 2006-2020 F-150 vehicles equipped with TOD transfer cases may exhibit grinding/clicking/ratcheting noise from the front wheel area. This may be due to partial engagement of the…
TSB 20-2307 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 16, 2020
This article supersedes TSB 19-2026 to update the vehicle model years affected. Some 2000 and newer Ford/Lincoln/Mercury vehicles equipped with aluminum body panels may exhibit corrosion concerns appearing as bubbled…
TSB 20-2233 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 13, 2020
This SKU is an Oil Dipstick. The customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect the dipstick tube. The dipstick tube inner diameter may be small enough that it prevents installation of the OE…
DOR-N3Z7B-03 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 7, 2020
Some 2002-2008 F-Super Duty, F-150 and Mark LT vehicles may exhibit concern during or after programing the VSM. The programming may fail or vehicle symptoms such as inoperative door locks, dome lamps, door ajar…
SSM 48157 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 2, 2019
This SKU is a Transmission Oil Cooler Line. The customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect for the port size being too large. If the port size is too large it will not fit the mating…
DORD2Q5Z09 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 16, 2019
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2008 Ford F-150 has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2008 Ford F-150?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 64,172 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.