2017 Ford F-150 problems & reliability
1,393 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2017 Ford F-150, alongside 17 safety recall campaigns. 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.
26 complaints report injuries (34 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2017 Ford F-150 vehicles were involved in 236 fatal crashes with 76 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 509 | 37% |
| Engine | 306 | 22% |
| Unknown OR Other | 160 | 11% |
| Electrical System | 126 | 9% |
| Structure | 109 | 8% |
| Service Brakes | 83 | 6% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 69 | 5% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 59 | 4% |
| Steering | 57 | 4% |
| Wheels | 44 | 3% |
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 53,000 miles (middle 50% between 23,623 and 90,000 miles), based on 619 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The 10-speed transmission exhibits severe and dangerous shifting behaviors. It frequently shudders and jerks extremely hard when shifting between gears.Most critically, the transmission fails to properly engage into gear. While driving, I came to a complete stop at a red light in active traffic. When the light turned…”
Power Train · filed Aug 5, 2026
“While driving at highway speeds, with my family in the truck, the 10-speed automatic transmission suddenly and violently executed an uncommanded, unrequested downshift from 9th gear down to 2nd gear. This caused severe, abrupt vehicle deceleration and immediate safety hazard on a public roadway. I was fortunate that…”
Power Train · filed Aug 4, 2026
“I bought my f150 a year ago. now I’m experiencing timing issues, Vvt solenoid failure (all four) . Loss of power, limp mode, failure to shift etc … I’ve had several mechanics look at it .”
Engine · filed Aug 4, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up
Engineering Analysis EA26001 · opened Jan 30, 2026 · open
- Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up
Preliminary Evaluation PE25002 · opened Mar 21, 2025 · closed Jan 30, 2026
- Seatbelt Pretensioner Fire
Preliminary Evaluation PE18008 · opened Aug 3, 2018 · closed Dec 17, 2018 · led to recall 18V568000
Technical service bulletins
343 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2017 Ford F-150. The 10 most recent:
Customer Satisfaction Program 26N04 Certain 2015-2017 Model Year F-150 Vehicles Equipped with a 6R80 Transmission Transmission Molded Leadframe Replacement
26N04 · Other · issued Jul 9, 2026
Harvest Program 25H05 – Supplement #1 Certain 2011-2021 Model Year Vehicles Software Verification Harvest Program
25H05 S1 · Other · issued Apr 29, 2026
Advance Notice – Customer Satisfaction Program 25N17 Certain 2015-2025 Model Year Multiple Vehicle Lines Rear View Camera Replacement If Required After Dealer Evaluation
25N17 · Other · issued Mar 25, 2026
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
For 2017 2026 vehicles equipped with a 10R transmission, a revision to the Road Testing Vehicle procedure has been made in the WSM, located in Section 307-01 > Diagnosis and Testing. This updated procedure improves the…
SSM 54592 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 17, 2026
Special Field Action 25L02 Certain 2017-2024 Model Year California Emissions-Certified Vehicles Transmission Control Assembly Reimbursement
25L02 · Other · issued Dec 2, 2025
This article supersedes TSB 24-2165 to update the TSB Service Procedure. Some vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit various SYNC performance related concerns including but not limited to: Display…
TSB 25-2570 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 26, 2025
This is a proactive investigation program by Ford Motor Company to inspect a limited number of affected vehicles that are customer-owned. Ford is voluntarily conducting this program to evaluate the software currently…
25H05 · Other · issued Nov 19, 2025
Some 2015-2021 Ford and Lincoln vehicles may exhibit an illuminated MIL with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) P0011, P0012, P0014, P0015, P0016, P0017, P0018, P0019, P0021, P0022, P0024 and/or P0025. Pinpoint test HK in…
SSM 54366 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 12, 2025
This bulletin supersedes TSB 25-2301. Reason for update: update the Part List Description. Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit at least one of the following conditions: * Harsh…
TSB 25-2475 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 30, 2025
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 2017 Ford F-150 has 17 NHTSA recall campaigns — 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 2017 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 53,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.