2018 Ford F-150 problems & reliability
2,300 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Ford F-150, alongside 18 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Sep 23, 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 components.
38 complaints report injuries (52 injured, 3 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2018 Ford F-150 vehicles were involved in 406 fatal crashes with 130 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 → | 1,002 | 44% |
| Engine → | 503 | 22% |
| Unknown / Other | 233 | 10% |
| Structure → | 193 | 8% |
| Electrical System → | 171 | 7% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 88 | 4% |
| Steering → | 83 | 4% |
| Vehicle Speed Control → | 73 | 3% |
| Service Brakes → | 70 | 3% |
| Latches/locks/linkages → | 57 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 31 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 997 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 42,000 miles (middle 50% between 13,500 and 80,000 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“After Fords TCM recall the truck’s transmission has not acted correctly, very hard shifts, staggered shifting and warning lights for shifting issues or low power due to loss of signal from computer. It has gotten worse it now is sticking in 4th and 7th gear, acts as if slipping and completely stopped the truck in a…”
Power Train · filed Sep 17, 2026
“My 2018 Ford F-150 experienced significant heat damage involving the fog lamp assembly. The fog lamp did not simply stop working. The assembly became hot enough that portions of the lamp/assembly melted and burned. I discovered the damage before it resulted in a larger vehicle fire, but I am concerned about the…”
Electrical System · filed Sep 17, 2026
“Transmission slips out of park. And starts like it's in gear , can vehicle feel the truck jump a little.also shifts stalls and feels like it's stopping when taking off from a intersection. Started doing this when truck was about 2 years old. Had dealer change trans filter and fluid last year but it's still doing it.”
Power Train · filed Sep 17, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Low-pressure fuel pump failure
Preliminary Evaluation PE24019 · opened Jul 29, 2024 · closed Sep 19, 2025 · led to recall 25V455
- Seatbelt Pretensioner Fire
Preliminary Evaluation PE18008 · opened Aug 3, 2018 · closed Dec 17, 2018 · led to recall 18V568000
Technical service bulletins
417 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2018 Ford F-150. The 10 most recent:
NEW VEHICLE DELIVERY HOLD - Emissions Recall 25E10 - Supplement #1 Certain 2018-2020 Model Year F-150 Vehicles With 3.3L Engines and 2016-2019 Model Year Explorer, Taurus, and Flex Vehicles With 3.5L Engines Powertrain…
25E10-S1 · Emissions · issued Jul 2, 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
Certain 2018-2020 Model Year F-150 Vehicles Equipped With 3.3L Engines Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Reprogramming
25E10 · Emissions · issued Dec 13, 2025
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
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 2018 Ford F-150 has 18 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 2018 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.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 42,000 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.