Problems · NHTSA complaints
2003 Ford F-150 problems
Owners filed 464 complaints about the 2003 Ford F-150 with NHTSA between Nov 2002 and Aug 2026. The most-cited component is engine and engine cooling (74).
Complaints
464
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
45
Reported by owners
Fires
39
Reported by owners
Injuries
39
People reported injured
Deaths
1
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Engine and engine cooling74
- Power train71
- Electrical system60
- Vehicle speed control33
- Structure32
- Air bags32
- Engine28
- Tires24
- Fuel system, gasoline21
- Fuel/propulsion system20
- Service brakes, hydraulic20
- Seat belts18
- Visibility18
- Steering16
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
1
51
51
56
21
36
31
21
27
35
16
12
19
14
21
8
5
14
7
2
2
5
2
3
4
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 1 |
| 2003 | 51 |
| 2004 | 51 |
| 2005 | 56 |
| 2006 | 21 |
| 2007 | 36 |
| 2008 | 31 |
| 2009 | 21 |
| 2010 | 27 |
| 2011 | 35 |
| 2012 | 16 |
| 2013 | 12 |
| 2014 | 19 |
| 2015 | 14 |
| 2016 | 21 |
| 2017 | 8 |
| 2018 | 5 |
| 2019 | 14 |
| 2020 | 7 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2023 | 5 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 3 |
| 2026 | 4 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Engine and engine cooling
74 reports1 fire
“ANOTHER CRACKED PASSENGER SIDE MANIFOLD ON REGULARLY SERVICED VEHICLE. FORD MOTOR COMPANY SHOULD ISSUE RECALL OR PROVIDE "GOODWILL" BASED ON THE NUMBER OF FAILED COMPONENTS BEING REPORTED BY FORD OWNERS. *TR”
Power train
71 reports6 crashes2 fires
“UNKNOWN - however there were NO warning lights or any other indication of malfunction or to service the truck. I took the truck to an independent service center & they did a full inspection & I did receive an estimate for repairs.”
Electrical system
60 reports2 crashes17 fires
“I moved my vehicle from driveway to park on the street so my husband could park in the driveway. I then turned my vehicle off and roughly 2 hours later, a lady came screaming "fire fire fire!" I went to see where she was talking about and my truck was smoking under the hood, I then called the fire department and they came to extinguish the fire. I was unaware of any recalls as I am the 3rd owner of this vehicle.”
Vehicle speed control
33 reports4 crashes5 fires2 related recalls
“GAS PEDAL IS STICKING. TRUCK SPEEDS UP, ONLY WAY TO STOP IS SHIFT TO NEUTRAL.HAPPENED ON HIGHWAY AND I SHIFTED TO NEUTRAL AND HIT PEDAL SEVERAL TIMES TO GET BACK TO IDLE”
Structure
32 reports1 crash3 fires
“On the day of Monday February 20 2023 I was in my front driveway preforming some maintenance on my 2003 Ford F-150 Xlt SuperCrew truck a gear shift cable and a heater core replacement. Once I finished the repairs I ran my truck for a few minutes then shut it off and was headed inside when I noticed a flickering light coming from the passenger side of the vehicle I walked to the truck and opened the door and I saw small flames dripping down coming from the ( glove box area ) I then grabbed the water hose and put it out . Once the small fire was out I proceeded to go in the house when I noticed black smoke coming ( from the engine bay from the vents in front of the windshield) the smoke got thicker as I sprayed it with water I then called to my spouse to call the local Fire Department. The vehicle was a total loss nothing was left interior wise no ( steering wheel,no console,no dashboard or anything.”
Air bags
32 reports24 crashes3 fires
“Well the passenger side in front seat seat belt needs replaced due to getting stuck after front airbags in dash and steering wheel after deployment from barley tapping a vehicle in front of the truck”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.