Problems · NHTSA complaints
2013 Ford F-150 problems
Owners filed 2,796 complaints about the 2013 Ford F-150 with NHTSA between Oct 2012 and Aug 2025. The most-cited component is power train (1,212).
Complaints
2,796
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
74
Reported by owners
Fires
31
Reported by owners
Injuries
60
People reported injured
Deaths
1
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
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 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
1
133
100
106
233
229
418
474
171
157
172
172
251
179
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 1 |
| 2013 | 133 |
| 2014 | 100 |
| 2015 | 106 |
| 2016 | 233 |
| 2017 | 229 |
| 2018 | 418 |
| 2019 | 474 |
| 2020 | 171 |
| 2021 | 157 |
| 2022 | 172 |
| 2023 | 172 |
| 2024 | 251 |
| 2025 | 179 |
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
Power train
1,212 reports23 crashes3 fires2 related recalls
“At about [XXX] [XXX], Tuesday, I was N/B on [XXX] , my speed was approximately 60 mph. All of a sudden, my brakes locked up as if I slammed on by brakes. Although a safe distance behind my, vehicles behind me had to swerve out of my way due to the sudden breaking. After pulling over, I checked the undercarriage, thinking I might have hit something, but everything was clear. Not knowing what had just happened I got back onto the highway and when I reached a speed of approximately 65 mph it did it again causing my truck to swerve into the oncoming lane of traffic. I still didn't know what was going on because there were no physical signs indicating such and no warning lights illuminated. After pulling over once again I called a transmission shop and explained what had just happed and asked if they could look at my truck to see what was going on. They told me it would be about three months before they can get me in, but said they know what exactly had happened. When I asked them to please tell me what had occurred, they told me the transmission suddenly went from 5th gear down to 1st gear due to a "Transmission Molded Lead Frame issue" I had no idea what he was…”
Engine
531 reports4 crashes9 fires
“Truck has 91,200 miles and was well maintained. Truck has a loud rattle (like rocks in a can) on dry start up after sitting for several days. Rattle goes away after starting and is consistent with worn CAM PHASERS, as shown in many videos on the internet describing this known problem with the Ford 3.5L ecoboost engine. Ford issued a customer reimbursement program for repairing this known defect but it does not apply to this vehicle, even though it was built with the defective cam phasers and is showing signs they are destroying themselves, which can lead to catastrophic engine failure. Ford redesigned the cam phasers to a better version after learning of the originally defective design. The repair is very expensive $3k to $5k.”
Service brakes
309 reports28 crashes1 fire
“Complete, instant brake failure at only 105871 miles. My wife was backing out of the drive @5 mph, brake pedal pushed clear to floor with no warning. 3-4 minutes later, the brake warning light came on. No warning light ahead of time. Reservoir was very low, I added 12 oz. DOT3 fluid…..brakes seemed ok. Got up the next morning , brake low fluid light is on and all 12 oz of brake fluid are gone, not a drip anywhere to be seen. Called the dealer….basically because our VIN has not been listed in any recall, we are out of luck on any help with repairs. Incident occurred in our drive, my wife was very lucky. Ford has a serious problem. We are the original owner, 2013 with 105871 miles. Vehicle is very excellent condition. If this would have happened on the highway, serious injury or death to us or others would have been very likely. Taking to the dealer on Monday June 9 for a diagnosis and a serious talk. Hopefully after a confirmation of master cylinder failure and leakage into the brake booster (which Ford knows is an issue), they will be able to repair under an expired recall that should have included our 2013 with the 3.5 eco boost engine. Dealer’s service dept.…”
Electrical system
306 reports2 crashes14 fires
“Ford dealership Jack Kissee in Claremore, OK is telling me my truck is 6k miles out of warranty for Recall 19N01. I have owned my 2013 F150 for less than 2 years with no knowledge of any previous recalls or repairs needed by Ford. This has not been an ongoing issue and has only happened within the last 1,000 miles I have put on my truck. Wrench light and icon pop up on the dash and puts the truck into limp mode until I can get pulled over and get the truck shut off. Safety risk to everyone on the rode. Please let me know if there is a way this Recall 19N01 can be covered. Thank you.”
Vehicle speed control
275 reports6 crashes1 fire
“the speed sensor in transmission isn't working properly it shift down to 1st gear as shown in these recalls 19S07,19S19,AND 24S37. IM NOT SURE IF IT IS RELATED TO 19N01 in any way but the problem was that its showing on my vin that they conducted a recall 19S07 ON MY 2012 F-150 IN THE Past but then after that there was a 19S19 recalled ADDED because the prior 19s07 didn't work properly or hold up ,so what that meant was they should have made it aware to all vehicles that was performed with this reprogramming recall but they did not send any notification or make available to my f150 especially knowing the reprograming didn't hold up, so I was never granted access or authorization and notified that it need to be re done . also the problem I noticed says its with the software in 19s19 and 19s07 but this seems more like a speed sensor problem that's indicated in 24s37 and that seems to be a hardware issue ,if u look into this issue on line you'll notice the fix for this issue is for the sensor to be replaced in the transmission . I feel that ford should be responsible for the issue with my f150 .”
Steering
211 reports7 crashes
“The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. The contact stated that the steering wheel seized. In addition, the steering failure warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.