2018 Ford F-150 problems, complaints & recalls

2018 Ford F-150 recalls (18)

• Recall 26V373000Jun 9, 202691,198 vehicles
  EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 F-150 vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 20V097. When the headlight switch is turned from "Autolamps" to "Headlamps On," the Daytime Running Lamps (DRLs) may remain fully bright instead of dimming to parking lamps as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices and Associated Equipment."

  Risk: Daytime Running Lamps that do not dim may reduce the visibility of other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.

  Remedy: ,Dealers will reprogram the body control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 17, 2026. Owners may contact customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26C28. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 6, 2026.

• Recall 26V375000Jun 9, 202610,742 vehicles
  POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-150 vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 17V669. Quickly moving the shift lever from Park to Drive may cause a loss of gear indication on the instrument cluster display and a momentary selection of an unintended gear, such as Reverse or Neutral.

  Risk: Unintended gear selection may cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction, increasing the risk of crash or injury.

  Remedy: Dealers will update the powertrain control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 9, 2026. Owners may contact customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S42. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 6, 2026.

• Recall 25V236000Apr 11, 2025123,611 vehicles
  SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER · SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2018 F-150, Expedition, and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The brake master cylinder may allow brake fluid to leak from the front wheel circuit into the brake booster.

  Risk: A brake fluid leak can cause reduced brake function and extend the distance required to stop, increasing the risk of a crash.

  Remedy: Dealers will replace the brake master cylinder. If the master cylinder is leaking, the brake booster will also be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 25, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S37. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall number 22V-150.

• Recall 24V852000Nov 8, 202427,678 vehicles
  EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2025 Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, 2020-2024 Escape, Lincoln Corsair, 2018-2024 F-150, Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The air bag warning label may be missing from the dashboard. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirement Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

  Risk: Without a label that shows the proper restraint usage guidelines, the occupants may have an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.

  Remedy: Ford will mail owners the warning labels, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 19, 2024. Owners may call Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24C39.

• Recall 22V150000Mar 11, 2022195,864 vehicles
  SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER · SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, and 2016-2018 F-150 vehicles equipped with 3.5L Ecoboost engines. The brake master cylinder may allow brake fluid to leak from the front wheel circuit into the brake booster.

  Risk: A loss of brake fluid may result in a change in brake pedal travel, increased pedal effort and reduced front brake function, requiring greater effort and distance to stop the vehicle. These conditions can increase the risk of a crash.

  Remedy: Dealers will replace the brake master cylinder. If the master cylinder is leaking, the brake booster will also be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. An interim owner notification letter notifying customers of the safety defect were mailed on April 29, 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed April 29, 2022. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall number 20V-332. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S11.

• Recall 21V983000Dec 16, 202157,591 vehicles
  LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TAILGATE:LATCH

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-150 vehicles with manual and power release tailgates. The tailgate latches may unlatch unexpectedly while driving.

  Risk: Unexpected tailgate opening may allow unrestrained cargo to fall out of the truck bed and become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.

  Remedy: Dealers will replace the left-hand and right-hand tailgate latches, free of charge. An interim notification letter was mailed January 31, 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 31, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S53.

• Recall 21V155000Mar 10, 202115,769 vehicles
  TIRES

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-150, 2018-2020 F-250, F-350, and 2019 Escape vehicles equipped with Continental tires. On the affected vehicles, it is possible that one or more tires were cured for too long during tire production.

  Risk: Over cured tires may develop a break in the sidewall, resulting in sudden air loss or belt edge separation which could lead to tread/belt loss. Either condition can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

  Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tires, and replace them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on March 27, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S10.

• Recall 20V097000Feb 21, 2020166,196 vehicles
  EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 F-150 trucks equipped with high series LED headlamps with Autolamp (On/Off) functionality. The Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) may remain activated instead of dimming to parking lamps when the Master Lighting Switch (MLS) is manually rotated from the "Autolamps" switch position to "Headlamps On." As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices and Associated Equipment."

  Risk: DRL that cannot dim may reduce the visibility of other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.

  Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the body control module, free of charge. The recall began March 10, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20C03.

• Recall 19V633000Aug 28, 2019639,137 vehicles
  SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER · SEATS:MID/REAR ASSEMBLY

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 F-150 and 2019-2020 F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 Super Duty pickup trucks, and 2018-2019 Ford Explorer, 2019-2020 Expedition, and 2020 Escape vehicles equipped with driver and/or passenger's manual front seat back recliner mechanisms. Also included are certain 2020 Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator vehicles equipped with rear outboard seats and manual seat back recliner mechanisms. The recliner mechanisms may be missing the third pawl required for seat back strength, resulting in a loose seat back. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 202, "Head Restraints" and 207, "Seating Systems."

  Risk: A seat back with an improperly assembled recliner mechanism may have reduced strength and may not adequately restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

  Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and Ford and Lincoln dealers will inspect the seat structure and replace them, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 21, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19C07.

• Recall 19V278000Apr 8, 2019131,068 vehicles
  ENGINE · EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Ford F-150 and 2017-2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty, F-350 Super Duty, F-450 Super Duty, and F-550 Super Duty pick-up trucks equipped with an engine block heater and previously remedied under recall 18V894. During the previous repair, the block heater cable's splice connector may have been damaged.

  Risk: A damaged cable could cause a resistive short, increasing the risk of overheated or melted wiring, increasing the risk of a fire.

  Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will disable the engine block heater from being used. When replacement cables become available, a second notice will be mailed and dealers will replace the engine block heater cord, free of charge. The recall began May 31, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S11.

• Recall 18V894000Dec 18, 2018410,289 vehicles
  ENGINE

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Ford F-150 and 2017-2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty, F-350 Super Duty, F-450 Super Duty, and F-550 Super Duty pick-up trucks equipped with an engine block heater. Water and contaminants may get into the block heater cable's splice connector causing corrosion and damage.

  Risk: When the heater is plugged in, prolonged corrosion could cause a resistive short, increasing the risk of overheated or melted wiring which can increase the risk of a fire.

  Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will disable the block heater cable, free of charge. Once parts are available, Dealers will replace the engine block heater cable, free of charge. The recall began June 3, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S45.

• Recall 18V568000Aug 31, 20181,619,112 vehicles
  SEAT BELTS:PRETENSIONER · STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford F-150 Regular Cab and SuperCrew Cab vehicles. If a front seat belt pretensioner deploys as the result of a crash, the sparks may ignite materials such as carpeting or insulation within the B-pillar area.

  Risk: A vehicle fire could result if materials ignite inside the vehicle.

  Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will remove the B-pillar insulation material and wiring harness tape, and install heat resistant tape, free of charge. The recall began September 28, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S27.

• Recall 18V392000Jun 12, 20185,645 vehicles
  FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 Ford Expedition, F-150, and Lincoln Navigator vehicles equipped with 3.5L GTDI V6 engines. These vehicles have high pressure fuel pump assemblies with welds that can fracture, which may cause an oil or fuel leak.

  Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of a fire.

  Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the high pressure fuel pump and associated components, free of charge. The recall began July 17, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S17.

• Recall 18V214000Apr 4, 2018292,909 vehicles
  POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION · POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-650 and F-750 vehicles equipped with 6-speed automatic transmissions and 2018 Ford F-150 and Expedition vehicles equipped with 10-speed automatic transmissions (excluding Expedition vehicles with a Rotary Gear Shift Dial on the console). The gear shift cable clip may not be properly seated, allowing the transmission to be in a different gear than indicated by the gear shift lever position.

  Risk: If the gear shift cable clip becomes unseated or dislodged, the gear shift lever position may indicate that the transmission is in 'Park' when it may be in a different gear. Additionally, despite selecting 'Park', if the parking brake is not applied before the vehicle is exited, the vehicle may roll. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash.

  Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the shift cable locking clip and properly seat it, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began on April 13, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for the recall is 18S10.

• Recall 18V213000Apr 4, 2018142 vehicles
  POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Ford F-150 and 2018 Ford Expedition and Mustang and Lincoln Navigator vehicles equipped with 10-speed automatic transmissions. A roll pin may not have been installed in the transmission, potentially causing a loss of the "Park" function.

  Risk: Despite the transmission shift lever being placed in 'Park' and the instrument panel display indicating 'Park,' the vehicle may roll away after it has been exited if the parking brake has not been applied, increasing the risk of injury or a crash.

  Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the transmission to make sure it has the roll pin, installing one if it is missing, free of charge. The recall began on April 13, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S09.

• Recall 17V672000Oct 23, 201722 vehicles
  ENGINE

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-150 vehicles equipped with 3.5L engines. The cylinder heads may have been machined without lubrication supply holes for the camshaft bearing journals.

  Risk: Without a proper supply of lubrication, the engine will fail, causing a stall and increasing the risk of a crash.

  Remedy: Ford is not aware of any affected vehicles outside of dealer control. Should owner contact subsequently be required, arrangements will be made to transport their vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to have the engine replaced.The recall began October 24, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S37.

• Recall 17V669000Oct 23, 201712,429 vehicles
  POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM) · POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFT

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-150 vehicles equipped with a 3.3L engine, a 6-speed transmission and a column mounted shift lever. Quickly moving the shift lever from Park to Drive may cause a loss of gear indication on the instrument cluster display and a momentary selection of an unintended gear, such as Reverse or Neutral before the vehicle achieves Drive function.

  Risk: Unidentified or unintended gear selection may cause the vehicle to move in a way that was not intended by the driver, increasing the risk of crash or injury.

  Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the powertrain control module, free of charge. Owners may contact Ford Customer Service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S35.

• Recall 17V598000Sep 25, 201739 vehicles
  STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 Ford F-150 Raptor Super Cab pick-up trucks not equipped with a moonroof. The structural roof braces may be missing rivets at the attachment of the roof rail, thereby reducing the structural integrity.

  Risk: If the structural integrity is reduced, in the event of a rollover crash, there may be an increased risk of injury .

  Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install the rivets for the roof brace attachments, free of charge. The recall began October 17, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S29.

NHTSA defect investigations

• PE24019Opened Jul 29, 2024Closed Sep 19, 2025led to recall 25V455

  Low-pressure fuel pump failure

  On July 29, 2024, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE24019 to investigate complaints of low-pressure fuel pump failures in MY 2021 Ford Bronco vehicles. Some consumers reported that the failure occurred without warning while driving, resulting in a complete loss of motive power with no ability to restart the engine. Ford determined that several other vehicle models contain low-pressure fuel pumps substantially similar to the 2021 Ford Bronco, including the 2022-2023 Ford Bronco, 2018-2023 Ford F-150, 2022-2023 Ford Expedition, 2019-2023 Lincoln Navigator, 2020-2023 Ford F-250-F-5…

• PE18008Opened Aug 3, 2018Closed Dec 17, 2018led to recall 18V568000

  Seatbelt Pretensioner Fire

  On June 18, 2018, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE18-008) to investigate complaints alleging post-crash fires at the B pillar in the area of the seat belt pretensioners on MY 2014-2018 Ford F-150 Regular Cab, and Super Crew Cab Vehicles. On August 24, 2018, Ford Motor Company recalled (FSA 18S27 - NHTSA #18V568) the affected population. Ford's investigation found that some front seat belt pretensioners may generate sparks during deployment in excess of Ford's specification. Sparks in the pretensioner exhaust gases inside the lower portion of the B-…

Recent 2018 Ford F-150 complaints

Excerpts of the newest owner complaints, lightly cleaned of personal details. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

1. Filed Oct 6, 2026FLTransmission & Drivetrain

   Premature transmission failure under 45k miles. While driving transmission will not shift gears causing the vehicle to stall and then suddenly engaging propulsing the vehicle forward unexpectedly. Multiple complaints online, Ford will not fix.

   NHTSA complaint #11769433 · source
2. Filed Oct 6, 2026PATransmission & Drivetrain

   Hello, so while driving I am noticing a loud, hard thunk between gears. It is really noticeable when pulling our camper. When pulling our camper it is so loud and so hard I that if I have coffee in my cup holder, it would spill. We have contacted Ford about this and they are denying there is a transmission issue with their 10 speed transmissions. I feel there should be a recall on these transmissions because there are thousands of F150 owners having the same issue and…

   NHTSA complaint #11769354 · source
3. Filed Oct 5, 2026MNTransmission & Drivetrain

   2018 Ford F-150 5.0L with 10R80 10-speed transmission, approximately 86,000 miles. The transmission began exhibiting abnormal shifting, including missed shifts and loss of propulsion. On multiple occasions while traveling approximately 60 mph, the vehicle suddenly lost power/propulsion. During these events, the gear indicator changed from 10th to 1st and engine RPM appeared to increase. I do not believe the transmission physically engaged 1st gear; the actual gear engaged is…

   NHTSA complaint #11769184 · source
4. Filed Oct 5, 2026NJEngine

   My truck has the 3.5 ecoBoost twin turbo engine with the known cam phaser problem. Ford dealership replaced cam phasers 4 years ago and told they were putting in new designed cam phasers to prevent this from happening again. Last week, I changed the v v t cylinder because of a p0018 code, and found that the replacement was the old cam phasers prone to break again. Truck is just now out of warranty. And ford is doing nothing to help. Drivability is not the same has…

   NHTSA complaint #11769152 · source
5. Filed Oct 1, 2026IDElectrical SystemOther / Unknown

   About 1 year ago the rear door on the drivers side locked and I have been unable to open it manually, with the interior unlock buttons or with the key fob. However, there have been 3 occasions during this passed year when the door inexplicably opens, twice when the truck is parked and once when I was driving down the freeway. To be clear, the door doesn’t just unlock, it opens. On those 3 three occasions, when I closed the door, it again locks and I’m unable to open it. I’ve…

   NHTSA complaint #11768226 · source
6. Filed Sep 28, 202672,000 miTNTransmission & Drivetrain

   The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while stopped at a stop sign and attempting to depress the accelerator pedal, the gear shifter independently shifted to neutral(N) and remained stuck into neutral(N). The gear shifter was shifted back and forth between park(P) and drive(D) and the vehicle responded as needed. A local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the transmission needed to be…

   NHTSA complaint #11767384 · source
7. Filed Sep 27, 2026ILTransmission & Drivetrain

   Transmission would go from 7th gear to 1st gear causing stalling in busy traffic. Also the truck would be stuck at 7th gear when coming to a stop light and when the light turned green would not shift down to one which caused a power loss. This is a known problem with ford transmission, the dealership diagnosed the issue as a hydraulic circuit leak, which is caused by the cdf cylinder sleeve. This can be found in Ford TSB 25-2126

   NHTSA complaint #11767228 · source
8. Filed Sep 25, 2026CATransmission & Drivetrain

   I own a 2018 Ford F-150 equipped with the 10R80 automatic transmission. The vehicle currently has approximately 70,000 miles. The transmission has developed intermittent harsh shifting and, more concerningly, has repeatedly appeared to slip or disengage from gear while the vehicle is moving. On multiple occasions while driving at highway speeds, pressing the accelerator did not result in acceleration because the transmission was no longer effectively transferring power to…

   NHTSA complaint #11766959 · source

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Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data, as of Oct 10, 2026. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology