Your vehicle report
2001 Ford F-150
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 1,236
- Received May 2000 to Jul 2025
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Vehicle catches fire from wiring215 complaints · 17% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Spark plugs blow out of cylinder head162 complaints · 13% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Seat belt fails to latch or retract144 complaints · 12% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #11V385000Ford is recalling certain 1997 through 2003 model year ford F-150, 2004 model year ford F-150 heritage, 1997 through 1999 model year F-250 less than 8,500 lbs. Gross vehicle weight rating (gvwr), and 2002 and 2003 lincoln blackwood vehicles manufactured from june 20, 1995, through august 4, 2004, originally sold, or currently registered in, connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia. Prolonged exposure to road deicing chemicals may cause severe corrosion of the fuel tank straps which secure the tank to the vehicle.
- Recall #05V388000On certain pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles equipped with speed control, the speed control deactivation switch may overheat, smoke, or burn.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 91 crashes, 248 fires, 87 people injured, 7 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 20 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
- Tires blow out or tread separates
- Tie rod ends break or come loose
- Steering wheel shakes violently at highway speed
1 more problem
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 79 |
| 2001 | 102 |
| 2002 | 81 |
| 2003 | 89 |
| 2004 | 115 |
| 2005 | 127 |
| 2006 | 64 |
| 2007 | 56 |
| 2008 | 57 |
| 2009 | 54 |
| 2010 | 75 |
| 2011 | 136 |
| 2012 | 33 |
| 2013 | 21 |
| 2014 | 28 |
| 2015 | 23 |
| 2016 | 20 |
| 2017 | 19 |
| 2018 | 7 |
| 2019 | 13 |
| 2020 | 8 |
| 2021 | 10 |
| 2022 | 4 |
| 2023 | 6 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 7 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 1,236 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 215 | 17% | 28.7× | NHTSA recall #05V388000 |
| Spark plugs blow out of cylinder head | 162 | 13% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 144 | 12% | – | NHTSA recall #00V348000, #01V227001 |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 95 | 7.7% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 57 | 4.6% | – | |
| Ford F-150 transmission unexpectedly downshifts or jerks | 57 | 4.6% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 49 | 4.0% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 30 | 2.4% | – | |
| Frame rusts and corrodes through | 19 | 1.5% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 13 | 1.1% | – | |
| Tie rod ends break or come loose | 12 | 1.0% | – | |
| Steering wheel shakes violently at highway speed | 11 | 0.9% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 10 | 0.8% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 10 | 0.8% | – | NHTSA recall #01V095000 |
| Suspension clunking or rattling noise over bumps | 10 | 0.8% | – | |
| Vehicle rolls backward out of park | 10 | 0.8% | – | |
| Windshield wipers work intermittently or fail | 9 | 0.7% | – | NHTSA recall #01V258000 |
| Glass shatters or cracks without impact | 9 | 0.7% | – | |
| Anti-lock brakes fail or lock up | 9 | 0.7% | – | |
| Paint peels off roof and hood | 8 | 0.7% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #11V385000July 29, 20111,100,000 vehicles affected
fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly: mounting
Ford is recalling certain 1997 through 2003 model year Ford F-150, 2004 model year Ford F-150 heritage, 1997 through 1999 model year F-250 less than 8,500 lbs. Gross vehicle weight rating (gvwr), and 2002 and 2003 Lincoln blackwood vehicles manufactured from june 20, 1995, through august 4, 2004, originally sold, or currently registered in, connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia. Prolonged exposure to road deicing chemicals may cause severe corrosion of the fuel tank straps which secure the tank to the vehicle.
As a result of the corrosion, one or both straps may fail allowing the fuel lines to separate from the tank, or in some cases, causing the tank to contact the ground. Either scenario may result in a fuel leak presenting a fire hazard.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners and instruct them to take their vehicles to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to have the fuel tank straps replaced with straps that have increased corrosion protection. Early in this campaign, if replacement straps are not available, dealers may install a cable support under the strap as an interim repair or a steel reinforcement over the existing strap as a permanent repair. Any repairs will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on september 16, 2011. Owners may contact Ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's recall campaign number is 11S21
NHTSA recall #05V388000September 7, 20054,500,000 vehicles affected
vehicle speed control
On certain pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles equipped with speed control, the speed control deactivation switch may overheat, smoke, or burn.
A fire at the switch could occur.
Remedy
By letter dated september 12, 2005, owners were instructed to return their vehicles to their dealers to have the speed control deactivation switch disconnected. Owners who have had their speed control deactivated are being notified that parts will be available and advised to make an appointment to reconnect the speed control beginning in february 2006. Owners who did not have their speed control deactivated are being notified to have their system remedied beginning in february 2006. Owners are urged to avail themselves of the free disconnect service as soon as possible because of the significant risk of fire. Owners may contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673. (note: also see recalls 05V017 and 06V286)
NHTSA recall #01V258000August 8, 20011,083,000 vehicles affected
visibility: windshield wiper/washer: motor
Vehicle description: passenger cars, sport utility vehicles, and light and medium duty pickup trucks. A switch located in the plastic cover of the wiper motor gear case could malfunction and overheat, potentially resulting in loss of intermittent wiper function, loss of wiper park function, complete loss of wiper function, or ignition of the plastic cover material. Switch malfunction is most likely to occur when the intermittent setting of the wipers is being used, or when snow or ice obstructs the blades from returning to the "parked" position at the bottom of the windshield. These vehicles were built at the following assembly plants: atlanta plant from 2/11/00 through 7/31/00; chicago plant from 2/14/00 through 8/4/00; kansas city plant from 2/26/00 to 9/4/00; kentucky truck plant from 2/18/00 to 8/31/00; michigan truck plant from 2/23/00 through 8/3/00; norfolk plant from 2/21/00 through 7/27/00; wayne stamping and assembly plant from 2/25/00 through 8/15/00; and wixom plant from 2/15/00 through 8/8/00.
Loss of visibility while driving increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the date code on the wiper motor. Motors built with the suspect time frame will have the wiper motor gear case cover replaced. Owner notification began august 20, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332.
NHTSA recall #01V227001July 16, 20011,400,000 vehicles affected
seat belts: front: buckle assembly
Vehicle description: passenger and sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks, and minivans. Equipped with seat belts supplied by trw. It is possible that the driver's and/or front passenger's outboard seat belt buckle may not fully latch. Ford crown victoria built at st. Thomas assembly plant from 4/17/00 - 5/29/01 mercury grand marquis built at st. Thomas assembly plant from 4/17/00 - 5/29/01. Lincoln town cars built at wixom assembly plant from 3/27/00 - 5/30/01. Lincoln navigators built at michigan truck plant from 4/11/00 - 5/31/01. Ford windstars built at oakville assembly plant from 3/23/00 - 5/30/01. Ford rangers built at twin cities plant from 3/28/00 - 5/30/01, and also at the edison plant from 3/13/00 - 5/25/01. Ford F-150 truck built at norfolk plant from 4/18/00 - 5/25/00; at ontario plant from 5/10/00 - 5/28/01; at kansas city plant from 9/11/99 - 5/25/01; and at cuautitlan plant from 5/16/00 - 6/9/01. Ford super duty F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 trucks built at kentucky plant from 4/17/00 - 5/27/01; and at cuautitlan plant from 5/16/00 - 6/19/01. Ford excursions built at kentucky plant from 4/17/00 - 10/2/00. Ford expeditions built at michigan truck plant from 4/11/00 - 5/31/01.
In the event of a crash, the restraint system may not provide adequate occupant protection, increasing the risk of personal injury to the seat occupant.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the front outboard seat belt buckles and if the buckle fails the inspection process, it will be replaced. Owner notification began july 25, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332.
NHTSA recall #01V095000March 23, 2001670 vehicles affected
service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks. The left front brake hose was damaged during final assembly.
If the hose is damaged, brake fluid could leak and stopping distances may be increased.
Remedy
Dealers will install a new left front brake hose assembly. Owner notification began march 20, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Ford at 1-800-248-0186 or 1-800-392-3673.
NHTSA recall #01V082000March 12, 2001268 vehicles affected
air bags: frontal
Vehicle description: passenger and sport utility vehicles. The inflator canister in the driver air bag module may have an inadequate weld near the igniter.
In the event of a vehicle crash, the driver air bag may not deploy as intended, potentially resulting in reduced occupant protection, or a burn injury.
Remedy
Dealers will install a driver air bag module. Owner notification began march 19, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673.
NHTSA recall #00V396000November 28, 2000495,000 vehicles affected
equipment: other: owners/service/other manual
Vehicle description: certain sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks, and passenger vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of FMVSS 225, "child restraint anchorage systems." the affected expedition/navigator owner guides do not identify the locations of seating positions equipped with tether anchorages, and do not provide instructions for securing child seats to these tether anchorages. The F150 sc owner guides do not provide the procedure for securing child seats to the tether anchorages. The taurus/sable owner guides do not identify the center rear seating position as having latch compatible lower anchorages.
In the event of a crash, the child seat may not be properly attached increasing the risk of injury to the child.
Remedy
Owners will be provided with owner guide inserts revised to provide the required information, and instructions for affixing these inserts to their owner guides. Customers will also be advised that if they prefer, their dealer will affix the inserts to their owner guides.
NHTSA recall #00V348000October 30, 2000830 vehicles affected
seat belts: front: retractor
Vehicle description: regular cab pickup trucks. The driver side seat belt retractor may not fully retract the belt.
This could cause slack in the seat belt when worn, increasing the risk of personal injury to the seat occupant, in the event of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the driver's side seat belt assembly.
Other model years
- 1991 304
- 1992 470
- 1993 586
- 1994 676
- 1995 626
- 1996 324
- 1997 2,758
- 1998 1,381
- 1999 1,044
- 2000 1,075
- 2001
- 2002 821
- 2003 423
- 2004 2,029
- 2005 1,112
- 2006 585
- 2007 488
- 2008 369
- 2009 324
- 2010 843
- 2011 2,194
- 2012 1,784
- 2013 2,992
- 2014 1,539
- 2015 1,745
- 2016 2,093
- 2017 1,463
- 2018 2,325
- 2019 1,343
- 2020 742
- 2021 1,040
- 2022 602
- 2023 418
- 2024 195
- 2025 109
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2001 Ford F-150.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN