Your vehicle report
2003 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
- 423
- Received Nov 2002 to Aug 2026
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Spark plugs blow out of cylinder head50 complaints · 12% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Ford F-150 transmission unexpectedly downshifts or jerks32 complaints · 7.6% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline30 complaints · 7.1% 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 #07V336000On certain pickup trucks, passenger vehicles, sport utility vehicles, and motor homes chassis, the speed control deactivation switch may, under certain conditions, leak internally and then 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: 43 crashes, 37 fires, 36 people injured, 1 death.
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
- Suspension clunking or rattling noise over bumps
- 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 |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 1 |
| 2003 | 48 |
| 2004 | 49 |
| 2005 | 36 |
| 2006 | 19 |
| 2007 | 25 |
| 2008 | 30 |
| 2009 | 21 |
| 2010 | 26 |
| 2011 | 34 |
| 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 (to Oct 2026) | 4 |
| Total | 423 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spark plugs blow out of cylinder head | 50 | 12% | – | |
| Ford F-150 transmission unexpectedly downshifts or jerks | 32 | 7.6% | – | |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 30 | 7.1% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 30 | 7.1% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 23 | 5.4% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 21 | 5.0% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 17 | 4.0% | – | |
| Suspension clunking or rattling noise over bumps | 14 | 3.3% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 12 | 2.8% | – | |
| Transfer case shifts into 4-wheel drive unexpectedly | 10 | 2.4% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 10 | 2.4% | – | |
| Water leaks into cabin during rain | 8 | 1.9% | – | |
| Glass shatters or cracks without impact | 7 | 1.7% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 7 | 1.7% | – | |
| Steering wheel shakes violently at highway speed | 7 | 1.7% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 6 | 1.4% | – | |
| Paint peels off roof and hood | 5 | 1.2% | – | |
| Frame rusts and corrodes through | 5 | 1.2% | – | |
| Axle breaks while driving, wheel detaches | 5 | 1.2% | – | |
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 5 | 1.2% | – |
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 #07V336000August 3, 20073,600,000 vehicles affected
vehicle speed control
On certain pickup trucks, passenger vehicles, sport utility vehicles, and motor homes chassis, the speed control deactivation switch may, under certain conditions, leak internally and then overheat, smoke, or burn.
This could result in an underhood fire.
Remedy
Dealers will install a fused wiring harness. Owners of the passenger cars included in this campaign will be instructed to return their vehicles to their dealers to have the speed control deactivation switch disconnected as an interim repair. As soon as repair parts are available (expected october 2007), owners will be instructed to return to the dealers for installation of a fused wiring harness. The recall began on august 13, 2007, and mailing completed by september 19, 2007. Owners may contact Ford at 1-888-222-2751.
NHTSA recall #07V078000March 6, 2007155,584 vehicles affected
vehicle speed control
On certain trucks equipped with speed control, gasoline or natural gas engines, the speed control deactivation switch may overheat.
Overheating could result in smoke, burn, or an underhood fire.
Remedy
Dealers will install a fused wiring harness into the speed control system free of charge. The recall began on march 12, 2007. Owners may contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673. (note: also see recalls 05V017, 05V388, and 06V286)
NHTSA recall #03V349000September 22, 2003300 vehicles affected
steering: gear box: shaft pitman
On certain pickup trucks, the pitman arm to steering gear retaining nut was not fully tightened to the required specification.
If the pitman arm to gearbox attachment nut loosens, a noise and a loose feel in the steering could occur. If the condition progressed and service was not sought, the nut could back off completely and the pitman arm could separate from the gear causing a loss of steering. If the warning is not heeded and steering is lost, a crash may result.
Remedy
Dealers will tighten the pitman arm retaining nut to specifications. Owner notification began on october 1, 2003. Owners should contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332.
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 1,236
- 2002 821
- 2003
- 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 2003 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