Is Ford as reliable as Toyota?
Toyota comes out ahead: Ford 3.89 vs Toyota 0.94 NHTSA owner complaints per 1,000 vehicles sold (model years 2015–2022). Ford owners filed 4.1× as many complaints per vehicle sold as Toyota owners.
By CarWhere Research · Updated November 2026 · Method
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA per 1,000 vehicles sold (model years 2015–2022; published U.S. sales). Not a survey, not Consumer Reports' method, and not repair frequency.
Ford vs Toyota at a glance
| Ford | Toyota | |
|---|---|---|
| Complaints per 1,000 sold | 3.89 | 0.94 |
| Serious-safety complaints per 1,000 | 0.16 | 0.10 |
| Rank of 19 brands | #19 | #2 |
| Models covered | 15 | 12 |
| Vehicles sold (rated model years) | 15,875,164 | 15,629,831 |
| Owner complaints | 61,721 | 14,637 |
| Share of brand U.S. sales covered | 89.2% | 96.2% |
| Top complaint areas | Engine 28.4% · Powertrain / transmission 23.3% · Steering 9.4% | Powertrain / transmission 16% · Engine 14.6% · Electrical system 13.9% |
| Recall campaigns (vehicles covered) | 648 (40.7 million) | 198 (15.8 million) |
Model years 2015–2022. Lower is better. Serious-safety complaints are those where the owner reported a crash, a fire or at least one injury. Recall campaigns are NHTSA campaigns filed January 2016 to September 2026; vehicles covered counts a vehicle once per campaign.
What drives the numbers
- Ford's count is driven most by 2015–2019 F-Series complaints about powertrain / transmission and steering (14,110, 22.9% of Ford's complaints). Other models with rates above Ford's overall 3.89: Escape (5.42), Explorer (4.85), Edge (5.52).
- Toyota's count is driven most by 2019–2020 RAV4 complaints about engine and fuel / propulsion (1,563, 10.7% of Toyota's complaints). Other models with rates above Toyota's overall 0.94: Highlander (1.46), Venza (2.00), Tundra (1.06).
Ford vs Toyota complaints per 1,000 sold, by model year
Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are still growing. Compare the two lines within a year, not one year against another.
| Model year | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ford | 4.07 | 4.95 | 5.29 | 4.20 | 3.38 | 3.49 | 2.58 | 1.85 |
| Toyota | 0.86 | 0.79 | 0.79 | 1.03 | 1.28 | 1.04 | 0.95 | 0.74 |
What Ford and Toyota owners complain about
Share of each brand's NHTSA complaints naming the area (a complaint can name more than one).
Ford
- Engine28.4% · 17,554
- Powertrain / transmission23.3% · 14,375
- Steering9.4% · 5,811
- Electrical system9% · 5,567
- Body structure8.3% · 5,120
- Fuel / propulsion6.9% · 4,253
Toyota
- Powertrain / transmission16% · 2,340
- Engine14.6% · 2,143
- Electrical system13.9% · 2,028
- Fuel / propulsion11.9% · 1,744
- Brakes11.8% · 1,725
- Air bags9.6% · 1,404
Model matchups
Each brand's best-selling model in the classes both sell, on the same per-1,000-sold measure.
Full-size pickups: Ford F-Series vs Toyota Tundra
The Toyota Tundra has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: Ford F-Series 2.81 vs Toyota Tundra 1.06 complaints per 1,000 sold. The F-Series's most-cited area is powertrain / transmission (26.9%); the Tundra's is engine (25.8%).
Ford F-Series(whole line)
2.81 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 18,184 complaints / 6,471,105 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- 2008–2010
- Years to avoid:
- 2011, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2021–2023
- Top complaint areas:
- Powertrain / transmission 26.9% · Steering 18.3% · Engine 15.1%
1.06 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 930 complaints / 874,993 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- 2021
- Years to avoid:
- 2008, 2018, 2022–2025
- Top complaint areas:
- Engine 25.8% · Fuel / propulsion 20% · Electrical system 14.8%
Compact SUVs: Ford Escape vs Toyota RAV4
The Toyota RAV4 has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: Ford Escape 5.42 vs Toyota RAV4 1.10 complaints per 1,000 sold. The Escape's most-cited area is engine (46.5%); the RAV4's is electrical system (21.5%).
5.42 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 10,289 complaints / 1,896,752 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- 2024
- Years to avoid:
- 2008–2010, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2020
- Top complaint areas:
- Engine 46.5% · Powertrain / transmission 17.4% · Body structure 10.5%
1.10 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 3,483 complaints / 3,155,248 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- None flagged
- Years to avoid:
- 2008, 2019–2021, 2023, 2024
- Top complaint areas:
- Electrical system 21.5% · Engine 17.8% · Fuel / propulsion 13.6%
Midsize cars: Ford Fusion vs Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: Ford Fusion 4.23 vs Toyota Camry 0.84 complaints per 1,000 sold. The Fusion's most-cited area is engine (37.2%); the Camry's is powertrain / transmission (18.5%).
Ford Fusion
4.23 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 5,237 complaints / 1,237,724 sold, MY 2015–2021 NHTSA
- Better years:
- None flagged
- Years to avoid:
- None flagged
- Top complaint areas:
- Engine 37.2% · Powertrain / transmission 20.6% · Electrical system 13.3%
0.84 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 2,348 complaints / 2,788,813 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- 2016, 2017, 2022
- Years to avoid:
- 2008–2012, 2018–2020
- Top complaint areas:
- Powertrain / transmission 18.5% · Engine 15.4% · Brakes 14.4%
Three-row SUVs: Ford Explorer vs Toyota Highlander
The Toyota Highlander has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: Ford Explorer 4.85 vs Toyota Highlander 1.46 complaints per 1,000 sold. The Explorer's most-cited area is body structure (24.2%); the Highlander's is powertrain / transmission (31.1%).
4.85 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 9,080 complaints / 1,871,370 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- 2008–2010
- Years to avoid:
- 2011, 2013–2017, 2020
- Top complaint areas:
- Body structure 24.2% · Engine 16.2% · Powertrain / transmission 13.4%
1.46 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 2,546 complaints / 1,749,226 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- None flagged
- Years to avoid:
- 2008, 2017–2023
- Top complaint areas:
- Powertrain / transmission 31.1% · Brakes 11.8% · Electrical system 10.5%
Compact cars: Ford Focus vs Toyota Corolla
The Toyota Corolla has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: Ford Focus 6.06 vs Toyota Corolla 0.68 complaints per 1,000 sold. The Focus's most-cited area is powertrain / transmission (50.7%); the Corolla's is air bags (20.9%).
Ford Focus
6.06 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 3,976 complaints / 656,177 sold, MY 2015–2019 NHTSA
- Better years:
- None flagged
- Years to avoid:
- None flagged
- Top complaint areas:
- Powertrain / transmission 50.7% · Engine 28.3% · Fuel / propulsion 19.6%
0.68 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 1,586 complaints / 2,339,849 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- None flagged
- Years to avoid:
- 2009–2011, 2019, 2020
- Top complaint areas:
- Air bags 20.9% · Engine 16.8% · Powertrain / transmission 13.7%
How these numbers are calculated
complaints per 1,000 sold = NHTSA owner complaints filed for model years 2015–2022 ÷ U.S. vehicles sold in calendar years 2015–2022 × 1,000
Complaints come from NHTSA's public owner-complaint database (NHTSA data), counted once per complaint and matched across NHTSA's trim and body-style names. Vehicles sold are published U.S. calendar-year sales per nameplate. Model years with fewer than 5,000 sold are too few to rate and are left out. A brand gets a score only when its covered models number at least 3 and make up at least 70% of its U.S. sales; rates under 10% apart are called close.
This is the federal complaint rate, not an owner survey or repair-frequency figure. Consumer Reports publishes a survey-based ranking that measures something different. Full method and brand ranking.
Questions
Is Ford as reliable as Toyota?
Toyota comes out ahead: Ford 3.89 vs Toyota 0.94 NHTSA owner complaints per 1,000 vehicles sold (model years 2015–2022). Ford owners filed 4.1× as many complaints per vehicle sold as Toyota owners.
Which has more serious complaints, Ford or Toyota?
Counting only complaints that report a crash, fire or injury, Ford logs 0.16 per 1,000 sold and Toyota 0.10. Those are 4% of Ford's complaints and 11% of Toyota's.
Where do Ford and Toyota rank overall?
Ford ranks #19 and Toyota #2 of the 19 brands with enough sales data, ranked by NHTSA complaints per 1,000 sold for model years 2015–2022.
What do Ford and Toyota owners complain about most?
Ford: engine (28.4%), powertrain / transmission (23.3%), steering (9.4%). Toyota: powertrain / transmission (16%), engine (14.6%), electrical system (13.9%). Shares are of each brand's complaints for model years 2015–2022; one complaint can name more than one area.
Which has more recalls, Ford or Toyota?
From January 2016 to September 2026, NHTSA lists 648 Ford recall campaigns covering 40,676,062 vehicles and 198 Toyota campaigns covering 15,819,237. Vehicles covered counts each vehicle once per campaign, so one car in three recalls counts three times. Recalls are fixes the maker files, a different signal from owner complaints.
Is the Ford F-Series more reliable than the Toyota Tundra?
The Toyota Tundra has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: Ford F-Series 2.81 vs Toyota Tundra 1.06 complaints per 1,000 sold. Based on 6,471,105 and 874,993 vehicles sold. Years to avoid on the F-Series: 2011, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2021–2023. Years to avoid on the Tundra: 2008, 2018, 2022–2025.
Is the Ford Escape more reliable than the Toyota RAV4?
The Toyota RAV4 has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: Ford Escape 5.42 vs Toyota RAV4 1.10 complaints per 1,000 sold. Based on 1,896,752 and 3,155,248 vehicles sold. Years to avoid on the Escape: 2008–2010, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2020. Years to avoid on the RAV4: 2008, 2019–2021, 2023, 2024.