Are Fords Reliable? Ford Reliability by Model
Ford reliability varies significantly by model year. Among the 2 Ford models analyzed, the Explorer carries 7 flagged years. The sharpest single-year spike belongs to the Explorer, whose worst year logged up to 3.9× its own median complaint rate. Because complaint totals are not adjusted for vehicle sales, this analysis identifies strong and weak years within each model — it does not rank Ford models against one another.
Analysis by CarWhere Research · Updated August 28, 2026 · Source: NHTSA owner complaints & recall campaigns · Data as of July 2026 · How we rate model years · Download the dataset (CSV)
34,981 NHTSA complaints
model years flagged on federal data
every model carries at least one
Ford problem areas by service-bulletin volume
The vehicle systems drawing the most federal service-bulletin (TSB) filings across the 2 Ford models we analyze — a volume signal of where the manufacturer issues the most fix guidance. These are TSB counts by NHTSA component category, not owner-complaint counts.
Ford reliability by model
| Model | Complaints | Years to avoid | Best years | Worst year vs. its avg. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ford F-150 | 19,967 | 2011, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2021, 2022 and 2023 | 2008, 2009 and 2010 | 2.2× |
| Ford Explorer | 15,014 | 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2020 | 2008, 2009 and 2010 | 3.9× |
Counts are raw federal filings (NHTSA owner complaints), not adjusted for sales volume. A model year is flagged when its severity-weighted complaint rate is among the highest within that model's own history — never a comparison against other brands. Follow any model for its full year-by-year verdict. Full methodology.
Where Ford owners report the most trouble
Ford Explorer: 7 model years flagged to avoid (2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2020) — the worst logged up to 3.9× the model's own median severity-weighted complaint rate. See the year-by-year verdict →
Ford F-150: 7 model years flagged to avoid (2011, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2021, 2022 and 2023) — the worst logged up to 2.2× the model's own median severity-weighted complaint rate. See the year-by-year verdict →
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FAQ
Are Fords reliable?
Ford reliability varies sharply by model year, not by badge. Among the 2 most-documented Ford models, 2 carry at least one model year we flag to avoid on NHTSA complaint and recall data. These are raw federal complaint counts, not adjusted for how many vehicles Ford sold, so they can't be read as a single cross-brand reliability score — use the per-model, per-year verdicts below.
Which Ford model years should I avoid?
The Ford models carrying the most flagged years are the Explorer (7 flagged years: 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2020); the F-150 (7 flagged years: 2011, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2021, 2022 and 2023). A flag means that model year's severity-weighted complaint rate is among the highest within that model's own history — it is not a comparison against other models or brands. See each model's page for the full year-by-year verdict.
Which Ford models have the fewest flagged years?
Among Ford models with enough federal complaint history to rate, the Explorer carries the fewest flagged years (7). That is not a cross-model reliability ranking — complaint counts are not sales-adjusted — and a thin record is never counted as a clean one: model years with too little data rate "insufficient" instead.
How do I check a specific Ford before buying?
Start with the free Ford window sticker lookup at carwhere.com/window-sticker/ford to confirm the exact trim and factory options, then run the $9.99 CarWhere Full VIN Report for that VIN — it includes the recall, complaint, and service-bulletin record for the exact model year plus a market price check from verified buyers. One-time purchase, no subscription.
Sources & data notes
All figures are drawn from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Office of Defects Investigation — the public NHTSA owner-complaints data and safety recall campaigns — across the 2 most-documented Ford models and every model year on record for each. Retrieved July 2026. Counts are raw federal filings and are not adjusted for the number of vehicles sold or registered, so they cannot be read as a single cross-brand reliability ranking; each model year's verdict compares it only against the rest of that model's own history. Full scoring at the methodology page.
Suggested citation
CarWhere Research. "Ford Reliability by Model & Year: NHTSA Complaint and Recall Analysis." Based on 34,981 NHTSA owner complaints across 2 Ford models, model years 2008–2025. Updated August 28, 2026. https://www.carwhere.com/research/reliability/ford
This dataset is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with attribution to CarWhere Research and a link to this page.
Download the dataset (CSV) — per-model complaint totals, flagged years and verdict counts for every brand we cover (version 2026-08-28).