Total Recall: The Ford F-150 Is Seeing a Huge Number of Recalls
The NHTSA reports the current generation of Ford F-150 has seen 17 recalls. That’s a lot more than average, and many of those recalls are serious. They’re so serious that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued an urgent safety warning and asked owners not to drive the truck. The Ford F-150 was redesigned for 2021 and the 2021 version has 13 recalls while the 2022 version has four recalls for a variety of issues.
What is the F-150 recalled for?
We’ve seen the headlines lately, with F-150s getting recalled for faulty drivelines and the power adjustable telescoping steering column wires. The recalls aren’t all for things that are as serious as the driveline, like software glitches for the trailer brake control. In May, the F-150 and the F-250 were recalled for windshield wiper motor problems. The F-150 is the best-selling truck, so more models on the road mean more problems will rear their heads.
This year has not been good to Ford. Overall, the company has seen more than 40 recalls for a variety of issues for a variety of vehicles. The Maverick truck has seen several recalls for things like fuel vapors, a fire risk, and seat belt issues, for example. But other manufacturers, too, like Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen, have seen lots of recalls.
Is the Ford F-150 the only vehicle with a lot of recalls?
Overall, 2021 was a record year for recalls. Last year, more than 21 million vehicles were recalled for a number of issues by the NHTSA from almost every manufacturer, and that’s not counting the voluntary recalls that manufacturers that issue for minor issues like software updates. Overall, there was a record 406 recalls in 2021. Ram, for example, had to recall more than 212,000 trucks last year for faulty airbags.
Is the Ford F-150 reliable?
A large number of recalls doesn’t mean a truck is unreliable. In the Ford F-150’s case, the 2021 model has an above-average rating at RepairPal.com. The site says that F-150 owners take their vehicle for repairs 0.3 times per year, which is less than the 0.4 times average. At J.D. Power, too, it gets an average rating for quality and reliability. It ranks 5th on its list of large light-duty pickups of 2021. It’s even rated as one of the safest full-sized trucks.
When was the Ford F-150 redesigned?
Ford introduced the new F-150 in 2020 as a 2021 model. The truck was all new, but more of an evolution because when you have the best-selling truck, why change it? The new truck is available with several engines, multiple body styles, and in a head-spinning amount of trims from the basic work truck to the desert racer Raptor. For 2021, Ford focused on making the truck more user-friendly than the previous version, which means it added niceties like locking storage, bed cleats, an available 12-inch digital gauge cluster and fold-flat seats.
How much does a Ford F-150 cost?
For 2023, the Ford F-150 comes in eight trim levels. The basic XL version, which is the utility and work truck version with the basics, like a front bench seat for three, starts at $31,520. From there, the XLT, and Lariat models, at $39,165 and $49,100 add more features. The luxury versions are the $60,320 King Ranch, $63,100 Platinum, and $77,625 Limited. Off-road fans like the $54,120 Tremor and Raptor, at $70,555.. The Ford F-150 Lightning is a separate all-electric model that starts at $39,974.
