Complaint volume
1835 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2018 Ford F-150 Complaints
1835 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2018 Ford F-150, grouped by component category.
1835 Total complaints
58 Crash reports
29 Fire reports
34 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are power train, engine, structure. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 58 crash reports, 29 fire reports, 34 injury reports, and 3 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 956 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 46,861 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to power train, engine, structure?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2018 Ford F-150?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2018 Ford F-150
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2018 Ford F-150 complaints?
58 Crash
29 Fire
34 Injury
3 Fatality
70 Towed
23 Medical attention
What are the most common 2018 Ford F-150 complaint categories?
POWER TRAIN 524
ENGINE 274
STRUCTURE 142
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 116
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 69
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 69
STEERING 48
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 40
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 38
VISIBILITY/WIPER 37
1,835 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2025 | ENGINE | The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact noticed an abnormal rattling sound and the engine ran abnormally rough. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed cam phaser. The contact was informed that the cam phaser needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, in September 2021, the cam phaser was replaced under an unknown special coverage program. The failure mileage at the time was approximately 28,000. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was informed that the repair was not covered under an unknown special program or recall. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The current failure mileage was approximately 60,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 28,000 |
| Jul 2025 | POWER TRAIN | Truck only has 48,124 miles on it. Per the tech it no longer has the weight on the driveshaft to keep it in balance. They sent the driveshaft to B&T driveshaft to be balanced. It came back and 80% of the vibration was gone. They then said they had to replace the entire driveshaft without testing the universal joints. They did install the JL3z*4r*z driveshaft kit. This did resolve the vibration but why would like part have to be replaced at such low milage on a 2018 F-150? | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | ENGINE | At 65k miles I have started to experience the dreaded 3.5l cam phaser rattle that Ford initially had a Customer Satisfaction Program on. Ford only repaired vehicles that were making a noise at the time of the program so they wouldn’t change my phasers even though they knew they had issues. I just got off the phone with ford customer support and even though I’m within the milage of the initial free replacement they won’t offer any assistance on the $8k repair. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | When driving for a hour ac shuts off and only blows warm air. Had everything tested and comes out perfect they can’t find an issue. Happened multiple times but reporting the most recent | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION | I had a rear view camera problem where the screen went blue on my f150. No picture or beeps. I paid over $800 for software and hardware repairs and now there is a recall. Conveniently my vin is not included even though I have the same repairs I had to pay for. Reciepts from Ford Dealership available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Vehicle is shuddering as acceleration starts, took to dealership before warranty ended and they dismissed concerns. Issue has intermittently persisted since then with no resolution available from dealership. The acceleration issues causes the vehicle to slow down and halt before jerking into motion again. Additionally the engine eco boost is occasionally shutting the vehicle off in traffic, if the brake is released too quickly with the boost feature on the engine shuts off, you have to put it back in park and then start the engine again. I've almost been rear ended twice when a light turns green and my engine turns off unexpectedly. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled and failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the fuel pump was faulty and needed to be replaced. The fuel pump was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V392000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 47,721. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 47,721 |
| Jul 2025 | ENGINE | At a little over 56,500 files, the engine started having a load rattling noise during a cold start where the engine has been sitting for a few hours. I dig some Google searches and found that the noise was related to the cam phaser issue associated with Ford's 3.5L Ecoboost engines so I took it to Jim Vreeland Ford in Buellton, CA to get an official diagnosis on July 1, 2025 that costed me $196. The dealer confirmed that the noise is caused by the cam phaser issued that was noted in Ford Customer Satisfaction Program 21N03, which I never received a notification for. Ford apparently issued TSB 23-2143 to address the issue, and I was quoted $3158.07 to address the issue along with $2026.71 for unrelated but recommended components that should be replaced at the same time. I was told that this can lead to catastrophic engine failure if not addressed. Ford is refusing to cover any of the cost. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | POWER TRAIN | I’m filing this complaint regarding a major transmission failure in my 2018 Ford F-150 (VIN: [XXX] ) with just over 40,000 miles. The issue resulted in multiple loss-of-drivability incidents while pulling out into traffic. On several occasions, the vehicle failed to engage or hesitated severely when shifting into gear, leaving me stranded on the wrong side of the road. In one instance, I was forced to manually cycle through gears to try and regain forward momentum while cars approached at speed. This created a dangerous situation not only for me but for other drivers. The vehicle showed no prior warning lights or messages before the issue occurred. A certified repair shop pulled diagnostic codes and identified a transmission-related fault. I was advised to take the truck to a Ford dealership, where they confirmed a transmission failure requiring a full replacement, quoted at nearly $10,000. A transmission failure at this mileage is unacceptable and unsafe. I’m reporting this as a safety concern due to the sudden loss of power and drive function in live traffic situations. I’ve since found reports of similar issues from other F-150 owners. This needs further investigation and consideration for recall or formal service campaign. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | POWER TRAIN | Long delay between shifts where the vehicle loses substantial speed | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | STEERING,AIR BAGS | The contact owned a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the contact's son was driving at 20 MPH, the contact's son noticed an unusual sound. The steering wheel did not turn in the intended direction. No warning lights illuminated. The contact stated the steering wheel was detached and loose. The vehicle crashed into a nearby tree. The contact's son did not sustain any injuries. In addition, the air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed to the insurance company for inspection. The vehicle was condemned as a total loss by the insurance company. A police report was filed; however, the information was unavailable. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The contact was advised that the vehicle needed to be inspected by the investigator. The failure mileage was unknown. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | ENGINE | The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that on several occasions after starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 139,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 139,000 |
| Jun 2025 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle made an abnormal rattling sound on cold starts. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the cam phasers and connecting belts might need to be replaced. The vehicle was being diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Ford Campaign Number: 21N03 (Cam phaser replacement). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 71,662. | Crash: No Fire: No | 71,662 |
| Jun 2025 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon startup, there was a loud knocking sound coming from under the hood. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the cam phasers were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 35,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 35,000 |
| Jun 2025 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. In addition, the vehicle stalled. The "Auto Start Stop" message was displayed. The contact restarted the vehicle and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle returned to normal functionality. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The contact stated that one month prior to the failure, the vehicle had been repaired under Manufacturer Recall Number: 24E04 (Powertrain Control Module Software update). The dealer was contacted, and the vehicle stalled while one of the employees was test driving the vehicle. However, no cause for the failure was found. The contact was informed that the catalytic converter had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 122,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 122,000 |
| Jun 2025 | POWER TRAIN | Transmission failed. Specifically the CDF drum which is a known issue and Ford has a TSB for it. Truck would not move or shift gears periodically. Would also slip into neutral and would not engage any gear which is extremely dangerous on the road. Dealer confirmed that the CDF drum is shot and the truck needs a new transmission, $8800. My truck only has 53k miles on it, it is a 2018 model year. There were no visual indications of a problem, no CEL. You could tell just by driving the truck, it got so bad that it was virtually undriveable. I put the TSB below. This really needs to be a RECALL as it is super dangerous. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | POWER TRAIN | Transmission completely failed while driving. Fortunately I was at a stoplight and was able to coast to the side of the road to a stop before getting hit. Transmission previously was taken to Ford for transmission jerking and randomly shifting issues. They first appeared at about 35000 miles of service. Complete failure ocurred at 130,000 miles. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I spilled something on my passenger side front so removed my weathertech floor liner and noticed the carpet was wet with some mildew on it. Cleaned it up and let it air dry. Some time b later I b checked it again and it was more wet. Went online and saw a recall . Called dealer that has serviced my truck since I drove it off the lot . Why they hadn’t told me about the recall. Was told it wasn’t on the recall. They are telling me I have to pay to fix it . It’s obvious it shouu I led have been included in this recall. For all I know I have mold and mildew under my carpet. This can not be good or healthy for b me and b my family. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at various speeds, the transmission was slipping. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 85,000 |
| Jun 2025 | POWER TRAIN | Transmission is hard shifting and dropping out of gear into neutral at random times. Ford dealership diagnosed a bad CDF hub in transmission. Ford knows this is a known issue and redesigned the part but not covering any repairs. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | ENGINE | This vehicle started rattling upon cold start. It has only 43K miles on it. When looking into the situation it has been a defect of this vehicle as well as many other years that Ford has failed to own up to. This rattle is due to a cam phaser pin that breaks loose and can dislodge at any time and cause the vehicle to seize up. Another owner had this happen on the freeway at 70 mph. Ford claims it is “not dangerous” but obviously it is. It costs the owners anywhere from $4500-$6500 to fix. Our local service department advised us they have “fixed hundreds of these”. PLEASE STEP IN AND HAVE FORD ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE DEFECT AND CORRECT IT VIA RECALL. This is dangerous and expensive for owners. Thank you! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | ENGINE | The cam phasers in the engine have a failure/malfunction and risk of engine damage and performance. No warning lamps are on for the this failure yet, only a very noticeable noise on startups. It has been to a dealership to be confirmed. This is the same known issue as the other 3.5 ecoboost F-150 engines in the 2017 -2018 years, I am not sure what made my VIN not fit the requirements. Bulletins 21B10,21N03,21N08 I believe are all related. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked and hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the “WRENCH” symbol was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact also stated that the message "Powertrain Malfunction/Reduced Power" was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was initially taken to an independent mechanic, where it was discovered that there were metal shavings in the transmission fluid pan. The contact had taken the vehicle to other independent mechanics who confirmed the failure and suggested that the transmission be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was then referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 99,800. | Crash: No Fire: No | 99,800 |
| Jun 2025 | POWER TRAIN | I was driving on the interstate, and pressed the accelerator to make a lane change and the tranmission did not respond. I could have been rear-ended because I had signaled and the other vehicle started to fill my space. I was unable to make the change. Fortunately the folloing vehicle kept a safe disance. Gear shifts have also been extremely clunky and skipping gears, sometimes when slowing down, dropping from a high gear (4-6) down to 2 or 1 without a corresponding drop in speed. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | POWER TRAIN | Hard shifting slamming gears needing transmission work. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |