Complaint volume
376 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
376 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2023 Ford F-150, grouped by component category.
Buyer interpretation
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
376 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
The most common categories are power train, unknown or other, electrical system. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Enriched records include 16 crash reports, 4 fire reports, 7 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage is available on 76 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 29,554 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
376 total complaints on record
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2025 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | On [XXX] at [XXX] I dropped my wife and 2 children off at the Funland Arcade in Deep Creek, Maryland. The parking lot was full from the holiday weekend and I was planning on taking the Lightning to a nearby charger while the family gamed so I double parked perpendicular to the arcade entrance, put the hazards on, and let them out. After the 3 of them got out, I placed the Lightning in reverse to back up 5-10 feet so that I could exit the parking lot through the same way I came in. Once I had enough space from reversing so I could make the turn to exit I placed the Lighting in drive. The moment the Lightning switched to drive it accelerated at a very high speed as if I was flooring the gas pedal, which I was not. The lightning was in one-petal mode which I always use unless I’m on a highway. I immediately began pumping the brakes but the truck would not stop, I probably slammed on the brake petal 4-5 times to no avail. I even tried shifting the truck back into park but it would not shift out of drive. I was able to luckily steer the truck into a hillside approximately 150 feet away. The truck ran over numerous small trees and shrubs before crashing to a stop approximately 16 feet up the hill. Shortly after the shock wore off, I slowly reversed the truck down the hill, exited the truck, and informed dozens of onlookers who came out of the arcade to see what the noise in the parking lot was from, that the truck just took off on its own but that I was fine. I called 911 and the police came. Luckily no people or vehicles were between the arcade entrance and the hillside or the outcome would have been significantly worse. This crash was witnessed first hand by wife and 2 children. I have grave safety concerns about this truck now and will not put my family or self back in it until Ford fixes this problem. I am making this complaint in case this information can help prevent future crashes of this vehicle. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The rear axle hub bolt was found to be broken off, same as the other recalled vehicles from this manufacturer. I have been waiting over 2 1/2 weeks for my vehicle to be repaired with no parts in stock yet and no loaner vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | The contact owns a 2023 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds or while in stop-and-go traffic, while depressing the accelerator pedal, there was an abnormally loud plastic-on-plastic sound. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with a brake booster failure. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred two months later. The contact stated that there was popping and clicking sound in the brake pedal. The contact stated that it felt as if the brake pedal was cracking. The failure was more prevalent after being parked or while driving for long distances. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who determined that the vehicle was working as designed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 10,000 |
| Jun 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | One morning, my 2023 Ford F150 Lightning was completely inoperable. I had it towed to a dealer. From my understanding, it is a wire that runs from the front of the truck to the rear of the truck, and is in the channel about the drive train malfunctioned which seems very strange to me. Got a bunch of codes off the computer. Found some kind of module showing 0-2 volts and when wiggled, it went to zero and stayed. Circuuits CBB95 PINS 11 and 12 and ABB05 PIN 33 at C407 all had zero volts. He consulted Ford's self help and found a Ford contact who'd fixed similar issue. After researching, all was connected back up, he back probed the circuits, and finally found SBB05 grey/red Pin 5 had no current. Ford advised overlaying wire from 3471C to C407 over rear drive unit and secure to harness with zip ties. This successfully cleared all codes and truck worked. This could have been really bad if it happened during the middle of winter when driving putting me and my occupants in danger. I'm not sure what the dealer did with the part, but they replaced the wire and connectors. I had no idication there was any problem until the vehicle became completely inoperable. Ford did not cover this under warranty since i was out of the bumper to bumper warrantee mileage. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | POWER TRAIN | The vehicle has had its automatic transmission replaced twice by a ford dealership within a one year period due to mechanical failures within the transmission. The dealership confirmed the same issue both times. Each transmission replacement was new from the manufacturer. The transmission failures caused hard shifting and stalling, which has posed a safety risk. An indicator that the transmission was failing had been the presence of a loud banging/clunking noise when shifting gears. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES | While driving my 2023 Ford F-150 XLT through a parking lot at low speed, I attempted to stop and shift into reverse to avoid a tight turn between parked vehicles. With my foot firmly on the brake, I shifted into reverse—though the gear shift was abnormally resistant. The system indicated the vehicle was in reverse. Despite keeping my foot on the brake, the truck suddenly and forcefully accelerated on its own, overriding my braking input. It collided with two parked vehicles before I was able to bring it to a stop by turning off the engine. The vehicle continued to accelerate even while I applied firm pressure to the brake pedal, which depressed all the way to the floor and failed to stop the truck. At no point did I press the gas pedal. After impact, the gear shift remained in reverse with a blinking red light. No airbags deployed. This was an extremely dangerous situation that could have seriously injured someone had they been standing nearby. Additionally, for some time leading up to the incident, I noticed increasing difficulty shifting gears even with the brake fully depressed. At times when in park the light for other gear modes would turn on. Indicating the vehicle may be in another mode other than park. The brake pedal has also felt inconsistent, often requiring unusually deep and forceful pressure to stop, whether on highways, city streets, or in parking lots. This appears to be a critical failure of both the braking and transmission systems. I am extremely concerned for my safety and that of other Ford drivers. I am requesting a formal investigation into this matter | Crash: Yes Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | STRUCTURE | Bought new a year and a half ago, has a severe leak from the passenger side windshield/cowl area that pours into AC box and then saturates the floor. This is a safety issue as you can smell a burnt/we wire smell and the incoming water saturates critical wiring, and is nearby airbag wiring. Vehicle in question has only been owned for a year and a half (of 3 year warranty) but any warranty repairs are being refused as it is 2500 miles outside of comprehensive warranty. However, this is not believed to be due to a component that failed due to mileage but rather a manufacturing defect/quality control in the windshield or cowl seal. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER | A/C airflow decreases out of the air vents although you can hear the motor blower running at high speed in the dashboard. The cabin temperature begins to increase and if humid the windows will begin to fog up the windshield, side windows and rear window impairing visibility which could lead to an accident if you do not pull over and remove the fog from the windshield/ windows. The dealership has inspected the vehicle, but they are never able to reproduce this issue while the vehicle is in their possession so they do nothing and simply turn away from the concern which many other Ford F-150 owners have expressed to their local ford dealerships and undoubtedly FORD motor company is aware of this issue, but are turning the blind eye as if it doesn’t exist. There are no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms prior to the issue occurring. I’m the second owner and this has happened to me twice within 2 weeks of owning this vehicle and I noticed the CarFax showed that my vehicle had been brought in numerous times to the ford dealership to be serviced for this exact same issue that I’m experiencing which has been confirmed by the dealership. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2023 Ford F-150. The contact stated that on several occasions while while driving at various speeds, the driver’s window switch was depressed; however, the window froze momently and failed to work as intended. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 32,000 |
| Jun 2025 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Driving down the road, a "service needed" code will pop up on the dash. It will then go away. However, in the next few minutes a "Shift Service Fault" will pop up on the screen. I then get a notification on my Ford app that says I have a Powertrain Fault. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | PARKING BRAKE | The contact owns a 2023 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at slower speeds, the vehicle would immediately brake independently without depressing the brake pedal. The Brake warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed at the owner’s expense; however, the cause of the failure was not determined. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V509000 (Parking Brake); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 46,000 |
| Jun 2025 | POWER TRAIN | Sudden unexpected downshifts to first, third or fifth gear causing sudden deceleration, very high rpm, and tire lockup. Occurred at any speed. Sudden deceleration in traffic. Loss of directional control. No warnings. No alerts. It is not safe to drive. It has been at the dealer for 2 weeks. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | PARKING BRAKE | The contact owns a 2023 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V509000 (Parking Brake); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Transmission harsh shifting, jerking, sudden loss of power, and unexpected downshifts. Goes into power saving mode every time I shut vehicle off. Remote start never available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | The contact owns a 2023 Ford F-150. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the check engine and other unknown warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving the vehicle, the vehicle was driving rough. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where to was diagnosed and determined that rodents had eaten through the wires, and all the wiring harnessed in the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 7,400. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 7,400 |
| Jun 2025 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,LANE DEPARTURE | Thank you for a chance to file this information. The cruise speed control and lane keeping systems are not working consistently and properly. They fail every week when tested. So far - the dealer-warranty fixes have not been the remedy needed. The cruise control system on steeper slopes doesn't provide braking to stay at the set speed - and at times it doesn't provide any braking resistance - so the vehicle takes off full speed with gravity. The lane keeping system doesn't provide consistent drivers' assistance to prevent departing the lane - even with new/freshly painted center-lanes/side of the road lanes. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | WHEELS | Rear Axle Hub Bolt Breakage - the rear axle hub bolt sheared off. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | A considerable amount of water intrusion has occurred in the rear light bar which is for braking and reverse lights. After taking it to my dealer, Ford has stated that unless water is "pooled" inside the unit this is normal, and that some condensation inside the assembly is "normal". I don't believe a sealed unit is supposed to have any water inside it, and this is the exact issue that lead to the recall campaign 23S30, which was performed on this truck in probably late 2023. I am concerned that this water will lead to malfunction as is happening to many other owners on the discussion forums, and I won't know. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2023 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the "Service Vehicle Soon" message was displayed. The contact used a diagnostic scanner to retrieve DTC: P0929. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed, and the contact was advised that the gear shift module (GSM) was faulty and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the failure had occurred twice, and the GSM Module had been replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 43,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 43,000 |
| May 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Told by Ford to create this incident to have my 2023 F150 Lariat added to the Ford FSA list for missing Heated steering -- Heated Steering Wheel Performance Upgrade 22G06. The vehicle matches all of the Affected Vehicles information but was not included on the for FSA list. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | POWER TRAIN | I attempted to schedule the fix for this recall and Ford is saying they will not fix unless the axel bolt has already failed. I read the recall notice as Ford will fix the axel regardless if is has failed or not. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2023 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle became very difficult to steer, and the rear end of the vehicle became unstable. The vehicle was taken to the local service center who removed the rear passenger’s side wheel and discovered that the rear axle bolt had sheared off. The vehicle was later driven to the local dealer. The cause of the failure was not yet been determined. The manufacturer was contacted but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 50,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 50,000 |
| May 2025 | POWER TRAIN | Per Safety Recall 23S65-S1 - NHTS 23V896 Ford notified the government in 2023 regarding the rear axle hub bolts breaking on F-150's equipped with the max tow package. My 2023 Ford F-150 is configured with the max tow package and has the same exact axle and hub bolt known to failure included in the recall I mentioned. The new replacement axle has a nut on the end to hold everything together so it's very easy to tell the difference. This failure is part(s) specific and my truck currently has the same axle and axle bolt included in this recall that is known to have a failure. I have attached a picture. The problem, my VIN is not part of the recall selection and this is a present safety concern for me and others. I have not had a failure yet but I have not towed with my truck because of this safety concern of a potential failure. Up until recently, Ford's fix for broken axle hub bolts were to replace with the same parts. Ford finally had a replacement axle (new style with a axle hub nut instead of a bolt) manufactured to eliminate this issue. It is a completely different design and uses a nut on the end to hold everything together. This recall needs to expand to include all F-150's that have the same axle & axle hub bolt. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | SERVICE BRAKES | My 2023 F150 has been having issues with the key fob connecting to the vehicle and responding to commands (unlock/lock, remote start etc). On the date of this incident the truck was not responding to the remote start key fob function. While standing outside the vehicle from a distance of about 10 feet I attempted the remote start function with no success approximately five times. On the last attempt I heard the audible sound of the parking brake releasing (moving from the “brake on” mode to the “brake off” mode). Once inside the vehicle I confirmed that the parking brake had been released. I was ultimately able to get the truck started and driving in a normal condition. The parking brake has not malfunctioned since. The key fob / truck connection continues to malfunction to various degrees. Sometimes no response, sometimes no remote start, sometimes the truck will be running and display a dashboard message indicating the key fob is not present leaving the truck running but “locked” in park. During this parking brake incident the vehicle was parked and locked with the parking brake set as normal (on or about May 10 , 2025). It was on level ground in a parking lot. No other vehicles were parked near mine. It was morning time, the truck was “cold” after being parked all night. No other unusual condition were noted. Weather conditions were dry and mild (50 degree temperatures). The remote connection issues have been going on about 6-8 months. I have replaced the battery in the remote 2x with no improvement. The vehicle has been inspected by the selling dealer once for the fob with no results (April 17, 2025). I have an appointment for the latest issues on June 2 2025. It is my belief that the random release of the parking brake system poses a risk for myself and other members of the public that may be injured by a sudden “roll away” of this vehicle by parking brake failure. I am in possession of the vehicle and it’s available for inspection. . | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | •Resolution Requested oFull refund for $67,227.63 - Total Money Spent Down Payment Trade In Monthly Payment Aftermarket Accessories oPremium Care Warranty for Purchase of next Ford Vehicle •Issues oEngine and Electrical Issue Electronic Gauge Screen goes black while driving resulting in a safety violation Significant latency of acceleration upon starting resulting in dangerous driving conditions Issue started Mar 2024 Remote Start Not Working Issue started Mar 2024 oSafety Failure Error Messages •6 X Anti-Lock Brake Fault •18 X Tire Pressure Monitor System •9 X Restraints Indicator Lamp •28 X Pre-Collision Assist Not Available •4 X Power Train Malfunction •Attempted Repairs – the service department has stated they do not know the issue and will need to keep the car for several more weeks to determine a fix oNumber of Times 5 Times oDuration 28 Days oDates 10 APR 2024 – 1 Day 09 May 2024 – 1 Day 09 Sep 2024 – 5 Days 07 JAN 2025 – 10 Days 14 MAY – 1 Day | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |