AutoUtility currently tracks 1101 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2017 Ford F-150. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 309 complaints (28.1% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 37 filings cite a crash, 19 cite a fire, 24 report one or more injuries. The 2017 Ford F-150 belongs to the 13th Generation (P552) platform.

Key Problem Findings
  • • Total NHTSA Complaints: 1101 reports
  • • #1 Reported Problem Area: Engine & Cooling (309 reports • 28.1% of submitted complaints)
  • • Secondary Problem Areas: Powertrain & Transmission (308), Body & Structure (137)
  • • Crash-Citing Complaints: 37 filings
  • • Fire-Citing Complaints: 19 filings
  • • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 24 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Reporting Methodology: Statistics describe unverified consumer submissions voluntarily filed with NHTSA. Complaint volume is not normalized for vehicle sales volume or miles driven. Multiple components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission.
Total Complaints
1101
Submitted to NHTSA ODI
Crash-Citing Complaints
37
Filings citing a collision
Fire-Citing Complaints
19
Filings citing smoke or fire
Complaints Reporting Injuries
24
Filings citing one or more injuries
Complaints Reporting Fatalities
0
Consumer filings citing fatalities

Most Reported Problems for 2017 Ford F-150

Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records

#1 Problem Area 28.1% of complaints

Engine & Cooling

309 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 2 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 1 crash report 🔥 5 fire reports 🩹 3 injury report entries
#2 Problem Area 28% of complaints

Powertrain & Transmission

308 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 3 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 5 crash reports 🔥 1 fire report 🩹 2 injury report entries
#3 Problem Area 12.4% of complaints

Body & Structure

137 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 2 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 5 crash reports 🩹 8 injury report entries
#4 Problem Area 8.8% of complaints

Electrical System

97 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
🔥 7 fire reports 🩹 2 injury report entries
#5 Problem Area 7.4% of complaints

Brakes & Traction Control

82 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 3 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 9 crash reports 🩹 4 injury report entries
Domain Share Note: Share percentage represents the proportion of unique complaint filings referencing each vehicle system. Because single complaints may cite multiple systems (such as engine and electrical simultaneously), domain percentages represent individual category incidence and may sum to over 100%.

Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2017 Ford F-150

Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis

AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.

Powertrain & Transmission 2.7% of complaints

Loss of Motive Power While Driving

30 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Engine & Cooling 1.7% of complaints

Engine Coolant Intrusion / Oil Leak

19 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Body & Structure 1.2% of complaints

Door Opening While Driving / Latch Failure

13 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Brakes & Traction Control 1% of complaints

Reduced Braking / Brake Pedal to Floor

11 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Engine & Cooling 0.8% of complaints

Engine Stalling / Sudden Shutdown

9 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Symptom Identification Method: A complaint may describe more than one symptom, so percentages may sum to more than 100%. Symptom identification reflects text contained in consumer-submitted complaint records and does not establish a confirmed mechanical diagnosis.

Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2017 Ford F-150

Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Engine & Cooling NHTSA ODI ID: #11760056
Filed: 08/27/2026

"Not sure if I can file an issue for this, but I wanted to let you know that a Ford Safety recall caused other issues after it was applied. In late July 2026, my son received a Ford safety recall notice (Recall #26S28) for his 2017 F 150 requiring a PCM software update. I brought the truck to Crown..."

Incident Date: 08/12/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: ENGINE
Electrical System NHTSA ODI ID: #11760050
Filed: 08/27/2026

"Short in the rear window defroster. Within 5 minutes of turning off the defroster after only having it on for 2 minutes at 2:30am leaving work, the back window exploded outward and shattering. No rocks, no other folks on the road. Upon research, and after contacting insurance company and the glass..."

Incident Date: 08/26/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Powertrain & Transmission NHTSA ODI ID: #11759399
Filed: 08/25/2026

"The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted to first gear, causing the rear wheels to lock up. The contact pulled over, turned off and restarted the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent..."

Incident Date: 04/01/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: POWER TRAIN
Powertrain & Transmission NHTSA ODI ID: #11759380
Filed: 08/25/2026

"I am filing a formal complaint regarding improper service practices, breach of safety recall protocols, and severe resulting vehicle damage committed by Fox Grand Traverse Ford. On April 23, 2026, independent facility Kinney’s Complete Auto Repair replaced the lead frame connector on my vehicle...."

Incident Date: 08/03/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: POWER TRAIN
Powertrain & Transmission NHTSA ODI ID: #11758935
Filed: 08/23/2026

"My 2017 Ford F-150 equipped with the 10R80 10-speed automatic transmission experiences repeated harsh and unpredictable shifting. The transmission will hesitate or delay during shifts and then engage very hard, sometimes producing a severe bang or jolt through the truck. It also experiences..."

Incident Date: 08/15/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: POWER TRAIN
Consumer Narrative Notice: Excerpts are sanitized text descriptions submitted by vehicle owners to the federal ODI database. They reflect the reporting consumer's observations at the time of filing and have not been independently confirmed by vehicle manufacturers or government investigators.

Complaint History for Ford F-150

Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)

Model Year NHTSA Complaints Crash Reports Safety Recalls Detailed Report
2015 Ford F-150 1425 40 14 View 2015 Problems →
2016 Ford F-150 1732 50 14 View 2016 Problems →
2017 Ford F-150 Current Page 1101 37 18 Current
2018 Ford F-150 1883 58 19 View 2018 Problems →
2019 Ford F-150 985 14 9 View 2019 Problems →
2020 Ford F-150 533 17 11 View 2020 Problems →
2021 Ford F-150 1234 18 29 View 2021 Problems →
2022 Ford F-150 880 28 23 View 2022 Problems →
2023 Ford F-150 595 25 12 View 2023 Problems →
2024 Ford F-150 243 26 10 View 2024 Problems →
2025 Ford F-150 122 8 12 View 2025 Problems →
2026 Ford F-150 0 0 1 View 2026 Problems →
Comparative Disclaimer: Complaint totals are unadjusted historical counts and are not normalized for vehicles sold, active fleet size, or total road mileage. Newer model years naturally have had less calendar exposure time to accumulate owner filings.

Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2017 Ford F-150

Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 113 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications

Vehicle Component / System Total Complaints Crash Reports Fire Reports Reported Injury Entries Reported Fatality Entries
Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN 217 5 0 2 0
Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE 181 0 3 0 0
Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER 88 3 4 1 0
Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE 70 0 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES 47 5 0 1 0
Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 46 0 0 0 0
Steering NHTSA category: STEERING 34 0 0 0 0
Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS 33 1 0 0 0
Doors, Latches & Locks NHTSA category: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 30 1 0 1 0
Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER 28 0 1 0 0
Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 27 0 5 1 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 26 0 1 0 0
Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS 14 9 0 10 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE 14 0 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 12 1 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 11 0 0 0 0
Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS 11 0 1 0 0
Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY 11 0 1 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 9 0 1 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 9 0 0 0 0
Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 9 3 0 3 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE 8 0 0 0 0
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 7 0 0 1 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 7 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 7 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 6 0 0 0 0
Back Over Prevention / Camera NHTSA category: BACK OVER PREVENTION 4 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 4 0 1 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 4 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS 3 2 0 2 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 3 0 1 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER 3 0 0 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,POWER TRAIN 3 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 3 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 3 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,STRUCTURE 3 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SUSPENSION 3 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,STRUCTURE 3 1 0 0 0
Tires NHTSA category: TIRES 3 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 3 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY 3 0 0 0 0
WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 0 0 1 0
ENGINE,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 2 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN 2 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION 2 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES 2 1 0 2 0
WHEELS,SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEAT BELTS 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEATS 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 1 0 0 0 0
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SEAT BELTS 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
SEAT BELTS,STRUCTURE,ENGINE 1 1 0 3 0
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SUSPENSION,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,WHEELS 1 1 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 1 1 0 4 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER,VISIBILITY 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
VISIBILITY/WIPER,VISIBILITY 1 0 0 0 0
WHEELS,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
Data Attribution & Reporting Methodology: Complaints are unverified voluntary submissions to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Because multiple vehicle components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission, component-level rollups may sum to more than the unique complaint count (1101). Injury and fatality entries in the detailed table reflect raw values entered by reporting consumers across individual submissions; they are not deduplicated casualty statistics and may include duplicate or unverified entries. Complaint volume is not normalized for sales volume or vehicle mileage and does not represent an audited component failure rate.

Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (3)

1 OPEN 2 CLOSED

Formal safety defect inquiries and engineering analyses opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)

Official Federal Inquiries: NHTSA opens a defect investigation when safety screening or consumer defect trends indicate a potential unreasonable safety risk. An open investigation is a formal inquiry and does not by itself confirm a defect or result in a mandatory recall.
OPEN Engineering Analysis (EA) ODI Action #EA26001
Opened: 2026-01-30 • Currently Active

Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up

Affected Component: POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)

On March 21, 2025, NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE25002) to investigate instances of unexpected transmission downshifting without driver input in model year (MY) 2015-2017 Ford F-150 vehicles (subject vehicles) manufactured by Ford Motor Company (Ford). The complaints allege that, without warning or driver input, the subject vehicles experienced a sudden and rapid deceleration often accompanied...

✓ Resulted in Safety Recall Campaign: 26V237 Official NHTSA File →
CLOSED Preliminary Evaluation (PE) ODI Action #PE25002
Opened: 2025-03-21 • Closed: 2026-01-30

Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up

Affected Component: POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)

On March 21, 2025, NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Preliminary Evaluation (PE25002) to investigate instances of unexpected transmission downshifting without driver input in model year (MY) 2015-2017 Ford F-150 vehicles (subject vehicles) manufactured by Ford Motor Company (Ford). The complaints allege that, without warning or driver input, the subject vehicles experienced a sudden and rapid deceleration often accompani...

Closed without associated recall campaign. Official NHTSA File →
CLOSED Preliminary Evaluation (PE) ODI Action #PE18008
Opened: 2018-08-03 • Closed: 2018-12-17

Seatbelt Pretensioner Fire

Affected Component: SEAT BELTS:PRETENSIONER

On June 18, 2018, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE18-008) to investigate complaints alleging post-crash fires at the B pillar in the area of the seat belt pretensioners on MY 2014-2018 Ford F-150 Regular Cab, and Super Crew Cab Vehicles. On August 24, 2018, Ford Motor Company recalled (FSA 18S27 - NHTSA #18V568) the affected population. Ford's investigation found that some front seat belt pretensioner...

✓ Resulted in Safety Recall Campaign: 18V568000 Official NHTSA File →

Related Official Reports for 2017 Ford F-150

Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year

Official US Government Data Provenance

The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.