Is the 2017 Ford F-150 a bad year?
1,465 owner complaints to NHTSA. Transmission complaints: 558, 9.8× a quiet F-150 year.
Keep it, but watch the transmission
The transmission draws 9.8× the complaints of a quiet F-150 year, spread over 44k–120k miles, so there's no single mileage to plan around.
The verdict moves with mileage: the same car reads differently at 30,000 and at 150,000 miles.
What 2017 F-150 owners report, by mileage
Each system owners named in five or more complaints, with the mileage range where the middle half of those complaints were filed. Read at 85,000 miles.
| SYSTEM | COMPLAINTS | MIDDLE HALF FILED AT | TYPICAL US REPAIR BILLS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transmission and drivetrainSTANDS OUT | 558 (38%) | 44k–120k miles · around this mileage | CV axle / CV joint replacement (one side) $300–$1,500 · Automatic transmission replacement $2,500–$7,000 |
| Engine | 367 (25%) | 44k–95k miles · around this mileage | Valve cover gasket replacement $110–$500 · Timing chain replacement $1,000–$4,000 |
| Backup camera | 9 (1%) | 49k–96k miles · around this mileage | — |
| Electrical system | 138 (9%) | 22k–57k miles · mostly behind | — |
| Brakes | 116 (8%) | 7k–58k miles · mostly behind | — |
| Body structureSTANDS OUT | 112 (8%) | 10k–50k miles · mostly behind | — |
| Speed controlSTANDS OUT | 66 (5%) | 8k–51k miles · mostly behind | — |
| Steering | 59 (4%) | 15k–65k miles · mostly behind | — |
| Visibility and wipersSTANDS OUT | 52 (4%) | 34k–62k miles · mostly behind | — |
| Latches and locksSTANDS OUT | 43 (3%) | 8k–84k miles · mostly behind | — |
| WheelsSTANDS OUT | 43 (3%) | 26k–69k miles · mostly behind | Wheel bearing / hub assembly replacement (one wheel) $230–$750 |
| Fuel system | 28 (2%) | 8k–62k miles · mostly behind | — |
| Air bags | 23 (2%) | 10k–69k miles · mostly behind | — |
| Seat belts | 17 (1%) | 10k–58k miles · mostly behind | — |
Bills are typical US ranges from the sources named in the tool (J.D. Power, Kelley Blue Book, CarParts.com and others), printed only for systems that stand out or sit at or ahead of 85,000 miles. Not a quote.
What owners reported alongside their complaints
Of 1,465 complaints: 42 mention a crash · 21 mention a fire · 26 report an injury · 70 say the car was towed.
318 complaints were filed in the last 12 months, the newest in Oct 2026.
Counts of what owners wrote in their complaints, not verified by anyone.
In owners' own words
Vehicle rolled forward approximately 12 feet while was in park in a parking lot until it stopped via going up the curb.
Very dangerous wiring design. Wire harness too close to engine exhaust manifold, turbo - as result - melted wires.
Unedited excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, chosen by mileage (nearest 85,000 miles), not by content. Unverified.
Recalls for the 2017 Ford F-150: 18
The instrument cluster may lose power after initial vehicle start-up in cold ambient temperatures. Several gauges, including the transmission gear position indicator, may not illuminate. An instrument cluster that fails to display critical safety information, such as gear position or warning lights, increases the risk of a crash or injury.
A loss of signal between the transmission range sensor and the powertrain control module can cause the transmission to unexpectedly downshift into second gear. Unexpectedly downshifting into second gear may result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The brake master cylinder may allow brake fluid to leak from the front wheel circuit into the brake booster. A brake fluid leak can cause reduced brake function and extend the distance required to stop, increasing the risk of a crash.
The brake master cylinder may allow brake fluid to leak from the front wheel circuit into the brake booster. A loss of brake fluid may result in a change in brake pedal travel, increased pedal effort and reduced front brake function, requiring greater effort and distance to stop the vehicle. These conditions can increase the risk of a crash.
The ball joint may have a misaligned dust boot and may be missing alignment hole and installation warning tag, which may lead to improper alignment of the ball joint. An incorrectly installed ball joint may cause the ball joint stud to break, which can compromise front wheel control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The brake master cylinder may leak brake fluid into the brake booster. A loss of brake fluid may result in a change in brake pedal travel and feel, increased pedal effort and reduced front brake function, possibly requiring greater effort and distance to stop the vehicle.
During the previous repair, the block heater cable's splice connector may have been damaged. A damaged cable could cause a resistive short, increasing the risk of overheated or melted wiring, increasing the risk of a fire.
Water and contaminants may get into the block heater cable's splice connector causing corrosion and damage. When the heater is plugged in, prolonged corrosion could cause a resistive short, increasing the risk of overheated or melted wiring which can increase the risk of a fire.
If a front seat belt pretensioner deploys as the result of a crash, the sparks may ignite materials such as carpeting or insulation within the B-pillar area. A vehicle fire could result if materials ignite inside the vehicle.
A roll pin may not have been installed in the transmission, potentially causing a loss of the "Park" function. Despite the transmission shift lever being placed in 'Park' and the instrument panel display indicating 'Park,' the vehicle may roll away after it has been exited if the parking brake has not been applied…
The pin that attaches the transmission shift linkage to the transmission may come out, preventing the transmission from responding to movement of the shift lever. The disconnected linkage may cause the vehicle to not move forward or backward as selected by the driver with the shift lever. Additionally, despite selecting 'Park', if the parking brake is not applied, the vehicle may roll.
The doors on these vehicles may have a bent or kinked actuation cable or the door latches may freeze after water gets into the latch. Either condition can result in the doors opening while driving although they appear to be closed. A door that opens while driving can increase the risk of injury.
The seat belt anchor may not be adequately welded to the seat cushion frame. The seat belt buckle weld may fail, preventing the occupants from being properly restrained in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The air bag inflator within the passenger frontal air bag module may rupture in the event of a crash. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
The left rear inflatable seat belt buckle assembly may be inadequately attached to its mounting bracket. If the left rear inflatable seat belt buckle separates from it's mounting bracket, the seat occupant may not be adequately restrained, increasing their risk of injury.
In the event of a crash, the seat back frame may not restrain the occupant due to having inadequate welds. As such, these vehicles may not meet the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 202a, "Head Restraints" and 207, "Seating Systems." If the occupant is not adequately restrained in the event of a crash, they have an increased risk of injury.
These accessory door handle covers may cause the doors to unlatch in a side impact collision. If the doors unlatch and open in a side impact collision, the occupants have an increased risk of injury.
In these vehicles, the instrument cluster may lose power after the initial vehicle start-up in cold ambient temperatures. Several gauges, including the transmission gear position indicator, may not illuminate. If the transmission gear position indicator fails to illuminate, the driver may be unable to tell the transmission shift position, increasing the risk of a crash or injury from unintended vehicle movement.
A recall may cover only some cars of a model year; the campaign size counts every model and year it lists. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls: dealers fix open recalls free.
Service bulletins from Ford: 324
Repair instructions Ford sent its dealers for symptoms seen in the shop on the 2017 Ford F-150. Ask a dealer or mechanic for a bulletin by its number.
Some vehicles may exhibit an illuminated MIL with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) P0011, P0012, P0014, P0015, P0016, P0017, P0018, P0019, P0021, P0022…
Detected with the CDF clutch cylinder following this article, technicians should carefully inspect and replace other transmission components and flush…
Some vehicles may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) P0630 stored in the powertrain control module (PCM)
Some vehicles may exhibit a whine noise at idle and/or while driving
NHTSA defect investigations: 3
Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up
Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up
Seatbelt Pretensioner Fire
Neighbouring years
2016 F-150: 2,092 complaints, keep it, but watch the transmission · 2018 F-150: 2,331 complaints, keep it, but watch the transmission.
Every Ford F-150 year
2000 · 2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2009 · 2010 · 2011 · 2012 · 2013 · 2014 · 2015 · 2016 · 2017 · 2018 · 2019 · 2020 · 2021 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · 2026 · All F-150 years side by side
Other Ford models: Ford 500 · Ford Bronco · Ford Bronco Sport · Ford C-Max · Ford Contour · Ford Crown Victoria · Ford E-150 · Ford E-250 · Ford E-350 · Ford E-450 · Ford EcoSport · Ford Edge · Ford Escape · Ford Escape Hybrid · Ford Escort · Ford Excursion · Ford Expedition · Ford Explorer · Ford Explorer Sport · Ford Explorer Sport Trac · Ford F SD · Ford F-150 Hybrid · Ford F-150 Lightning BEV · Ford F-250 SD · Ford F-350 SD · Ford F-450 SD · Ford F-550 SD · Ford Fiesta · Ford Five Hundred · Ford Flex · Ford Focus · Ford Focus Electric · Ford Ford · Ford Freestar · Ford Freestyle · Ford Fusion · Ford Fusion Energi · Ford Fusion Hybrid · Ford Maverick · Ford Maverick Hybrid · Ford Mustang · Ford Mustang GT · Ford Mustang Mach-E · Ford Ranger · Ford Taurus · Ford Taurus X · Ford Thunderbird · Ford Transit · Ford Transit Connect · Ford Windstar. All makes and models.
Questions
Is the 2017 Ford F-150 a bad year?
1,465 owner complaints to NHTSA. Transmission complaints: 558, 9.8× a quiet F-150 year. At 85,000 miles the tool says: Keep it, but watch the transmission. The transmission draws 9.8× the complaints of a quiet F-150 year, spread over 44k–120k miles, so there's no single mileage to plan around.
What are the most common problems with the 2017 Ford F-150?
By owner complaints to NHTSA: transmission and drivetrain (558), engine (367), backup camera (9), electrical system (138), brakes (116). Half of the transmission complaints were filed between 44k–120k miles.
How many recalls does the 2017 Ford F-150 have?
18 recall campaigns list this model year: Electrical system (NHTSA 26V-370), Transmission and drivetrain (NHTSA 26V-237), Brakes (NHTSA 25V-236), Brakes (NHTSA 22V-150) and more. A recall may cover only some cars; check by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Method: counts of unverified owner complaints filed with NHTSA, compared only with other years of the same model (sales volumes are unknown, so no failure rate is computed). A system stands out at 40+ complaints and at least twice the model's quiet (lower-quartile) year, or twice the share across every vehicle of that model year. The mileage range is the 25th to 75th percentile of the mileages owners reported. Data received by NHTSA through November 5, 2026. Repair prices are typical US ranges from named sources, not quotes. Not a diagnosis and not financial advice. PulsCar is not affiliated with NHTSA. Check this car at your own mileage.