The 2018 F-150 is generally solid, but the 3.5L EcoBoost V6 has serious cam phaser and low-speed pre-ignition (LSPI) issues that can grenade engines, while the 10-speed transmission can develop shudder and harsh shifts. The naturally-aspirated engines are far more reliable.
3.5L EcoBoost Cam Phaser Failure and Timing Chain Stretch
Common · high severity
Typical onset: 60,000-120,000 mi
Symptoms: Loud rattling/knocking on cold start that fades after 5-10 seconds, Check engine light with P0017/P0018 cam position codes, Reduced power and rough idle, Metal shavings in oil
Fix: Requires removing front covers, replacing both cam phasers, timing chains, guides, and tensioners. Ford updated parts multiple times. 12-16 hours labor. Some engines suffer valve-to-piston contact if chains skip, requiring complete engine rebuild or replacement.
Estimated cost: $2,800-4,500 for phasers/chains; $8,000-12,000 for engine replacement if internal damage
Symptoms: Sudden catastrophic engine failure with no warning, Loud knocking followed by immediate loss of power, Hole blown through block in severe cases, Metal debris throughout oil system
Fix: LSPI causes detonation that destroys pistons, rings, and cylinder walls under light load/low RPM acceleration. No repair—complete engine replacement required. TSB 18-2180 acknowledged issue. Ford extended warranty to 72k/6yr on some VINs but many owners outside coverage. 18-24 hours labor for engine swap.
Estimated cost: $9,000-15,000
10-Speed Transmission Shudder and Harsh Shifting
Common · medium severity
Typical onset: 30,000-80,000 mi
Symptoms: Vibration/shudder during 3-5 mph acceleration or 25-40 mph cruise, Hard downshifts when slowing, Hunting between gears on slight grades, Clunk when shifting into reverse
Fix: Ford issued multiple TSBs (19-2116, 20-2083) with adaptive learning resets and fluid changes using Mercon ULV. Torque converter replacement needed in persistent cases. Software updates help some units. 3-4 hours for fluid service, 10-12 hours for converter replacement.
Estimated cost: $400-800 for fluid service and adaptive reset; $2,200-3,500 for torque converter
Transmission Oil Cooler Line Leaks
Common · medium severity
Typical onset: 50,000-100,000 mi
Symptoms: Transmission fluid dripping from radiator area or under truck, Low transmission fluid warning, Pink or red fluid puddles, Burnt transmission smell if fluid level drops
Fix: Quick-connect fittings at radiator and hard lines fail due to vibration and corrosion. Replace both cooler lines and fittings as a pair—they'll fail together. 2-3 hours labor including fluid refill and air purge.
Estimated cost: $450-750
Transmission Mount Failure
Common · low severity
Typical onset: 60,000-110,000 mi
Symptoms: Clunk when shifting from park to drive or reverse, Vibration at idle in gear, Driveline shudder during acceleration, Visible cracks or separation in rubber mount
Fix: Rear transmission mount (crossmember mount) tears from engine torque, especially on EcoBoost models. Upgraded polyurethane mounts available. 1.5-2 hours labor—need to support transmission to remove.
Estimated cost: $250-450
Tailgate Latch Failure (Recall 19V574)
Occasional · medium severity
Symptoms: Tailgate won't latch or close securely, Tailgate opens while driving, Latch feels loose or doesn't engage, Can't lock tailgate
Fix: Pawl spring clip can disengage, allowing tailgate to open unexpectedly. Ford recall replaces latch assembly. 1 hour labor. Check if your VIN is covered—free repair if recall applies.
Estimated cost: $0 if recall; $300-500 if out-of-pocket
5.0L Coyote Manifold and Exhaust Tick
Occasional · low severity
Typical onset: 40,000-90,000 mi
Symptoms: Ticking noise from engine bay at idle and light throttle, Exhaust smell in cabin, Reduced power under load, Check engine light with lean codes
Fix: Exhaust manifold bolts stretch and crack manifolds, especially passenger side. Requires manifold replacement with updated bolts. 4-6 hours labor. Not a grenading issue but annoying and fails emissions if leaking badly.
Estimated cost: $800-1,400
Owner tips
If buying a 3.5L EcoBoost, confirm cam phaser and timing chain work was done and get extended warranty—these engines are ticking time bombs without preventive fixes
Change 10-speed transmission fluid every 40k miles with Mercon ULV regardless of 'lifetime fill' claims—it prevents shudder
Avoid lugging EcoBoost engines below 1500 RPM under load—downshift to prevent LSPI detonation
The 2.7L EcoBoost is more reliable than the 3.5L; the 5.0L V8 and 3.3L V6 are bulletproof by comparison
Check for active recalls on your VIN—Ford has extended warranties on some EcoBoost failures but eligibility varies
Buy the 5.0L V8 or 2.7L EcoBoost if you want a used 2018—avoid the 3.5L EcoBoost unless you enjoy expensive surprises and have a Plan B truck.
AI-assisted summary drawn from NHTSA recall data, our labor-times database, and platform knowledge. Not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on a specific vehicle.
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SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER · 25V236000
2025-04-11
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2018 F-150, Expedition, and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The brake master cylinder may allow brake fluid to leak from the front wheel circuit into the brake booster.
Consequence: A brake fluid leak can cause reduced brake function and extend the distance required to stop, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the brake master cylinder. If the master cylinder is leaking, the brake booster will also be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 25, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S37. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall number 22V-150.
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS · 24V852000
2024-11-08
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2025 Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, 2020-2024 Escape, Lincoln Corsair, 2018-2024 F-150, Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The air bag warning label may be missing from the dashboard. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirement Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Consequence: Without a label that shows the proper restraint usage guidelines, the occupants may have an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Remedy: Ford will mail owners the warning labels, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 19, 2024. Owners may call Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24C39.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST · 22V150000
2022-03-11
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, and 2016-2018 F-150 vehicles equipped with 3.5L Ecoboost engines. The brake master cylinder may allow brake fluid to leak from the front wheel circuit into the brake booster.
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the brake master cylinder. If the master cylinder is leaking, the brake booster will also be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. An interim owner notification letter notifying customers of the safety defect were mailed on April 29, 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed April 29, 2022. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall number 20V-332. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S11.
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TAILGATE:LATCH · 21V983000
2021-12-16
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-150 vehicles with manual and power release tailgates. The tailgate latches may unlatch unexpectedly while driving.
Consequence: Unexpected tailgate opening may allow unrestrained cargo to fall out of the truck bed and become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the left-hand and right-hand tailgate latches, free of charge. An interim notification letter was mailed January 31, 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 31, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S53.
Tenneco Automotive (DRiV) is recalling certain MOOG K500359 ball joints, for aftermarket installation on 2015-2018 Ford F-150 trucks. 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.
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: DRiV will notify owners, and dealers will inspect, and if necessary replace the ball joint, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed May 5, 2021. Owners may contact Tenneco Automotive customer service at 1-877-489-6659.
TIRES · 21V155000
2021-03-10
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-150, 2018-2020 F-250, F-350, and 2019 Escape vehicles equipped with Continental tires. On the affected vehicles, it is possible that one or more tires were cured for too long during tire production.
Consequence: Over cured tires may develop a break in the sidewall, resulting in sudden air loss or belt edge separation which could lead to tread/belt loss. Either condition can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tires, and replace them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on March 27, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S10.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS · 20V097000
2020-02-21
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 F-150 trucks equipped with high series LED headlamps with Autolamp (On/Off) functionality. The Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) may remain activated instead of dimming to parking lamps when the Master Lighting Switch (MLS) is manually rotated from the "Autolamps" switch position to "Headlamps On." As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices and Associated Equipment."
Consequence: DRL that cannot dim may reduce the visibility of other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the body control module, free of charge. The recall began March 10, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20C03.
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER · 19V633000
2019-08-28
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 F-150 and 2019-2020 F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 Super Duty pickup trucks, and 2018-2019 Ford Explorer, 2019-2020 Expedition, and 2020 Escape vehicles equipped with driver and/or passenger's manual front seat back recliner mechanisms. Also included are certain 2020 Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator vehicles equipped with rear outboard seats and manual seat back recliner mechanisms. The recliner mechanisms may be missing the third pawl required for seat back strength, resulting in a loose seat back. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 202, "Head Restraints" and 207, "Seating Systems."
Consequence: A seat back with an improperly assembled recliner mechanism may have reduced strength and may not adequately restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and Ford and Lincoln dealers will inspect the seat structure and replace them, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 21, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19C07.
ENGINE · 19V278000
2019-04-08
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Ford F-150 and 2017-2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty, F-350 Super Duty, F-450 Super Duty, and F-550 Super Duty pick-up trucks equipped with an engine block heater and previously remedied under recall 18V894. During the previous repair, the block heater cable's splice connector may have been damaged.
Consequence: A damaged cable could cause a resistive short, increasing the risk of overheated or melted wiring, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will disable the engine block heater from being used. When replacement cables become available, a second notice will be mailed and dealers will replace the engine block heater cord, free of charge. The recall began May 31, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S11.
ENGINE · 18V894000
2018-12-18
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Ford F-150 and 2017-2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty, F-350 Super Duty, F-450 Super Duty, and F-550 Super Duty pick-up trucks equipped with an engine block heater. Water and contaminants may get into the block heater cable's splice connector causing corrosion and damage.
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will disable the block heater cable, free of charge. Once parts are available, Dealers will replace the engine block heater cable, free of charge. The recall began June 3, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S45.
SEAT BELTS:PRETENSIONER · 18V568000
2018-08-31 · PE18008
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford F-150 Regular Cab and SuperCrew Cab vehicles. 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.
Consequence: A vehicle fire could result if materials ignite inside the vehicle.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will remove the B-pillar insulation material and wiring harness tape, and install heat resistant tape, free of charge. The recall began September 28, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S27.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 Ford Expedition, F-150, and Lincoln Navigator vehicles equipped with 3.5L GTDI V6 engines. These vehicles have high pressure fuel pump assemblies with welds that can fracture, which may cause an oil or fuel leak.
Consequence: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the high pressure fuel pump and associated components, free of charge. The recall began July 17, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S17.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION · 18V213000
2018-04-04
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Ford F-150 and 2018 Ford Expedition and Mustang and Lincoln Navigator vehicles equipped with 10-speed automatic transmissions. A roll pin may not have been installed in the transmission, potentially causing a loss of the "Park" function.
Consequence: 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, increasing the risk of injury or a crash.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the transmission to make sure it has the roll pin, installing one if it is missing, free of charge. The recall began on April 13, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S09.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL) · 18V214000
2018-04-04
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-650 and F-750 vehicles equipped with 6-speed automatic transmissions and 2018 Ford F-150 and Expedition vehicles equipped with 10-speed automatic transmissions (excluding Expedition vehicles with
a Rotary Gear Shift Dial on the console). The gear shift cable clip may not be properly seated, allowing the transmission to be in a different gear than indicated by the gear shift lever position.
Consequence: If the gear shift cable clip becomes unseated or dislodged, the gear shift lever position may indicate that the transmission is in 'Park' when it may be in a different gear. Additionally, despite selecting 'Park', if the parking brake is not applied before the vehicle is exited, the vehicle may roll. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the shift cable locking clip and properly seat it, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began on April 13, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for the recall is 18S10.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFT · 17V669000
2017-10-23
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-150 vehicles equipped with a 3.3L engine, a 6-speed transmission and a column mounted shift lever. Quickly moving the shift lever from Park to Drive may cause a loss of gear indication on the instrument cluster display and a momentary selection of an unintended gear, such as Reverse or Neutral before the vehicle achieves Drive function.
Consequence: Unidentified or unintended gear selection may cause the vehicle to move in a way that was not intended by the driver, increasing the risk of crash or injury.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the powertrain control module, free of charge. Owners may contact Ford Customer Service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S35.
ENGINE · 17V672000
2017-10-23
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-150 vehicles equipped with 3.5L engines. The cylinder heads may have been machined without lubrication supply holes for the camshaft bearing journals.
Consequence: Without a proper supply of lubrication, the engine will fail, causing a stall and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Ford is not aware of any affected vehicles outside of dealer control. Should owner contact subsequently be required, arrangements will be made to transport their vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to have the engine replaced.The recall began October 24, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S37.
STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS · 17V598000
2017-09-25
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 Ford F-150 Raptor Super Cab pick-up trucks not equipped with a moonroof. The structural roof braces may be missing rivets at the attachment of the roof rail, thereby reducing the structural integrity.
Consequence: If the structural integrity is reduced, in the event of a rollover crash, there may be an increased risk of injury .
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install the rivets for the roof brace attachments, free of charge. The recall began October 17, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S29.
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