Complaints per year
Complaints for Ford filed with NHTSA by year
Complaints by the date NHTSA received them, 2025 to 2026. 2026 runs through October.
Source: NHTSA ODI complaints file. The lighter 2026 column is a partial year.
Owner complaints
What owners report to NHTSA, and what is rising
Every complaint a driver files with the Office of Defects Investigation lands in a public file. Counted by component, by state and against each vehicle's own recent rate, those reports show where problems cluster and which ones are growing before any recall.
Complaints for Ford in the twelve months to September 202612,168-7% vs the twelve months before
Complaints on file71kDistinct complaints since 2015
Crash, fire, injury or death4.5%Share of all complaints
Rising issues38Model years flagged now
See these complaints city by city on the complaint map.
Components
Powertrain draws the most complaints for Ford, 28%
Complaints for Ford by the component the owner named, twelve most frequent. 2,974 name no component or "Unknown or other" and are left out.
Source: NHTSA ODI complaints file.
Rising issues
38 model years show complaints running at one and a half times their usual rate or more, 6 with no open investigation or recent recall
Complaints in the last 90 days against the count the prior 365 days predict for 90 days (floored at 1.5). Listed from a ratio of 1.5 with at least 8 recent complaints and 120 days of history. "Unknown or other" is ignored. The years filed do not apply here.
| Model year | Component | Last 90 days | Expected | Ratio | Severe | Already covered by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Ford Ranger Complaints since Sep 17, 2024 | Electrical system | 14 | 2.5 | 5.7x | 0 | Recall 26V-238 |
| 2016 Ford Edge Complaints since Jun 2, 2016 | Engine and cooling | 32 | 8.1 | 3.9x | 0 | Investigation DP26008 |
| 2019 Ford Expedition Complaints since Feb 17, 2019 | Seat belts | 32 | 8.4 | 3.8x | 8 | Recall 26V-344 |
| 2016 Ford Escape Complaints since Oct 1, 2015 | Back-over prevention | 90 | 32.5 | 2.8x | 5 | Recall 25V-695 |
| 2015 Ford Escape Complaints since Dec 22, 2014 | Back-over prevention | 62 | 21.4 | 2.9x | 1 | Recall 25V-695 |
| 2019 Lincoln Navigator Complaints since Aug 6, 2019 | Seat belts | 8 | 1.5 | 5.3x | 4 | Recall 26V-344 |
| 2021 Ford Explorer Complaints since Mar 20, 2021 | Electrical system | 8 | 1.5 | 5.3x | 2 | Not yet |
| 2017 Ford Edge Complaints since Jan 18, 2017 | Engine and cooling | 51 | 20.2 | 2.5x | 0 | Investigation DP26008 |
| 2018 Ford Edge Complaints since Feb 16, 2018 | Engine and cooling | 49 | 19.5 | 2.5x | 0 | Investigation DP26008 |
| 2020 Ford Escape Complaints since Nov 30, 2019 | Driver assistance | 8 | 1.7 | 4.6x | 0 | Investigation RQ21002 |
| 2022 Ford Bronco Complaints since Mar 3, 2022 | Structure | 8 | 1.7 | 4.6x | 0 | Recall 26V-403 |
| 2024 Ford Ranger Complaints since Sep 17, 2024 | Powertrain | 16 | 4.7 | 3.4x | 0 | Recall 25V-164 |
| 2025 Ford Ranger Complaints since Jun 15, 2025 | Powertrain | 9 | 2.2 | 4.1x | 0 | Not yet |
| 2015 Ford Flex Complaints since Sep 10, 2015 | Back-over prevention | 13 | 4.0 | 3.3x | 0 | Recall 25V-695 |
| 2018 Ford Edge Complaints since Feb 16, 2018 | Engine and cooling | 9 | 2.5 | 3.6x | 0 | Investigation DP26008 |
Source: NHTSA ODI complaints, investigations and recalls files. 17 of these already have an open investigation on the vehicle and 23 a recall on the component in the last 24 months.
Rising issues by component
Powertrain tops the rising list, with 10 model years
Model years with a rising issue, by the component named in the complaints.
Source: NHTSA ODI complaints file.
Rising issues by manufacturer
Ford has the most rising issues, 38
Model years with a rising issue, by manufacturer group.
Source: NHTSA ODI complaints file. Groups as Recall Radar maps makes (Hyundai and Kia together, for example).
Where complaints come from
Michigan files the most complaints for Ford per resident, 0.13 per 1,000; Texas files the most overall, 2,230
Complaints for Ford per 1,000 residents by the state the owner gave, 2025 to 2026; the count is in each tooltip and the table. Population: Census Bureau estimates for July 2024. Per-resident rates correct for population, not for how many vehicles of each kind people own. The map page goes down to counties and ZIP areas.
AK0.08
ME0.08
VT0.06
NH0.08
WA0.06
ID0.07
MT0.09
ND0.07
MN0.06
IL0.06
WI0.08
MI0.13
NY0.04
RI0.05
MA0.05
OR0.05
NV0.06
WY0.07
SD0.07
IA0.07
IN0.08
OH0.09
PA0.07
NJ0.05
CT0.06
CA0.05
UT0.06
CO0.07
NE0.07
MO0.10
KY0.09
WV0.10
VA0.09
MD0.06
DE0.10
AZ0.07
NM0.06
KS0.09
AR0.07
TN0.09
NC0.08
SC0.09
DC0.05
OK0.08
LA0.07
MS0.07
AL0.08
GA0.08
HI0.04
TX0.07
FL0.08
Under 0.060.09 and overcomplaints per 1,000 residents
Sources: NHTSA ODI complaints file, complainant state; U.S. Census Bureau population estimates. Territories and blank states are left out.
Severity
3.9% of complaints for Ford involved a crash, fire, injury or death
Complaints reporting each outcome, of 23,653 complaints for Ford. One complaint can report more than one, so the bars add up to more than the 927 severe complaints.
Source: NHTSA ODI complaints file, as reported by owners.
Models
The Ford F-150 draws the most complaints for Ford, 4,908
Complaints by model line, all model years, Ford. Counts follow sales and fleet age as much as quality.
Source: NHTSA ODI complaints file.
Complaints per recall
Honda draws the most complaints per recall, 405; Jaguar Land Rover the fewest, 46
Complaints received for every vehicle recall campaign filed, 2025 to 2026. Manufacturers with at least 10 campaigns. A high ratio means many complaints for each recall, not proof of unrecalled defects: sales volume, fleet age and how owners report all move it.
Source: NHTSA ODI complaints and recalls files, vehicle recalls only.
Complaints against recalls
Ford leads both, with the most recalls and the most complaints, 2025 to 2026
Vehicle recall campaigns filed and owner complaints received, 2025 to 2026. Fifteen manufacturers with the most complaints; bubble size is vehicles recalled.
Source: NHTSA ODI complaints and recalls files, vehicle recalls only. Complaints are matched to manufacturers by the manufacturer named in the complaint.
Read with care
What a complaint is, and is not
A complaint is one owner's account of a problem. It is useful as a signal and weak as proof, so this page counts complaints and never ranks vehicles by how often they fail.
Filed by owners
Complaints are submitted by vehicle owners and published by NHTSA as received. NHTSA does not verify them, and one problem can be reported more than once.
Not a defect rate
NHTSA publishes no sales or registration volumes, so complaint counts cannot be turned into rates. Popular, older or heavily publicized vehicles draw more complaints for those reasons alone.
Rising issues
A model year is listed when its complaints about one component in the last 90 days run at 1.5 times or more what its prior 365 days predict, with at least 8 recent complaints (15 for a model line) and 120 days of history.