Body Problems of Ford F-150 - part 1

After a day of heavy rain, the vehicle stalled at a stop light and would not restart. The steering wheel and transmission locked, preventing the vehicle from being placed in neutral, creating a safety hazard as the vehicle was immobile in traffic. No warning lamps appeared prior to the failure. The vehicle required a tow. The dealer confirmed water had intruded through the passenger side cowl/firewall seam due to inadequate factory sealing, tracking down and pooling directly onto the body control module (bcm) mounted on the passenger side firewall. The bcm failed due to water damage, causing pats desynchronization and the no-start condition. The bcm failure subsequently shorted out the starter motor. Dealer replaced the bcm, repaired the leak, and replaced the starter. Total repair cost approximately $3,200. Failed components are available for inspection at the dealership. This identical failure; passenger side cowl water intrusion leading directly to bcm damage — is documented across numerous 2021+ F-150 owner forums, indicating a widespread factory sealing defect at the cowl/firewall/inner fender seam junction.

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There is a manufacturing defect that is causing water to to enter the vehicle when driving in the rain. Where this becomes a significant safety issue is that the water enters somewhere near the bottom of the windshield (source still not determined) and runs down the pillar over the fuse box and bcm (neither is protected from the water). This could lead to an electrical short on any of the major modules of the vehicle unpredictably. The leak is confirmed but source is still to be determined by the dealership after 2 visits. In searching the web, this seems to be a fairly common issue on this generation of f150 trucks. I'll attach the pictures I could get but can never get one with the water actually coming in live.

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Tailgate opened while driving. Cargo flew out of truck onto roadway. Has happened multiple times.

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Bolt in the hood latch fell out and nearly causing the hood to open on the interstate.

Astro white exterior paint is chipping on the roof of the vehicle in multiple locations. See pictures attached of sever chipping above windshield and wear the roof meets. Also chipping occurring above both rear doors on roof. This was not due to an accident or normal wear and tear.

Tailgate opened.

See all problems of the 2018 Ford F-150 🔎.

The sunroof of my vehicle burst while I was driving on the highway. There was no warning and the vehicle was not hit by anything. The glass shattered and came into the truck cabin. Air starting getting in the vehicle as well. It was a dangerous situation as I was driving and glass was coming in. The vehicle was towed to the dealership. The dealership is refusing to repair the vehicle and they can’t confirm why the sunroof broke. The glass is caved outward. I have filed a claim with my insurance company to have the vehicle repaired.

The front driver door lock/latch actuator is failing. The driver door does not lock or unlock using the key fob or the interior power lock button. The only way to lock or unlock the door is manually with the key or by pushing/pulling the lock from inside the vehicle. This issue started shortly after we had a historic/unusual cold freeze in florida. The vehicle is kept outside, so it was exposed to the freezing temperatures. This creates a safety and security concern because the driver door power lock system does not work properly and may prevent the door from locking or unlocking normally when needed. The issue has not yet been inspected by a dealer or independent repair shop. No warning lights or messages appeared before the failure. The component is still installed on the vehicle and available for inspection upon request.

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The passenger door lock/latch actuator is failing. The passenger door will not open from the outside at all. The door has to be opened from the inside. The power lock button and key fob do not unlock the passenger door. I can hear the lock/actuator trying to operate, but the door does not unlock or release from the outside handle. This issue started shortly after we had a historic/unusual cold freeze in florida. The vehicle is kept outside, so it was exposed to the freezing temperatures. This creates a safety and security concern because the passenger door cannot be opened from the outside in an emergency, and the power lock system does not work properly. The issue has not yet been inspected by a dealer or independent repair shop. No warning lights or messages appeared before the failure. The component is still installed on the vehicle and available for inspection upon request.

Please see Ford TSB ssm50543. In my case the driver's door has been freezing in the lock position. Door will not unlock and cannot be opened either from the inside or outside. The key in the outside will not unlock the door and pulling up on the knob inside cannot be done (even tried with pliers). The electric door locks for the frozen door do nothing. This made it possible for me to only get out of or into the driver's seat by climbing in/out from the passenger's side. I also tried to not lock the driver's door, and this just made the door frozen in the unlock position. Very inconvenient, but I am especially concerned if I had to exit or enter the driver's side in an emergency. Ford knows about this as can be seem from the issued TSB. This had happened more than once and goes away when the inside of the truck gets really warm, or the weather gets above sufficiently over freezing.

Vehicle safety complaint statement prepared for NHTSA submission regarding recall 26v237 / 26s28 national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) subject: report of accident and vehicle control loss due to defect specified in recall 26v237 vehicle information: year/make/model: 2016 Ford F-150 VIN: [xxx] incident description: in March, while driving during a snowstorm, the vehicle experienced a sudden and unexpected loss of traction and stability. Without warning, the rear wheels appeared to lock or drastically reduce speed, causing the truck to slide uncontrollably and strike a roadside barrier. Following the initial impact, while attempting to move the vehicle to a safe location as instructed by insurance/authorities, the engine suddenly stalled and shut down completely while in motion, nearly resulting in a second high-speed collision with the vehicle ahead. Correlation with recall 26v237: in may, I received a safety recall notice (Ford recall 26s28 / NHTSA recall 26v237). The description of the defect—an "unexpected downshift to a lower gear causing abrupt wheel speed reduction and rear tire slide"—exactly matches the catastrophic event I experienced in March. The recall also notes that the engine may malfunction or stall, which occurred during my incident. Impact & damages: the insurance company evaluated the damage at approximately $6,000 for structural repairs. However, the vehicle remains unsafe and mechanically compromised. Despite the structural fixes, the core safety defect involving the transmission and engine software remains unresolved as Ford has stated that a remedy will not be available until July 2026. Request: I am filing this formal complaint to document that the defect in recall 26v237 resulted in a real- world accident and total loss of vehicle utility prior to the notification being sent. I request that NHTSA takes note of this incident as part of its oversight of Ford's recall execution, as the vehicle is currently un-dri information redacted pursuant to the freedom of informatio.

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Door latches seize in cold temperatures. If you can get the door open, it won't latch when you close the door. I must hold the door shut and lock the door for it to latch. Then, the handle becomes incredibly difficult to pull and open the door. I have pulled out only to be alerted that my door was open, but I have also exited the vehicle, closing the door behind me, not realizing that the door did not latch and was open and unlatched the entire time. The inability to secure my vehicle and the risk of entrapment is concerning. A door should work. This has been happening the entire time I've owned the vehicle but I typically make do and get through the winter but I recently saw this had a recall once upon a time though I show no record of that for my vehicle.

Tried to open door to put my 2 year old in her car seat and it wouldn't open, assume this was due to the extreme cold. So I took our other vehicle, few days later when it warmed up I again went to leave with my daughter and this time the door opened but will no longer latch shut. Tried toggling child lock messing with lock mechanism on top of the door tried both interior and exterior handles but it will not latch no matter what I do. Now all my lights are staying on and door ajar light and icon are on and won't go off. I currently have the door ratchet strapped inside the vehicle to hold it close and I cannot drive it due to the safety concerns if the strap let's loose and the door flings open. . . There is a recall for frozen door mechanism my vehicle falls in this range and I was notified previously I qualified for the recall. Now that it actually happened it shows my vehicle isn't listed and the dealership wants to charge me for a safety recall that should be covered.

In cold weather all four vehicle doors would open randomly when driving, forcing occupants to manually hold them shut. Owner found recall 18n03 was active for vehicle and took the vehicle to Ford dealership for service of recall. The issue continued after service and the owner inspected vehicle following the recall procedure distribution from NHTSA to discover the dealership partially and incorrectly completed the work listed. Additionally, recall 18n03 refers to recall 17s33 for the rear doors in super cab models. This vehicle has water shields from 17s33 installed but the rear door latches are still unreliable in cold weather.

Door latches freeze, and door won’t stay closed. Operator must drive while holding the door shut. Super-unsafe.

I can have the vehicle available for inspection. I have to hold the truck door shut while driving it when the issue happens. There has been no confirmation of the issue by a dealer or independent service center. There has been no inspection of the problem by the insurance company, manufacture, police or others. This year during cold weather the issue started. I bought the vehicle used. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have a 2015 f150 and when it gets cold I can open my driver's side door, but when I go to close the door, it won't latch.   the inside door handle is really loose, like it's not attached to anything.  once the vehicle heats up, the door handle gets stiffer, like it is connected and I'm able to close the truck door.  this only happens when it's extremely cold outside.  I was told by a Ford dealer that this is not a recall door actuator problem.  they think it may be the door cable that connects to the inside door handle.  they stated it may or may not be a warranty replacement and not a recall.  they say it would be around $149 to diagnose the door problem, and if it's not a warranty replacement, I will have to pay the diagnosis cost and repair cost.  they say the only way to know if the door repair is under warranty is for them to go inside the door and diagnose.   so this is my concern.  I have an extended warranty on the truck and it runs out at 147,000 miles.  I'm at 144,000 miles.  if I take the vehicle to them and they take the door apart and then say it's not a warranty or recall issue, this could cost a lot of money.  with all the problems that the f150 has with the door lock problems when the temperature gets cold, it seems to me that Ford should know right away that my truck door problem is a common problem and it should be covered immediately under a recall or warranty.  I bought the truck used.  let me know your thoughts on this.

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The driver-side rear tail lamp on my 2025 Ford F-150 lightning developed a crack and internal condensation/moisture without a known impact event. The condition was confirmed by a Ford dealer, which recommended replacement of the lh tail lamp assembly. Ford denied warranty coverage and classified the lamp as non-warrantable cracked housing / outside-force damage. My concern is that cracking and moisture intrusion in a rear lamp assembly may affect lamp integrity, visibility, and safe operation, especially if similar failures are occurring in other recent F-150 lightning vehicles. I had no crash, no fire, no injury, and no police report. The vehicle remained drivable, but the rear lamp assembly is available for inspection and the condition has been documented by the dealer and in photographs.

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My 2021 Ford F-150 lariat has a door latch defect that occurs in freezing or near-freezing temperatures. The failure occurs without warning in cold conditions, causing the door latch to freeze and not fully engage. When this happens, the door is able to freely swing open while the vehicle is in motion and also freely open when the vehicle is parked. This creates a serious safety hazard, including the risk of occupant ejection and loss of vehicle control. The vehicle has no aftermarket modifications and is maintained per manufacturer recommendations. The issue is temperature-dependent and has occurred on multiple occasions. Ford has issued recalls for similar door latch freezing defects on multiple other Ford vehicles and model years. Despite this, my vehicle has not been included, even though it exhibits the same failure mode. This defect presents a significant safety risk and should be investigated for potential recall inclusion.

As I was driving the right rear door flung open and would not engage when pulled back in. Had to drive home with a door that would not shut. Yes safety was at risk for kids in back seat. Confirmed by previous reports and service department at dealership. No warning lamps that were noticed.

I closed the passager side door and the back window shattered and blew out.

Frame is rusted through along the bottom weld. Most likely water, sand and debris entered the frame from side openings and this corrosive mixture sat in the bottom of the frame as there were no drain holes nearby. The problem was discovered by a Ford mechanic and the dealership said they could not repair it, and to try a collision center. An auto body said they could not strengthen the frame as Ford does not allow welding but they could replace the frame for $9,179 plus other cost for draining fluids, etc.

My 2025 F-150 tremor (5. 0 v8, 402a package with modular front bumper) has a large open area in the front bumper. Through this opening you can clearly see the front of the engine and related components. This appears to be a design issue rather than a one-off build problem. Other 2025 tremor owners with the same 402a modular bumper are reporting the same concern and asking whether a cover is missing from the factory. My concern is that the exposed opening could allow rocks, road debris, or off-road obstacles to directly impact vital components at highway speed or when driving on rough/uneven surfaces. This may increase the risk of damage, fluid leaks, or sudden loss of power/steering if components are struck. It also appears inconsistent with typical under-engine protection on off-road-oriented trims. I am asking NHTSA to review whether this bumper configuration provides adequate protection for critical components on the 2025 F-150 tremor and whether a design change or shield/plate is needed for safety.

Customer states that the frame of the vehicle has been compromised by corrosion. The vehicle only has 163,844 miles on it and it has major holes in the frame. The chassis could break in half prohibiting the use of this vehicle on the roadway due to the safety of occupants. I advised the customer of this of which they bought a frame repair kit (pre-cut over frame c-channel steel) to weld onto the frame to support a longer lifespan. The truck is now safe for the roadway.

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The hood is peeling the clear coat. The upper cab on both drivers side and passengers side from front to back is down to bare metal. Top of the pickup box is down to the bare metal along both sides. Tailgate top is down to bare metal. These spots are clearly do to the prep and paint work.

A certified independent inspection company discovered welding on the main chassis of my Ford F-150. The welding is located on the front left frame area. I purchased the vehicle brand new, and it has never been in any accident or collision. This welding on a critical structural part creates a serious safety risk. Frame integrity may be compromised in normal driving or in the event of an impact. I transport my children daily in this vehicle, and I am afraid to drive it due to the possibility of structural failure. The official Ford dealer inspected the vehicle and kept it for approximately three weeks but provided no explanation or repair. The regional Ford office has delayed their technical report for more than five months with no response. The defect has been confirmed and is permanent. No warnings or lights appeared prior to discovering the issue. This is a manufacturing-related structural defect affecting vehicle safety, stability, and integrity. A proper safety resolution is required.

The rear passenger window rolled down and is stuck in down position. This is the second time this has happened in our F-150. It happened when we first bought the truck nearly two year ago and was fixed. I worry it was replaced with another faulty component. There have been numerous complaints of this happening and the issue is within the driver side door components.

Unknown - however there were no warning lights or any other indication of malfunction or to service the truck. I took the truck to an independent service center & they did a full inspection & I did receive an estimate for repairs.

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Ford f150 1ftew1cpxffc58647, caught fire while parked and unoccupied. Princeton, TX fire dept was not able to identify cause and origin of ignition / fire. Vehicle is available for inspection. Vehicle caught firer while we where asleep. Vehicle was looked at by fire dept and origin of fire was undetermined.

Track of rear cabin sliding door came unglued and popped off track while driving down highway in rain. Water entered vehicle. Looked online and found numerous complaints for 2015-2020 Ford F-150. Why is there no repair for this? [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

After a repair at ted russel Ford that swapped my battery, the skid plate fell off while traveling in a parking lot. Fortunately this didn’t occur on the interstate.

Water entering cabin on front passenger side of truck. Causing mold and mildew. Dealer 'fixed' this three weeks ago and now it is back again. . .

The frame is rotting through. It was on a lift for a new starter; this resulted in the frame bending. It will not pass inspection. Ford refuses to repair /replace the frame as it is past their 5 year rust warranty. The vehicle has only 15000 miles. It has never been immersed in fresh or saltwater. The undercarriage has been sprayed off regularly when driven in the winter.

The moonroof leaks causing water to spill into the cabin thru the headliner flowing onto the dash and coming into contact with electrical equipment dome lights infotainment system and could cause a potential issue with water and electrical system!!!.

The dash pad in front of steering wheel is coming apart and peeling back. It appears to a defect in installation, material use or wasn't glued down properly.

This is an extended cab - 4 door - the rear doors are half doors with a a handle allowing entry and exit to and from the rear passenger seats. (it is not a crew cab 4 door). The doors locked and the handles failed with a child in the rear seat. The doors cannot be opened. The child and his mother had to climb over the center console to exit the vehicle. The vehicle is at a mechanic who states no part are available to repair this faulty and unsafe door mechanism. Both rear doors are locked. Qualified mechanic estimates the cost to rig a fix, in absence of any left door mechanism parts will be near or over $500. 00. The mechanic reports that the control cables from the handles to the door latch stretched and failed. If there had been a collision or engine fire, rear seated passengers would be trapped inside the vehicle. This needs to be addressed and repaired by Ford.