- The 2017 Ford F-150 has major engine problems
- The 2018 Ford F-150 has transmission issues
- The 2020 Ford F-150 has the best recent reliability rating
If you’re looking for a solid used pickup truck, the Ford F-150 has probably crossed your mind. After all, it’s America’s best-selling pickup truck, and has been for decades. In fact, it’s the best-selling vehicle in the country. Yet there are two model years that you might want to avoid, because they don’t have great reliability ratings. Here’s why the 2017 and 2018 Ford F-150s are two trucks you might want to miss.
The 2017 Ford F-150 has major engine problems
Overall, the 2017 Ford F-150 has a reliability rating of 1/5 and the engine is one of its biggest problems. It also scores a 1/5 for major engine problems as well as a 1/5 for minor issues. In addition, body integrity is a big complaint of the 2017 F-150.
Not much better are the 2017’s drive system, body hardware, and power equipment. Each of these categories scores a 2/5, making the 2017 Ford F-150 a used pickup truck with enough problems that you’ll probably want to stay far, far away from it.
The 2018 Ford F-150 has transmission issues
The 2018 Ford F-150 also has a 1/5 for overall reliability. Like the 2017 F-150, the 2018 Ford F-150 has both major and minor engine issues. However, the 2018 F-150 also has minor transmission problems, scoring a 1/5 in this category.
Other not-so-great 2018 F-150 scores include the drive system, which gets a 2/5. Body hardware and power equipment also get a 2/5. Some categories fare slightly better, such as the in-car electronics and body integrity, both of which get a 3/5. So do the fuel system and the electric system.
The 2020 Ford F-150 has the best recent reliability rating
If you really want a used Ford F-150, consider the 2020 model. It scores a 4/5 for reliability. The engine major and minor categories both get perfect scores, as do the engine cooling and major transmission. Other perfect scores are awarded to the fuel system, electric system, and climate system.
Of course, that doesn’t mean the 2020 Ford F-150 is perfect. No, the in-car electronics rating is just a 1/5. The transmission minor also gets an average rating of only 3/5.
Still, this is a much better choice than the 2021 Ford F-150, which scores only a 2/5 for its overall reliability. While that may not be as bad as the 2017 and 2018 model years, it’s probably best to go back a year and purchase a 2020 instead.
Is a used Ford F-150 reliable? That really depends on which model you buy. The 2020 Ford F-150 is certainly your best bet. On the flip side of that, both the 2017 and 2018 Ford F-150s are two pickup trucks that you’ll definitely want to avoid, and you might want to skip the 2021 as well. The rest of the used F-150s are pretty average as far as reliability goes. Just make sure you pay attention to the truck’s reliability ratings so you know what you may be getting into down the road.