Ford F-150 Complaints (2013)

2,994 consumer complaints on file.

#11656469April 24, 2025
POWER TRAIN, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Safety issue. Engine code P0720 which means the output speed sensor sends erratic signals to the power train module or PCM. There is a recall on this truck for this exact thing. What happens is the gears in the transmission don’t shift smoothly and what happened to me was I was driving 70mph all of sudden the truck made a loud bang and I was in 6th gear and the truck went from being in 6th gear just dropped into 1st gear and at 70mph it’s pretty frightening. The brakes locked up and i managed to stay calm and regain control of the vehicle and pull over. Immediately I seen a big yellow wrench on the dashboard along with the check engine light so I turned it off and restarted it thinking maybe the computer will reset. The truck is literally stuck in like 3rd or 4th gear because I can’t go past 40 mph. I was only 5 mins away from home as soon as I got home I use my code machine and the engine code I received was P0720. I contacted my Larsen Ford in Lakewood NJ they informed me about the recall but told me that they’re not paying for any repairs because it’s past 10 years. It ended in January of 2024. I didn’t buy the truck until July 2024 I had no idea about any recalls. I’m not the original owner. I just assumed since it’s a safety issue that the manufacturer must be responsible for all repairs regardless of how long it’s been. I bought the truck with only 38,000 miles on it presently it has 40,000 miles on it now but I don’t think it’s fair that I have to pay for everything to be fixed myself.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11656591April 24, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The service transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the output shaft. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to the repair under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V075000 (Power Train); the VIN was included, but the vehicle was already repaired. The contact stated that the failure had not occurred prior to the repair by the dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 304,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11656252April 23, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the “WRENCH” symbol became displayed, and the vehicle came to a sudden stop. The accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle was slow to respond. The vehicle was restarted and then worked as designed. After exiting the ramp and driving on the highway at 70 MPH, the vehicle suddenly stopped. The “WRENCH” symbol was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 227,601.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11655608April 19, 2025
AIR BAGS
The passenger air bag light indicates OFF even when I am in the seat. I am a 5’8’’ 125 lb person. This is frequently what happens when I am sitting. I have tried undoing and reattaching the seat belt but often it does nothing or reverts back to off in a short time. The picture below is right now while my husband is driving.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11655623April 19, 2025
POWER TRAIN
My truck suddenly downshifting into low gear at highway speeds without warning, or any input from me. Ford recalled this vehicle two times previously, but it is still downshifting without warning.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11655222April 17, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for further assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11655022April 16, 2025
AIR BAGS, POWER TRAIN, WHEELS
Hello, I am writing a request to supplement 19N01 on Ford models as I had a near accident that almost happened. First, as I was driving, my mileage odometer was glitching showing dashes "------", also notice that my check engine light came on and as a result the airbag off warning was showing as well. As a result of all this, seems that the vehicle malfunction as my vehicle was in "limp mode" while all of this was happening and when pressing the gas no acceleration was happening (mind you that was all happening in heavy traffic). After moving steadily and avoiding heavy traffic, I parked my vehicle to the side and turn it on and off. This seems to restart the system however my check engine was still on. After further research on this issue, I see that this is a known issue that happens with the model of my vehicle. After calling the dealership with my issue, they state it is a customer program rather than a recall. I beg NHTSA to please supplement this known issue and instead of 10 years, please use the 150K mileage. I cannot be driving with this unsafe issue as it was a scary issue that happen during traffic.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11654781April 15, 2025
POWER TRAIN
I have a 2013 F-150 FX4 5.0L subject to Customer Satisfaction Program 19N01, Transmission Molded Leadframe Extended Coverage. This “recall” expired December 2023. I just purchased this Truck [XXX] and Just started experiencing issues tied to this “recall” today ([XXX]) as the truck would not start and the message came stating put in park to start, which it was. I called the local Ford dealership and they set up a mobile visit to clear the 19S19 recall then said that it was not tied to the leadframe issue and i would have to pay out of pocket. The dealer, Palmetto Ford in Charleston, SC told me that they could not fix the ongoing recall on this vehicle (19S19) and told me to contact local dealer. The 19N01 recall is ongoing through the country from what i am starting to read and don't think it is fair that Ford knowing this problem still exist wants to charge almost $2000 to get it fixed now when they were once doing it for free. Why did it expire in 2023, when they knew this was going to continue to happen? I am hoping the NHTSA can get the 19N01 recall back into effect as they need to be accountable for their flaws. Thank you for your time and hope to hear from you soon. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11654495April 14, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly downshifted to first gear. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the lead frame sensor. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V433000 (Power Train), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 160,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11654505April 14, 2025
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while towing an empty horse trailer at 65 MPH, the vehicle downshifted into second gear, and the engine revved abnormally. The contact stated that there was a knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was turned off and towed to the residence. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 203,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11654510April 14, 2025
POWER TRAIN
My two thousand thirteen ford f150 3.5 Ecoboost has the safety consumer alert for the powertrain. My vehicle downshifs and loses all power to the engine, and the dealership will do nothing for me. As they state the notice expired last year, my vehicle only has a hundred and twenty nine thousand miles on it, and I would like to see how I can get this fixed
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11654380April 13, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My vehicle is having unexpected downshifts. I was driving approx. 55 mph today and I felt something and saw it downshifted to 2nd gear. I pulled over and turned it off. Didn’t see anything odd under the hood and couldn’t get it to start again until the computer was reset. I googled and found that my year and model vehicle had a recall for this exact problem. Ford is advising that my vehicle has no recalls when I submit my VIN
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11654235April 12, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
I was traveling 55 mph on highway when without any warning or hesitation the truck on its own down shifted to 2nd gear, resulting in the rear end of truck to swing all the way around turning me a whole 45 degrees! I was very lucky to have been able to pull out of the fish tailing act caused by the down shifted at such a high speed. I had to tow it home from there bc the transmission would then be stuck in 5th gear and randomly shift to 2nd with a bad jerking motion. My local ford dealership told me the recall has expired for my truck?!?!?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11654271April 12, 2025
POWER TRAIN
I have always owned a ford truck. I recently have poured over $7k recently on typical maintenance and normal wear repairs. Not a big deal since I love my truck and I take good care of it. I have a 2013 F150 4x4 and my vin is part of the “customer satisfaction” recall. I purchased my truck used from an actual dealership (Mercedes Benz) but I also paid $3,000 at that time for a Premier Protection plan. (Used only once for the water pump). In the past 3.5 years I’ve had this truck I have only driven it 30k miles and it currently has 116k miles on it. It is very well maintained and serviced. Recently the truck went into limp mode while I was driving on the freeway and I almost flipped the vehicle with my toddler also in the vehicle and it was raining. It was the most scariest experience I’ve ever had driving. I want this issue resolved and Ford needs to stand by its product. This is ridiculous. The wrench light of death illuminated when this incident occurred. I called the local dealer and they laughed at me over the phone and basically told me it’s not a safety issue and it’s expired. This is not acceptable and I will be contacting the local news media outlets and I will be reaching out as far as taking legal recourse over what is clearly a massive safety issue. I purchased vehicle in 2021 and vehicle just started having the issue two years after the fix for free from dealer expired.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11653848April 10, 2025
ENGINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that on several occasions while the vehicle was started and running, there was a rattling sound coming from the engine compartment for approximately 30-seconds. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for maintenance and the technician observed the rattling sound after an oil change and suggested that the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated the following day. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 110,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11653677April 9, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission independently downshifted. In addition, the contact stated that while the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that an unknown warning light was illuminated, and the speed odometer failed to function as intended. The contact drove the vehicle to the shoulder of the road. The contact turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was started, and the speed odometer was reset. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The contact stated that the failure had become persistent. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was connected to a diagnostic machine and diagnosed with transmission output sensor failure. The contact was informed that the transmission output sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11653701April 9, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while her son was driving at various highway speeds, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power and failed to properly accelerate. During the failure, the instrument panel lights became inoperable, and the wrench symbol was displayed. The contact stated that several times during the failure, the transmission was stuck in third gear. The failure was intermittent. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was approximately 134,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11653337April 8, 2025
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Dear NHTSA, I am writing to report a serious and potentially life-threatening safety issue with my 2013 Ford F-150. I recently experienced a sudden and dangerous failure while driving on the freeway, which nearly caused a major accident. After doing some research, I discovered that this issue was previously addressed under a Ford Customer Satisfaction Program, but the coverage period has since expired. This is a common and well-documented issue among 2013 F-150 owners, and it is unacceptable that Ford has not issued a full recall. Just because the program has expired does not mean the risk has. In my case, the issue escalated to a near-death situation, and I’m extremely concerned that this will happen to someone else—if it hasn't already. I urge NHTSA to investigate this further and hold Ford accountable. There is no reason such a serious safety defect should go unresolved simply because the time window has closed. A dangerous defect is still dangerous, regardless of the date. Please let me know what steps I can take to further assist with this report or if you need additional documentation. I hope this can help prevent future tragedies. Sincerely, [XXX] [XXX] VIN: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11653433April 8, 2025
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
This incident to my truck has happened twice. First time on [XXX] and this last time on [XXX]. I was driving and all of a sudden the truck downshifted, loss power even when pressing on the gas then again all of a sudden the tach. and the engine will Rev up very high then lunge forward. This last time my truck made a big jerk. This really scared me. I pulled over and called a tow truck because I was afraid to keep driving it. I had it towed to the Ford dealership, Mt. Orab Ford, where I just bought this truck from in Dec.2024. Iam waiting for them to let me know what they have found out. I have only owned thus truck for 3 months. Thes last couple of days I have been finding out information of some problems and recall of this 6 speed transmission. I have also contacted Ford and they have opened a case on my truck. I'm hoping to hear back from the dealership today. I just thought I should report this to you. Please feel free to contact me.Thanks, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11653513April 8, 2025
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle could not able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 116,762.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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