Ford F-53 Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 149 consumer complaints across the 13 model years of the Ford F-53 (1995–2021) that have at least 5 complaints. 2020 has the most, with 33. Across all years, the part named most often is suspension (37 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All F-53 model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 13 | 3,490 | 2 | 41 | — | Not enough data |
| 2020 | 33 | 5,750 | 2 | 36 | Not compared (fewer than 3 comparable model years) | Falling |
| 2019 | 6 | 8,250 | 0 | 13 | — | Not enough data |
| 2018 | 11 | 3,300 | 1 | 18 | — | Not enough data |
| 2017 | 6 | 3,500 | 1 | 29 | — | Not enough data |
| 2016 | 15 | 2,800 | 1 | 31 | — | Stable |
| 2015 | 7 | 11,500 | 0 | 29 | — | Not enough data |
| 2014 | 17 | 7,200 | 1 | 25 | — | Stable |
| 2013 | 8 | 17,150 | 1 | 32 | — | Not enough data |
| 2011 | 7 | 22,478 | 1 | 21 | — | Not enough data |
| 2001 | 5 | — | 1 | 3 | — | Not enough data |
| 1999 | 15 | 19,000 | 2 | 1 | — | Stable |
| 1995 | 6 | 40,000 | 2 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Suspension37 24%
- Transmission and drivetrain27 17%
- Body and structure22 14%
- Brakes20 13%
- Wheels15 9.7%
- Electrical system15 9.7%
- Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)10 6.5%
- Vehicle speed control9 5.8%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2018: “Main door hatch plunger broke on trimark 72130 door hatch /dead bolt , locking us out. If we had been inside we would have been trapped inside. The vehicle was parked at the time. Had to find a ladder a climb thru window and after a couple hours were able to take apart to get unlatch and found broken plunger/hatch.”
NHTSA complaint #11327052, filed 2020-06, 12,424 miles2014: “Traveling on I-10 when trucks passed me, I would a lot of times be pushed over to the shoulder of the road. Also on curves still under the speed limit it would seem like the front end was floating or loose steering. All this was traveling any where from 55 to 65 MPH. Going on straight aways with no trucks passing it drove fine.”
NHTSA complaint #10712949, filed 2015-04, 1,800 miles2016: “I have a 2016itasca motorhome on a 2016 Ford F53 26000 pound chassis. The Ford powertrain is equipped with a tow/haul selector. The tow/haul mode is used for various reasons, one of them is the capability of automatically down-shifting when descending steep grades and during hard-stops. This is not the case with my 2016 powertrain, it acts no different when in tow/haul or not.this is a dangerous conditon on decending hills. Brakes could fail due to overheating.”
NHTSA complaint #10873425, filed 2016-06, 3,000 milesOther Ford models
38,897 complaintsFord Explorer
34,624 complaintsFord Escape
27,530 complaintsFord Fusion
22,441 complaintsFord Focus
22,107 complaintsFord Taurus
18,162 complaintsFord Windstar
14,152 complaintsFord Edge
14,106 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology