Ford Pickup Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 52 consumer complaints across the 6 model years of the Ford Pickup (1993–2000) that have at least 5 complaints. 1997 has the most, with 15. Across all years, the part named most often is tires (10 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All Pickup 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 6 | 60,000 | 0 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
| 1999 | 11 | 45,850 | 0 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
| 1998 | 7 | 98,000 | 0 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
| 1997 | 15 | 124,000 | 0 | 0 | — | Stable |
| 1994 | 7 | — | 0 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
| 1993 | 6 | 40,000 | 0 | 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.
- Tires10 23%
- Suspension9 20%
- Fuel system6 14%
- Engine cooling5 11%
- Transmission and drivetrain4 9.1%
- Brakes4 9.1%
- Steering3 6.8%
- Other or unknown3 6.8%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2000: “Ny crash w/ 20 dead. My 2000 Ford Pickup had 2 brake line failures so far. Inspection shows 1 more soon. Last 3-4 inches of brake line coming out of chassis not protected by a harness and extremely corroded. Me lucky failures were in driveway. Fwd to ny police.”
NHTSA complaint #11138958, filed 2018-10, 190,000 miles1998: “I was traveling south on highway 21s at around 9am on the morning of 7/30/08 and had just filled the gas tank up about 10 miles back, traveling at the speed limit of 55 MPH in the right lane when the front strap of the gas tank broke and the tank was dragged for a short distance until I pulled to the side of the road and shut down the vehicle. The tank received a split in the front and proceeded to leak gas. I immediately phoned 911 to report the incident. Fire department responded along with the passaic county department of health. …”
NHTSA complaint #10424443, filed 2011-09, 101,000 miles1999: “Our 1999 Ford expedition has been having problems with the electrical system. The lights or the blower for the heating system will remain on after the vehicle is shut off and the key is removed, resulting in a dead battery. The windshield wipers will stop working. The radio will shut off. A clicking noise can be heard coming from the dash. The dash lights will dim. Sometimes the vehicle won't start. We took it to a Ford dealership and were told that the windshield is leaking and the moisture destroyed the module and fuse panel. …”
NHTSA complaint #10185857, filed 2007-03, 76,000 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