The 2018 Ford F-150 may be built Ford tough, but no matter what you’re driving, you have to expect a recall now and then. Be that as it may, some drivers may feel that eleven recalls in just two years, as of the time of this writing, does seem a little high. Thankfully, Ford has been very proactive in their recall processing, making sure that drivers are able to get the necessary repairs and replacements right away, and with little hassle.
Of course, when you consider that the F-series has been the best selling pickup in the U.S. since the late 1970s, eleven recalls doesn’t sound like that many.
The 2018 F-150
The 2018 F-150s featured a mid-cycle redesign that debuted at the New York International Auto Show in 2017. They brought back the common cab design from 1996 and switched to a two-bar design from three-bar. Under the hood, you had EcoBoost V6, or a 5.0L V8, both with ten-speed automatic. You could also pick up an F-150 with a 250 hp 3.0L diesel-powered V6. In short: The 2018 model had an efficient new design and plenty of options for gearheads.
October 2017 Recalls
17S29
The first recall affecting the 2018 F-150s hit in October of 2017. Fortunately, the first recall didn’t affect that many drivers. Only 39 potential units were affected in total. Specifically, a handful of Raptor Super Cabs with no moonroof.
It was a simple fix, too: In some Raptors, the structural roof braces were missing a few rivets attaching it to the roof rail, which could result in poor structural integrity.
Owners were notified and advised to contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332, or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236, for instructions on getting to the nearest dealership to have the rivets installed at Ford’s expense.
The recall campaign number issued was 17S29, and the recall officially began on October 17, 2017.
17S35
Two more recalls would follow by the end of the year, both on October 23, 2017. The first affected gear selection. In an estimated 12,429 potential units, those with 3.3L 6-speed transmission engines, moving from park to drive too quickly could result in the gear indicator pointing to the wrong gear. This could be a major safety concern when you consider the danger in hitting the gas when you think you’re in reverse, only to find that you’re in drive, or thinking that you’re in park while you’re in neutral, and watching your brand new truck roll backward down a hill.
For this recall, Ford issued the campaign number 17S35 and offered to inspect and replace the faulty parts at their own expense.
17S37
The next recall was, thankfully, a small one, only affecting a potential 22 3.5L F-150s. This recall involved cylinder heads being machined without supply holes for lubrication for the camshaft bearing journals. If you’re not much of a gearhead, that just means that the engine wasn’t being properly lubricated. This means that stalling is more likely, which means that crashes are more likely.
Good news: Your F-150 probably isn’t affected by this recall. Ford issued a report stating that, to their knowledge, the only units affected by this recall were under the ownership of dealers.
All the same, they issued the recall campaign number 17S37, and if you somehow managed to get your hands on a 2018 F-150 affected by the problem, you can call the customer service line to make arrangements.
2018 Recalls
The first two recalls of 2018 both came on April 4.
18S10
The first recall involved a cable clip on the gear shift that was liable to become dislodged. As in the previous recall, this could result in the transmission being in a different gear than the indicator would suggest. Again, the concern was that drivers might assume the car to be in park when it was in neutral, or drive when it was in reverse, or vice-versa. In any event that could be very dangerous. Where the previous gear shift recall affected fewer than 13,000 units, this one affected a potential 292,909. It extended beyond the F-150, too, affecting F-650 and F-750 vehicles.
Ford issued the recall number 18S10, offering to make the requisite fixes at their own expense.
18S09
That same day, Ford issued a much smaller recall. This one affecting a potential 142 units, including Lincoln Navigators, Expeditions, and Mustangs. The concern was that a roll pin may have been missing from the 10-speed automatic transmission, making the park function effectively useless.
This was, thankfully, a relatively easy fix, affecting relatively few F-150 drivers, and Ford issued the number 18S09 for drivers to have the roll pin installed at Ford’s expense.
18S17
The next recall was issued on June 12 of that year. This one was considerably more severe than some of the previous recalls: Affecting an estimated 5,645 potential F-150s, Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators with 3.5L GTDI V6 engines, the concern was that their high-pressure fuel pump assemblies were assembled with welding that was likely to fracture, resulting in oil or fuel leaking all over the engine. This would be, of course, a major fire hazard.
Ford issued the recall campaign number 18S17 on July 17, notifying owners to have the necessary repairs made at Ford’s expense.
18S27
The 2018 F-150’s biggest recall yet involved a front seat belt pretensioner that was liable to create sparks when deploying. The carpeting inside an F-150 can be like tinder for a campfire, especially if you’re using your F-150 as a work truck, and you might have a few oily rags in the footwell. This was, of course, a big fire hazard. The defect affected a potential 1,619,112 units, including Regular Cab and SuperCrew Cab vehicles dated 2015 to 2018.
Fortunately for Ford, the fix was a relatively easy one to make: They issued the recall number 18S27 for F-150 owners to have their insulation material replaced with heat resistant tape.
18S45
2018’s final F-150 recall started on December 18. This defect affected the truck’s heater. Prolonged use, combined with corrosion over the years, could result in a short, which could spark a fire, or at the very least, result in melted wiring. The problem affected an estimated 410,289 potential units, including 2015-2019 model F-150s, F-250s, F-350s, F-450s, and F-550s.
While the recall was first announced on December 18, 2018, it wouldn’t go into effect until June 2019, when Ford issued the recall number 18S45 for drivers to seek the necessary repairs at Ford’s expense.
2019 Recalls
2019 was a far less busy year for recalls than 2018 had been, but many F-150 owners still found themselves bringing their trucks in for repairs twice that year.
19S11
2019’s first F-150 recall affected a potential 131,068 units, including 2015-2019 F-150s, F-250s, F-350s, F-450s, and F-550s. Specifically, those that had already been remedied when Ford issued recall 18V894, involving melted wires owing to the heater. The concern was that the block heater cable may have suffered some damage to the splice connector while undergoing repairs.
This isn’t that uncommon in the recall game. Quite often it is found that in correcting one problem, another is created in the process of administering the repairs.
Ford issued the recall number 19S11 for truck owners to have the problem inspected and corrected at Ford’s expense.
19C07
The next recall of 2019, and thankfully the last for that year, came on August 28. Affecting a potential 639,137 F-150s, F-250s, F-350s, F-450s, F-550s, Explorers, Expeditions, Lincoln Aviators, and Escapes dated 2018 to 2020, the recall concerned rear seating. The recliner mechanism was missing in many models, which would result in the seat being loose, which could be a major concern in the event of an accident.
Ford issued the recall number 19C07 for owners to take their trucks in for inspection and, if necessary, installation of the recliner mechanism.
The 2020 Recall
As of the time of this writing, Ford has only had to issue a single F-150 recall through 2020, on February 21.
20C03
Affecting a potential 166,196 units, all 2018-2020 F-150s, this recall concerned the Daytime Running Lamps. In affected units, the Master Lighting Switch would fail to dim the DRLs when manually adjusted. This means that when you’re passing other drivers and you attempt to dim your lights so as not to blind them, the lights would stay fully on, potentially resulting in serious accidents, and failing to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
Ford issued the recall number 20C03 for owners to get in touch with customer support and see about having their DRL lights corrected.
No News is Good News?
The F-150 had a very busy launch year in terms of recalls, with five recalls in 2018 alone, and one of them resulting in a follow-up recall the next year. But since February of 2020, things seem to have settled down a bit for F-150 owners.
Eleven recalls in just a few years may seem to many drivers like a good reason to consider buying a different pickup, but when you consider that the F-150 is the best-selling truck in North America, and some of these recalls affected fewer than one thousand units, the numbers, and the carmaker’s characteristically fast response time, ultimately reflect favorably on Ford.
While the 2018 F-150 has had its share of recalls, it remains one of the most durable trucks on the market today. Given the model’s ratio of trucks sold to trucks recalled, we can chalk these recalls up to simply working out the first-year kinks. No matter how much testing an automaker may conduct before release, the fact remains that you can’t always predict what’s going to happen when you have millions of vehicles out on the road. Some recalls are going to be a given, and the more you sell, the more recalls you can expect.
All Recalls Still Valid
If you look up your VIN number and find that you have a few recalls pending, it doesn’t matter if you bought this car fresh off the lot or gently pre-owned. Recalls remain valid indefinitely. Unless your truck is totaled, the company goes out of business, or the recall involves parts that are no longer being produced, you can claim your free inspection and repairs no matter how much time has passed.
The only exception is tires, given the normal wear and tear that they endure on a daily basis. Typically you have a 180-day window in which to claim a new set of tires owing to a recall, and after that, you’ll have to replace them out of pocket. This stands to reason, as the alternative is to wear your tires until they’re bald, and then drive to the Ford dealership for a new set for free. In other words, tires are supposed to wear down and become unusable after a while, but the vehicle itself is intended to give you, potentially, decades of use before it finally breaks down.
