Manufacturers do their best to produce safe, reliable vehicles that you can count on. Despite those efforts, problems can still arise. Worse yet, the issues do not always become apparent until the cars, trucks, and other vehicles hit the road. When that happens, they have to issue a recall and let owners know to bring their vehicle in for service.
For the 2015 model year, Ford noticed 12 major issues with their Ford F-150 and promptly issued recalls in response. They made every attempt possible to let car owners know, but the message does not always get through as intended. Thankfully, we are here to help.
To learn about the potential issues with your 2015 Ford F-150, check out the full list of recalls right here. Then, follow the steps to have the problem fixed by a qualified repair professional.
Improperly Crimped Seat Belt Pretensioner Cables
NHTSA Recall ID: 15V867000
Upon discovering a manufacturing defect on their seat belt pretensioner cables, Ford promptly issued a recall. The crimped edge of the assemblies was not properly formed, which created a weak point in its structure. This problem was only noted on F-150 SuperCrew trucks built from January 22nd to March, 17th of 2015.
If not repaired, the seat belt could fail to fully protect the wearer during a collision, resulting in minor to severe injuries. When you bring your truck in for repairs to fix this issue, your repair tech will inspect the driver and passenger sides of the vehicle. Then, they will replace the affected pretensioners and retractors, if needed.
Potential Sparks From the Front Seat Belt Pretensioner
NHTSA Recall ID: 18V568000
Seat belt pretensioners should deploy without any fanfare, keeping the occupant firmly in their seat. Unfortunately, some of the F-150s make a big show of the affair, releasing sparks in every direction. Upon noticing this issue and tracking down the affected vehicles, Ford created a recall for their Regular Cab and SuperCrew F-150s built from 2015 to 2018.
If you do not come in to have this issue rectified, the sparks could ignite the seats, carpet, and other nearby materials. Even your clothing and other personal items are at risk of catching fire, which is definitely not what you need in the aftermath of a collision. Repairs will include removal of the wiring harness tape and insulation in the B-pillar plus installation of heat-resistant tape.
Inadequate Mounting of the Left Rear Inflatable Seat Belt Buckle
NHTSA Recall ID: 17V526000
Seat belts need to remain securely attached to their mounting points to effectively restrain occupants. Recently, Ford found out that this is not the case in their 2015 to 2017 F-150s. In these vehicles, the left rear inflatable assembly poorly hooks to the mounting bracket.
Without repairs, the pretensioner could easily come apart during a crash. Thankfully, the repair is simple as it only requires a precise placement of a rivet through the assembly.
Chrome Handles Can Cause Doors to Unlatch in a Collision
NHTSA Recall ID: 17V331000
Although the factory chrome door handle cover upgrade dresses up the F-150 quite nicely, it also introduces a weakness into the system. With these handles attached, the doors can easily unlatch if you end up in a side-impact accident. As that occurs, the door can fly open and put all the truck’s occupants in danger of serious injury.
The vehicles affected by this recall include 2015 to 2017 F-150s across all trim levels, including the Lariat. To repair the issue, techs have to remove the chrome handles and replace them with black or body-colored ones.
Bent Actuation Cable May Cause Door to Open While Driving
NHTSA Recall ID: 17V652000
When in good working order, the door actuation cable and latch allow you to open and close the truck doors with ease. On certain 2015 to 2017 F-150 trucks, this is not possible since the cable is kinked or bent in key locations. Further complicating the issue, water can seep into the latches on wet days, then freeze as temperatures drop.
As a result of this issue, your door can pop right open with the slightest push. If that happens while driving, you could end up getting into an accident as you struggle with the door. Techs can easily repair this issue by performing an inspection and replacing any damaged actuation cables. They will also install a water shield over both latches to keep them from freezing.
Poorly Riveted Steering Upper Intermediate Shaft
NHTSA Recall ID: 15V279000
While driving your truck, the steering wheel components undergo a lot of stress when turning the wheels. Everything must have firm attachment points to avoid breakages that could result in a loss of control. Unfortunately, 2015 F-150s built from March 19th to March 30th have a weak spot in their steering where the rivets attach to the upper intermediate shaft.
If the poorly attached rivets come loose while driving, the intermediate shaft will separate from its flex coupling. This will immediately leave you unable to steer your truck to safety. Ford techs can remedy this issue by replacing the intermediate shaft as a whole if deemed necessary with an inspection.
Water and Debris Could Damage Engine Block Heater
NHTSA Recall ID: 18V894000
An engine block heater makes it possible to use your F-150 to the fullest extent even when temps drop well below freezing. Their wiring needs to stay in good condition despite the cold, wet weather or they could also fail to run right. In the 2015 to 2019 F-150s, even at the Platinum trim level, the block heaters have cables with splice connectors exposed to the elements. This allows water to come into contact with the connectors, causing them to corrode.
If you want to prevent further damage, you will need to remedy this issue right away. Otherwise, the wiring could short out, melt, and even catch on fire. To fix this problem, techs just have to inspect and replace the cable going to the block heater.
Damage to the Engine Block Heater Cable
NHTSA Recall ID: 19V278000
While performing repairs for the 18V894000 recall, the work may have resulted in damage to the splice connector on the block heater cable. This is a possibility on F-150 trucks built from 2015 to 2019 across all trim levels.
Techs will need to look over all the wiring in the system to check for overheated or melted spots. Then, to protect you from the risk of fire, they will need to replace the damaged cables in full to remedy the problem. If they cannot get ahold of the correct cables at that time, they will disconnect the block heater until they can complete the repairs in full.
Engine Heat Could Damage Block Immersion Heaters
NHTSA Recall ID: 20V098000
Since they have lots of wiring, block heaters must sit far enough away from the engine that they do not overheat. In 2015 to 2017 Ford F-150s with the 3.5L GTDI powerplant, the block heater may have been relocated and placed in a spot that’s much too close to the heat of the engine.
If that is the case with your truck, then the wiring on the block heater is at risk of overheating, melting, and catching fire. When you bring in your truck for recall repairs, the tech will check the location of the block heater and inspect the integrity of its cables. They will then move the heater to a better spot and replace cables that look melted or otherwise damaged.
Underbody Shields Are Missing or Not Properly Secured
NHTSA Recall ID: 15V251000
All along the underbody of your truck, you should find heat shields firmly secured over the fuel lines and other sensitive components. If your 2015 F-150 was built on January 30th or January 31st, however, then the heat shields might be loose or missing altogether.
Without these shields firmly in place, your fuel lines, vapor lines, and similar parts could start to melt or otherwise degrade. This greatly increases the risk of a fire breaking out beneath your truck. Your tech can fix this problem by either securing your shields better or installing new ones if yours are missing.
Potential Master Cylinder Leak Into the Brake Booster
NHTSA Recall ID: 20V332000
Braking systems use adequate fluid levels to activate the brakes on demand and slow or stop your vehicle as expected. Any leaks and your stopping power is toast. And that could be your reality if you have a 2014 to 2017 F-150 with a 3.5L EcoBoost powerplant. On these trucks, the master cylinder regularly allows fluid to leak into the brake booster, effectively leaving the system lacking enough pressure.
If allowed to continue for any length of time, especially without topping off the fluid, you will quickly notice additional pedal travel, softer brakes, and poor stopping power. To remedy this issue, technicians can swap out the master cylinder for a new one and inspect the brake booster to make sure it is not damaged. If it is, they will replace that part, too.
Adaptive Cruise Control Braking Errors
NHTSA Recall ID: 15V614000
The adaptive cruise control system lends a wonderful helping hand by detecting and avoiding obstacles in the roadway. If the system is not accurately detecting objects, however, then it could actually cause a collision to occur. A large number of 2015 F-150 trucks have this issue and put their occupants at risk without a solution. These trucks were built starting March 18th, 2014 all the way until August 6th, 2015.
When the defective adaptive cruise control system incorrectly detects an obstacle, it promptly hits the brakes for no apparent reason. This can throw you off course as well as the drivers around you, increasing your risk of getting into an accident. Fixing this issue is as easy as reprogramming the module with new software.
If you are unsure if your Ford F-150 has a recall, just go to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, website. Then, type your VIN or the year, make, and model of your vehicle into the form and hit submit. Using that info, the system will let you know if your truck is due for service.
If anything comes up, take note of the recalls that are still pending and call the Ford customer service line at 1-866-436-7332 to learn the next steps. They will let you know where to go and what to expect during the recall services. You should not drive your F-150 in the meantime since the defective systems could cause collisions, fires, and other serious issues.
Recall work is performed free of charge by a qualified professional who follows the correct repair steps to fully remedy the problem. You just have to make an appointment and bring your vehicle into the indicated shop to restore its integrity. The repair shop will do all they can to get the replacement parts by your appointment date to get you back on the road as quickly as possible.
