Ford Recalls - Record in US Vehicle Registers: F-150 Leads in 2024

Guess which automaker gets the most recalls in the US? Yep, it's Ford. They racked up a whopping 67 recalls in 2024 alone, affecting nearly 4.8 million vehicles. And believe it or not, that was actually a "good" year for them! Tesla technically had more vehicles recalled (5.1 million), but with only 16 unique recalls compared to Ford's 67.

Now, if I asked you to guess the most-recalled Ford model, you'd probably say the F-150, right? Bingo! You nailed it again. To be fair, the F-150 has been America's best-selling vehicle for 50 years straight, so with that many trucks on the road, it makes sense they'd have more recalls than anything else. But how exactly did the F-150 earn this not-so-enviable title? Let's dig into it.

The 2021 F-150: Recall Champion with 21 Recalls

Looking at the base models over the last decade, the 2021 F-150 stands out like a sore thumb. This particular model year will have you visiting your dealer more than any other, with a staggering 21 recalls! That doesn't necessarily mean it's an unreliable truck—it might still be cheap to maintain once you get those pesky recalls taken care of—but the numbers don't lie.

Here's how the F-150 recall stats break down by year:

Keep in mind some of these recalls overlap between model years. For instance, a recall for faulty windshield wipers affected about 250,000 vehicles across the 2020-2021 F-150s, plus some Expeditions, Navigators, and Super Duty trucks. Also worth noting—the older models naturally have more complaints since they've had more time for things to go wrong. This doesn't automatically mean a 2016 is less reliable than a 2020; given enough time, the 2020 might catch up.

The Worst F-150 Recalls of the Decade

I'm skipping the Takata airbag fiasco here because that affected practically every major automaker. Let's focus on the Ford-specific issues instead:

Broken Rear Axle Hub Bolts (December 2023)

Ford recalled nearly 113,000 F-150s (2021-2023 models) with the Trailer Tow Max Duty package because the axle hub spline could break during normal driving. Best case: your truck becomes unsafe to drive. Worst case: it rolls away while parked. The fix required replacing both rear axle shaft assemblies, and some poor owners are still waiting for parts.

Faulty Parking Brakes (July 2023)

This was a big one—over 870,000 F-150s from 2021-2023 with single exhaust systems had a loose wiring harness that could touch the rear axle housing and accidentally trigger the emergency brake. Imagine cruising down the highway when your truck suddenly slams to a halt! The fix? Almost laughably simple: tape, strap, and tie the harness up so it doesn't touch anything.

Door Latches That Don't Latch (October 2017)

More than 1.1 million F-Series pickups (2015-2017 models, including the F-150 and Super Duty) were recalled for bent actuation cables in the door latches. Exposure to weather could cause the electronic latches to fail, meaning your doors might swing open while driving. Ford's solution was to install water shields over the latches.

The Maverick: Ford's New Recall Champion?

According to iSeeCars, while the F-150 has more total recalls on the books, the newer Ford Maverick is actually on pace to beat it. They project the Maverick will rack up about 20.7 recalls per 30 years of ownership—that's 6.4 times more than the average vehicle. The F-150, by comparison, averages "only" 17.2 recalls over the same timespan.

This might not be entirely fair, though. The Maverick only launched in 2022, and many of its recalls are typical first-year bugs that Ford needs to work out, like the rearview camera failure affecting 273,701 trucks. Even so, the 2022 Maverick already has 22 recalls—one more than the infamous 2021 F-150!

Other Frequent Ford Visitors to the Recall Shop

The Ford Bronco is another recall magnet, with a projected 17 recalls over 30 years. Recent issues include detached rear shock absorber reservoirs in nearly 150,000 models from 2021-2024.

The longest-running Ford model making the top 25 most-recalled list is the Explorer, averaging roughly one recall every two years. The poor thing just can't catch a break lately—seven recalls in 2023 alone for everything from damaged turbocharger oil supply lines to loose transmission bolts that could cause rollaways.

But here's the silver lining—recalls are usually worse news for Ford than for you. The repairs are free, and the NHTSA does a solid job holding automakers accountable. Every new car has some issues when it first hits the market, and recall notices at least mean those problems are being addressed instead of ignored.