Are Ford F150s Expensive To Repair?

The sheer amount of Ford F150s that have been produced since the early 1980s is staggering. Now in it’s 13th generation, the Ford F150 has been America’s best selling overall vehicle since at least 1981. As more Americans continue to move to SUVs and Pickup trucks, the F150 is well-positioned to enjoy a long future ride of success in the American market.

There’s a good chance you are reading this article because you’re thinking about purchasing an F150 in the near future.

If that is the case, today we’re going to give you the vital information that you need to make that decision.

We’ll be answering your questions including:

• Are Ford F150s expensive to repair?
• Are Ford F150s reliable vehicles?

As a disclaimer: the F150 has a long service life, and many older F150s are still on the road. The estimates that we are going to give should be accurate for newer 12th and 13th generation F150s (2009 to present). Any older F150s may not peform according to these estimates.

As a general rule, older vehicles tend to cost more to maintain than newer ones, especially if they have over 100k miles.

With that being said, let’s dive right in.

Are Ford 150s Expensive To Repair?

Generally speaking, pickup trucks of any kind are going to be more expensive to repair and maintain than sedans or SUVs. In our experience, this could be due to the pickups being used as work trucks, or otherwise being subject to more adverse driving conditions.

With that in mind, to give you an idea if the Ford F150 is expensive to repair, we’re going to compare it to several other pickups in the same class.

We’ll use the 2020 Ford F150 as the starting point. All data below is from repairpal.com, the home of automotive data.

So as you can see by the chart above, the 2020 F150 has the highest average repair cost per year of all the trucks listed, and is tied for the highest frequency of unscheduled repairs.

Part of this is tied to the F150’s new aluminum frame, which not all independent mechanics can work with. Generally speaking, when you take your F150 to a dealer for repairs you are going to pay more than you would at an independent shop, so this may explain the highest average repair cost per year.

The good news is, the Ford F150 only has around a 15% chance of needing major repairs (which is any repair over around $2,300 dollars) which is tied with the GMC Sierra 1500 for the least frequent major repairs.

That’s a pretty good start.

So overall, we can summarize that the F150 does have a higher average yearly repair cost, and a higher than average frequency of repairs, but the chance that severe repairs will happen is slightly lower than other trucks.

Not a bad start.

That invites the question: are F150s otherwise reliable vehicles?

Are Ford F150s Reliable?

The 13th generation Ford F-150’s reliability has been called into question by some publications. For instance, Consumer Report has given the F-150 a reliability rating of 57.

This wasn’t the worst score on this list, with the F-150 coming in a #5 out of 18 overall trucks. It was beaten out in reliability by the Ram 1500 Classic, the Toyota Tundra, the Nissan Titan, and the Ram 1500.

Does this mean that the F-150 is unreliable? No, but there are a few causes for concer on the 13th generation models.

Consumer Reports points to the aluminum design as an issue. Multiple F-150 owners have already started complaining about rust issues on their new trucks. The Ford F-150s new aluminum body pannels may lack consmetic longevity.

Also, as we mentioned before, not all shops can repair aluminum parts, which may make it difficult to find an authorized repair shop.

There’s also already been 5 recalls on the F-150 since it launched. These include a transmission glitch, problems with the headlight, faulty spare tires, and electrical issues that have caused fires, as well as improper support in the front seats. Consumer Reports does consider recalls as part of its reliability ranking, so this is something you have to keep in mind.

Worried About Unexpected Repairs On Your F-150? Get A Vehicle Service Contract And Get Protected

The beautiful thing about living in the 21st century is you can buy a vehicle with reliability issues and still come out okay.

You might not know, but if you have a vehicle service contract from Protect My Car, unexpected repair bills can be a thing of the past.

A vehicle service contract pays for many unexpected, major repairs including repairs to your F-150’s:

• Engine
• Transmission
• Air Conditioning
• Heating (a very common issue with F-150s)
• Electrical
• Brakes
• Suspension
• And so much more!

For example, replacing your F-150’s transmission could set you back over $3,000 dollars if you have to pay it out of pocket. But, with a vehicle service contract from Protect My Car, you could pay as little as $100 for that repair.

Plus, you’ll also get great free bonuses like:

• 24/7 Roadside Assistance so you’ll never be left stranded
• Free oil changes & tire rotations every year (a $300 value, yours free)
• Access to great discounts from our many partners in the auto industry
• $150 in rewards cash each month to spend at your favorite stores and resteraunts

If you’re deadset on buying an F-150, we support that. Just make sure your F-150 is covered with a vehicle service contract so you won’t ever have to worry about an unexpected mechanical breakdown ransacking your wallet.

Just click the “Get Quote” below to learn more about your coverage options.