2017 Ford F-150 Other / unspecified Problems

While driving on the highway on several occasions, the transmission drops from 6th gear to a lower gear, either seeming to slip, or locking the wheels causing a bad jerk. i have an appointment in two days , but am concerned that there may be more damage to my vehicle that will show up later due to this issue. I had another dealership try to charge to to repair my truck. i am hopefull that the new dealership will do right by me.

NHTSA ID

11754354

Incident

Jul 30, 2026

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40–45 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed but responded slowly, resulting in reduced braking performance. The contact became aware that brake fluid was leaking onto the driveway. The brake warning light was illuminated. The contact was concerned about operating the vehicle with the braking issue. Additionally, the driver's and passenger's side front tires and rims were hard to keep clean due to the brake master cylinder leaking black fluid. The contact continuously cleaned the wheels and the rims to prevent the corrosive substance from damaging the tires and the rim. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V236000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were on backorder. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted; however, no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11744115

Incident

Feb 1, 2026

While driving about 60 mph on the highway, all warning lights on the dash suddenly came on and the truck immediately lost power/shut down. The wheels sputtered or somethting like that, not sure how to describe it. I was able to safely get off the road and restart the truck. After restarting, it drove normally again with no obvious issues. I recently received a recall notice describing very similar symptoms related to the transmission/lead frame issue, but the notice stated no remedy was yet available. This created a serious safety concern because the failure happened unexpectedly at highway speed. Here is the recall info: Issue Date 2026-04-14 Campaign 26S28/26V237

NHTSA ID

11738478

Incident

May 18, 2026

12/31/2025 NHTSA, I am writing to formally report a serious safety issue involving my Ford F-150. On [XXX] in rural Alaska, my Ford F-150 experienced a flat tire in extreme winter conditions (approximately –15°F). I was traveling with my [XXX] child. When we attempted to change the tire, the lug nuts could not be removed using the factory tools provided with the vehicle. A tow truck was dispatched from the only available service on a holiday evening, which was 45 minutes away. The tow operator was then unable to remove the lug nuts with any of his professional equipment. We were subsequently informed that this is a known issue with Ford’s chrome-capped, two-piece lug nuts swelling or deforming, making them incompatible with standard sockets. As a result, what should have been a routine roadside tire change became a prolonged and dangerous situation for my child and me in life-threatening cold. We were stranded for 3 hours and nearly ran out of gas keeping the vehicle warm. It took a blowtorch provided by a passing Good Samaritan to complete the tire changeover. This failure created a significant safety hazard. A vehicle that cannot have a flat tire serviced during an emergency—especially in extreme weather—poses an unacceptable risk to occupants. This was not due to misuse, improper maintenance, or lack of tools, but rather an apparent design or materials defect that rendered the lug nuts unusable. Vehicle details: - Year/Model: 2017 Ford F-150 - VIN: [XXX] - Location of incident: Miles outside of Willow, Alaska This situation placed a minor child at risk in extreme winter conditions and should not occur in any Ford vehicle. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11708076

Incident

Dec 24, 2025

Purchased CPO Ford F150 in 2000 to replace Explorer in MA. Used 4 wheel drive in winter the past two seasons to learn after spending over $1000 and driving a vehicle with reduced MPG due to a known TSP 24-2188 that this is a defect that affects fuel efficiency by close to six miles per gallon. Called Balise Ford after learning updated TSB requires flashing of the onboard TCCM. They would not touch it without charging me. Why can a manufacturer design a flawed system that affects the MPG without providing a free fix? So now I drive a vehicle with a defect grinding metal to metal reducing fuel efficiency by 30% that will require all new parts to replace the parts I replaced in January 2025 for almost $1000 when and if I can ever afford to bring to a FORD dealership to have the TSB corrected at my expense. This also creates a noise that is grinding metal to metal occasionally that is confusing and creates concern about road worthiness and if a wheel will fall off.

NHTSA ID

11703495

Incident

Jan 15, 2025

This is a MAJOR issue with Ford F150s. I am not sure how this was never a recall. Ford issues a TSB for this but NOTHING is the TSB fixes the issue. There is a major fault in the IWE system that causes the 4x4 to engage randomly causing the truck to have major steering issues. It causes grinding, like metal on metal grinding, the steering wheel locks in place at times and I personally almost dies several times from this.The locking steering wheel caused me to crash into a ditch because I could not bring the steering wheel back to center. This has randomly happened to me several times while driving, The TSB claims the issue to be intermittent, which it is due to the fault in this IWE system. FOrd needs to literally cover and replace the entire IWE system before someone gets hurt. Please look this up, this is a very known issue that deserves to be a recall and not a TSB. Please help save lives.

NHTSA ID

11635701

Incident

Jan 13, 2025

Lug nuts swollen and unable to remove with provided equipment

NHTSA ID

11635134

Incident

Dec 18, 2024

My 2017 F150 is 7 years old with 80K mileage. Engine problem: Cold start ticking/tapping/rattle noise. Ford claimed it sent a letter in 2021 but I never received. Googled and found there are large amount of the same complaints on 2017-2020 F150 with 3.5L EcoBoost engine. The Cam Phaser / VCT Units will fail. Vehicles may not restart after auto-start-stop. Ford issued Customer Satisfaction Program 21N03 and Technical Service Bulletin TSB23-2143. Those measures are not enough. Ford should recall all 2017-2020 F150 with 3.5L Ecoboost built before Nov 30, 2019. Lug nuts at wheels: Ford used cheap two-piece nuts. All the nuts were swollen in Dec 2024 and could not be removed by myself. I had to drive my F150 to Quick Lane and paid $140 to get all the nuts replaced with one-piece nuts. An employee of Quick Lane told me Ford used cheap two-piece nuts for long time, and it's a common issue on some Ford vehicles. Image if a tire is flat on highway while the nuts are swollen and the flat tire can not be changed! Ford should recall all vehicles using the cheap two-piece nuts. I still keep the old nuts as an evidence.

NHTSA ID

11633214

Incident

Dec 16, 2024

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the dealer was inspecting the vehicle, an unknown dealer informed the contact that the lug nuts were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to a certified independent mechanic, who replaced the lug nuts with after-market lug nuts. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to the unknown dealer for a tire rotation, the dealer informed the contact that the lug nuts had become faulty again. The contact stated that the lug nuts had been replaced three times. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 20,000.

NHTSA ID

11623753

Incident

Nov 6, 2022

Mileage

20,000 mi

My 2017 Ford F150 crew cab listed has chrome wheels on it. Just replaced the original tires on the chrome wheels and the chrome chips off. According to the tire company and the Ford dealer, these wheels are defective and Ford knows about it. The dealer said that Ford has replaced these wheels because of the chrome coming off which makes the wheels weak. I contact Ford customer service and they did not see a recall. Ford recommended a contact national Highway traffic safety association. File a case.

NHTSA ID

11616131

Incident

Sep 23, 2024

The thin decorative steel cover on the wheel lug nuts are cracking at the corners and deforming to the extent that they would be difficult to get off with the provided tire wrench in a roadside tire failure. My tire shop had to drive a socket on, then drive it off.

NHTSA ID

11610058

Incident

Aug 21, 2024

Went to my honest Big O tire shop for tire rotation. Informed that lug nuts on wheels were very hard to remove. Recommended it replace them next oil change. Why wouldn't this be a Ford problem and a recall issue? Seems to me to be dangerous and a real problem with a flat tire changed on the road.

NHTSA ID

11608432

Incident

Aug 14, 2024

F150 lug nuts have a cap that is prone to "swelling" after many tire rotations, especially if mechanic uses a pneumatic wrench with poor sockets. "Swollen lug nuts" make them extremely difficult to remove to change tires. Fortunately, I caught this in time on my truck and with much difficulty, replaced them with better lug nuts. If I had a flat tire with swollen lug nuts, I would probably would now have the right tools to remove the tire causing a possible safety hazard on the road.

NHTSA ID

11603706

Incident

May 28, 2024

I HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH MY BRAKES ON MY F150 2017... ACTUALLY I WAS AMAZED HOW LONG I WENT WITH OUT BRAKES BEFORE GETTING THEM FIXED. MY PROBLEMS BEGAN WHEN I DECIDED TO GET NEW BRAKES. I ASKED FOR THE BRAKES THAT WERE ON THE CAR ORIGANALLY WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT THEM. WELL I DON'T THINK THE NEW BRAKES ON THE CAR LASTED NO MORE THAT 3 - 6 WEEKS UNTIL I HAD TO BRING THE TRUCK BACK TO HAVE THEM FIX THE BUMPTYBUMP EXPERIENCE THAT I HAVE WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES WHEN COMING DOWN THE HILL. SO EVERYTIME I'M COMING DOWN THE HILL I GET NERVOUS BECAUSE I FEEL THE BRAKES WILL GIVE OUT COMPLETELY ONE DAY.

NHTSA ID

11600592

Incident

Jul 10, 2023

2/29/2024 driver side tire was flat 3/1/24: I wanted to put the spare so that I could take the fire for repair. But the factory issue lug nut wrench does not fit. How can you do this to people? This is ridiculous 3/2/24 I went to the store to buy a nut remover This should not be allowed to happen and you get away without giving the customer a proper tool

NHTSA ID

11575147

Incident

Feb 29, 2024

On Sunday, October 8th 2023, my wife and I were returning home on a remote stretch of US Highway 24, 15 miles east of Buena Vista, Colorado, when we got a flat rear passenger tire. I pulled over at a safe location to change the tire. While attempting to remove the flat tire, I was unable to get the factory supplied lug wrench on any of the 6 lug nuts. Because of the remote location we had very limited cell service and were having challenges contacting a towing service. I eventually found a rock and was able to pound the lug wrench socket onto several of the lug nuts and managed to remove 4 of 6 lug nuts. The final 2 nuts became stripped and I could not remove them. Meanwhile, my wife contacted a tow service and 3 hours later, they arrived. The tow truck drive used a large hammer to pound a 7/8" socket onto the remaining nuts and used an impact wrench to remove them and then to put all the lug nuts back on. He informed me this is a common issue with my year and make of truck and they are called "Swollen lug nuts." I was very surprised that this was a known issue and there was not a recall issued to replace defective parts. It is extremely irresponsible to not notify owners of this issue, especially when I was sold a 4x4 wheel drive, off road vehicle and live in a state (Colorado) where cell service can be limited to non-existent. This issue could easily lead to death by not being able to replace a flat tire.

NHTSA ID

11550216

Incident

Oct 8, 2023

Steel Wheel cracked at bead area approximately 6" Immediate loss of air . No apparent impact or damage to wheel, part of crack appears old (rusty). was on front of sheriff vehicle and is used at high speeds. Failure at speed would be catastrophic.

NHTSA ID

11527926

Incident

Jun 15, 2023

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon taking her vehicle to a dealer for an inspection, the contact was informed by the service agent that the lug nuts were swollen due to moisture and needed to be replaced. The service agent provided her an estimate for the repair; however, the contact contested that the defect was a manufacturer defect and that she should not be charged for the repair. Another advisor decided to replace the lug nuts free of charge. The contact was referred to the manufacturer who then referred her to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 44,300.

NHTSA ID

11507570

Incident

Feb 13, 2023

Mileage

44,300 mi

FRONT WHEEL BEARING DRIVER SIDE STARTED FAILING (BUT I DID NOT KNOW IT) SHORTLY AFTER 5OK MILES. HAD IT REPLACED WHEN NOISE BECAME VERY PRONOUNCED AT 56K MILES. DEALER HAS NOT CONFIRMED THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER DEALER’S PARTS MAN RECOGNIZED THE PART NUMBER BY SITE, AND HINTED THAT THE PROBLEM IS NOT UNCOMMON, ALTHOUGH USUALLY AT HIGHER MILEAGE. DEALER WAS (AND STILL IS) UNABLE TO OBTAIN THE REPLACEMENT PART. REPAIR WAS PERFORMED BY A 3RD PARTY GARAGE USING AFTERMARKET PART. WARNINGS: THE TPMS MONITOR STARTED ALERTING THAT IT WAS NOT RECIEVING THE TIRE PRESSURE FROM THE AFFECTED WHEEL, WHEN DRIVING LONG DISTANCES ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS HAS NOT OCCURRED SINCE THE BEARING WAS REPLACED.

NHTSA ID

11505369

Incident

Nov 16, 2022

My 2017 Ford F150 with 40k miles was in dealership for tire rotation. Mechanic says my truck has swollen lug nuts. I reside in Ga and road salt not typically used in winter. Cost me $130 for something poorly engineered.

NHTSA ID

11499775

Incident

Jan 2, 2023

Dec. 29, 2022: I was advised that the lug nuts are warped and the tires could not be rotated without replacing the lug nuts. Was advised if I did not replace them, I may not be able to remove them if I had a flat tire or worse, they might not get tightened properly causing a wheel to come off while driving. Vehicle is still at Ford Dealership service dept.

NHTSA ID

11499334

Incident

Dec 29, 2022

Koons Ford, Woodbridge, VA could not rotate my tires due to swollen lug nuts that cost almost 400.00 to replace. They also informed me that if I were to have a flat tire I could not change it with the standard jack supplied by ford.

NHTSA ID

11478191

Incident

Aug 8, 2022

I brought my ford in to have tires rotated and they were unable to do because ford installed factory lug nuts are distorted. I brought my truck to a reputable tire shop and they told me it is a common problem on Ford F-150 from 2016 to present. I ordered replacement lug nuts to remedy the problem. I am saving the old lug nuts in case I have to take them to small claims.

NHTSA ID

11464825

Incident

May 11, 2022

SWOLLEN LUG NUTS HAD TO BE REPLACED BEFORE THEY CAUSED A SAFETY ISSUE

NHTSA ID

11464819

Incident

May 16, 2022

What compontent: The lug nuts on my Truck swelled and are distorted so at risk of cracking. I couldn't get them off when i had a flat tire. It is available for inpsection. Safety: Safety put at risk 1. i couldn't change my flat, and couldn't tightne them correctly when i DID force it and 2. they are at risk of cracking, they ahve deterioated so wheels at risk of failing. Inependent verification: Costco changed my tires and noticed the issue, having to use other size sockets bc they were swelled so much. Warnings: No warnings or anything as purely mechanical/steel parts. You only know when you try to take ethe tires off, you think the jack is the wrong size. Its messed up how big they got. its ALL OF THEM. These SUCK. dealers so no recal so to be safe i guess I have to buy new ones and replace (Parts AND labor). Thank you

NHTSA ID

11458525

Incident

Mar 24, 2022