Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full
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Our database holds 36 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2019 Ford Transit. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Showing 1–25 of 36 · page 1 of 2
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2019 Ford Transit. The vehicle was a dealer sale. The vehicle was purchased March 7, 2026. The mileage was recorded at 74,127 at the time of the purchase. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the contact was provided a Carfax Report. The Carfax Report last reported the mileage at 200,156 on January 2026. The dealer was made aware of the discrepancy.
This fall 2025, my kids started saying they couldn’t get out of this one particular seat. It would get stuck and they had to try to slide out from under the seat belt to get out. Shortly after that it wouldn’t even click anymore or lock into place. So we stopped using the seat. Then about a month ago we had a second seat belt that will not stay latched to keep the top part of the buckle into the bottom part of the buckle. So a second seat we cannot use. We contacted ford and they told us well that sucks you can just buy replacement seat belts. We asked them for a liability agreement if the seat belts malfunctioned they would be help liable and they denied that. We have had the seat belts release while driving. This makes me nervous because I have children and at this point can’t guarantee that they are going to be kept safe by the things that are supposed to keep them safe. Who knows when the next one will fail as the van is only 6 years old. Upon inspection they are both broken.
After SYNC 3 software update, rain sensor wiper software malfunctioning.
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Transit. While the contact's wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had occurred while the contact's wife was parking the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle rolled into the curve and stopped. The contact stated that his wife was lucky that the vehicle had not struck the building. In addition, the contact stated that one time the failure occurred while the contact's wife was driving, and the brakes independently activated. In addition, the contact stated that the failure once occurred while the contact's wife was driving on a busy highway. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed HECU. The contact was informed that the HECU needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact referenced a recall; however, the VIN was not associated. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000. The VIN was invalid.
Smelling exhaust fumes inside vehicle and not safe to drive with only 46,000 miles on odometer. Took it to Ford Dealer and found two manifold bolts have broken off flush to engine block and manifold is now leaking. This is a very common occurrence with the 3.5 Ecoboost motor.
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Transit. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the catalytic converter had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the safety failure. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2019 Ford Transit. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 125,342, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 295,327.
The contact's neighbor owned a 2019 Ford Transit. The contact stated that while driving at low speeds to the end of his street in the cul-de-sac. The brakes were sticking. The contact stated that there was an abnormal ticking noise detected. A neighbor walking her dog alerted him about an abnormal sound emerging from the vehicle. While driving over the curb, approaching the driveway, the vehicle suddenly accelerated. The brakes failed to respond, and he crashed into his house. There were no reported injuries, airbag deployment, or fire. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a body shop. Then it was towed to another body shop. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and filed a claim. The failure mileage was unknown. The vehicle was deemed a total loss by the insurance company.
I own a converted Ford Transit 2019-2022 Lightning eMotors FT3-86, which is referenced in Recall Notice 23V-207. The recall involves defective eMatrix battery packs. One of my EV batteries has completely failed—it won't charge, respond, or work at all—drastically cutting my vehicle's effective range to under 60 miles, making it difficult and unsafe to rely on for longer trips. I purchased the vehicle in December 2023, and the dealer gave no indication of any issues or recall notices. Despite asking for a warranty, I was forced to sign an agreement that the vehicle was sold "as is." Soon after, I discovered the recall. Lightning eMotors, the manufacturer, has since gone into bankruptcy and receivership, leaving me without support or options for repair. There were no warning lamps or indicators before the battery failure. The problem became apparent when the vehicle failed to hold a charge, and I have been unable to use the vehicle normally since. No dealer or independent service center has been able to address the issue due to the manufacturer's dissolution. I am seeking guidance on how to proceed, as Lightning eMotors is no longer operational and there seems to be no clear remedy path for this critical safety issue.
We have a vehicle fleet of 40+ vehicles. Within the last two months, we have had FOUR vehicles needing to replace the evaporator housing assembly. I believe this is an indication that there was a factory issue that was never caught.
The contact's business owns a 2019 Ford Transit. The contact stated that while an employee was driving approximately 60 MPH, another driver observed that the driver’s side front tire was sticking out and alerted the driver. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and inspected. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the driver’s side front wheel hub bolts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Transit. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the passenger’s side rear wheel started to detach. The contact pulled over and became aware that the hub cap was destroyed, and the tire was flat. The wheel warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the rear wheel was separating from the hub, and the tire was replaced with the spare. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.
Passenger side slider door has needed 3 repairs in the 4 years we’ve owned the van. Slider has given us trouble, brackets have broken and needed to be replaced. Weather stripping has dry rotten and needed replacing. The entire door rattles as we drive and we have 2 young children that side in the passenger seats close to the shaking door. We’ve spent hundreds repairing the door and now ford claims it needs another $360 repair to see if the dealer can make “adjustments “. Seems like a major fail on fords manufacturing and if the doors are so large or heavy it seems like a huge safety concern if they can loosen and rattle over time
Instrument cluster lost all power during driving. Lighting does not work, RPM's are not registering / speedometer showing zero even when in motion / fuel range not visible. Ford has issued a recall for this exact problem for 2022 models (Recall # 22C11 - Loss of Instrument Cluster Illumination), but will not acknowledge the issue in the 2019 model year. Please Help.
The contact owns a modified 2019 Ford Transit. The contact stated that the seven rear passenger's side and driver's side seat belts were defective. The contact stated that the seat belt retractors had fractured. Additionally, the contact stated that the seat belt pre-tensioners were stuck in the Hold position and had fractured while the seat belt was buckled, causing his children to be trapped several times. The vehicle was taken to the vehicle modifier several times, and the seat belts were replaced; however, the failure persisted. An unknown Ford dealer was contacted and informed the contact that they could not assist because the vehicle was modified. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
Metal ABS tone ring split and failed resulting in immediate full ABS system failure. ABS system will not work if Tone Ring failure happens just prior to or during incident requiring ABS utilization. From internet research and in message boards, this appears to be a very common failure among Ford Transit 250 and 350 even with low miles. To many. Repair is involved and expensive. These rings should be recalled and replaced with ones not as notorious for breakage and resulting in system failure.
The emergency parking light comes on while driving. I don’t recall when it began but the last time was Monday 8/21/2023 and it occurred 3 times.
Brakes totally fail - only occasionally No accidents yet. 2019 Transit 350 XLT, EcoBoost engine. I bought it used: ~ 2 years old, 16K miles. While driving at various speeds: I push down on the brake pedal – and absolutely nothing happens. Pedal goes completely to the floor. Van does not slow down at all. I have flown thru stop signs. Nearly rear-ended a semi. Weird part: This only happens rarely. It has only happened 4 times in 2.5 years. Will go for months – almost a year – between episodes. Most of the time, brakes work absolutely perfectly. And a pre-condition that has to happen first: Before each of the 4 times it's happened, I drove at least 1 hour on the highway. But an hour of highway driving will NOT always set it off. Only sometimes. Cannot replicate this issue on-demand. Attempted resolution #1: Local Ford dealer completely inspected brake system. And said rear brakes were getting low (@ 18,000 miles) They recommended I have the rear brakes replaced. I was skeptical - but I had them do it. Then same symptom happened again, a few months later. Dealer agreed to just hold onto it, and whenever they had some slow time, they would take it out for a test drive & try to replicate things. After ~ a month, they had it up on a lift – and saw... Apparently, previous owner had been backing up – over something taller than the ground clearance & snagged parking brake cable, kinking it. Their theory was: The kinked parking brake cable never let the parking brake fully release, so the slightly dragging brake cable would eventually (after an hour+ of driving) make the rear brakes overheat & after enough highway driving, rear brakes were fading until they were non-functional. Attempted resolution #2: Dealer replaced parking brake cable. Problem remains. No warning lamps lit up. Problem has not been independently confirmed or reproduced. Entire brake system inspected by dealer. NOTE: Ford recalled pickups for this issue. (recall # 20V332000)
The rear lug nuts have sheared off on the passenger side. This is the second time this has happened in a year creating an extremely dangerous condition. The first time we lost the entire wheel. Ford continues to deny that this recall is only limited to certain vans and continues to deny our request. I cannot believe this has happened once again to the tune of $1000 per incident and endangerment of life on two occasions. We want action now from your agency and we won’t stop until Ford is help liable for this recall. Life safety should be paramount to Ford. Traveling at 65 mph with one lug bolt out of 5 holding on is not how I want to travel.
Vehicle braking system was not working which could have caused an accident, vehicle brake booster was replaced, vehicle still having problems braking, upon further investigation the torque converter is failed, this requires both transmission and torque converter to be replaced at a cost of $8000 This is a 2019 and warranty just expired
ABS warning light is on. Traction control warning light is on. In a Ford dealer shop for repairs, unknown repairs done as of this time.
Seats break down due to seat framing pulling through bolts on seat frame. Ford is aware of this problem but is having customers attempt to pay for seats to be fixed, and when they are fixed ford is adding additional support straps to prevent the seats from tearing out in the future
The Transit van has an optional "Front Overhead Shelf." This shelf is installed on the Ford assembly line, this is not an aftermarket install. This overhead shelf is designed to hold hats, gloves and other light items. The issue is this shelf bounces and vibrates when the van is in motion. Any items stored on the shelf, falls on the driver's head and face. Ford has addressed this issue with a center support. But is not addressing previously manufactured vehicles. Ford manufacturer part number is: BK3Z-61519A-AC Dealership recognizes the issue and estimates $1,000 fee to correct. Ford warranty and support is not addressing this issue and offers no guidance. The Ford Transit Forum has multiple owners experiencing the same issue
Plastic accelerator pedal snapped off during normal driving. Made driving vehicle impossible. Vehicle had to be towed to dealer. Luckily was not going fast and was able to coast to the side of the road. This could be extremely dangerous if on a busy interstate.
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Transit. The contact stated while driving 65 mph, the steering wheel started to vibrate abnormally. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving above 60 mph. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who inspected the vehicle and diagnosed the failure as the torque converter needing to be replaced or rebuilt. The parts to replace the converter were not available to the independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 114,300.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
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