The Best Years For The Ford F-150, And Some To Avoid (According To Users)

The popularity of many vehicles ebbs and flows over time, however the Ford F-150 is not only Ford's best-selling vehicle by a long shot, but for 42 years straight it has also been the best-selling vehicle in the United States, regardless of type. The 2024 sales so far look like it will be on top for the 43rd straight year too.

Nevertheless, just because the Ford F-150 has been an automotive pillar for so long does not necessarily mean that every model year is created equal. Generations of the pickup truck vary in quality, and even within each generation there are certain years that are more reliable and perform better than others. If you are in the market for a used Ford F-150, we'll spotlight four model years you should take into consideration as the best the company has to offer, and four more that you should avoid at all costs. 

These model years were chosen based on customer reviews from actual drivers from a variety of different sources. We included automotive marketplaces that accept reviews from drivers, such as Edmunds and Kelly Blue Book. We also included publications, such as Consumer Reports and J.D. Power, that verify car owners and actively send out surveys to gather feedback on the short and long term experiences of car ownership. To find the most negative driver reactions to model years, sites like CarComplaints were of vital importance.

[Featured image by Sarah Larson via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY 2.0]

The very first generation of the Ford F-Series is what SlashGear named as the best generation of the truck, but in practice, owning a truck that is over 70 years old requires some major restoration work. If you are just going to your average used car dealership, then your best bet is to go with a model from the F-150's 12th generation, beginning with the 2009 model year. Despite being 15 years old, the technology it utilizes remains surprisingly modern. Most notably, the truck had the option for a rear-view camera. Beyond that, it had options for Ford Sync voice connectivity, GPS navigation, and Sirius radio. On the production side, every cab size could tow up to 11,300 pounds, and you had the option of either a 4.6L or 5.4L V8, which could get you up to 21 mpg on the highway.

J.D. Power rated the 2009 F-150 with an 81 out of 100 quality and reliability score, and its driving experience score was an 89. Overall, the institution ranked it in a tie for the best truck in its class from that year. Even more remarkable is that this F-150 has only been issued two recalls in its lifespan. Any vehicle would be thrilled with that, let alone a big pickup truck. All of this has earned the 2009 F-150 high praise from customers. Folks rating the truck have given it an average of at least 4.5 stars on Kelley Blue Book, Cars.com, and Edmunds, showing an impressive consensus on this F-150 model year across the board.

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Even within the same generation as the 2009 model, the Ford F-150 evolved quite a bit, taking us to the 2013 model year. In the passing years, the most major change came with what you could put underneath the hood. Ford started offering its 3.5L EcoBoost engines, with other options including a 3.7L V6, alongside 5.0L and 6.2L V8s as well. This year also saw the Ford Sync voice activation feature become standard across most F-150 trims, including the off-road Raptor model that entered the lineup in 2010, and is one of our favorite trims for the truck. The 2013 F-150 was everything that was great about the 2009 model, just more modern and refined.

Customer ratings reflect that continued praise for the truck. Kelley Blue Book has an average star rating of 4.5 out of 5 from consumers, and Cars.com is even slightly better with an overall 4.6 stars. The customer rating score on Edmunds dips ever so slightly at 4.3 stars, but that is still an impressive average. For this generation, owner satisfaction scores on Consumer Reports fell after 2009, but by the time 2013 rolled around, they were back to the same 3 out of 5 score as the 2009. That may seem low, but Consumer Reports' owner satisfaction scores are notoriously harsh, particularly for pickup trucks. In its surveys, J.D. Power drivers awarded the 2013 F-150 an 80 out of 100 quality and reliability score, and a driving experience score of 84. This is a well-liked model year with a good deal of optionality.

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The next great option on our list takes us to the 13th generation of the Ford F-150, which began with the 2015 model year. The most notable change was that the truck body was constructed out of an aluminum alloy, because of this, the F-150 could be up to 700 pounds lighter than the previous generation while increasing efficiency and being able to tow more, impressing us here at SlashGear back when it was first released. There were also modern technological features, like a 360-degree camera, LED headlights, and active park assist, that became available options for 2015.

As a result, the pickup truck received high quality marks from drivers. The customers on Cars.com give it an overall average of 4.7 out of 5 stars. The Kelley Blue Book score is not too far behind either at 4.5 stars. Once again, we see the customers on Edmunds be a bit more critical than the other sites, but a 4.1 star average is still impressive. For this generation of the F-150, the 2015 model has the highest reliability score from Consumer Reports. Its 3 out of 5 owner satisfaction score matches almost every model year from this generation, but its reliability score pushes it ahead of the pack. 2015 also has the best scores from J.D. Power we've seen yet, earning an overall 86 out of 100 for the truck, with an 82 quality and reliability score, and an exceptional 96 driving experience score.

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We look to the 14th and current generation of the Ford F-150 for our last entry. This generation began with the 2021 model year, but the one to recommend the most for your used vehicle needs would be the model from 2022, though the two have fairly comparable customer ratings. Kelley Blue Book drivers give this the best star ratings with an overall average of 4.4 out of 5 stars, while Edmunds come in just behind that with a 4.2 star average. At the bottom is Cars.com, where customers have given it a 3.9 star average. However, this number should be taken with a grain of salt as it only accounts for 11 different reviews, which is a small sample size compared to the 34 on Kelley Blue Book or the 43 on Edmunds. Drivers surveyed by J.D. Power are extremely positive too, awarding it an overall average of 84 out of 100 with a quality and reliability score of 86.

Another reason why the 2022 model year was chosen is because this saw the introduction of the Ford F-150 Lightning, the all-electric version of the popular pickup. For some people, getting an electric vehicle is extremely important, be it for environmental purposes or economic ones, and it just doesn't exist for the 2021 model year. SlashGear had quite a lot of positive things to say about the 2022 F-150 Lightning, and regardless of its powertrain, the F-150 made our list of the best pickup trucks of 2022. If you are wanting a newer model, this is the one to go with.

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It is time to move on to the Ford F-150 model years that are definitely not worth your time, if you are on the used automobile market. First off, we are going back a couple of decades to the 2004 model year for a very missable pickup truck.

Drivers on CarComplaints have expressed a shockingly high number of issues with this model year, adding up to nearly 1,200 submitted complaints, almost double the next worst of any F-150 model year. The most common complaint that makes up around 50% of the total has to do with the truck's windows. It has a massive issue with windows not being able to be rolled up, causing problems concerning weather, theft, pests, and other things. That isn't the only common issue with its windows either, as the rear window can also be faulty and leaks can occur even if the windows are closed.

The 2004 F-150 also has many reported engine problems, ranging from total engine failure to spark plugs breaking off. It has also been known to have transmission failures, differential failures, and overdrive failures. Overall, this F-150 has been subjected to 16 different recalls, and most of these are not even for the issues mentioned, as they frequently concern exterior lights and fuel system problems. This is an easy pass.

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After the 2004 model was such a disaster, you would hope that the Ford F-150 would be able to course correct with the 2005 model. However, many of the same problems that befell that model would also occur with this one. 

The 2005 F-150 has the dishonor of having the second most problems submitted by drivers on CarComplaints. That number may be a near 50% drop from the previous year, but it is still over 660 submitted complaints. Once again, the biggest offender is the truck's windows. The most consistent complaint is a failure with the regulator that controls the power windows, meaning you would not be able to roll them up or down. If that wasn't the issue with its window, maybe a driver would find that the window would simply fall directly into the door, which is the second most prevalent issue. Add on top of that a handful of instances of the windshield cracking on its own, and it's not a model to rush out and buy.

Not only did Ford not fix these window problems after the 2004 model, it seemingly did not fix the engine and transmission issues found in that model either, as there are still plenty of submitted instances of failures of both, and spark plugs plainly breaking. The 2005 model was subject to 14 recalls, many of which were the exact same ones as 2004. The mid-2000s were a bad time for the F-150.

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The 12th generation may be regarded incredibly highly — earning two spots on this list for recommendation — but even the best eras of any vehicle can have a model that you will want to avoid. After hitting it out of the park with the 2009 model to kick off this generation, the Ford F-150 took a significant step backwards when it came to the 2010 followup. The problems here come down to some elements being poorly built, that really should have been taken care of before it ever came off the factory line.

According to drivers on CarComplaints, the most frequent problem for the 2010 F-150 is, once again, the windows. The trouble here is with the rear window, which had the possibility of shattering. For those who were not dealing with a shattered rear window, they might instead be dealing with one that leaks. A recall was never issued for this problem, but it was clearly a consistent defect with this model. 

The 2010 F-150 also has many reports of shifting gears being an issue. Shifting from second to first, in particular, seemed to give many drivers a problem with its stiffness, and unless you are a driver who drives automatic, shifting gears is of paramount importance. Even with all these issues, only one recall was ever issued for the 2010 model, for a malfunctioning door spring. Clearly, more was wrong with this truck.

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The final Ford F-150 model year that you need to avoid brings us much closer to the present day, though it is not from the current generation. It just goes to show you that no matter how many times you update your vehicle, there will always be times where things go wrong, and that is exactly what happened with the 2018 model year for the pickup truck, which CarComplaints determines to be the absolute worst year for the vehicle.

Although other model years have registered far more complaints from drivers — sometimes hundreds more complaints — the reasoning behind this vehicle's poor reputation centers on the severity of the issues and how much it could potentially cost you to have them fixed. Unlike the previously mentioned poor models, the major things that have been submitted for the 2018 model have to do with the engine and transmission. However, there is no consensus with what the problems are, as they range from rattling to stalling, to excessive oil consumption to poor shifting. It's one thing to have a glaring problem that you can point at, and it's another to have a myriad of issues that could affect any customer.

Surveyed customers back this up too. This is the lowest rated model year from J.D. Power with an overall score of 77 out of 100. There are 15 different recalls issued for this model year too, including several regarding the engine. If you don't want a headache, skip the 2018 Ford F-150.

[Featured image by Kevauto via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]

Choosing these model years was a very careful process, and our approach came from the viewpoint of your average used vehicle buyer and what information would be helpful to them. This is largely why all of these selections come from the 21st Century. Ratings and reviews from drivers are simply far more plentiful and easy to access from this era than from the decades prior. We looked to reliable places where customers leave their ratings for automobiles, such as Edmunds, Kelley Blue Book, and Cars.com. In the case of finding out what model years drivers were not enthused with, CarComplaints was the primary source, as here drivers are able to lay out exactly what issues plague their trucks.

Publications like J.D. Power and Consumer Reports that independently survey real drivers were also utilized, primarily for how they measured a given year's reliability. For someone looking for a used model, that is exceptionally important. Once all of these sources were taken into consideration, the four recommendations and the four warnings for the Ford F-150 were able to be chosen.

[Featured image by Bull-Doser via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | Public Domain]