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2010 Ford F-150: engine and transmission complaints

ELEVATED COMPLAINT SIGNAL
34%
273 of 800 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

34% of relevant owner complaints on the 2010 Ford F-150 are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. That is elevated. Worth an independent inspection before you commit to one.

Better than 63% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).

Excludes 50 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 32%).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
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Drivetrain complaints
273
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
850
this model year
Fires reported
35
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
1
23 crashes · 28 injuries

Complaints by component

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM168 · 20%
POWER TRAIN121 · 14%
ENGINE108 · 13%
VISIBILITY/WIPER105 · 12%
VISIBILITY96 · 11%
STRUCTURE92 · 11%

The years either side

2010
34%
273 of 850
2011
56%
1,176 of 2,137
2012
62%
1,044 of 1,717
2013
61%
1,669 of 2,796
2014
39%
515 of 1,362
2015
34%
459 of 1,425
2016
40%
674 of 1,743
2017
56%
598 of 1,116
2018
64%
1,173 of 1,895
2019
76%
735 of 994
2020
61%
323 of 543
2021
49%
561 of 1,253
2022
40%
292 of 800
2023
48%
226 of 500

Manufacturers fix things mid-generation. A bad year next to a clean one is common; the fix usually arrived in between.

Cleaner alternatives

Other full-size pickups with no elevated signal

The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.

What owners reported

ENGINE03/04/20155 INJURED
STARTED DRIVING THIS TRUCK AND EXHAUST FUMES STATED SMELLING IN THE TRUCK. CAUSING MY FAMILY TO SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION. *TR
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL01/13/2014CRASH2 INJURED
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 FORD F-150. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE PUTTING THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED ABNORMALLY AT AN EXCESSIVE SPEED. THE CONTACT THEN SHIFTED INTO DRIVE AND THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED UNCONTROLLABLY AND CRASHED INTO TWO VEHICLES. TWO PASSENGERS IN THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED INJURIES T…
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM07/23/2016FIRE1 INJURED
OUR 2010 FORD F-150 PLATINUM TRUCK CAUGHT FIRE WHILE MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING HE HAD TO JUMP OUT OF THE CAR TO SURVIVE. IT LOOKS LIKE THE GAS TANK CAUGHT ON FIRE AND THE ENTIRE TRUCK WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES AND COMPLETELY BURNED UP IN A FEW SECONDS. I HAVE PICTURES OF THE BURNED OUT TRUCK AND A VIDEO OF THE LAST PART OF T…

Three of 273 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.

Recall campaigns on this model year (1)

STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009 AND 2010 F-150 VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JANUARY 18, 2008, THROUGH NOVEMBER 30, 2009. THE INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE HOUSING EMBOSSM…

This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.

Before you buy a 2010 Ford F-150

Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.

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Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition of any individual vehicle. Combined across 3 body styles NHTSA files separately.