2013 Ford F-150: engine and transmission complaints
VERY HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
61%
1,669 of 2,796 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system
61% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2013 Ford F-150 are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. Well over half of everything owners reported is the drivetrain. That is a severe model-level pattern; every model year we track at this level has a documented failure behind it.
Worse than 81% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).
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
POWER TRAIN06/29/20242 INJURED
Transmission failure, leaded frame model. Truck down shift from 6th to 1st gear and or locks up in 3rd or 5th gear won’t shift up or down. Going 75mph to 1st gear through the truck into a drift and spin. Avoid cars and side wall on pure luck do low traffic. Had kids in the vehicle at the time. Problem has been repro…
ENGINE07/28/2023FIRE2 INJURED
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at 35 mph, the passenger noticed smoke underneath the hood. The driver pulled over, opened the hood, and noticed smoke and fire between the fire wall and engine. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact and other motorists extinguish…
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES12/05/2021CRASH2 INJURED
Vehicle accelerated without driver pressing gas pedal and RPM gauge jumped up to 5 (which is red zone). Brake pedal went to the floor when brakes were applied instead of causing the vehicle to stop. Emergency brake was used, and driver lost control of the vehicle resulting in a terrible accident. The crash caused injur…
Three of 1,669 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 (3)
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2013 F-150 vehicles equipped with a 6-speed automatic transmission. The transmission may unexpectedly downshift into …
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013 F-150 vehicles equipped with 5.0L or 6.2L gasoline engines, that previously had the powertrain control module (PCM) so…
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FLUID
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 F-150 vehicles manufactured August 1, 2013, to August 31, 2014 equipped with 3.5L engines. The master…
This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.
Before you buy a 2013 Ford F-150
Ask the seller whether the transmission has ever been repaired or replaced, and whether the car has shown shuddering, slipping, delayed or harsh shifts, or a whine at speed.
Drive it from a cold start and long enough to warm up. Many transmission faults hide once the car is warm.
Get an independent pre-purchase inspection from a mechanic you choose, and tell them to focus on the transmission.
3 recall campaigns on this model year. Whether a specific car still has one open depends on the VIN; the report checks that.
Ask for service records. A transmission already replaced under warranty is a different car from one that was not.
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.
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.
