Used-car research · by model year

Know what breaks before you buy it.

Specs, documented problems by engine, and NHTSA complaint and recall records for the exact model year you are looking at.

Most looked up:

2018 F-150 2016 Silverado 1500 2.7-EcoBoost Charging system

63makesUS market, 1995 on8vehicle filesWritten model year by model yearNHTSAcomplaint dataPer model year, dated

Ford · 2018 3 problemspower train696engine281structure159

2018 Ford F-150 Lariat Crew Cab 3.5L EcoBoost front 4.22.19 by Kevauto · CC BY-SA 4.0 · cropped and resized

F-150

Pickup (Regular Cab, SuperCab, SuperCrew) · F-150 (13th gen)Open the file

250–395 hpPower

265–470 lb-ftTorque

19–25 mpgEPA comb.

5 enginesOffered that year

Where the complaints landNHTSA ODI · retrieved 2026-08-11

1,855total · 19 recalls

power train696engine281structure159unknown or other140electrical system106engine and engine cooling82

A complaint count is not a failure rate — it scales with how many were sold and how much attention a problem drew.

Mechanism, not rumour

Problem files, written once and linked to every year that shares the part.

All 25 problem files

Major repairEngineTurbocharger wear and failureA turbocharger runs at very high speed on an oil-fed bearing, driven by exhaust gas. Its condition is tied directly to the engine's oil history, which makes service records more informative here than on most components.Highly dependent on oil history; reports concentrate after 100,000 milesCost bandhigh Safety recallElectricalEngine block heater cable and the risk of fireA cold-weather option most owners never think about, recalled three times in three years — including once for damage caused by the previous recall repair. If the truck has a block heater, "recall completed" on a VIN check is not the end of the question here; what matters is whether the cable was replaced or only switched off.Corrosion-driven, so age and climate matter more than mileage. A truck that has spent ten winters somewhere salted is a different proposition from one that never saw a plugCost bandlow Safety recallSafety equipmentSeat belt pretensioner that can start a fire in a crashA front seat belt pretensioner fires in a crash, as it is supposed to, and the sparks it throws can set light to the insulation inside the door pillar. Ford recalled 1,619,112 F-150s for it. The repair is free with no expiry, and the cab style tells you in seconds whether a particular truck is in scope.Not a wear condition and not age-related. A brand-new truck and a 200,000-mile one carry it identically; only the repair record separates themCost bandlow

By model year and engine

Vehicle files

See all makes →

Ford · 2018

F-150

5 engines · 6-speed automatic · 10-speed automatic

Complaint volume1,855

—/10 · 0 ratings△ 10 problems19 recalls19–25 mpg

Chevrolet · 2016

Silverado 1500

3 engines · 6-speed automatic · 6-speed or 8-speed automatic · 8-speed automatic

Complaint volume793

—/10 · 0 ratings△ 7 problems11 recalls17–20 mpg

Ram · 2018

1500

3 engines · 8-speed automatic · 8-speed automatic (6-speed on some 4x4)

Complaint volume645

—/10 · 0 ratings△ 5 problems15 recalls17–23 mpg

Ford · 2015

F-150

4 engines · 6-speed automatic

Complaint volume1,425

—/10 · 0 ratings△ 10 problems14 recalls18–22 mpg

Ford · 2016

F-150

4 engines · 6-speed automatic

Complaint volume1,707

—/10 · 0 ratings△ 10 problems14 recalls18–21 mpg

Ford · 2017

F-150

4 engines · 6-speed automatic · 10-speed automatic

Complaint volume1,079

—/10 · 0 ratings△ 12 problems18 recalls18–22 mpg

Ford · 2019

F-150

5 engines · 6-speed automatic · 10-speed automatic

Complaint volume970

—/10 · 0 ratings△ 9 problems9 recalls19–25 mpg

Ford · 2020

F-150

5 engines · 6-speed automatic · 10-speed automatic

Complaint volume518

—/10 · 0 ratings△ 7 problems11 recalls19–24 mpg