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Selling a junk Ford F-150

Any F-150 sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.

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What owners report about the Ford F-150

NHTSA has 44,577 owner complaints on file for the Ford F-150, model years 1995 to 2022, the most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are transmission and drivetrain (8,811, 20%), engine (4,475, 10%), electrical system (3,537, 8%). 1,966 complaints involved a crash, 2,047 a fire, and 1,118 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 69,000 miles. The 2013 model year has the most complaints (3,970). Data as of 2026-10-12.

When the top complaint is transmission and drivetrain, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to selling a car with a bad transmission: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.

Ford F-150 by model year

YearComplaintsMost reportedCrashFireRecallsMedian miles
1995788Brakes611247117,000
1996383Electrical system22877115,000
19973,285Engine and cooling20529626109,000
19981,624Fuel system9610718112,837
19991,323Engine and cooling116851899,000
20001,276Electrical system1023871792,550
20011,451Engine and cooling1132921998,000
2002965Engine and cooling631151094,000
2003527Engine and cooling57471169,583
20042,432Visibility and wipers100531662,000
20051,364Visibility and wipers66421463,500
2006742Brakes73211466,000
2007625Engine5116764,000
2008456Steering4815164,000
2009400Speed control348258,500
20101,137Visibility and wipers3346159,000
20112,984Transmission and drivetrain8228670,000
20122,449Transmission and drivetrain5721461,000
20133,970Transmission and drivetrain10348375,000
20141,950Transmission and drivetrain5727865,000
20152,271Transmission and drivetrain73241451,650
20162,618Transmission and drivetrain79421447,000
20171,842Transmission and drivetrain54251852,000
20182,890Transmission and drivetrain105541941,000
20191,725Transmission and drivetrain3011961,000
2020923Transmission and drivetrain3261140,000
20211,350Transmission and drivetrain1972947,000
2022827Transmission and drivetrain35132327,385

Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.

Ford F-150 recalls

NHTSA lists 158 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for lights (27), transmission and drivetrain (25), fuel system (10). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.

  • 2021 model year, driver assistance (campaign 26V489000, Jul 2026): Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2023 F-150 and 2023-2026 F-250 SD vehicles equipped with 8-inch SYNC infotainment screens. A software error may cause the rearview camera image to be obstructed by the …
  • 2021 model year, transmission and drivetrain (campaign 26V402000, Jun 2026): Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Navigator, Expedition, 2020-2021 Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, and 2021 F-150 vehicles. The transmission park pawl may engage while the vehicle is in motion, resultin…
  • 2014 model year, transmission and drivetrain (campaign 26V378000, Jun 2026): Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2014 F-150 vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 24V444. A loss of signal between the transmission output shaft speed sensor and the powert…
  • 2017 model year, electrical system (campaign 26V370000, Jun 2026): Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 F-150 vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 17V053. The instrument cluster may lose power after initial vehicle start-up in cold ambient temperat…
  • 2018 model year, lights (campaign 26V373000, Jun 2026): Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 F-150 vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 20V097. When the headlight switch is turned from "Autolamps" to "Headlamps On," the Daytime Runn…

What a Ford F-150 is worth as a junk car

Buyers price a junk F-150 on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.

Guides for selling this car

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Questions people ask

What is a junk Ford F-150 worth?
What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same F-150 gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
Will a junkyard buy a Ford F-150 that doesn't run?
Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
Should I fix an open recall before selling a Ford F-150?
Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
Where do these Ford F-150 numbers come from?
From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.