"How reliable is the 1998 Ford F-150?"

"Based on 1624 NHTSA complaints, the 1998 Ford F-150 has a median complaint mileage of 112337 miles. The most common issue is FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE."

"What are common problems with the 1998 Ford F-150?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1998 Ford F-150 is FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE, accounting for a significant portion of the 1624 total complaints filed."

1998 Ford F-150: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 1624 complaints

1624

Total Complaints

112,337mi

Median Mileage

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

80,000 25th Percentile

112,337 Median Mileage

150,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

141

STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR

110

TIRES

SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:TORSION BAR

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

TIRES:TREAD/BELT

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Severity Assessment

Crashes

107

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"CONSUMER EXPERIENCED HIGH ACCELERATION WHILE DRIVING. THROTTLE CABLE GOT HOOKED ON SOMETHING, CAUSING GAS PEDAL TO STAY OPEN, CAUSING OUTER CONTROL SPEED. DEALER NOTIFED. *AK"

"TRANSMISSION AND THE AXEL BROKE DOWN. THE ROD THAT CONNECTS THE AXEL TO THE TRANSMISSION FELL OFF. THE DEALER PRESENTLY HAS THE TRUCK. *AK"

"WHILE DRIVNG VEHICLE AT 63-68 MPH THERE IS VIBRATION IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT. DEALER STATED NEW VEHICLES WITH TRYTON ENGINE HAVE THESE PROBLEMS. CAUSE HAS NOT BEEN CORRECTED. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28