Certain Blue Oval models – like the current-generation Ford Explorer – have earned a bit of a reputation for being unreliable – in some cases, for valid reasons. FoMoCo is working to rectify its well-documented quality woes with a goal of obtaining best-in-class reliability by 2025 for select models, though that process could ultimately take months or even years to begin to produce results. In the meantime, Consumer Reports recently identified the 2023 Ford Explorer as a popular vehicle to avoid for its quality woes and various other reasons, but interestingly enough, the 2023 Ford F-150 also landed on that same list.
Consumer Reports notes that many new vehicle shoppers intend to prioritize things like reliability and safety, but ultimately, wind up falling for styling or image instead. That’s precisely where this list comes into play – the 2023 Ford F-150 is a hugely successful vehicle in the salesroom, and yet, its reliability data lags behind the competition.
“Ford proudly boasts that the F-Series has been the best-selling truck line in America for 46 consecutive years,” CR noted. “That big volume – and subsequent profit – fuels the ongoing innovations seen in the F-150, such as high-tech tools to make towing easier and safer. But all the bluster doesn’t make the F-150 the best truck. Its ride, handling, and reliability come up short.”
Indeed, Consumer Reports has assigned a below average predicted reliability score to the 2023 Ford F-150, as well as a mediocre overall rating of 58 out of 100. However, it is worth noting that the pickup’s road test and predicted owner satisfaction scores both ranked above average, so there are at least a couple of positive takeaways from this particular report.
We’ll have more on the 2023 Ford F-150 soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford F-Series news, Ford F-150 news, and ongoing Ford news coverage.
Comments
I say CR should be avoided…
I agree, my worst cars have been toyota and Honda. They were nice but rusted or blow headgaskets, or rear differential or transmission or….. And CR always says they are great and recommended … Did I just always get the lemon?
Really? Pretty much everyone i know with Hondas and Toyotas won’t buy anything else. They have the most reliable vehicles made.
I have had many cars and trucks all chevy ford and a ram, one Toyota I bought new well cared for and the most cheaply made vehicle I ever owned high priced piece of junk. it literally fell apart by 80.000 miles. I wanted to like it, but it embarrassed me getting towed.
Amen.
Fords workability is superior by far.
Buy a car if you want a soft ride.
It would be so nice if some auto manufacturer, Ford or other, would make a ‘Plain Jane’ truck that has little to no electronic frills, whistles and bells, for us who use a truck as a daily partner in farming and other ‘get dirty’ work on a regular basis. Who needs the fancy stuff if one is harvesting a crop & carrying it to storage bins, barns and who needs a fancy truck when towing equipment from field to field, then toting manure, hay, grains, or small livestock in the back of the truck. And where did the 8-foot truck beds disappear to? Who needs all trucks to have 4 doors? Who needs all the frills when filling the trunk with dogs in cages to go hunting in the back woods? Where are the new basic trucks? The ones with AM and FM radio options so we can listen to something at night when traveling & WOWO (AM) can be heard from Omaha to SE Alaska, when those FM stations blur out from static and distance? Please bring back the 1970s work trucks, for farmers, ranchers and small company construction and repair people! We need something with an 8-foot truck bed, no fancy electronics to keep us from finding where the air filter or carburetor is under all the wiring, and bring back trucks that have 13 or 14 inch tires, for those of us edging into older age but still very active, and who are perhaps a bit height-challenged. When one has to return to the era of running boards and extendable steps to enter the truck, building an ‘impressive’ or ‘He-Man’ image truck is truly stupid. Build us a truck we can use (and occasionally – or often – abuse) that will save us going to junk yards on weekends to keep Old Betsy running while we wait for corporate brains to catch on that not everyone wants to be driving a ‘self-driving’ or nearly so, truck. Trucks began as utility vehicles, but have become status symbols. Put that effort into the luxury cars, and give us a basic work truck, please.
Exactly! I wouldn’t mind wind up windows, turn-key ignition, no touchscreen or navigation and all the other basics if it meant a reliable, long-lasting, easy to work on and much cheaper truck! I hate the new systems like push button start, auto start/stop, and all the other useless features. Just give us a basic, but good looking truck! It can’t be that hard.
You said it best!! I do not want all the gimmicks and gadgets that will cost a lot to fix down the line. I need a nice dependable hard working truck that starts up and goes with a key, i can roll my own windows down, i can use my mirrors to back up, I dont need cameras, ability to sync to my phone. No buttons to push, no fobs with battery’s.I Dont need 4 doors, I need the 8 ft bed to fit in as much hay as i can in one trip! Most important to be affordable $70k for a pickup truck is craziness!
All manufacturers make what you are requesting and have been forever. No one buys them buy fleets. The Ford XL, Silverado W/T, Ram Tradesman, Toyota SR (not SR5) are the trims. These vehicles are also significantly cheaper than the well appointed counterparts, with the cheapest starting at $30,695 MSRP. Air boxes are in the same place in all off them, easily accessible (usually on the passenger side front right when you open the hood)
People say they want this, but don’t buy them. Most people want a comfortable truck that is comfortable and well appointed.
So #1 selling vehicle for 46 years means nothing to CR. I guess they think it’s only people that have never owen them before buy them.
Gotta say Ford’s lack of quality has inflicted the F-Series. Built Ford Tough apparently does not apply to wheel bearings, transmissions, or driveshafts that fail at less than 70,000 miles.
I owned a 2019 F-150 V-8 engine pinging was normal as told by the service department. Transmission issues galore, broke down 3 times due to the transmission, twice under warranty and the third time $1800 out of pocket. Traded the junk in with 70K miles for a Tundra!
Lou I don’t believe your story transmission problems galore besides 2 times under warranty and 1 $1800 worth out of pocket your laying the butter a little too thick for me, not that I am calling you a liar I am just saying you are not honest.
My coworker has the 10 spd. in his F150. He had issues at low mileage. I believe Lou.
I don’t believe it either and I truly wonder how many comments like this are bought and paid for. Not saying Ford trucks are perfect and this can’t happen, but it just doesn’t sound in line with what other owners are saying.
I own a 2018 F150 with nearly 80K miles. 5.0 with 10 speed transmission. What he says is true ( especially about the pinging). Engine pings, transmission hunts and recently overheated during a trip. Let it cool off and all is fine. I like the truck but issues like this will make me think a bit before I buy another. My 2007 Tacoma with 170K miles had none of these issues. That said, it also had less technology. I do like the 10 speed for the gas mileage. The ride for our trips is just fine and view from the cabin is fine as well. Average close to 21 MPG in our drives from Phoenix to Dallas. I’m not unhappy, just wish it didn’t ping.
Let me preface this comment by saying I realize not all F-150’s have issues. Here’s mine: My well maintained (by fleet manager) 2019 F150 started having transmission issues around 80,000 miles. Had an instance with very rough ride where my truck didn’t know when to shift on interstate highway with shoulder closed due to construction and I thought I was going to break down in the right lane which is very dangerous around Northern VA. The gear indicator came on. Transmission shop re-set my computer. That helped but didn’t fix it. After more, less major issues ended up replacing the transmission with a new transmission which had a problem within a week of driving so that got replaced under warranty with transmission shop. As of yesterday I am still having issues with how it shifts. Reading up on various forums there seems to be a known problem with the 10 speed transmissions that Ford hasn’t done anything to fix. I’m looking for a new truck from a different manufacturer at this point. Until Ford publicly says they designed a poor transmission and they’ve fixed the flaws I’m staying away.
Your tundra has the same transmission and if you had bothered to read your owners manual the 5.0 requires 91 octane if you don’t want to hear the destination.
Good thing you retired, quality is now going up. Most quality issues come from disgruntled union workers.
LOL got a source for that one? I think the quality issues stem from quite the opposite – the emphasis on maximalist cost-reduction and offshoring.
I just bought a 150. Looked like I’ll get to use that extended warranty after all.
Don’t believe this BS. Just take care of your truck and don’t expect to do something it’s not rated for (specs exist for a reason) unless you want to repair or modify it.
I’d like to say good job on all the comments glad to see so many stick up for what they believe in, Ford. Now I through my wrench in for Crooked Reports, I once was a follower of their reports only to find out what they said was the top of the line products was just as big a piece of junk as any, you know what I mean when it flys apart 1 month after warranty. I’ve said it before I don’t put a lot of faith in consumer reports after 46 years now nobody should buy a F 150 makes a guy wonder what these guys get shoved under the table this is nothing but B S I will match my new F 150 to my last Chevy in joy ride or handling while pulling my large boat and my test ride of the new Chevy buck board isn’t much of a improvement.
Test drive and make your own comparisons, you don’t need someone telling you what to buy!!!!
After 15-yrs of being a “Remote Tester/Contributor” for CR, I dropped them as the “under the table” offers ruled over honest reporting. I have very little confidence in their new reports.
I have a 2012 F150 XLT/FX4 Off Road Ecoboost 3.5 SuperCrew, 6-Speed Tranny and tow package that has been heavily used with 212,479 miles on the odometer, regularly serviced and the only real problems that have had with it is the poorly designed front hub axle shafts that barely mesh with the hubs to lock in 4×4. It still rides better than any other truck or car that I have ever owned, and if I sanely drive, I average 18-20 mpg of 87-octane regular. No Engine problems, No Transmission problems, No Rear-end problems. I have had reoccurring rusting problems on the L&R rear corner of the 4-Dr Cab (must have been designed by a Chevrolet Engineer), and the standard driver seat crush. I love the truck and won’t be looking at a new one (I’m 75-yrs old), but may go for a 2016 in same configuration.
Rode in a friend of mines 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500, he traded in his 2013 F150 XLT Extended Cab Ecoboost for his POS Silverado and has regretted it ever since. Noisy, rough riding and when he tows his 9×18 trailer with SxS Polaris rigs on it, it has the typical Chevy/GMC tail squat from those useless coil springs.
Just wish the 4×4 front hub problems (had it on my last 3 Ford 4×4’s) that Ford has would be fixed with a better Axle-Hub lockup…
I agree with CR. Anyone who reads this news-letter on a regular basis should be well aware that Ford definitely has some significant quality issues with most models. CEO Jim Farley has acknowledged quality issues and even said it may take years to fix. He has been quoted many times in this news-letter. As for me, I have a 2017 Lariat which has been extremely disappointing. There have been too many issues for me to list here but the biggest issue is a class action lawsuit for an alleged defective brake master cylinder. Also paint began to peel off my tailgate and roof after the truck was five years old. My truck was well cared for, waxed annually, and not used for work. Fit and finish is very poor. I could mention several other problems but won’t. I am very happy for those who have an F-150 without problems. I love the basic look of the truck, and I hope Ford can build in more quality soon. I also agree with the person who wants a basic truck without all the electronic gadgets. Good luck to all F-150 owners and the Ford.
If you’re complaining about fit and fini6on a Ford truck, then you’ve never been in a Chevy or Dodge.
Hell, Dodge trucks rust so fast they might as well not even bother painting them.
The rust problem was solved on Rams a long time ago.
I’ve got a 2017 f250 with a 6.2 gas. Bought it used with 54,000 MI it has 356, 000 + now. It has needed coils, plug wires. Only now one of the cylinders is 7% below mean compression. Deliver travel trailers with it towing probably 80% of the time. I’d call that a pretty good truck.
I remember as a teenager I got a Consumer Reports guide book. It informed the the 1998 Ford Ranger was no good because it “Rode like a Truck.”
I hate automotive journalists with a passion. I have since I read that absolutely moronic comment 16 years ago.
They do not own the vehicles they write about. They’re handed a press vehicle and abuse it until the next one shows up. They have the luxury of being finicky about the quality of the stitching on the back of the seats.
Ask the mechanics what vehicles they work on the most. Which ones do they run themselves.
You all should have bought the 2017 F150 with the V8 COYOTE and 6 speed transmission. After that year the woke government mandated all of the green bs, and everythhates has gone to haties.
My father gave me a subscription to CR a few years back. Some time thereafter I received a survey from CR asking me to rate everything from cars to toilet paper. I had four Fords and rated them all excellent. I never received another survey from them.
Regarding their recommends, I used their advice for a coffee maker, weed whacker and lawn mower. None of which I’d buy again.
I’ve owned Ford vehicles exclusively since 1981 and have spun the odometers on most. They work for me. I maintain them and haven’t had the issues others including CR talk about. I’m looking to replace my ’16 F150 with 111k trouble free miles on it with a ’23 F150…. My seventh.
I am with you 100% good to hear and good for you I am buying another Ford too.
Just curious what features CR rated as unreliable on the F-150. Was it the drivetrains or the infotainment systems that had too much lag time or that they weren’t smart enough to use? I’m betting the latter.
I had a 22 F-150 Tremor, it was a nightmare, issue after issue. Paid close to $80K out the door, sold it to Carvana for $40K. My first Ford and my last Ford. Dealers couldn’t or wouldn’t resolve the issues.
Dang dude. I bout my XLT for $47 after tax, drove for 2 years, and sold to Carvana for $44.
See guys this is my issue when someone pumps us full of such nonsense $80k out the door in like 1 year unload it to Carvana for $40k even a rich man is smart enough and would not to do that, besides short on money you are a little short on something else 😂
Baloney!!!!
Please provide more info.
Sounds like you are impatient and rolling in cash.
Are you in a lemon law state?
I still don’t get where the reports are coming from. The trucks been out at the earliest 7 months, I’ve got a 23 5.0 STX and haven’t had a single problem with it, with 10k miles on it. No oddities from the transmission, no pinging, no oil consumption, nothing, and I drive it hard at times too. Run nothing but 93 and E85 in mine too. Who knows. Came from a Ram, love my Ford.
I had a ‘20 5.0 XLT. Loved the power but the engine pinging on anything but 93 octane became a big deal. The cluster/center stack chimes were also wildly inconsistent, never knowing what it was gonna sound like on a given day. Even when the truck was off and parked… the dang AC compressor would howl like a midnight train because it was getting pressurized on the wrong side. To top it off, the Ford Pass App was extremely half baked and unreliable.
Consumer Reports is a garbage trash rag when it comes to vehicles. They trashed the Colorado in 2019 and a month or so later the Colorado and Canyon won Motor Trend’s Truck of the Year. If you took an F-150 and put Toyota badges and nameplates on it the dolts at CR would be creaming their jeans over it. Ignore them when it comes to their opinions on vehicles.
CR should stick to reviewing kitchen appliances. they’re way out of their element when it comes to anything outside the home.
I’ll stick with my 97 F-250 Heavy Duty. Gas hog. Still reliable 351 at 260,000+ miles, never had the valve covers off. Vent windows. Bullet proof. Manual Warn hubs. Upgraded less than a decade ago to an in-dash CD player!
“vent windows” … I was looking at my van this weekend and the static triangular windows wondering if I could convert them to vent windows. Vent windows are very convenient, great for airflow (especially if you get into your vehicle after sweating like a hog), but they have inexplicably disappeared. A simple and useful feature.
Ford has been using Germany to design there electronics and engineer there Powertrain.
This is a big mistake as anything made or engineered in Germany is over engineered. Keep it simple is not in the German vocabulary. Just look under the cover in the frunk in the Mustang E.
Look under the hood of the F150. Hoses everywhere.
This lack of the Kiss method is showing up everywhere even here.
I’m a Ford man have been for many years F150, F250 diesel, mustang Gt, GT350.. purchased a new 2021 Ford explorer ST… it had the performance it had the handling it had beautiful wheels, brake calipers, I mean a very sharp SUV …however, I have to be honest there were two paint issues a couple of body ding issues, had to reflash the computer to get to turn signals in the rearview mirrors to work properly , XM radio issues , a seat issue.. everything but the paint issues were handled by warranty. The dings in the door from the factory had to be popped out one was not ever completely fixed. @31,000 miles traded it for a maverick … I work part time for Bmw Audi dealer, the issues with the explorer would’ve never made the showroom floor where it either one of those brands..( I will note that this particular ST was a post Covid delivery) . Not sure if that matters or not but it is what it is.
CR used to serve a purpose, but that was decades ago. Their advice on a lot of things is very bad, automobiles in particular. A few years ago they suggested not buying the Chevy Colorado because the seats are uncomfortable! That’s rather subjective. You should not buy any vehicle if you find the seats uncomfortable, but you don’t need some third person to tell you what you find uncomfortable. There worst advice is in the area of portable generators, where the author of the articles it s chef and doesn’t understand some very basic concepts about electricity. Bottom line: CR gives bad advice and should not be listened to or quoted.
I have two 2022 Fords and Explorer (25k miles) and an Edge (23k miles). I haven’t had one issue with them other than some QC issues like the retainers in cup holders breaking and maybe they need to clean their paint booth at the factory. Mechanically, they are both very solid so I don’t put much water into CR’s assessment.
Every manufacturer on the planet has issues. I’ve put over a million miles on 3 different ford 150s and 250s. Never had a single drive train issue. I think there’s far too many bells and whistles on these things now that makes them electronic nightmares if you have an issue.
Have a 2019 F150 and rue the day I ever got it. Engine quality is subpar. Valve rattle every time accelerate. Uses 3 quarts of oil every 5000 miles. Have had earlier F150’s with no issues at all and a smile on my face. Quality at Ford is no longer Job 1.
Went through 3 Ford work trucks during my career and they were all junk.
You probably abuse and don’t maintain them. I have driven twice that many, driving one now and will buy another. So…
My understanding is that the 10 speed auto in newer Fords is a collaboration with GM.
The experience I had was 4 visits to the dealer because it was very slow going into reverse
Especially when cold, they replaced everything but the case. Finally fixed then I dealt it as overly complicated.
Who remembers in 2015 when the Tesla Model S received the highest rated ever report by Consumer Report? LOL. That’s all you need to know about CR — Crooked Report.
The 2023 F-150 gets an 86 rating for quality and reliability by JD Power. In their terminology this is considered “great” and are based on a sample VIN’s, not the faulty CR method of using subscribers.
I have a 2018 F-150 with the coyote engine, 54,000 miles been in the shop over a dozen times for , front wheel bearing replacement, the big issue with my truck is that engine burns a quart of oil every 1200 miles. When it had 6000 miles on it I heard the engine ticking? Checked the oil and none showing on the dip stick? Ford dealer has tried every excuse as to why it uses a quart every 1200. Now i see on you-tube and Google search that this coyote engine from 2018-20 have this servere problem, so much so that they have a class action lawsuit against them from owners of this engine. Check it out on google.or you-tube.
So why is Ford admitting there’s a problem with them.. hmmmmm
My 2018 F150 XLT has been great.. cept the Cam Phasers are going out now at 135k.. not sure if they have ever been replaced in the past… But it’s a nasty noise and an expensive fix.
That 2018 F150 XLT that I have is a 3.5 eco boost by the way..
Fast sum gun