Is the 1999 Ford F-150 reliable?

Based on NHTSA complaint volume compared to this model's typical year, the 1999 Ford F-150 is rated "typical".

What are the most common problems with the 1999 Ford F-150?

The most-reported component is engine and engine cooling, accounting for 22% of complaints on file.

How many recalls does the 1999 Ford F-150 have?

18 recalls on file for this model year.

1999 Ford F-150

● Typical for this model

1999 Ford F-150
BUILT 2026-10-10

This year's complaint volume is within 30% of this model's typical year.

This verdict reflects complaint volume compared to this model's typical year. Recalls and safety issues below apply regardless of the verdict — always check them.

How is this computed?

Complaints: 1,044
Recalls: 18
Investigations: 5
Top problem: Engine and engine cooling

Complaints per year

1999: 1,044 complaints

View as data table

Year	Complaints
1984	2
1987	2
1989	14
1990	21
1991	306
1992	479
1993	588
1994	700
1995	626
1996	324
1997	2,758
1998	1,381
1999	1,044
2000	1,076
2001	1,236
2002	821
2003	423
2004	2,029
2005	1,112
2006	585
2007	488
2008	369
2009	324
2010	843
2011	2,188
2012	1,781
2013	2,987
2014	1,532
2015	1,711
2016	2,054
2017	1,438
2018	2,307
2019	1,325
2020	732
2021	1,014
2022	592
2023	408
2024	191
2025	105
2026	10
2027	0

Known problem areas

Percentages can add to more than 100% — a complaint can name more than one system.

Engine and engine cooling

22% · 225 reports

Most commonly citing engine and gasoline.

FIREINJURY

Fuel system, gasoline

12% · 122 reports

Most commonly citing mounting and tank assembly.

FIRE

Service brakes

11% · 119 reports

Most commonly citing hydraulic and air.

CRASHFIREINJURY

Show complaint excerpts

Pulled into parking space, applied brake and pedal went all the way to floor. Truck rolled forward into bumper of parked car.

NHTSA ODI report, 2012-12-20

Structure

9% · 97 reports

Most commonly citing door and body.

FIREINJURY

Electrical system

8% · 85 reports

Most commonly citing wiring and fuses and circuit breakers.

CRASHFIRE

Show complaint excerpts

1999 Ford F150. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle catching fire while parked. *ld consumer writes in regard to sending in extra information regarding their case.

NHTSA ODI report, 2019-02-21

Also filed under Engine

Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked and ignited in flames. The contact stated that the vehicle was driven earlier that day but the vehicle seemed to function normally.

NHTSA ODI report, 2012-09-20

Safety timeline

18 recalls · 5 investigations · oldest first

To check one car, enter its VIN on the NHTSA recall page. Check a VIN →

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1998-08-11Vehicle speed control98V192000 Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks. A speed control cable may not have fully seated into the accelerator bracket at time of installation. If the cable is not fully seated into this…

Remedy: Dealers will add a retaining clip to the speed control cable fitting at the accelerator bracket.

Check if this car was fixed →
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1998-08-14Fuel system, gasoline98V194000 Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks. The fuel pressure regulator o-ring may have been damaged when the fuel pressure regulator was installed in the engine fuel rail. If the o-ring is…

Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel pressure regulator.

Check if this car was fixed →
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1999-06-09Equipment99V039000 Vehicle description: 4X4 vehicles with off road and high fgawr option packages, and 4X2 vehicles with sport option package. The tire and rim identification information is incorrect on the…

Remedy: Owners will be provided with a revised label overlay.

Check if this car was fixed →
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1999-07-12Preliminary evaluationClosed 1999-09-23 Blow back during refueling
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2000-11-11Equipment00V284000 Vehicle description: bi-fuel cng pickup trucks and bi-fuel cng vans, modified by cfi control systems, inc., fail to conform to the requirements of FMVSS No. 303, "Fuel system integrity of…

Remedy: Owners will be provided a label with the required statement, along with instructions for affixing the label at the fuel filler door. Owner notification began November 2, 2000. Owners who take…

Check if this car was fixed →
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2001-12-20Equipment02V008000 Certain light duty pickup trucks equipped with a heavy duty service package fail to comply with the requirements of FMVSS No. 120, "Tire selection and rims for motor vehicles other than passenger…

Remedy: Owners will be sent a corrected tire information label and installation instructions. The customer may also have the dealer install the label on the vehicle, if they so desire. Owner notification…

Check if this car was fixed →
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2005-03-22Engineering analysisClosed 2006-08-02 Engine compartment fires
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2005-09-12Vehicle speed control05V388000 On certain pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles equipped with speed control, the speed control deactivation switch may overheat, smoke, or burn.

Remedy: By letter dated September 12, 2005, owners were instructed to return their vehicles to their dealers to have the speed control deactivation switch disconnected. Owners who have had their speed…

Check if this car was fixed →
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2005-09-22Defect petitionClosed 2006-01-04 Spark plug ejection from cylinder head
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2006-05-09Exterior lighting06E023000 Certain anzo combination headlamp assemblies sold as replacement lamps for use on certain passenger vehicles. Some combination lamps are not equipped with amber side reflectors which fail to…

Remedy: Anzo will notify owners and replace the headlamps free of charge. The recall began May 9, 2006. Owners may contact anzo USA at 909-468-3688.

Check if this car was fixed →
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2006-06-14Exterior lighting06E052000 Certain eagle eyes headlamps, p/nos. Fr208-B101R, FR208-B101L, FR208-B001R, and FR208-B001L, sold for use as replacement equipment for the passenger vehicles listed above. These headlamps fail to…

Remedy: Sabry lee will notify owners and offer full credit for any noncompliant headlamp. The recall is expected to begin on June 14, 2006. Owners may contact sabry lee account executive at 1-866-467-2279.

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2006-07-28Exterior lighting06E067000 Certain maxzone headlight assemblies, depo brand, p/nos. 331-1129L-asn and 331-1129R-asn, sold for use as aftermarket equipment for the above listed passenger vehicles. These headlamps fail to…

Remedy: Maxzone will notify owners and offer reimbursement for any noncompliant headlights. The recall began on July 28, 2006. Owners may contact maxzone at 909-822-3288.

Check if this car was fixed →
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2006-07-31Exterior lighting06E065000 Certain aj motorsport combination lamps sold as replacement lamps for use on the above listed passenger vehicles. Combination lamps not equipped with amber side reflectors fail to conform with the…

Remedy: Aj motorsport will notify owners and offer reimbursement for the lamps. The recall began on July 31, 2006. Owners may contact aj motorsport at 626-618-2026.

Check if this car was fixed →
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2006-08-01Exterior lighting06E060000 Certain aai motorsports combination lamps sold as replacement lamps for use on the above list passenger vehicles. Combination lamps not equipped with amber side reflectors fail to conform with the…

Remedy: Aai motorsports will notify owners and replace the lamps free of charge. The recall began on August 1, 2006. Owners may contact aai motorsports at 909-923-9188.

Check if this car was fixed →
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2006-08-04Fuel system, gasoline06E056000 Certain aftermarket fuel filters sold under the purolator brand name, p/n F65277, shipped from January 16 through June 2, 2006, for use on the above listed passenger vehicles. Due to incorrect…

Remedy: Ufi will notify owners and replace the filters free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2006. Owners may contact ufi filters USA at 800-230-5876.

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2007-09-05Equipment07E066000 Certain cequent 90 degree 7-way right angle adaptors sold by distributors in tow packages for aftermarket sales to tow 5TH wheel rv travel trailers. Due to incorrect wiring of the harness, the…

Remedy: All of the defective tow packages are still at the distributor level and have not been sold to any consumers.

Check if this car was fixed →
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2008-12-17Exterior lighting08E050000 K2 motor is recalling 1,921 aftermarket headlamps of various models sold for use on the above listed vehicles. These headlamps are missing the amber side reflex reflector which fails to conform…

Remedy: K2 motor will notify owners and offer a full refund. The recall began on decemeber 17, 2008. Owners may contact K2 motor at 1-909-839-2992.

Check if this car was fixed →
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2009-05-11Exterior lighting09E012000 Sabersport is recalling 16,270 combination corner and bumper lamp assemblies of various part numbers sold for use as aftermarket equipment for various passenger vehicles. These headlamps fail to…

Remedy: Sabersport will notify owners and offer a full refund for the noncompliant combination lamps. The safety recall began on May 11, 2009. Owners may contact sabersport at 1-909-598-7589.

Check if this car was fixed →
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2009-07-28Exterior lighting09E025000 Dope, inc. Is recalling 42,540 combination corner and bumper lamp assemblies of various part numbers sold for use as aftermarket equipment for various passenger vehicles. These headlamps fail to…

Remedy: Dope, inc. Will notify owners and offer a full refund for the noncompliant combination lamps. The safety recall began on July 28, 2009. Owners may contact dope, inc. At 1-626-272-1798.

Check if this car was fixed →
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2010-09-07Preliminary evaluationClosed 2011-05-23 Fuel Tank Strap Corrosion/Rust
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2011-05-04Engineering analysisClosed 2011-08-19 Fuel Tank Strap Failure Due to Corrosion
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2011-09-12Fuel system, gasoline11V385000 Ford is recalling certain 1997 through 2003 model year Ford F-150, 2004 model year Ford F-150 heritage, 1997 through 1999 model year f-250 less than 8,500 lbs. Gross vehicle weight rating (Gvwr)…

Remedy: Ford will notify owners and instruct them to take their vehicles to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to have the fuel tank straps replaced with straps that have increased corrosion protection. Early in…

Check if this car was fixed →
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Date not on fileExterior lighting06E064000 Certain tradesonic combination lamps sold as replacement lamps for use on the above listed passenger vehicles.

Remedy: Tradesonic will notify owners and replace the lamps free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during July 2006. Owners may contact tradesonic at 626-934-8884.

Check if this car was fixed →

Buy-smart checklist

1999 Ford F-150 — pre-purchase inspection

Inspect

Engine and engine cooling: 225 reports on file for this year.
Fuel system, gasoline: 122 reports on file for this year.
Service brakes: 119 reports on file for this year.

Verify these recalls were completed

Recall 06E064000 · Exterior lighting
Recall 98V192000 · Vehicle speed control
Recall 98V194000 · Fuel system, gasoline
Recall 99V039000 · Equipment
Recall 00V284000 · Equipment
Recall 02V008000 · Equipment
Recall 05V388000 · Vehicle speed control
Recall 06E023000 · Exterior lighting
Recall 06E052000 · Exterior lighting
Recall 06E067000 · Exterior lighting
Recall 06E065000 · Exterior lighting
Recall 06E060000 · Exterior lighting
Recall 06E056000 · Fuel system, gasoline
Recall 07E066000 · Equipment
Recall 08E050000 · Exterior lighting
Recall 09E012000 · Exterior lighting
Recall 09E025000 · Exterior lighting
Recall 11V385000 · Fuel system, gasoline

Other years of this model

See all years ranked →

Best years3 years

Worst years3 years

FAQ

Is the 1999 Ford F-150 reliable?: Based on NHTSA complaint volume compared to this model's typical year, the 1999 Ford F-150 is rated "typical".
What are the most common problems with the 1999 Ford F-150?: The most-reported component is engine and engine cooling, accounting for 22% of complaints on file.
How many recalls does the 1999 Ford F-150 have?: 18 recalls on file for this model year.

Data updated 2026-10-09 · Complaints are unverified owner reports filed with NHTSA, not independently verified defects. Methodology.