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VinCanary

Reliability report · 2017 Ford F-150 · Updated July 2026 · ~$2,850/yr fuel · what it costs to keep →

A good truck exists here — behind a complete, verified recall history.

The 2017 is the debut year for the 10-speed automatic — and it shows, with 18 recalls (the most of any year we cover), three of them for the same recurring brake master cylinder defect and two for the new transmission. Engine is the top complaint category.

This can be a good truck, but only with a complete, verified recall history.

Evidence: 1,066 NHTSA complaints · 18 recall campaigns · 5 mechanic & forum sources

Canary status

Squawking

What that means: Debut year for the 10-speed automatic and 18 recalls — the most of any F-150 year we cover, including the same brake defect recalled three times. The paperwork IS the purchase decision.

CalmChirpingSquawkingFainted

1,066

Federal complaints

18

Recalls

$1,500–$3,000

Cam phaser job out of warranty

Federal crash tests

5-star scale
Overall
Frontal crash
Side crash
Rollover

Tested variant: 2017 Ford F-150 Crew Cab PU/CC 4x2 (NHTSA VehicleId 11231)

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) →

Known issues

Ranked by the cost of ignoring them. Every claim carries its source.

Engine problems lead the data

major

Engine plus engine-cooling top the complaint categories: cam phaser rattle on the 3.5L EcoBoost (the cold-start diesel-like rattle; $1,500–$3,000 out of warranty) and oil consumption and misfire reports. Community coverage of 2015–2020 trucks ranks cam phasers as the generation's signature issue — arrive for a cold start.

Cam phaser job out of warranty

$1,500–$3,000

Sources: NHTSA complaint and recall databases, 2017 F-150 · Mechanic channel and owner signal (13th-gen F-150)

10-speed transmission (10R80), first yearmajor

Harsh or clunky shifting is the persistent owner complaint. Two 2017-specific recalls: the shift-linkage roll pin can pop out (17V-671), and a missing roll pin can cause loss of Park — rollaway risk (18V-213). Later, 2015–17 trucks were also recalled for unexpected downshift into 2nd (26V-237, fix expected ~July 2026). Test all of it before money changes hands.

This problem spans 2017–2023 — the full 10-speed automatic (10R80) story →

Sources: NHTSA complaint and recall databases, 2017 F-150 · Mechanic channel and owner signal (13th-gen F-150)

$0

Recall remedies

$3,000+

Out-of-warranty shift-quality repairs

Brake master cylinder leak — recalled three timesmajor

20V-332 → 22V-150 → 25V-236: the same fluid-leak-into-booster defect on 3.5L EcoBoost trucks kept getting re-expanded. If a 2017 EcoBoost truck hasn't had the 25V-236 work (letters mailed September 2025), treat the pedal as suspect.

Sources: NHTSA complaint and recall databases, 2017 F-150

$0

Recall remedy (25V-236 latest)

Passenger airbag inflator rupturemajor

Recall 17V-529: the inflator can rupture and send metal fragments into the cabin. This is the non-negotiable VIN check on this year.

Sources: NHTSA complaint and recall databases, 2017 F-150

$0

Recall remedy

Instrument cluster blackout in cold weathermoderate

Recall 17V-053 and its botched-repair follow-up 26V-370 (letters expected July 6, 2026): gauges, including the gear indicator, can go dark on cold start. Verify both campaigns — the follow-up exists because first repairs didn't always take.

Sources: NHTSA complaint and recall databases, 2017 F-150

$0

Recall remedy

The same brake master cylinder defect was recalled three times — 'completed' isn't always completed.
5 mechanic & owner sources

Open recalls

Free fixes at any Ford dealer. Run the VIN — “completed” isn’t always completed.

  1. 17V-529Passenger airbag inflator can rupture, sending metal fragments. Free replacement — verify first.open
  2. 25V-236Brake master cylinder fluid leak (third campaign for this defect, after 20V-332 and 22V-150). Letters mailed September 2025. Free replacement.open
  3. 18V-21310-speed can lose Park — rollaway risk (with shift-linkage campaign 17V-671). Free repair.open
  4. 26V-237Unexpected downshift into 2nd at speed (2015–17 trucks). Software fix expected ~July 2026 — check status.open
  5. 26V-370Instrument cluster can black out on cold start (re-repair of 17V-053). Letters expected July 6, 2026.open
  6. 17V-652Door latches can allow doors to open while driving. Free water shields.open

What it costs to keep

The purchase price is what you negotiate. These are the numbers you live with afterward — each one sourced, none of them blended into a fake total.

The ownership picture — 2017 F-150

Three sourced numbers. No fake total.

Fuel

22 MPG combined (19 city / 26 highway) for the RWD, 2.7L turbo on the EPA federal fuel-economy test.

Source: FuelEconomy.gov (EPA) — EPA’s federal fuel-economy test, recomputed with current gas prices. EPA record 38264 (F150 Pickup 2WD).
Other builds EPA lists: 4WD, 2.7L turbo 20 MPG · 4WD, 5.0L 17 MPG · RWD, 5.0L 18 MPG · 4WD, 3.5L 19 MPG.

$2,850/yr

at $4.15/gal · 15,000 mi/yr · 55/45 city/hwy · pulled Jul 12, 2026

Theft

Stolen about 21% more often than the average vehicle. Worth pricing comprehensive coverage before you buy, not after.

Source: HLDI — the insurance industry’s loss-data institute — HLDI whole vehicle theft losses, 2016–18 models, published May 2019 (report WT-18). 100 = the all-vehicle average. Series read: Ford F-150 SuperCrew 4WD.
Other series: Ford F-150 SuperCrew 162 · Ford F-150 SuperCab 4WD 79 · Ford F-150 SuperCab 113 · Ford F-150 101, where 100 = average.

121 vs 100

21% above average

Repair risk

What this specific year is known to need. Pulled from the issues above — the repairs owners actually report, at the costs they report them. Averages from other sites blend every year together; these are this year’s own numbers.

Source: this report — 01 Known issues.

Cam phaser job out of warranty$1,500–$3,000
Recall remedies$0
Out-of-warranty shift-quality repairs$3,000+
Recall remedy (25V-236 latest)$0
Recall remedy$0
Recall remedy$0
Why there’s no single “cost to own” number: sites that promise one are guessing at your insurance quote, your annual miles, and your luck. These are the numbers we can actually source — and each one carries its receipt.

Shopping this year?

Get the printable pre-purchase checklist and an alert if this year’s recall sheet changes.

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Have a specific one in your sights?

The VIN is on the listing. We’ll check this exact car — build, open recalls, and whether the “completed” repairs stayed fixed.

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Before you buy

Print this
  1. 01Full VIN recall check — and re-check after July 6, 2026, when two pending fixes (26V-237, 26V-370) go live.
  2. 02Cold-start listen for cam phaser rattle (3.5 EcoBoost).
  3. 03Test drive the 10-speed through all speeds: hard 1-2/2-3 shifts, clunks at low-speed creep, hunting on the highway.
  4. 04Brake pedal feel test on EcoBoost trucks — sponginess points at the thrice-recalled master cylinder.
  5. 05Park the truck on a slope in Park without the parking brake (be ready to catch it) — any movement is disqualifying.

Own one already?

The canary watches your VIN — new recalls and the mileage where known issues start.

Watch my VIN — free

vincanary.com/ford/f-150/2017