Home · 2017 Ford F-450 · Complaints

What 20 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Ford F-450

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (20)Crash / fire / injury (3)Body & structure (9)Transmission & drivetrain (7)Electrical system (3)Latches & locks (2)Airbags (1)Engine (1)Lights (1)Seats (1)

3 of 20 complaints match · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Apr 24, 2025Crash

tailgate opens while driving could cause jackknife of trailer and truck has recall, recall has been performed 3 times and still having issues midway ford inspected and said the tailgate is functioning as intended no warning or indicators this is 2nd time this has happened and recalls have been performed also have surveillance video of me leaving a customer's house with tailgate up and closed and when i pull to end of driveway and make a left u can see the tailgate come down while in motion driving .ford motor company and the dealer refuse to help with damages and have no concern this could happen to me on a off ramp or at higher speeds and this could end up in a life threating situation, they cannot offer me a fix or repairs to my vehicle or trailer even though i have a letter from them that says they will, customer satisfaction program 21mo5 it states coverage for this issue for 10yrs or 150,000miles i currently have 117000 miles and year coverage until 2027

NHTSA ODI 11656631

Jun 6, 2024EngineFire3 injuries

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-450. The contact stated that the vehicle had been diagnosed with an oil leak coming from the injector seals. The vehicle was serviced by the dealer and the contact picked up the vehicle after it was serviced. While driving from the dealer at approximately 40 MPH, the contact noticed white-grayish smoke coming from the passenger side of the vehicle. The contact immediately pulled over as black smoke began to emit from the vehicle vents as all occupants exited the vehicle. The vehicle quickly became engulfed in flames and the authorities were called to the scene. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. A fire report was filed. The contact, his wife and daughter all experienced mental trauma as a result of the fire; no medical attention was given. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was later taken into possession by the contact's insurance company. The dealer was notified of the failure and denied any responsibility for the fire. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and a case was filed; the contact was then referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was destroyed as a result of the fire. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

NHTSA ODI 11592921

Feb 23, 2023Transmission & drivetrainCrash

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-450. The contact stated while driving at approximately 70 MPH there was a vibration coming through the steering and the entire vehicle. The contact stated there was an abnormal bang-like explosion that had come from under the floorboards. The contact stated that a section of the drive shaft had sheared off of the vehicle and rolled out onto the highway and struck another vehicle that had been behind the contact. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that he lost forward momentum and was able to pull off the highway. The contact stated that the other vehicle had also pulled off behind his vehicle. The contact stated that there were no injuries, however, the trailing vehicle had had the section of the drive shaft penetrate through the front grill and damaged the radiator and condenser. The contact's vehicle had sustained damage to the rear undercarriage, shock absorbers, and fuel tank. The contact said that the police were on the scene and filed a report. The contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer where it was determined that the drive shaft needed to be replaced. The contact had previously taken the vehicle in for service to report vibration and had been told that there was a recall but that he would have to wait for the official recall letter from the manufacturer. The contact received the recall notification from the manufacturer for NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V880000 (Power Train) after having had the drive shaft failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

NHTSA ODI 11508725

Working with the data? Download all 20 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2017 Ford F-450 verdict →