Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
Fuel economy
15–17 mpgcombined; city 14–15, highway 18–21; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$19,110–$21,660U.S. average; Ohio $17,070–$19,350 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
Owners have filed 324 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 F-150. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Vehicle speed control
54
9
1
11
Electrical system
46
1
4
0
Engine
42
2
1
1
Structure
34
4
0
2
Power train
33
2
0
1
Steering
29
1
0
1
Service brakes
25
2
0
0
Service brakes, hydraulic
14
2
0
0
Fuel/propulsion system
13
0
0
0
Tires
13
1
0
0
Air bags
12
6
0
6
Exterior lighting
12
0
0
0
14 more parts
Engine and engine cooling
10
1
1
0
Unknown or other
10
2
0
1
Fuel system, gasoline
9
0
0
0
Seats
9
1
0
1
Wheels
7
0
0
0
Electronic stability control (ESC)
5
0
0
0
Latches/locks/linkages
5
0
0
0
Equipment
4
0
1
0
Suspension
4
0
0
0
Visibility
4
0
0
0
Seat belts
3
0
0
0
Equipment adaptive/mobility
1
0
0
0
Interior lighting
1
0
0
0
Visibility/wiper
1
0
0
0
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 2009 F-150 over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009 AND 2010 F-150 VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JANUARY 18, 2008, THROUGH NOVEMBER 30, 2009. THE INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE HOUSING EMBOSSMENT RETAINING THE INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE SPRING MAY FRACTURE DURING NORMAL USAGE RESULTING IN INSUFFICIENT SPRING FORCE TO RETURN THE HANDLE TO THE FULLY STOWED POSITION.
Risk: IN THE EVENT OF A SIDE IMPACT CRASH, THE DOOR HANDLE SPRING CAN FAIL CAUSING THE DOOR LATCH TO OPEN.
Remedy: OWNERS WILL BE INITIALLY NOTIFIED AND INSTRUCTED TO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO A FORD OR LINCOLN/MERCURY DEALER IF ANY INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE IS LOOSE OR FAILS TO RETURN TO THE STOWED POSITION AFTER ACTIVATION FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE AFFECT MODULE. ONCE PARTS BECOME AVAILABLE, OWNERS WILL BE RENOTIFIED AND INSTRUCTED TO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO A FORD OR LINCOLN/MERCURY DEALER FOR INSPECTION OF EACH INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE. DEPENDING ON THE RESULTS OF THE INSPECTION, THE DEALER WILL EITHER ADD A SPRING EMBOSSMENT REINFORCEMENT OR REPLACE THE INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE MODULE FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 10, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-866-436-7332.
FORD IS RECALLING 8,735 MY 2009 F-150 TRUCKS FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THE BRAKE STOP LAMP SWITCH MAY BE IMPROPERLY ADJUSTED. THIS MAY RESULT IN A DELAY IN BRAKE STOP LAMP ILLUMINATION WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED. IN SITUATIONS OF VERY MILD BRAKE APPLICATION, THE BRAKE STOP LAMPS MAY NOT ILLUMINATE.
Risk: DELAY OR LOSS OF BRAKE STOP LAMP FUNCTION MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF AN ACCIDENT.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND HAVE THE BRAKE STOP LAMP SWITCH REMOVED AND REINSTALLED WHICH WILL PROVIDE PROPER ADJUSTMENT. THE REMEDY WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 13, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD MOTOR COMPANY CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP CENTER AT 1-866-436-7332 OR THROUGH THE INTERNET AT WWW.OWNERCONNECTION.COM.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 58 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2009 F-150, the latest on Feb 24, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: power train (15), equipment (12), electrical system (10), engine and engine cooling (10), structure (8).
NHTSA hasn't opened a defect investigation that covers this model year.
Maintenance
Oil
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2009 F-150.
These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.
Specs
EPA class: standard pickup trucks. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
F150 Rear-Wheel Drive
4.6 L, 8 cyl
Automatic 6-spd
Regular Gasoline
15 / 20 / 17
F150 Rear-Wheel Drive
4.6 L, 8 cyl
Automatic 4-spd
Regular Gasoline
14 / 19 / 16
F150 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
4.6 L, 8 cyl
Automatic 6-spd
Regular Gasoline
14 / 19 / 16
F150 Rear-Wheel Drive
5.4 L, 8 cyl
Automatic 6-spd
Regular Gasoline or E85
14 / 20 / 16
F150 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
4.6 L, 8 cyl
Automatic 4-spd
Regular Gasoline
14 / 18 / 15
F150 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
5.4 L, 8 cyl
Automatic 6-spd
Regular Gasoline or E85
14 / 18 / 15
F150 SFE Rear-Wheel Drive
4.6 L, 8 cyl
Automatic 6-spd
Regular Gasoline
15 / 21 / 17
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data