2010 Ford F-150

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
NHTSA overall safety rating
Not ratedlowest across the versions NHTSA tested
Recall campaigns
1over its history; check a VIN for open ones
Owner complaints
843filed with NHTSA; not adjusted for sales

Problems owners report

Owners have filed 843 complaints with NHTSA about the 2010 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
PartComplaintsCrashesFiresInjuries
Electrical system1661170
Power train1211002
Engine107015
Visibility/wiper104061
Visibility96081
Structure92418
Unknown or other61002
Steering48303
Fuel/propulsion system44031
Service brakes44100
Vehicle speed control39534
Engine and engine cooling31030
18 more parts
Exterior lighting28000
Air bags19707
Tires17000
Suspension16000
Fuel system, gasoline13000
Service brakes, hydraulic13010
Wheels12100
Seats11020
Electronic stability control (ESC)9100
Seat belts8000
Latches/locks/linkages7000
Interior lighting4000
Back over prevention3000
Equipment3001
Equipment adaptive/mobility1000
Fuel system, diesel1000
Service brakes, electric1000
Traction control system1000

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.

  1. 2006585
  2. 2007488
  3. 2008369
  4. 2009324
  5. 2010843
  6. 20112,191
  7. 20121,783
  8. 20132,989
  9. 20141,537
  10. 20151,732
  11. 20162,078
  12. 20171,450
  13. 20182,318
  14. 20191,338
  15. 2020736
  16. 20211,291
  17. 2022812
  18. 2023509
  19. 2024230
  20. 2025127
  21. 202618

Every F-150 year side by side

Recalls

NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for the 2010 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.

Structure: body

NHTSA campaign 11V049000 · reported Feb 1, 2011 · 280,946 vehicles potentially affected

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.

NHTSA's record and documents

Service bulletins and investigations

Carmakers sent NHTSA 80 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2010 F-150, the latest on Feb 24, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.

The parts they mention most: power train (18), equipment (14), engine and engine cooling (13), electrical system (11), structure (9).

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 2010 F-150.

Oil change near you: Jiffy Lube · Take 5

Used ones for sale

See used 2010 Ford F-150s for sale on: Autotrader · CarMax

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:

VersionEngineTransmissionFuelCity / hwy / comb
F150
Rear-Wheel Drive		4.6 L, 8 cylAutomatic 6-spdRegular Gasoline15 / 21 / 17
F150
Rear-Wheel Drive		5.4 L, 8 cylAutomatic 6-spdRegular Gasoline or E8514 / 20 / 16
F150
Rear-Wheel Drive		4.6 L, 8 cylAutomatic 4-spdRegular Gasoline15 / 19 / 16
F150
4-Wheel Drive		4.6 L, 8 cylAutomatic 4-spdRegular Gasoline14 / 18 / 16
F150
4-Wheel Drive		4.6 L, 8 cylAutomatic 6-spdRegular Gasoline14 / 20 / 16
F150
4-Wheel Drive		5.4 L, 8 cylAutomatic 6-spdRegular Gasoline or E8514 / 18 / 15

Sources and dates

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