Powertrain, transmission, and visibility/wiper problems are among the top complaint issues received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
First introduced in 1975, the Ford F-150 has been a best-seller for more than four decades. While tough, comfortable, and technologically advanced, it certainly isn’t perfect. Consumer complaints about the 2022 Ford F-150 reveal a plethora of issues from powertrain and transmission problems to windshield wipers that don’t work in the rain.
Click on other model year to view more problems: 2019 2020 2021 2023
Complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) by 2022 Ford F-150 owners show that powertrain, sound and visibility issues are the biggest problems.
There are several major problems that relate to the powertrain. Some complaints report that the vehicle rolls forward spontaneously when it is in Park. Sometimes the parking brake is engaged as well.
Another issue is that the transmission gets stuck, usually in higher gears. This causes vehicles to jerk and surge forward at times. There are also complaints about vehicles accelerating on their own.
Visibility/wiper issues are described in some complaints as a safety risk. Owners of very new trucks say that without warning, they stop working. Some report a shortage of replacement wipers.
Owners are also reporting issues with coolant leaks. Read our post on the heat exchanger coolant leak issue.
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Electrical System | |
| Power Train | |
| Equipment:appliance:tv/radio/speakers | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Exterior Lighting | |
| Visibility/wiper | |
| Engine | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Visibility | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control |
All 2022 F-150 powertrains feature an innovative 10-speed automatic transmission that has optimized gear spacing. This includes “3 overdrive gears to help maximize shift points to optimize power, low-rpm torque and fuel efficiency.” But it seems this high technology has problems.
Disgruntled owners report that when in a higher gear, usually 7 or 8, the transmission seems to get stuck. Here’s what a few NHTSA complaints say.
An owner from Michigan states:
Highlighting the transmission problem, the owner says it “stays in higher gears at stops. When starting out it barely moves in response to gas pedal increase. At about 3,000 RPMs it engages and jerks violently ahead.
“After this happened several times I noticed the transmission gear light was in a higher gear at stop, like 7th gear. Therefore the motor had to rev up to 7th gear speed before it would move adequately. Has to be hard on the transmission when this happens. Also embarrassing and very dangerous should you have to cross a busy roadway quickly.
“It also downshifts suddenly all the way from a high gear to 1st when slowing for an intersection at about 30 MPH. This produces a severe jerk, like slamming on the brakes and a very loud clunk. These conditions occur randomly but when they do occur, they often happen several times in a row then might not happen for a week.
“There are 1,585 miles on the truck. The dealer has had it for 4 days, verdict nothing wrong! The problem described by me and the listed customers does not throw a code. Why do they need one or have it duplicate the problem when they drive it. That could take forever, meanwhile the poor customer has an unsafe truck with no confidence to use it.
“I am filing a complaint higher up in Ford and to the official National Highway Traffic Safety site. If this continues I will consider a Lemon Law suit and buy another Chevy.”
Another owner from Michigan states:
“I bought this F150 2 days ago, Vehicle drove fine in the morning to work. After work I started the truck and could not get it to go into any gear. The lever was stuck in Park. My model has the fold flat shifter and I keep the shifter folded all the way down when it is parked. It took approximately 30 minutes of turning the truck on and off, opening the door after each power cycle, and folding the shifter up and down before finally it would switch into gear.”
An owner from North Carolina states:
“I was driving about 50 mph traveling from Bethel, NC to Canton, NC and was approaching Canton so I was slowing down. The first traffic light was red so I stopped behind another car. When the light turned green, I lightly pressed the accelerator and nothing happened. It was like the engine failed to power up.
“I looked at the instruments and noticed the transmission was stuck in 8th gear. Suddenly it rolled down to 1st gear and the vehicle literally leaped across the intersection. Fortunately the car in front had moved out normally or the ‘leap’ would have climbed his back.
“I have read of other Ford trucks with this 10-speed transmission sticking in 8th-gear when stopping. The hesitation starting into the intersection is dangerous and the sudden leap forward is very dangerous.”
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It is worth mentioning that both the 2021 and 2022 F-150 have had powertrain recalls. These relate to driveshaft issues. Initially Ford warned that the two-piece driveshaft might disconnect. The most recent recall, NHTSA Campaign Number 22V623000, dated August 12, 2022, is common to both models. It warns that a damaged drive shaft might fracture.
This, the recall says, “can cause a loss of drive power, or a loss of vehicle control if the driveshaft contacts the ground. Additionally, unintended movement could occur while parked if the parking brake is not engaged. Any of these scenarios increases the risk of a crash.”
An owner from Illinois states that after parking the vehicle and placing it in Park, “the vehicle inadvertently moved forward approximately 10 inches.”
An owner from Oklahoma has a similar story. After placing the F-150 in Park, engaging the parking brake, and removing the key from the ignition, he went to unload a trailer attached to the vehicle. While removing a tractor from a trailer, “the vehicle independently rolled forward without warning. As the vehicle continued to roll forward, the vehicle jackknifed to the left, which brought the vehicle to a stop.”
This bent both the trailer hitch and the trailer frame. Luckily, he was able to drive the vehicle to the dealer for an inspection. “The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired or diagnosed. The failure mileage was approximately 7,000.”
Complaints about visibility and windshield wipers range from them stopping or freezing when in use to simply not going on when vehicles are brand new.
There is one recall for the 2020 and 2021 Ford F-150 models and two for the 2021 model. The most recent one states that the wiper arms may break, which will cause them to fail. There is only one complaint of wipers breaking and sliding off a 2022 vehicle. All the other complaints are simply due to failures.
One complaint states that Ford and the local dealership said they have more than 600 owners of 2022 Ford F-150s with the same non-working wiper issue. But there is no recall.
An owner from Texas states:
“Was driving (my) vehicle at approximately 45 MPH. I selected (the) windshield sprayer to clean bugs off windshield. After a couple of full rotations of the windshield wipers, the passenger side wiper fell off.”
“It appears that the affected wiper came apart where a spline disc that is supposed to be attached to wiper assembly is. I pulled over and secured the loose parts before they slid off (the) vehicle. The disc was still attached to the shaft that operates the wiper.”
Additionally, he found that a key that was part of the assembly had fallen out and “allowed components to separate. Obviously if this had occurred on (the) highway, at speed, this could have been a hazard.”
Loose wiper blades might have struck another vehicle or person. And not being able to use the wipers during a rainstorm would have caused major visibility issues.
An owner from Ohio states:
“I had just purchased my truck not even 30 days (before) and the wipers went out. It was a very rainy day and the wipers just stopped. I had to pull over and get a tow truck to take me to the dealer. I was unable to see and almost hit a car parked on the side of the road because I could not see.
“I have talked to Ford and the dealer and they both tell me that this is an ongoing issue with no resolution. They have over 600 customers for the 2022 model year with the same issue on non-working wipers. They told me it could be 2 to 8 months before they start producing wiper motors for repair.”
“Shouldn’t this be part of the recall also and maybe a stop sale until they fix this?”
An owner Virginia states:
“3 weeks after purchasing my truck, I tried to turn on the windshield wipers and they did not work. Later that day I tried again and they worked. Fast forward 3 more weeks and now they do not work at all for. Sometimes I can spray windshield wiper fluid but it will not wipe. Other times spraying doesn’t work neither does the wipers. Been 2 days now. Appointment next week.”
An owner from Florida states:
“I was driving on the interstate at 60 mph when we were caught in a downpour. We were pulling a 7,000 lb trailer and the windshield wipers completely stopped working. Visibility was virtually zero. I was in the right lane and was able to navigate to the shoulder. I could tell I was on the shoulder due to the rumble strips. Once on the shoulder I was able to get the wipers to reset and become functional again.”
Now, whenever this owner is caught in rain he gets into the right lane in case of a failure.
“Our safety was put at risk. The problem has not been reproduced but an appointment is scheduled with the dealership. The vehicle has not been inspected (not sure where to take it). There were no warnings prior to the failure.”
An owner from Colorado states:
“Brand new truck, windshield wipers won’t go on. Brought to (the) dealer (who) said I need a new wiper motor. Parts on backorder with no ETA. Dealer said, pick up your truck if you need it and we will call you when (the) part arrives.
Think you have a lemon? Sit back and let the experts work out your lemon case at no cost to you. The law makes Ford pay legal fees. You may be able to get your lemon out of your life. Every year, auto manufacturers buy back, replace or pay cash settlements to thousands of ‘lemon’ owners like you.
Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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