2016 Ford F-150 buying guide

A data-driven checklist for buying a used 2016 Ford F-150, built from 2,000 owner complaints, 13 recall campaigns, 283 service bulletins and federal safety records — not opinions.

Know before you buy

13 recall campaigns affect this model year. Check each one and confirm the repairs were done — recall work is free at any authorized dealer.
Main problem areas: power train (542), engine (314), service brakes (300), structure (199), electrical system (182).
Symptoms owners describe: check engine light (128), stalling (122), brake problems (109), loss of power (99), vibration / shaking (75), clunking / rattling (37). Test-drive with these in mind.
Reported incident mileage: among 1,090 complaints with a usable odometer reading, half were filed between 19,000 and 78,000 miles (median 46,000). This describes when owners reported problems — it does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop one.
4 federal investigations have named this model year — read what they cover.
Fuel economy: 17–21 MPG combined (EPA; engines: 3.5L 6-cyl, 2.7L 6-cyl, 5L 8-cyl).

When problems get reported

Reported incident mileage among 1,090 complaints with usable odometer readings.

under 20k		279
20–40k		186
40–60k		219
60–80k		147
80–100k		86
100–150k		131
150k+		42

Before you hand over money

Run the VIN through our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact build.
Check open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — a recall that was never fixed is a free repair you can claim.
Get a pre-purchase inspection focused on the problem areas listed above.

This guide is generated from official NHTSA, EPA and FARS records. Complaints are unverified owner reports and raw counts are not adjusted for sales volume.