FORD F-150 · model year

2006 FORD F-150

737 NHTSA complaints, 71 crash reports, and 14 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2006FORDF-150 carries 737 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 71 crashes, 21 fires, 50 injuries, and 3 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2006 F-150 is engine with 74 filings, followed by steering (52) and electrical system (50). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 14 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 9 investigation files overlapping the 2006 F-150, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

737
Complaints
71
Crashes
21
Fires
50
Injuries
3
Deaths

Total Complaints

737 filings

Crashes Reported

71 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

Above median complaint volume — review patterns below.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ENGINE74
STEERING52
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM50
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING45
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC35
AIR BAGS34
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE29
POWER TRAIN28
STRUCTURE:BODY27
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL27
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM23
SERVICE BRAKES23
UNKNOWN OR OTHER22
TIRES20
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE20

Recalls (14)

06E06000029/06/2006

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

CERTAIN AAI MOTORSPORTS COMBINATION LAMPS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LIST PASSENGER VEHICLES. COMBINATION LAMPS NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIA

07E06600028/08/2007

EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL

CERTAIN CEQUENT 90 DEGREE 7-WAY RIGHT ANGLE ADAPTORS SOLD BY DISTRIBUTORS IN TOW PACKAGES FOR AFTERMARKET SALES TO TOW 5TH WHEEL RV TRAVEL TRAILERS. DUE TO INCORRECT WIRING OF THE HARNESS, THE TRAILER LIGHTS MAY NOT OPERATE PROPERLY.

07E08900025/10/2007

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

CERTAIN SPYDER HEADLAMP REPLACEMENT ASSEMBLIES SOLD FOR USE ON 2004 THROUGH 2007 FORD F150 PICKUP TRUCKS. DURING PRODUCTION, THE HEADLAMPS WERE INTERNALLY MISALIGNED AND THEY FAIL THE PHOTOMETRY REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED

07E08000025/09/2007

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

CERTAIN HEADLAMP ASSEMBLIES IMPORTED AND SOLD AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT BY SONAR AUTO PARTS FOR USE ON 2004-2007 FORD F150 PICKUP TRUCKS. DURING PRODUCTION, THE HEADLAMPS WERE INTERNALLY MISALIGNED AND THEY FAIL THE PHOTOMETRY REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REF

11V10700023/02/2011

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004-2006 F-150 PICK UP TRUCKS AS WELL AS CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006 LINCOLN MARK LT VEHICLES. IF THE CLOCKSPRING JUMPER WIRE COMES IN CONTACT WITH THE DRIVER SIDE FRONTAL AIR BAG LOWER HORN PLATE, THE WIRE INSULATION MAY BECOME CHAFED, CREATING A POTENTIAL FOR A SH

05T02200021/11/2005

TIRES:TREAD/BELT

CERTAIN CONTINENTAL CONTITRAC TR OWL, CONTITRAC TR BSW, GENERAL GRABBER TR BSW, AND CONTITRAC BSW TIRES MANUFACTURED BETWEEN MAY 29 AND JUNE 11, 2005, AND SOLD AS ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT ON CERTAIN FORD TRUCKS AND SOLD AS REPLACEMENT TIRES. THESE TIRES CAN WEAR PREMATURELY WHICH FAILS TO CONFORM TO FEDE

06E06400017/07/2006

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

CERTAIN TRADESONIC COMBINATION LAMPS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. COMBINATION LAMPS NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED

07E07500014/09/2007

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

CERTAIN EAGLE EYES HEADLAMP ASSEMBLIES, P/NOS. FR390-B001L AND FR390-B001R, SOLD FOR USE AS REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT FOR THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE THICKNESS IS UNSTABLE INHIBITING THE PERFORMANCE OF THE UPPER AND LOWER BEAMS WHICH FAILS TO CONFORM TO THE PHOTOMETRIC REQUIREMENTS OF FEDE

06E02300013/03/2006

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

CERTAIN ANZO COMBINATION HEADLAMP ASSEMBLIES SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS WHICH FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPME

09E02500011/05/2009

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

DOPE, INC. IS RECALLING 42,540 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES

05V52000009/11/2005

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR

ON CERTAIN TRUCKS, PASSENGER CARS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR MAY HAVE BEEN PRODUCED WITHOUT GREASE BEING APPLIED TO THE OUTPUT SHAFT GEAR.

08V20800007/05/2008

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:VACUUM:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

FORD IS RECALLING 605,684 MY 2005-2006 F-150 AND LINCOLN MARK LT VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 5.4L 3-VALVE ENGINES. THE BRAKE BOOSTER VACUUM SUPPLY HOSE ATTACHED TO THE INTAKE MANIFOLD FITTING MAY SWELL OVER TIME AND LOSE RETENTION FORCE. THIS CONDITION COULD ALLOW THE HOSE TO BECOME DETACHED FROM THE F

09E01200007/04/2009

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES

06V03300006/02/2006

INTERIOR LIGHTING

CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS FAIL TO COMPLY WITH EITHER THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD (FMVSS) NO. 105, 'HYDRAULIC AND ELECTRIC BRAKE SYSTEMS' OR FMVSS NO. 135, 'PASSENGER CAR BRAKE SYSTEMS.' THESE VEHICLES WERE BUILT WITH A SOFTWARE ERROR IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER.

Recent Complaints

20251009ENGINE

Received notification by mail from your department about a recall on my trucks spark plugs breaking in the head .Took vehicle to local ford dealer and was told the vehicle was required to have over 100 thousand miles before the plugs would be replaced under recall . Now my vehicle has over 150 thousand miles and when I went to the same dealer I was told there wasn’t a recall on this truck . My documents I received from your department was lost during hurricane Sally. This is a well known recall every local mechanic knows about .

20250424ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:INSTRUMENT PANEL:SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER

Odometer Fraud. The contact sold a 2006 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle was sold with approximately 212,000 miles but later discovered that the buyer had relisted the vehicle for sale with an advertised mileage of 135,713. The vehicle was a private sale. Local authorities had been notified.

Mileage: 212,000

20250328SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

The contact owns a 2006 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while coming to a stop, the brake pedal was depressed but failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to stop and continued rolling forward. The contact stated that the vehicle came to a stop once the brake pedal was depressed to the floorboard. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle returned to normal function afterwards. The local dealer was contacted; however, the dealer refused to diagnose the vehicle because of its age of the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while the contact's husband was driving at a slow speed, the brake pedal was depressed but failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to stop and continued rolling forward. The contact's husband stated that the vehicle came to a stop once the brake pedal was depressed to the floorboard. The vehicle was not diagnosed or r

Mileage: 145,000

20250328ENGINE

while in drive, accelerating to highway speeds or cruising around 30 mph it will downshift and jump to about 4000 PMS's and not shift up into 3rd gear. It blown 1 engine and I have replaced the transmissions, taken it to a Ford dealership and they weren't able to help me. I've replaced the ECM and anti-theft modal also and the symptoms still persist. i am i in for over 11K for the new engine and transmission, and another $100 on the ECM and anti-theft modal plus the shop charges. The truck has under 190,000 miles before any of this started. I am the 2nd owner an had for less than 3k miles before any of the problems started. Now I see the 2015-2017 F-150s are having the same problems getting recalled. is there anything involving the earlier Triton's engines?

20250328POWER TRAIN

while in drive, accelerating to highway speeds or cruising around 30 mph it will downshift and jump to about 4000 PMS's and not shift up into 3rd gear. It blown 1 engine and I have replaced the transmissions, taken it to a Ford dealership and they weren't able to help me. I've replaced the ECM and anti-theft modal also and the symptoms still persist. i am i in for over 11K for the new engine and transmission, and another $100 on the ECM and anti-theft modal plus the shop charges. The truck has under 190,000 miles before any of this started. I am the 2nd owner an had for less than 3k miles before any of the problems started. Now I see the 2015-2017 F-150s are having the same problems getting recalled. is there anything involving the earlier Triton's engines?

20250328ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

while in drive, accelerating to highway speeds or cruising around 30 mph it will downshift and jump to about 4000 PMS's and not shift up into 3rd gear. It blown 1 engine and I have replaced the transmissions, taken it to a Ford dealership and they weren't able to help me. I've replaced the ECM and anti-theft modal also and the symptoms still persist. i am i in for over 11K for the new engine and transmission, and another $100 on the ECM and anti-theft modal plus the shop charges. The truck has under 190,000 miles before any of this started. I am the 2nd owner an had for less than 3k miles before any of the problems started. Now I see the 2015-2017 F-150s are having the same problems getting recalled. is there anything involving the earlier Triton's engines?

20241204STRUCTURE

See attached document for complaint.

20241204STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS

See attached document for complaint.

20240712STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS

The contact owns a 2006 Ford F-150. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact became aware that the middle sub frame structure was severely rusted. The local dealer was not contacted, and the vehicle was not inspected or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 138,000.

Mileage: 138,000

20240517ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

The contact owns a 2006 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power with an abnormal popping sound coming from the engine compartment. The failure occurred more often while attempting to accelerate or driving uphill. The vehicle occasionally stalled during the failure. The contact released the accelerator pedal slowly and the vehicle then started driving normally. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the cam phaser had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cam phaser part no longer being manufactured. The contact stated that the part was no longer in production because the replacement part was defective and failed to fix the vehicle. The contact was informed by the dealer that a newer version of the cam phaser needed to be purchased and was not covered under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer

Mileage: 230,774

20240411ENGINE

The vehicle will hesitate once it comes to a stop after several hesitations it would just shut down you have to keep restarting it, the restart get harder and harder.

20240304STRUCTURE:BODY

Rotted and bent frame realized after purchase on February 22 at nj car and driver (Cadillacs Plus) for $3500.00 Continues to stall and feels like it’s going to crack in two. Stalled a few times while driving and had to put it in neutral to start back up

20240304POWER TRAIN

Rotted and bent frame realized after purchase on February 22 at nj car and driver (Cadillacs Plus) for $3500.00 Continues to stall and feels like it’s going to crack in two. Stalled a few times while driving and had to put it in neutral to start back up

20240304ENGINE

Rotted and bent frame realized after purchase on February 22 at nj car and driver (Cadillacs Plus) for $3500.00 Continues to stall and feels like it’s going to crack in two. Stalled a few times while driving and had to put it in neutral to start back up

20230914STRUCTURE:BODY

The contact owns a 2006 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to replace the starter, the mechanic observed corrosion on the frame near both rear doors. Additionally, the mechanic noticed that the sub frame was bent near the rear doors. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 124,000.

Mileage: 124,000

20230914STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS

The contact owns a 2006 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to replace the starter, the mechanic observed corrosion on the frame near both rear doors. Additionally, the mechanic noticed that the sub frame was bent near the rear doors. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 124,000.

Mileage: 124,000

20230804TIRES

Tire is dry rotting at the sidewall all around. 32 x 12.5

20230608FireENGINE

The contact owned a 2006 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at a low rate of speed, an abnormal, popping sound emitted from the vehicle without warning. Soon after he heard the sound, the vehicle caught fire. The contact exited the vehicle and attempted to extinguish the fire with two fire extinguishers. The fire department was called to the scene and they managed to extinguish the fire. No injuries were reported and a police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it remained in their possession. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle was deemed a total loss. The failure mileage was 174,000.

Mileage: 174,000

20230118STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS

The contact owns a 2006 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the subframe was rusted and the rear driver’s and passenger’s side doors. Additionally, the wheel well was rusted. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 165,000.

Mileage: 165,000

20230111STEERING

When is some one going to do something about the faulty steering column in 2006 Ford F150 pick ups and similar model years? It is all over the internet about the grinding and catching of the steering column. In some cases can't steer at all. There is tons of information on this problem. I have a 2006 Ford F150. It is starting with the problem and it only has 82,000 miles. This should not be happening some one is going to get hurt or killed !

Compare 2006FORDF-150 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 1 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2006 FORD F-150 have?
The 2006 FORD F-150 has 737 NHTSA complaints, 71 crashes, 21 fires, 50 injuries, and 3 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2006 FORD F-150?
Yes, the 2006 FORD F-150 has 14 recall(s). The most common affected component is EXTERIOR LIGHTING. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2006 FORD F-150?
The most-complained component for the 2006 FORD F-150 is ENGINE with 74 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include STEERING and ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Is the 2006 FORD F-150 safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.