Total Complaints
32 filings
FORD F-450 · model year
32 NHTSA complaints, 2 crash reports, and 1 active recall for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2020FORDF-450 carries 32 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 2 crashes, 2 fires, 1 injury, and 0 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 2020 F-450 is fuel system, diesel with 6 filings, followed by unknown or other (4) and power train (4). 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 1 active recall campaign, 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 177 investigation files overlapping the 2020 F-450, and 8 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.
Total Complaints
32 filings
Crashes Reported
2 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL | 6 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 4 |
| POWER TRAIN | 4 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 3 |
| ENGINE | 2 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 2 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:FUEL FILTER | 1 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY | 1 |
| TIRES:SIDEWALL | 1 |
| WHEELS | 1 |
| SUSPENSION | 1 |
| FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL | 1 |
| FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING | 1 |
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TAILGATE:LATCH | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 1 |
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 F-150 and 2019-2020 F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 Super Duty pickup trucks, and 2018-2019 Ford Explorer, 2019-2020 Expedition, and 2020 Escape vehicles equipped with driver and/or passenger's manual front seat back recliner mechanisms. Also
The contact owned a 2020 Ford F-450. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the steering wheel failed to steer in the intended direction. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle had driven independently sideways and then into a deep ditch before coming to a stop. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle was uncontrollable. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. The vehicle was condemned as a total loss by the insurance company. The contact was unconscious and transferred to the local hospital. The contact sustained six broken ribs, a punctured left lung and a hematoma in the left leg. In addition, the contact had to have emergency surgery to remove the hematoma. The contact was receiving continued medical treatment due to the injuries. The contact stated a Police report was filed. The contact later received a recall notification: NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V626000 (Steering) however the parts were not available. The manufacturer was
Mileage: 82,000
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-450 The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V957000 (Fuel System, Diesel); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Vehicle caught fire. Fire in the engine compartment after heavy fuel smell/odor.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-450. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V957000 (Fuel System, Diesel). The contact stated that while hauling an RV at 65 MPH, with the cruise control feature activated, the message that the "Engine has Stopped - Pull Over Immediately" was displayed, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road, and the contact attempted to restart the vehicle. The contact stated that the engine was turning over however, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to a dealer to be diagnosed, and the dealer retrieved DTC: P0087. Additionally, there were metal shavings found in the fuel system. The contact was informed that the fuel pump and the entire fuel system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 104,717.
Mileage: 104,717
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-450. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the engine ran for several minutes before the vehicle independently shut off. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V957000 (FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL) as probable cause for the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 184,000.
Mileage: 184,000
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-450. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the vehicle, with the "Reduced Engine Power" message displayed on the instrument panel. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the highway, and the vehicle shut off. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart after several attempts. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer where a diagnostic test was performed, and it was determined that the high-pressure fuel pump had failed. The contact was informed that the entire fuel system needed to be replaced. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V957000 (Fuel System, Diesel); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and informed the contact that the remedy for the recall was a software update. The contact was informed that due to the fuel pump failure, the vehicle was no longer qualified fo
Mileage: 40,000
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-450. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V957000 (Fuel System, Diesel); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while starting, the "Low Fuel Pressure" message was displayed. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost power. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel filter had exploded and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel system was contaminated with metal and that the entire fuel system needed to be flushed and replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Mileage: 103,000
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-450. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle vibrated and the vehicle briefly lost motive power. The vehicle returned to normal functionality once the accelerator pedal was depressed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the power train control module (PCM). The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to another dealer, who diagnosed that cylinder #4 had failed, and there was a misfire in cylinders #3 and #5. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall for the failure. A case was opened with the manufacturer. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.
Mileage: 87,000
The vehicle is experiencing very erratic shifts between gears. The transmission is slingshot shifting in all gears between 3rd through 6th. If this continues it will undoubtedly blow the transmission out. I work with this truck every day and if it blows it will very likely cause a very big safety hazard as I would very possibly have a load on my trailer and this could force me out of my lane. There is a ford customer satisfaction program number of 21B03 that directly applies to this issue but as of yet they are not approving the fix for it. There is also another safety recall on this truck number 22S22. That also covers this issue we are experiencing.
See attached document for complaint
My horn started going off continuously, I got messages on my digital dash system, saying that my lane assist had a fault, my adaptive speed control was faulty, and other system. Safety features were inactive. Ford has an issue, and they acknowledge the issue of the fuse box under the hood randomly coming off, which allows water to get into the fuse system, and start corroding wires which start sending mixed signals and failures to the system.
My horn started going off continuously, I got messages on my digital dash system, saying that my lane assist had a fault, my adaptive speed control was faulty, and other system. Safety features were inactive. Ford has an issue, and they acknowledge the issue of the fuse box under the hood randomly coming off, which allows water to get into the fuse system, and start corroding wires which start sending mixed signals and failures to the system.
My horn started going off continuously, I got messages on my digital dash system, saying that my lane assist had a fault, my adaptive speed control was faulty, and other system. Safety features were inactive. Ford has an issue, and they acknowledge the issue of the fuse box under the hood randomly coming off, which allows water to get into the fuse system, and start corroding wires which start sending mixed signals and failures to the system.
My tailgate came open randomly while pulling a trailer. Ford knows about this issue, but is yet to make a recall and not sure theyâre going to cover the damage done to my tailgate. The tailgate randomly came open when I had turned a corner, and when I straightened back out made my truck and trailer jumped all over the road because the tailgate contacted the trailer.
My tailgate came open randomly while pulling a trailer. Ford knows about this issue, but is yet to make a recall and not sure theyâre going to cover the damage done to my tailgate. The tailgate randomly came open when I had turned a corner, and when I straightened back out made my truck and trailer jumped all over the road because the tailgate contacted the trailer.
My tailgate came open randomly while pulling a trailer. Ford knows about this issue, but is yet to make a recall and not sure theyâre going to cover the damage done to my tailgate. The tailgate randomly came open when I had turned a corner, and when I straightened back out made my truck and trailer jumped all over the road because the tailgate contacted the trailer.
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-450. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the transmission experienced rough shifting. The vehicle then inadvertently decelerated and failed to exceed 50 MPH. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and restarted the vehicle. The contact then drove to the residence. The vehicle was later towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there were metal shavings in the transmission and that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that the VIN was not included in Customer Satisfaction Program: 21B03 (Number One Planetary and Ring Gear Assembly). The failure mileage was approximately 97,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Mileage: 97,000
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-450. The contact stated that while shifting into drive, the vehicle jolted forward. The vehicle was hard to shift into gear. There was an abnormal sound detected. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V256000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission shifter sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Mileage: 60,000
RECALL ON MY F450 with no remedy, Ford will not give me an equivalent replacement - this is putting lives in danger. All of the dash engine lights will come on, no ABS, no traction control, no brakes whatsoever, power loss, will not go over 2k RPM. Then truck will not go into park when it does stop. It is an extreme danger to myself and others to not be able to drive or brake my truck. Ford is âtoo busyâ to even diagnose the problem even though it is clearly because of the recall. This needs to be remedied before someone gets hurt.
RECALL ON MY F450 with no remedy, Ford will not give me an equivalent replacement - this is putting lives in danger. All of the dash engine lights will come on, no ABS, no traction control, no brakes whatsoever, power loss, will not go over 2k RPM. Then truck will not go into park when it does stop. It is an extreme danger to myself and others to not be able to drive or brake my truck. Ford is âtoo busyâ to even diagnose the problem even though it is clearly because of the recall. This needs to be remedied before someone gets hurt.
Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up
Timing Belt Failure
Underbody shields detachment
B-Pillar Trim Detachment
Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up
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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.