2008 Ford F150
Family: F150 · filed with NHTSA as F-150
Summary
- In its first three years the 2008 F150 drew 84 complaints — 0.6× the median of its generation (2004–2008). It is among the least-complained-about years of this generation.
- These are complaint counts, not failure rates: they are not divided by how many cars were sold, because no public source reports U.S. sales by model year.
- Complaints are spread across systems: the largest, Engine, holds 21% of the 355 that name a component.
- 1 recall filed for this model year.
- 1 federal defect investigation covers this model year.
At a glance
- Owner complaints
- 369
- Recalls
- 1
- Investigations
- 1
- NCAP overall
- Not rated
- Combined MPG
- 14–16
- Annual fuel cost
- $3,900–$4,450
- Median mileage at complaint
- 61,917 mi (n = 320)
- Crashes / fires / injuries / deaths
- 39 / 12 / 46 / 2
What owners report
Engine
75 complaints · 21% of complaints that name a component · median 79,000 mi (n = 65)
Owner report The contact owns a 2008 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine seized. The contact stated that the starter and the computer were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed as a possible liquid propane injection syst…
Owner report My F150 will run great until it warms up and then it will run rough, shows low oil pressure, and stalls at stops and while driving at low speeds. I have taken it to two mechanics and have spent thousands of dollars without fixing this problem. This has been an ongoing issue and started in Sept. 2022
Steering
53 complaints · 15% of complaints that name a component · median 64,450 mi (n = 52)
Owner report THREE MONTHS AGO I HEARD A POP NOISE UNDER THE HOOD THEN SHORTLY AFTER THE STEERING BEGAN TO FEEL STIFF EVEN ON THE RETURN AFTER TURNING I NEEDED TO HELP.UPON INSPECTION I FOUND THE LOWER INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT JOINTS ARE EXTREMELY CORRODED AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED UPON CHECKING THIS SEEMS T BE A LARGE PROBLEM ON …
Owner report MY TRUCK HAS 80,000 MILES. I NOTICED THAT GRADUALLY THE STEERING WAS BECOMING STIFFER AND HARDER TO TURN FEELING AS IF IT WAS BINDING AT TIMES. IT GOT TO A POINT THAT WHEN MAKING A TURN THE WHEEL WOULD NOT RECOVER AND ACTUALLY HAD TO BE PULLED BACK MAKING IT DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. I TOOK IT TO MY SERVICE SHOP AND THEY …
Powertrain
50 complaints · 14% of complaints that name a component · median 50,000 mi (n = 41)
Owner report The contact owns a 2008 Ford F-150. The contact stated that after turning off the vehicle, the contact attempted to restart the vehicle and became aware that the gear shifter was not in park(P). The contact inspected the gear shift lever, and the gear shifter was in the park(P); however, the contact was unable to move …
Owner report Vehicle will not go into reverse. After research and reviews of this transmission in this year model, the reverse band is a known issue by Ford. Even the transmissions installed for replacement have bad reverse bands. There was a service advisory put out by ford but the advisory is no longer available. The reverse ba…
4% of complaints name no specific component and are left out of the shares above.
Across the generation (2004–2008)
To compare years fairly, each year is counted over the same span: complaints received up to two calendar years after its model year. A year is compared only when that span is over and it holds at least 50 complaints. Median of the comparable years: 146.
| Model year | All complaints | First three years | Note |
|---|
| 2004 | 2,029 | 405 | most complaints |
| 2005 | 1,112 | 155 | |
| 2006 | 585 | 146 | |
| 2007 | 488 | 127 | |
| 2008 | 369 | 84 | fewest complaints |
Recalls
Whether a recall has been fixed on a specific car depends on its VIN; check it at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
08V523000 · ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Filed 2008-10-08 · 213 vehicles
Defect: ROUSH IS RECALLING 213 MY 2007-2008 FORD F-150 TRUCKS ALTERED TO OPERATE USING LIQUID PROPANE INJECTION. THE HYDRO-CARBON PAPER AFFIXED TO THE INSIDE OF THE AIRBOX LID WITH ADHESIVE MAY BECOME DISLODGED DURING OPERATION.
Risk: THIS FAILURE MAY RESULT IN A LOSS OF PERFORMANCE, ILLUMINATION OF THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP (MIL) AND, IN EXTREME CASES, A STALLING OF THE VEHICLE DURING OPERATION WITHOUT NOTICE, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE AIRBOX LID WITH A NEW ONE THAT INCLUDES THE HYDRO-CARBON PAPER WHICH HAS BEEN AFFIXED USING AN ADHESIVE PROMOTER AND GREATER PRESSURE AS RECOMMENDED BY THE MANUFACTURER FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 21, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT ROUSH AT 1-866-307-6788.
Federal investigations
| Action | Component | Opened | Closed | Recall |
|---|
| PE08060 | TIRES:VALVE | 2008-10-14 | 2009-04-09 | |
PE08060: TIRE VALVE CRACKING
Engines and fuel economy
| Version | Engine | Transmission | Drive | City | Hwy | Combined | Fuel cost / yr |
|---|
| F150 Pickup 2WD | 4.2L 6cyl | Automatic 4-spd | Rear-Wheel Drive | 14 | 19 | 16 | $3900 |
| F150 Pickup 2WD | 4.2L 6cyl | Manual 5-spd | Rear-Wheel Drive | 14 | 20 | 16 | $3900 |
| F150 Pickup 2WD | 4.6L 8cyl | Automatic 4-spd | Rear-Wheel Drive | 14 | 19 | 16 | $3900 |
| F150 Pickup 2WD | 5.4L 8cyl | Automatic 4-spd | Rear-Wheel Drive | 13 | 17 | 14 | $4450 |
| F150 Pickup 2WD FFV | 5.4L 8cyl FFV | Automatic 4-spd | Rear-Wheel Drive | 13 | 18 | 15 | $4150 |
| F150 Pickup 4WD | 4.6L 8cyl | Automatic 4-spd | 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive | 13 | 17 | 14 | $4450 |
| F150 Pickup 4WD | 5.4L 8cyl | Automatic 4-spd | 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive | 13 | 17 | 14 | $4450 |
| F150 Pickup 4WD FFV | 5.4L 8cyl FFV | Automatic 4-spd | 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive | 13 | 17 | 15 | $4150 |
| F150 STX SE 2WD | 5.4L 8cyl | Automatic 4-spd | Rear-Wheel Drive | 14 | 19 | 15 | $4150 |
| F150 STX SE 2WD FFV | 5.4L 8cyl FFV | Automatic 4-spd | Rear-Wheel Drive | 14 | 19 | 15 | $4150 |
Fuel cost is EPA's estimate at the fuel prices of its last update, not today's.
Crash test ratings (NCAP)
| Variant | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover |
|---|
| 2008 Ford F-150 Supercab | Not Rated | Not Rated | Not Rated | ★★★★☆ |
| 2008 Ford F-150 Regular Cab | Not Rated | Not Rated | Not Rated | ★★★★☆ |
| 2008 Ford F-150 Supercrew 4-DR. | Not Rated | Not Rated | Not Rated | ★★★★☆ |
Service bulletins
Ford issued 39 service bulletins listed against this model year, most often about power train.
A bulletin tells dealers how to fix a known condition. It is not a recall and not a defect finding. Most bulletins cover several model years at once, so one listed here may not be specific to this year. The number of bulletins tracks how long and how widely a model was sold, so it is not a measure of reliability.
| Date | Component | Summary |
|---|
| 2026-02-24 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with wired keyless entry keypad systems and accessory wireless keyless entry keypad systems may or may not come with a wallet card containing the master code. Unlike the integrated wired keypad, the access… |
| 2024-07-24 | WHEELS | This article supersedes TSB 22-2219 to update the Parts List and Service Procedure to clarify applicable steps by vehicle application. Some 2003-2020 Expedition/Navigator and 2006-2020 F-150 (non-Raptor) vehicles equipped with 4WD may exhib… |
| 2024-04-24 | EQUIPMENT | All accessory stick-on keyless entry keypads come with a wallet card containing the master code. If the accessory keypad was factory installed, this card will be placed in the glove box and should be handed to the vehicles owner during ini… |
| 2023-04-04 | STRUCTURE | For 2000-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles, swapping a module from a vehicle for diagnosis purposes is likely to cause errors and is not recommended. It is also not recommended to order a replacement module using a vehicle identification numbe… |
| 2022-06-21 | POWER TRAIN | Some 2003-2020 Expedition/Navigator and 2006-2020 F-150 (non-Raptor) vehicles equipped with 4WD may exhibit grinding/clicking/ratcheting noise from the front wheel area. This may be due to partial engagement of the integrated wheel ends (IW… |
| 2020-10-16 | WHEELS | Some 2003-2020 Expedition/Navigator and 2006-2020 F-150 vehicles equipped with TOD transfer cases may exhibit grinding/clicking/ratcheting noise from the front wheel area. This may be due to partial engagement of the integrated wheel ends (… |
| 2020-07-13 | STRUCTURE | This article supersedes TSB 19-2026 to update the vehicle model years affected. Some 2000 and newer Ford/Lincoln/Mercury vehicles equipped with aluminum body panels may exhibit corrosion concerns appearing as bubbled and/or peeling paint wi… |
| 2020-02-07 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | This SKU is an Oil Dipstick. The customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect the dipstick tube. The dipstick tube inner diameter may be small enough that it prevents installation of the OE dipstick. |
| 2019-09-02 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Some 2002-2008 F-Super Duty, F-150 and Mark LT vehicles may exhibit concern during or after programing the VSM. The programming may fail or vehicle symptoms such as inoperative door locks, dome lamps, door ajar indicators or auto lamps may … |
| 2019-07-16 | POWER TRAIN | This SKU is a Transmission Oil Cooler Line. The customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect for the port size being too large. If the port size is too large it will not fit the mating component which would preve… |
How to read this page
Complaint counts are not failure rates. A model that sells more cars draws more complaints, and owners file more often after news coverage or a recall. That is why this page compares a model year only with other years of the same generation, never with other models.
Each complaint is counted once, even when it names several components; a complaint that names several systems appears under each of them. Owner reports are quoted as filed and have not been verified by NHTSA or by us.
Every model year of this F150, including the ones without a page of their own, is listed on the Ford F150 model page.
Sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation: complaints, recalls and investigations (bulk files, data as of 2026-10-28).
- NHTSA New Car Assessment Program: crash test ratings.
- U.S. EPA / DOE fueleconomy.gov: engines, transmissions and fuel economy.
MotorAlmanac is independent and not affiliated with NHTSA, EPA or any manufacturer. This page summarises public records; it is not a mechanical inspection. Before buying a used car, check its VIN for open recalls and have it inspected.