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Ford: reliability & common problems

#6 of 24
Longevity rank#1 Tesla holds up to ~182k
~126k
Trouble-free mileageacross all body styles
564
Fords inspectedreal pre-purchase inspections
58/100
Average conditionall cars we check: 61/100



Based on 564 used Fords we inspected, they tend to be in slightly worse shape than average — average condition 58/100 vs 61 for all cars we check. Every number on this page comes from real pre-purchase inspections — cars people were about to buy and paid an independent inspector to go through point by point, engine to underbody, paint depth to error codes. Not owner surveys, not warranty statistics, not forum lore: what we actually found.

What we found

Most common faults

Oil leaks · Engine
57%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
38%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
30%
Fuel trim out of range · Engine
30%
Oil leaks · Drivetrain
20%

Share of inspected Fords where each item was flagged.

How they score

Excellent 23% Good 28% Mediocre 24% Poor 25%
Hidden history

What the seller might not mention — how often we find it on Fords.

70%had a repainted or replaced panelall cars: 74%
4%showed structural repairall cars: 4%
24%had fault codes recently clearedall cars: 24%

Compare with another brand:

Cross-shopping? Ford vs Toyota · Ford vs Honda · Ford vs Chevrolet

How long does a Ford last?

Across every Ford body style we've inspected — sedans, SUVs and anything else pooled together — the average one's condition dips below decent (a 55/100 score) around ~126k miles. It ranks Ford #6 of 24 brands we have enough data to rate; the longest-lasting, Tesla, holds up to ~182k. Shopping a Ford near that mileage? Expect more wear ahead — see which makes give the best odds at your budget.



Good cars by mileage
0 25 50 75 100 0–20k mi: 88% in good shape (24 cars) 20–40k mi: 87% in good shape (45 cars) 40–60k mi: 83% in good shape (65 cars) 60–80k mi: 66% in good shape (59 cars) 80–100k mi: 59% in good shape (69 cars) 100–120k mi: 41% in good shape (80 cars) 120–140k mi: 46% in good shape (57 cars) 140–160k mi: 21% in good shape (48 cars) 160–180k mi: 38% in good shape (34 cars) 180–200k mi: 19% in good shape (26 cars) 200–220k mi: 13% in good shape (23 cars) 40k 80k 120k 160k 200k mileage when we inspected it
Good cars by age
0 25 50 75 100 1 years old: 95%, drawn from the nearby bands (18 cars this age) 2 years old: 96% in good shape (23 cars) 3 years old: 93% in good shape (30 cars) 4 years old: 78% in good shape (45 cars) 5 years old: 71% in good shape (38 cars) 6 years old: 62% in good shape (45 cars) 7 years old: 63% in good shape (46 cars) 8 years old: 37% in good shape (49 cars) 9 years old: 37% in good shape (46 cars) 10 years old: 58% in good shape (33 cars) 11 years old: 52% in good shape (23 cars) 12 years old: 40% in good shape (30 cars) 13 years old: 30%, drawn from the nearby bands (15 cars this age) 14 years old: 32%, drawn from the nearby bands (19 cars this age) 15 years old: 31%, drawn from the nearby bands (17 cars this age) 16 years old: 24%, drawn from the nearby bands (12 cars this age) 2y 4y 6y 8y 10y 12y 14y 16y vehicle age when we inspected it

Share of Fords in good shape (scoring 60+/100) by mileage and by age when we inspected them (each dot ≥5 cars; a band under 20 cars follows the nearby bands, so a run above the all-cars line stays above it, and a band of 20 or more uses the rate we measured; where a band has too few cars, the line follows the trend between the bands on either side; rolled-back odometers excluded from the mileage curve). The dashed grey curve is all cars we check.

Is Ford getting better?
▲ Newer Fords are holding up better 40% 60% 80% 2012–14: 41% in good shape (age-adjusted; 37 cars, raw 38%) 41 2015–17: 53% in good shape (age-adjusted; 99 cars, raw 49%) 53 2018–20: 59% in good shape (age-adjusted; 94 cars, raw 64%) 59 2009–11 2012–14 2015–17 2018–20 2021+

Share of Fords in good shape (60+/100) when inspected at the same age — 5–10 years old, age-adjusted — by model-year generation; the dashed line is the all-brand average. Compare every brand's trajectory →



Ford models we've inspected
Transit 70 cars · 67% good F-150 127 cars · 56% good Escape 40 cars · 55% good Mustang 65 cars · 46% good Fusion 38 cars · 45% good Explorer 32 cars · 40% good F-250 29 cars · 38% good Focus 24 cars · profile soon Expedition 15 cars · profile soon Bronco 14 cars · profile soon F-350 12 cars · profile soon E-350 12 cars · profile soon Fiesta 11 cars · profile soon Edge 10 cars · profile soon

Recently inspected:

2019 Ford F-250 · 128k mi — flagged: oil leaks, battery condition, lights not working. Inspected Oct 21.
2025 Ford Bronco Sport · 3k mi — flagged: tires condition & wear. Inspected Oct 19.
The bottom line

Oil leaks are the Ford pattern that should drive the visit, not the paint. They lead the fault list and often show up with fuel-trim trouble and active codes, while tire wear is common enough to budget for but not a reason to love or hate the car. Age-adjusted condition climbs from the 2012–14 cars to the 2018–20 ones, so that newest window is the smarter money if the engine is dry and the scan is clean. The average example slips below decent around 126,000 miles. Leaks plus codes, or a high-mile car already wearing its tires out, is when you negotiate hard or walk.

FAQ
?
Is Ford reliable?
51% of the 564 Fords we inspected scored 60/100 or higher, averaging 58/100 — they tend to be in slightly worse shape than average.
?
What are the most common problems with a used Ford?
Across the Fords we inspected, the items we flag most often are oil leaks (57%), tires condition & wear (38%), active error codes (30%).
?
Are newer Fords more reliable than older ones?
Yes — comparing generations at the same age (5–10 years old), newer Fords hold up clearly better than the early-2010s ones.
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Based on 564 inspections · updated Oct 23, 2026