Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 Ford F-150 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2008 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in for routine maintenance, the mechanic discovered that the sub frame had experienced severe rusting and corrosion. The contact was advised that the vehicle was unsafe to operate. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure put no assistance was provided. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 32,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford F-150. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic for service and the contact was informed by the mechanic that there was severe corrosion on the subframe. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 144,000.
The truck has a body frame that was cracked in several spots and welded back together in more then 5 different spots and the welding job is very poor. The truck has a power steering line leak, cvs axle leaks and a exhaust manifold leak. The dealership fixed upper ball joints when we agreed on lower and upper in the front. They added a exhaust but did not do the job correctly with completing the job and the welding of it. Ive made a complaint with the loan company and i as well have talked to the owner of the dealership and he fights that none of those things are wrong with the truck and im lying but i have had a inspection done on the truck. When i got the truck i looked it over and so did my brother i pointed the issues of what needed fixed that i could see and that was not done. I then started having issues with the truck and took it to a mechaninc and had an inspection done
Door fails to close and latch shut. Several other recalls on this issue but my vin was not included. I am currently not able to drive the car with out the door falling open Related recalls provided to me by Ford 17s33 19n06 18n03
The incident took place on an exit on interstate (I-610 loop south in houston). My son came to a stop when car in front stopped abruptly. This is when my son was rear ended by 2016 f-250 that was towing horse trailer. This pushed my son's truck into the car in front. Impact completely buckled my son's truck bed and damaged the front and the inside cabin. Both the front seats broke (back reclining portion snapped backward) plus neither airbags inflated from the impact. So my question is why would the front seats snap backwards (is it design flaw?) and why didn't the airbags inflate from the impact to the car in front? From the damage to all the vehicles involved you can see that it was a very hard impact.
My vehicle is only 11 years old. I have an issue with the frame. The frame on my vehicle has rust holes on the left hand inner side. I believe there is a manufacturing issue in the metalwork for the frames on 2004-2008 f150 trucks. I work as a service technician and multiple vehicles have this issue. We as consumers should not be having to cover the costs of repairing these unsafe frames due to fords negligence to build the frames properly. Due to this, any vehicle with frame issues such as mine, if involved in a wreck, could be catastrophic. I have seen countless f150's of those year ranges come in with frames rotted all in the same place at the rear of the main frame rail, near the gas tank. 2009 and forward do not seem to have this issue as they changed the design of the frame. …
While the truck was parked on level ground in a parking lot, I noticed what a appeared to be a hole rusted through the drivers side frame. Further investigation revealed that there were several large holes beginning in front of the rear wheel and extending to about the middle of the cab. These holes are all the way through, (both sides of the rail), on both sides of the truck. See attached pictures. I feel this significantly compromises the integrity of the frame and makes it less safe to operate. I am also very surprised to see so much corrosion on an 11 year truck. This has been reported to the dealer that sold me the truck 5 years ago, to Ford motor co., and to the better business bureau. None of these attempts have resulted in any action. I'm sure mine is not the only f150 with this problem and I want to make sure the word gets out.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Ford f-150. While attempting to exit the vehicle, the contact was unable to unlock the front passenger door. The vehicle was taken to gus machado Ford (1200 w 49th st, hialeah, fl 33012, [phone]) where it was diagnosed that the door lock mechanism fractured and needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the plastic mechanism needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired using a metallic door release mechanism. Additionally, the contact was informed that the front driver's door would also experience the failure. Several months later, the door lock mechanism on the front driver's door fractured. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 51,000.
2908 Ford f-150 frame corrosion. Dec 2016 took truck to local tire repair facility. They advised vehicle was not safe due to corrosion of truck frame. Truck is a Ford f-150 2008 with approximately 80K miles. They advised not to drive long distances or pull anything. I took it back to dealership where I bought vehicle in sept 2015 and they have not been helpful. I have also tried to contact Ford who only states truck is out of 36,000 mile warranty.
I have had problems with rotors since I bought truck in 09', a month or 2 after I bought it I had rotors changed and then every 3 to 4 months after that. My front wheels are black after 2 weeks of driving. I have never pulled a trailer with this truck and this truck has been used lightly. Also after 12 years old, mechanic told me yesterday I have a year or 2 before my frame is going completely rusted thru and be dangerous to drive.
Body complaints in other F-150 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2008 Ford F-150?
NHTSA has 23 complaints about the body & structure of the 2008 Ford F-150, 6% of the model year's 369 complaints. The component named most often is body (15 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 Ford F-150 body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2008 Ford F-150, though it has 1 recall for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2008 Ford F-150 body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 54,000 miles, and 29% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 2 injuries to body & structure problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.