Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2013 Ford F-150 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
While driving down the highway, the vehicle flashed service advance trac, down hill descent control fault, trailer brake module fail and a couple more codes. All electonics in vehicle went blank, including all controls/gauges. Before doing so, last code read, shift to park. Almost caused me to have an accident, because the power steering went out and nearly pulled me into another vehicle. The acceleration is bad too, feels like it is not firing all cylinders again. Have already taken in for a number of issues, including crankshaft sensor issues(was losing power to driveline); brakes locking up (have replaced the rotors and pads six times and last time I replaced both calibers as well; power steering has been replaced once before, front axles and bearings replaced. As well as, ac problems. …
I was driving on the freeway in the fast lane. Suddenly the wrench warning light and check engine light came on, and the car experienced what appeared to be a total loss of engine power. I placed the hazard lights on and was able to navigate to the shoulder, with 18 wheelers and other cars trying to react to my sudden loss of power and speed. After turning the car off, and restarting it, it appears OK to proceed. This same incident has happened now 8 times in the last few days. I took the car into Ford and they are claiming it's an issue with the throttle body. I mentioned that I see a throttle body recall for 2015-2016 f-150's, but Ford is denying the issue, indicating there is no recall for my 2013. I find many complaints identical to mine for f-150's earlier than 2015. They also claim Ford denies the issue and refuses to fix the problem. …
I took my truck into red mccombs Ford in san antonio, tx because I had issues with my transmission. I can be driving and it would rev up to 4K RPM without my foot on the acceleration. There are times when I'm driving and it drops into 1st and jars me when it bogs down. Took it in and we paid almost $1000 for repairs to fix it since I feared for my safety. It felt like I had no control of my vehicle. That was in sept 2018..here we are March 2019 having the same issues. I tried taking it in, but they did not have the offer of a loaner vehicle while they fixed again, so I have had no choice but to drive my truck still. I love my truck...but this is scary driving like this. I don't have a choice because I have to get to work daily. …
When I was backing my f150 out of my driveway I heard a loud squealing sound when I turned my steering wheel. This caused a stable trac light, a hill decent light, and a power steering light. I clicked on the OK button to clear all three faults on the dash because the truck seamed to working properly. As I drove to work a vehicle in front of me slammed on their breaks and when I went to react the power steering did not work. This is a very dangerous issue that could cause serious injury and or death to me and my kids. The power steering did come back and worked for a few days then it happened again when a car turned in front of me and when I swerved to miss a head on collision with my children in the truck the power steering failed yet again. I now have all three faults every time I start the truck and the power steering is completely out now. …
Experienced common epas failure multiple times. Have experienced at high speeds, losing control of all steering. This issue has been well documented all over the internet, and is actually a recall in some Ford vehicles, including the 2014. But they have not issued a recall for the 2013. This is a major concern and safety issue. I've received this issue when vehicle gets wet from rain or car wash. And I've also experienced it when hitting a bump at both low speeds and high speeds. Such as a bridge deck seam on the freeway, pothole, rumble strips, gravel road washboard etc. When hitting these bumps, or when caused due to moisture, "service advance trac" message comes on dash, and all power steering is lost until vehicle is turned off and started again. Not only is this an extremely expensive fix, it is extremely dangerous, and could put a driver in a life and death situation. …
I have had the Ford truck death wobble, I barely missed a head on collision because of it. This has now happened several times, it starts unexpectedly when going 55 to 60 MPH and hit a slight pump or unevenness on the road the front end of the truck goes into to a severe vibration and wobble that rapidly gets worse and make the truck uncontrollable and vary dangerous. The only way to stop the death wobble is to immediately slam on the breaks and come to a complete rapid stop. I cant believe this hasn't already been taken care of by Ford giving how many of us out here are experiencing this issue. When this truck goes into to this violent wobble it is vary difficult to control, I am a 240lb male and almost collided head on with an oncoming car, if my wife was driving this truck when this happened her and the people in the oncoming car would have most likely died!
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 Ford f-150. The contact stated that with the active traction control disabled and while driving around a corner at approximately 10-15 MPH in inclement weather, the rear wheels lost traction. The vehicle started to slide and the traction control independently activated. The contact stated that the vehicle was almost to the point of leaving the roadway. The contact stated that the active traction control slowed down the rear wheels, which made the vehicle uncontrollable. The vehicle was taken to woodhouse Ford (2546 us-30, blair, ne 68008, [phone]) to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the vehicle operated as intended. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure recurred three times. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.
Vehicle always in motion, appears to lose power, wrench light comes on, odometer has dash lines, speedometer falls to 0, and other mpg digital sensors, distance to empty sensor and air bag failure all happen simultaneously. Occasionally the truck seems to have power loss at lower speeds. Tachometer continues to work. A few times shutting ignition off and turning on again all goes back to normal. Recently had recall software upgrade completed but the problem occurred just 4 days later as I was turning onto freeway. Before the recall work was done I took vehicle to local shop I trust, there were multiple codes found. I had the service tech I had clear the codes. All incidents have occurred at speeds less than 30. All seem to be associated with loss of power and noise from transmission.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 Ford f-150. While operating the vehicle, the traction control light would illuminate and the power steering would suddenly malfunction. The steering wheel became very difficult to turn. The power steering failures occurred on multiple occasions and eventually went out completely. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the electronic power assist assembly malfunctioned. The electronic power assist assembly was replaced and the failure was remedied. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 20,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 Ford f-150. While driving 25 MPH and making a turn, the steering wheel seized and the advance track failure warning indicator illuminated. The contact was able to pull into a parking lot. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer. The local dealer (all star Ford, 2586 range park dr, denham springs, la, 70726) stated they would diagnose the vehicle and contact the owner back with the diagnosis. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted or made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 42,000.
Traction Control complaints in other F-150 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are traction control problems on the 2013 Ford F-150?
NHTSA has 30 complaints about the stability & traction control of the 2013 Ford F-150, 1% of the model year's 2,990 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2013 Ford F-150 traction control problems?
No. NHTSA lists no stability & traction control recall for the 2013 Ford F-150, though it has 3 recalls 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 2013 Ford F-150 traction control problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 84,000 miles, and 7% before 25,000 miles.
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.