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 2018 Ford F-150 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that one side of the sunroof bracket fractured and detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for a transmission recall repair. While at the dealer, the sunroof was inspected. When the dealer attempted to open the sunroof, one of the brackets fractured and detached from the sunroof. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall, and referred the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA. The failure mileage was 39,500.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the interior lights illuminated, and the rear driver's door message was displayed. The battery was drained due to the failure. The contact located a similar article on YouTube regarding the rear driver's door and that the wiring harness was frayed. The contact spoke to her neighbor, who experienced the same failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was referred to NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 38,391.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon entering the vehicle, the contact became aware that the driver's and passenger's doors had failed to latch securely. The door ajar warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the door check arm attachment point. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 42,000. The VIN was unavailable.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the electric tailgate latch failed to latch properly, causing the tailgate to open unexpectedly. The contact pulled over to close the tailgate. The dealer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the lock mechanism to drop the spare tire was rusted and failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the failure failed to allow for the spare tire from being lowered. No warning lights were illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. However, the dealer confirmed that the lock was rusted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 105,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal sound and the tailgate unexpectedly opened. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and determined that the VIN was not under warranty for the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
Vehicle had electrical issues - Diagnosis by dealership was water damage to the Body Control Module. This module is inside the cabin on the front passenger area by their feet/legs. The issues included - flashers goin off, horn going off, truck bed gate dropping open - while parked and while driving down highway, and entire vehicle just shutting down while ALL of the issues happened at once. People have been put at risk by the gate dropping and the immediate shut down of an operating vehicle. The dealer was able to reproduce the problem. I had it happen twice. I have since identified that it is something that is a known issue on F150 forums. So much so that the likely cause of the water damage has been identified, and forwarded to the manufacturer. They are not fixing the issue. Manufacturer's dealership technician identified the water damage as the root cause. …
All doors have this issue during cold weather. The doors fail to latch or the doors fail to open. When the doors fail to latch I close the door thinking it is safely closed; however, the door latch fails to engage allowing the door to open while driving. This happened while a child was in the back seat and caused a very distressing hazard. I had to tie the door shut with a bungee cord. Other time the door latch will fail to disengage when operating the door handle both interior and exterior door handles. This is also very dangerous because it effectively lock a person in the vehicle preventing escape for any peril. I have learned that NHTSA already recalled this issue for 2015 to 2017 models and it appears that Ford has stuck their middle finger at NHTSA because they continue to use the faulty equipment. …
This is the 6th winter I have had my truck. Every winter, the door locks freeze to the point the doors won't close. I have called ford, they have replaced the door locks. The problem still persists. I went to warm them up with a torch today to get them working again. I left and once again the door flew open under braking. I have called ford on this, they need to fix it before something really bad happens. This has happened at least once every winter. I am afraid to drive the thing when it freezes for fear of the doors flying open. the only warning lamp happens once the door is open. It won't go into gear. That's great and all but it doesn't let me know when the door may be compromised due to freezing. The dealer and ford have both confirmed this a known problem. I believe there was even a recall. They replaced all my door locks. The problem still persists. …
Tried to open door to put my 2 year old in her car seat and it wouldn't open, assume this was due to the extreme cold. So I took our other vehicle, few days later when it warmed up I again went to leave with my daughter and this time the door opened but will no longer latch shut. Tried toggling child lock messing with lock mechanism on top of the door Tried both interior and exterior handles but it will not latch no matter what I do. Now all my lights are staying on and door ajar light and icon are on and won't go off. I currently have the door ratchet strapped inside the vehicle to hold it close and I cannot drive it due to the safety concerns if the strap let's loose and the door flings open... There is a recall for frozen door mechanism my vehicle falls in this range and I was notified previously I qualified for the recall. …
Related recalls
Structure › Body › Roof and pillars
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 Ford F-150 Raptor Super Cab pick-up trucks not equipped with a moonroof. The structural roof braces may be missing rivets at the attachment of the roof rail, thereby reducing the structural integrity.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install the rivets for the roof brace attachments, free of charge. The recall began October 17, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.
Body complaints in other F-150 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2018 Ford F-150?
NHTSA has 193 complaints about the body & structure of the 2018 Ford F-150, 8% of the model year's 2,322 complaints. The component named most often is body (174 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2018 Ford F-150 body problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 17V-598 (roof and pillars, Sep 25, 2017). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2018 Ford F-150 body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 10,000 miles, and 77% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 3 fires and 5 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.