Ford Transit Years to Avoid — and the Years to Buy
Every Ford Transit model year from 2001 to 2026, benchmarked against each other with 1,061 federal complaints, 65 recall campaigns, and the odometer readings owners put in their reports.
Avoid: 2015–2016. These years top the Transit's complaint rankings by volume and severity.
Safer bets: 2019, 2021–2022 — the quietest years with at least four years on the road.
The method in one line: every NHTSA complaint for this model is counted, weighted for crashes, fires, injuries, and deaths, and each year is measured against the Transit's own worst year — full methodology.
Under investigation. Federal regulators currently have an open defect investigation on the Ford Transit.
Component: BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
On September 23, 2020, Ford Motor Company (Ford) filed a noncompliance recall report under 49 CFR Part 573 (NHTSA Recall No. 20V-575), recalling 620,246 Model Year (MY) 2020 Ford F-150, F-250, F-350, F-450, F-550, Explorer, Mustang, Transit, Expedition, Escape, Ranger and Edge, and Lincoln Nautilus…
Model years named: 2020
An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
The trouble strip
One cell per model year. The whole answer in one glance — click any year for the full report.
The defining problem
Transmission & drivetrain tops the Ford Transit file with 237 complaints, concentrated in the 2015–2017 model years, most often reported around 106,000 miles. The year pages break down what fails and when.
Every year, ranked
| Year | Verdict | Complaints | Recalls | Top problem | Trouble index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Few reports | 9 | 0 | — | 3 |
| 2025 | Few reports | 3 | 4 | — | 1 |
| 2024 | Too early to call | 38 | 10 | — | 18 |
| 2023 | Typical | 77 | 19 | Electrical | 24 |
| 2022 | Better year | 54 | 16 | Driver assistance | 18 |
| 2021 | Better year | 32 | 4 | — | 12 |
| 2020 | Below average | 106 | 9 | Seats & interior | 37 |
| 2019 | Better year | 47 | 9 | — | 16 |
| 2018 | Typical | 77 | 14 | Engine | 30 |
| 2017 | Below average | 133 | 18 | Transmission & drivetrain | 50 |
| 2016 | Avoid | 211 | 21 | Transmission & drivetrain | 90 |
| 2015 | Avoid | 270 | 26 | Transmission & drivetrain | 100 |
| 2014 | Few reports | 3 | 3 | — | 1 |
| 2001 | Few reports | 1 | 0 | — | 0 |
Technical service bulletins
Beyond complaints and recalls, 1,714 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, service campaigns, warranty extensions — are on file for the Ford Transit. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Browse the Ford Transit TSB list by year →
Questions buyers ask
What Ford Transit years should I avoid?
Federal complaint records point to 2015–2016 as the Ford Transit years to avoid — they drew the highest volume of serious complaints relative to the model's other years.
What is the most common Ford Transit problem?
Transmission & drivetrain tops the Ford Transit file with 237 complaints, concentrated in the 2015–2017 model years, most often reported around 106,000 miles.
What are the best Ford Transit years to buy used?
The quietest Ford Transit years in federal records are 2019, 2021–2022 — each with at least four years on the road and well-below-average complaint volume for this model.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Counts cover the Ford Transit only, scored against this model's own worst year — not against other models. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.