Ford Transit Best and Worst Years (2014–2025)
Ford Transit years to avoid are 2015, 2016, and 2020, with complaint indexes of 100, 91, and 82 out of 775 total complaints logged. No Transit year earns a Best rating; 2021 is the only Good year, with an index of 27 and just 4 recalls.
Based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls per model-year, ranked within this model — not a reliability rating. Methodology.
- Model years
- 12
- 2014–2025
- NHTSA complaints
- 775
- Recall campaigns
- 64
- Crashes reported
- 25
- Fires reported
- 13
- Top problem area
- Transmission & Powertrain
Transit Complaint Index by year
Higher = more complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and Do-Not-Drive recalls per year on the road, relative to other years of this model.
Ford Transit problems and recalls by year
| Year | Verdict | Index | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Recalls | Top issue | MPG | NCAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | No verdict | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Structure & Body | — | — |
| 2015 | Avoid | 100 | 193 | 4 | 1 | 26 | Transmission & Powertrain | 16 | — |
| 2016 | Avoid | 91 | 155 | 7 | 4 | 21 | Transmission & Powertrain | 16 | — |
| 2017 | Caution | 73 | 98 | 4 | 2 | 18 | Transmission & Powertrain | 16 | — |
| 2018 | Caution | 55 | 57 | 1 | 1 | 14 | Engine | 16 | — |
| 2019 | Caution | 18 | 37 | 2 | 0 | 9 | Brakes | 15 | — |
| 2020 | Avoid | 82 | 84 | 1 | 3 | 9 | Structure & Body | 16.5 | — |
| 2021 | Good | 27 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 4 | Suspension, Wheels & Tires | 16 | — |
| 2022 | Caution | 36 | 38 | 2 | 0 | 16 | Electrical System | 16.5 | — |
| 2023 | Caution | 64 | 56 | 2 | 0 | 18 | Electrical System | — | — |
| 2024 | Caution | 45 | 28 | 0 | 2 | 10 | Suspension, Wheels & Tires | — | — |
| 2025 | No verdict | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 ! | Brakes | — | — |
Transit years to avoid: what went wrong
2015 Ford Transit Index 100 · 193 complaints · 26 recalls
The 2015 Transit has the highest complaint index (100) of any year and leads with 193 complaints and 26 recall campaigns. Transmission and powertrain problems make up 40% of its complaints, with a median failure mileage around 102,053 miles; owners describe driveshaft flexible coupling failures that can fracture the driveshaft at highway speed. Engine complaints (23%) and fuel system complaints (17%) also appear at high mileage. The year recorded 4 crashes, 1 fire, 11 injuries, and 9 deaths, the worst injury and death totals in the lineup.
2015 transmission & powertrain problems →2015 engine problems →2015 fuel system problems →
2016 Ford Transit Index 91 · 155 complaints · 21 recalls
The 2016 Transit carries a complaint index of 91, the second-highest in the lineup, with 155 complaints and 21 recall campaigns. Transmission and powertrain issues account for 39% of complaints at a median mileage near 104,500, again tied to driveshaft/u-joint coupler failures reported in NHTSA recalls. Engine problems make up 19% of complaints around 73,210 miles. NHTSA also lists 7 crashes and 4 fires for this model year, along with 1 death.
2016 transmission & powertrain problems →2016 engine problems →2016 brakes problems →
2020 Ford Transit Index 82 · 84 complaints · 9 recalls
The 2020 Transit has a complaint index of 82 with 84 complaints and 9 recall campaigns. Structure & Body issues dominate at 35% of complaints, but the median failure mileage is only 559 miles, indicating problems showing up very early in ownership, alongside electrical system complaints (17%) at a median of 3,145 miles involving reports of melting battery junction boxes and smoke. NHTSA also lists 1 crash and 3 fires for this year.
2020 structure & body problems →2020 transmission & powertrain problems →
Most common Ford Transit problems (all years)
Share of NHTSA complaints by component group across all model years.
- Transmission & Powertrain237 (31%)
- Engine139 (18%)
- Other114 (15%)
- Electrical System108 (14%)
- Structure & Body90 (12%)
- Suspension, Wheels & Tires71 (9%)
- Brakes64 (8%)
- Fuel System63 (8%)
- Collision Avoidance & Cameras46 (6%)
- Steering35 (5%)
A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.
Frequently asked questions
- What Ford Transit years should I avoid?
- Based on NHTSA complaints and recalls, 2015, 2016, and 2020 are the years to avoid, with complaint indexes of 100, 91, and 82 respectively.
- Is there a best year for the Ford Transit?
- No Ford Transit year earns a Best or Good rating outright except 2021, which is rated Good with a complaint index of 27 and only 4 recall campaigns.
- What is the most common problem with the Ford Transit?
- Across all years, Transmission & Powertrain issues are the top problem area, accounting for 237 complaints, or 31% of the 775 total complaints on file with NHTSA.
- Why are some Transit years rated Caution instead of Good despite lower complaint counts?
- Years like 2019, 2022, and 2024 have their verdicts capped to Caution because of recall campaigns requiring a dealer visit (9, 15, and 9 campaigns respectively) even though their complaint indexes (18, 36, 45) are relatively low.
- Does the Ford Transit have recall issues beyond complaints?
- Yes, NHTSA lists 64 total recall campaigns across the 2014-2025 Transit lineup, including a driveshaft flexible coupling recall affecting 2015-2017 models and rearview camera recalls spanning multiple years.