United States
Ford
Enormous parts and service network, strong trucks, and a record that varies sharply by model rather than by brand.
Judging Ford as a single brand is misleading. The F-150 is the best-supported vehicle in North America — every parts counter stocks for it, every independent shop knows it, the aftermarket is enormous — while the DPS6 dual-clutch transmission used in the Fiesta and Focus produced a decade of complaints and litigation. Buy the model, not the badge.
The engineering pattern in the modern lineup is EcoBoost turbocharging across almost everything. Those engines make strong low-end torque and often beat their naturally aspirated predecessors on real-world economy, but they add a turbo, an intercooler and direct injection to the maintenance picture. Direct-injection-only engines accumulate intake valve carbon over time; the 2.7L and 3.5L EcoBoost V6s in the F-150 use port and direct injection together, which largely solves that.
Repair costs sit mid-market. Parts are widely available and reasonably priced, but the 10-speed automatic and the electronics on newer trucks push some jobs toward dealer-level diagnostic tooling. A starter replacement on an F-150 typically runs $350 to $600; a catalytic converter on a V6 truck can exceed $2,000 because of how many converters are involved.
Ford models
Documented model years
Each year has its own reported issues and ownership costs.
- 2021 Ford EscapeThe lowest score here, and it is earned by one issue rather than general shoddiness. The 1.5L EcoBoost coolant intrusion recall covers a large share of 2020–2022 Escapes and the failure mode ranges from a misfire to a destroyed engine. Add a transmission that many owners describe as clumsy and this is a vehicle that needs homework. The hybrid, with a different engine and a much simpler transmission, is a substantially better bet and would score well above this on its own.$550–$1,050 per year, maintenance and repairs/yr
- 2021 Ford F-150Mechanically sound and easy to service, held back by first-model-year electronics and a transmission that draws more complaints than anything else on the truck. Parts and labor are the cheapest in the full-size segment, which offsets a higher rate of small annoyances.$700–$1,300 maintenance and repairs per year/yr
- 2019 Ford F-150Structurally excellent and mechanically mixed. The frame, aluminum body and axles hold up to genuine work, and plenty of these trucks pass 200,000 miles. But two of the most-reported issues on this generation — 10-speed transmission shift quality and cam phaser rattle on the 5.0L V8 — are both expensive if they need hardware rather than software, and that keeps the score honest at three. Running costs are also simply higher than a sedan: bigger tires, bigger brakes, more fuel.$750–$1,400 per year, maintenance and repairs/yr