2017 Ford F-150: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed Jul 16, 2026 · Steering, Transmission · 100,000 miles · MD · crash · fire · 1 injury

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, there was an abnormal whistling and dinging sound coming from the vehicle, and the powertrain malfunction warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle independently downshifted, and the rear driver’s side of the vehicle slid to the left, and the front passenger’s side of the vehicle crashed into another parked vehicle. The contact exited the vehicle and discovered that due to the impact, there was windshield fluid leaking out of the windshield washer fluid reservoir onto the ground, and the vehicle caught on fire. The contact entered a local AutoZone, retrieved a fire extinguisher, and extinguished the fire. The local fire department was contacted. The contact stated that no air bag was deployed. A police report was filed. A Fire Department report was not filed. The contact had a cut on the right arm, and the medical team in the ambulance patched up the arm; no further medical attention was needed. The vehicle was towed to the residence, where it was self-diagnosed that the steering and ball joint assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 26V237000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. A dealer was contacted and stated that the remedy was not yet available and would not be available until July 26th. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Filed Apr 20, 2026 · Transmission · NC · fire

Car suddenly burst into flames after a shot trip, maybe one mile, fire started at the passenger side under the hood, firefighters said it was an electrical issue

Filed Apr 2, 2026 · Brakes, Transmission · 55,000 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 55-60 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted into low gear. The vehicle lost motive power, the brakes locked up, and the transmission failed to shift out of gear. The transmission shifted to neutral and was shifting roughly and erratically. The driver shifted to Manual Mode and was able to continue driving in LIMP Mode. There was smoke coming from the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact linked the failure to the federal safety agency Action Number: EA26001 (Power Train). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who confirmed that there was no warranty coverage for the failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed the warranty status, opened a case, but declined further assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 55,000.

Filed Mar 31, 2026 · Electrical · NC

I started my truck this morning and turned on the heat and defrost. Came inside to gather my things for work and when I returned back there was a strong burning smell both inside and outside. I placed my work items in the back seat, closed the door. I heard something falling and found the back windshiled windshield had exploded.

Filed Jul 7, 2025 · Engine · 99,000 miles · WI

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle in the morning, there was white smoke coming from exhaust pipes. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the engine. The dealer observed a crack in the cylinder head gasket. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 99,000.

Filed Jun 22, 2025 · Engine · IL

I had a slight oil leak that was getting worse over time. It got to the point one day, I was seeing minimal smoke coming out from the hood and wheel wells. I was on my way home from work one day, and as soon as I got off the interstate, as soon as I stopped at the stop light, the whole hood was covered with smoke billowing out everywhere, and the scent of fire. I quickly shut the truck off and grabbed my fire extinguisher, thinking my truck was on fire. I took it to a local shop I’m familiar with, and he said both valve covers were warped, and there is a TSB out from Ford about this issue. The valve covers, over time, will warp, causing oil to slosh out onto the hot exhaust manifold, and everything else. He said they have had multiple 3.5 EcoBoost motors in, and everytime they have an oil leak, it’s a warped valve cover. He told me that Ford makes a replacement valve cover with a different material, but I see this as a MAJOR fire risk! Oil getting out and combusting on an exhaust manifold, that’s not safe at all, and could easily ignite. It really upsets me that Ford will make the new part, but not recall the vehicle to fix the issue. I had to pay $1,700 to have it all fixed and safe. I have a Foster Child and it jeopardizes his safety, along with my wife and I.

Filed Jun 3, 2025 · Engine · FL

My apologies, I sent prematurely, case number 11664674 is already open, but I wanted to add to it. My 2017 Ford F-150 with the 2.7L EcoBoost engine has experienced recurring coolant loss and is now showing signs of internal engine damage. I initially reported the issue to the Ford dealership in November 2024, but no issue was found. On May 23, 2025, the dealership told me I need a new engine. My independent mechanic suspects cracked intake valves or internal coolant intrusion — a known defect in the 2.7L EcoBoost engine. This appears to be the same issue identified in class action lawsuits and previous the federal safety agency complaints. I feel the vehicle is now undrivable due to my fear of imminent engine failure. My extended warranty expired in December 2023, but the problem started well before that with white smoke coming out of the tail pipe upon cold starting. I am requesting the federal safety agency investigate these recurring issues, as this appears to be a widespread and unsafe defect affecting multiple years of the Ford 2.7L EcoBoost engine. VIN: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Jan 15, 2025 · Electrical · AZ · fire

The wiring for the rear defrost caught fire. A week later it caused the rear glass to completely shatter. We didn't know it was the rear defrost wiring until we had the glass replaced and were able to see the wires fried. I have farm animals and routinely leave my 3 children in their carseats in the truck with it running when it's cold outside and I feed our animals. If it had caught fire with my kids in the truck I wouldn't have known and they wouldn't have been able to get out. I talked to 2 Ford dealerships, 2 different lawyers and a service rep through Ford's website. Even though this exact issue is everywhere on Ford Forums no one will do anything about it because there's no current recall. The only thing we could do to make sure this doesn't happen again is to pull the fuse for the rear defrost. This is a devastating accident waiting to happen and no one will do anything about it.

Filed Nov 13, 2024 · Engine · 169,000 miles · VA

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was a heavy white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had occurred when the vehicle was purchased. The contact stated that the vehicle was covered under warranty and was repaired by the dealer. The contact called the dealer and was informed of a possible recall for the failure; however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact called the manufacturer and was informed that the vehicle was no longer covered under warranty. The failure milage was approximately 169,000.

Filed Nov 8, 2024 · Engine · 85,000 miles · TN

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated while cold starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal amount of white smoke coming from the tail pipes with a burning odor outside of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was determined that the cylinder head was cracked, and either the cylinder head or the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

Filed Aug 21, 2024 · Engine · FL

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that there was a significant oil leak underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that there was an abnormal amount of white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe while the vehicle was started and running. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was determined that the oil pan was leaking and needed to be replaced. The oil pan was replaced; however, the failure had persisted. The oil pan had been replaced three times however, the failure persisted. The contact became aware of Technical Service Bulletin: 23/2083, the federal safety agency ID Number: 10233594 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and related the failure to the TSB. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer confirmed the vehicle was not covered under the Technical Service Bulletin nor under warranty. The manufacturer referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Aug 18, 2024 · Engine · MI

My F150 has an inherent design defect which makes them predisposed to leak coolant, including allowing the coolant to seep into the engine cylinder, which causes overheating and cylinder head cracking, and can cause the engine to misfire, suddenly stall, or even catch fire while driving. My truck currently has this issue it have white/gray smoke coming from the exhaust and has a coolant leaking issue causing it to come out of the tailpipe. This is 100% a manufacturing issue. I have always had my maintenance done at the dealership, examples of oil changes, and things like that. I have owned the vehicle since brand new engine issue is at no fault of mine.