The Lemon IndexFord Transit reliability.
Is it reliable? Mostly. About a quarter as many complaints as the average car.
One of the most reliable · 2015–2022
What owners say on YouTube
Looking at a 2023 or newer? Those are too new for a full complaint score (any score shown is partial, in gray), but YouTube owners like the 2023 best.
Fewest complaints
2019.
Every year. Lower is better. Tap a year for its full report.
Newest year first. Red = worse than average, gray = about average, too new (2023+: a partial score, marked “partial”) or too few complaints to score. #1, #2… = that year's YouTube rank among the 10 Ford Transit years with enough videos (#1 = the year owners and reviewers talk about most positively). It is not a reliability rank.
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<iframe src="https://lemonindex.com/embed/cars/ford-transit/" title="Ford Transit reliability by model year (The Lemon Index)" width="100%" height="445" style="border:0;max-width:720px" loading="lazy"></iframe><p style="font-size:13px;margin:4px 0 0">Data: <a href="https://lemonindex.com/cars/ford-transit/">Lemon Index</a> (Ford Transit reliability by year)</p>YouTube rank: we read 198 YouTube videos about the Ford Transit, 2015 to 2025, and ranked every year by how much they praise it vs. how much they talk about problems. YouTube's favorite: 2023. Old cars rank lower partly because most of their videos are repair and restoration videos. A gray dot means not enough data yet: under 10 videos, or a new year with no owner complaints to compare.
Compare the Ford Transit.
Opens the compare tool with both cars, every year side by side. Compare with any car →
Quick answers.
Is the Ford Transit reliable?
Mostly. It draws about a quarter as many complaints as the average car, but YouTube owners complain about it more than about most cars its age. Fewest complaints: 2019.
Is the Ford Transit a good car?
Yes, it is one of the most reliable models we track, by owner complaints to the government per car sold (2015-2022: Lemon Index 28; 100 is average). Some years are much better than others: 2019 drew the fewest complaints and 2015 the most.
What are the best Ford Transit years to buy?
By owner complaints per car sold: 2019, 2021, 2018. 2019 drew the fewest.
What Ford Transit years should you stay away from?
No Ford Transit year stands out as bad. Even the years with the most complaints per car sold beat the average car: 2015 (better than average, Lemon Index 52), 2020 (one of the most reliable, Lemon Index 42), 2016 (one of the most reliable, Lemon Index 40).
How many recalls does the Ford Transit have?
146 safety recalls across the 10 model years we track. Most: 2015 (26), 2016 (21), 2023 (19). Each year's page lists them, and every Ford Transit recall is in one list here.
What are the most common Ford Transit problems?
Across every year, owners' complaints to the government name transmission & drivetrain, electrical and engine most. Some years are much worse than others: see the chart above.
Every year in one table
| Year | Index | Compared with average | Complaints | Top complaint | Recalls | Crash test | MPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 52 | about half as many complaints as the average car | 60 | transmission & drivetrain (32%) | 26 | ★★★★★ | 16–25 |
| 2016 | 40 | a bit under half as many complaints as the average car | 57 | transmission & drivetrain (28%) | 21 | ★★★★★ | 16–25 |
| 2017 | 28 | about a quarter as many complaints as the average car | 39 | transmission & drivetrain (33%) | 18 | ★★★★★ | 16–23 |
| 2018 | 15 | about a fifth as many complaints as the average car | 21 | body structure (33%) | 14 | ★★★★★ | 16–23 |
| 2019 | 10 | less than a sixth as many complaints as the average car | 15 | speed control (20%) | 9 | — | 15–26 |
| 2020 | 42 | a bit under half as many complaints as the average car | 53 | seats (51%) | 9 | — | 16–26 |
| 2021 | 12 | less than a sixth as many complaints as the average car | 13 | transmission & drivetrain (31%) | 4 | ★★★★☆ | 16–26 |
| 2022 | 24 | about a quarter as many complaints as the average car | 30 | backup camera (37%) | 16 | ★★★★☆ | 16–26 |
| 2023 | 38 | a bit under half as many complaints as the average car | 59 | electrical (24%) | 19 | ★★★★☆ | 25–26 |
| 2024 | 21 | about a fifth as many complaints as the average car | 28 | body structure (21%) | 10 | ★★★☆☆ | — |
The Lemon Index counts owner complaints filed with the U.S. government (NHTSA) in a car's first 3 years, per car sold, against the average car of the same model years (100 = average, lower is better). It measures complaints, not crash safety. U.S. sales source: en.wikipedia.org. How it works
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Updated · Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com)
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