Consumer Reports Says This Best-Selling Vehicle Is One Of The Least Reliable Cars

There are few product review organizations that have as much authority as Consumer Reports. It's an almost century-old nonprofit with a large base of members and the matching facilities to test and review its claims — so, when it says something, people tend to listen. And in 2024, the Consumer Reports list of the 10 least reliable cars highlighted two versions of the Ford F-150: the F-150 Lightning and F-150 Hybrid. They both rank among the least reliable cars, scoring 28 and 7 respectively, in reliability points that max out at 100. The Hybrid achieved the worst score on the entire list.

This may come as a surprise to many, as the Ford F-Series has historically been one of the most popular trucks in the United States. Ford has claimed the F-Series was the best-selling truck every year from 1977 to 2023 and among the best-selling vehicle overall for more than four decades. By 2023, more than 41 million F-150s had been sold, which is about 10 to 20 million units fewer than the world's best-selling car, the Toyota Corolla.

But Consumer Reports' survey, which pulls feedback from hundreds of thousands of vehicle owners each year, highlights a different side of the story. Owners of the newer hybrid and electric versions reported frequent problems in areas such as the electric drive system, battery and charging components, car electronics, and transmission — issues that are weighted more heavily because they affect safety, drivability, and repair costs.

While things may change in the future, it seems that Ford is still struggling to integrate the electric motor systems and hybrid solutions in the F-Series. Whereas this would have tanked any other nameplate's sales, this is the iconic Ford F-150, so it has managed to weather the storm. 

Yet the problem doesn't seem limited to just the Lightning and the Hybrid, because the regular gas-fuelled F-150 doesn't seem to be doing so well in terms of reliability, either. Models from 2022 and 2025 have lower than average dependability scores from Consumer Reports. It might be wise to avoid the F-Series for now and consider more affordable alternatives, especially with rising prices of Ford cars.

A good replacement choice might be the Honda Ridgeline, a mid-size truck that consistently earns average or above-average reliability ratings, enjoys great resale value, and comes with a car-like ride quality. For buyers who need something larger, the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 is a strong contender; J.D. Power gave the 2025 model overall high scores, and its Consumer Reports reliability score is better than the F-150's. If hybrid efficiency is your main goal, the Ford Maverick Hybrid is cheaper, smaller, and more reliable than the F-150 Hybrid. And while the EV pickup segment is generally lacking, reviews from Car and Driver suggest the Chevrolet Silverado EV could be a safer bet for range and engineering maturity compared to the F-150 Lightning.