Ford truck safety statistics combine industry-wide pickup fatality data with Ford-specific investigation and recall records. The clearest 2024 U.S. measures cover pickups broadly, while F-150 evidence concerns defined model years and reported safety actions.
Key Ford Truck Safety Statistics
The most useful headline figures are:
- In 2024 in the United States, 4,034 pickup occupants died in passenger-vehicle crashes, representing 18% of 22,713 passenger-vehicle occupant deaths.
- In 2024 in the United States, 3,348 pickup drivers and 684 pickup passengers died, making drivers 83% of pickup occupant deaths.
- From 1975 to 2024 in the United States, pickup occupant deaths rose from 3,665 to 4,034, a 10% increase reported by IIHS.
- In 2024 in the United States, pickup drivers had 19 occupant deaths per million registered 1-to-3-year-old pickups in multiple-vehicle crashes.
- In 2024 in the United States, pickup drivers had 19 multiple-vehicle deaths per million registered vehicles, including 14 frontal, 4 side and 1 rear-impact deaths per million.
- In 2024 in the United States, pickup drivers had 15 single-vehicle deaths per million registered vehicles, including 11 frontal-impact deaths per million.
- In 2024 in the United States, 2,467 pickup occupant deaths followed frontal initial impacts, or 61% of deaths in the impact-point table.
- In 2024 in the United States, 660 pickup occupant deaths followed side initial impacts, or 16% of deaths in the impact-point table.
- In 2024 in the United States, 148 pickup occupant deaths followed rear initial impacts, or 4% of deaths in the impact-point table.
- In 2024 in the United States, 5,340 people died in crashes involving large trucks, including 17% large-truck occupants and 62% passenger-vehicle occupants.
- From 2009 to 2024 in the United States, deaths in large-truck crashes increased 58%, using 2009 as the low point since FARS collection began in 1975.
- In 2024 in the United States, 2,739 large-truck crash deaths occurred on other major roads, compared with 1,582 on interstates/freeways and 981 on minor roads.
- In 2024 in the United States, 958 large-truck crash deaths occurred from noon to 3 p.m., the largest time-of-day share at 18%.
- In 2024 in the United States, passenger-vehicle occupants accounted for 2,511 of 2,606 occupant deaths in two-vehicle passenger-vehicle/large-truck crashes.
- In February and March 2024 in the United States, NHTSA received 86 owner questionnaires potentially related to unexpected downshifting in 2014 F-150 vehicles.
- In 2024 in the United States, NHTSA opened Recall Query RQ24-005 on March 27 to investigate the scope of earlier F-150 recalls 19S07 and 19S19.
- From 2013 to 2016 in U.S. FARS crashes involving 1-to-4-year-old vehicles, pickups were 158% more likely to kill a partner-car driver than when a car crashed with another car.
- In 2013–2016 in the United States, light pickups weighing 3,500–4,000 pounds were 23% more likely to kill a partner-car driver than cars of similar weight.
- In NHTSA’s 2024 annual report, Ford Motor Company had 65 recalls covering 7,670,252 recalled vehicles, across Ford vehicles and recalls broadly.
Contents
- Key Ford Truck Safety Statistics
- Pickup Occupant Deaths and Long-Term Ford Truck Safety Trends
- Ford Truck Crash Safety Data by Impact and Setting
- Large-Truck Crash Deaths, Roads and Time of Day
- Ford F-150 Investigations, Defect Reports and Recalls
- Pickup Compatibility and Risk to Other Vehicle Occupants
- Ford Truck Recall Activity and Completion Limits
Pickup Occupant Deaths and Long-Term Ford Truck Safety Trends
The national pickup data is an important baseline for Ford truck readers, but it is not Ford-specific. IIHS classifies these figures across all pickups and reports crashes on public roads in which a death occurred within 30 days.
In 2024, pickup occupants accounted for 4,034 deaths, or 18% of the 22,713 passenger-vehicle occupant deaths recorded in the table. The same table counted 6,648 SUV occupants, showing that pickup deaths are one part of a wider passenger-vehicle safety picture. IIHS, “Passenger vehicle occupants”
| 2024 pickup measure, United States | Result |
|---|---|
| Driver deaths | 3,348 |
| Passenger deaths | 684 |
| Driver share of pickup occupant deaths | 83% |
| Multiple-vehicle driver fatality rate | 19 per million registered 1-to-3-year-old pickups |
| Single-vehicle driver fatality rate | 15 per million registered 1-to-3-year-old pickups |
Pickup occupant deaths increased from 3,665 in 1975 to 4,034 in 2024, a 10% increase reported by IIHS. This is a long-run count trend, not an exposure-adjusted risk rate, so it should not be interpreted as the change in danger per mile or per vehicle.
For 2024 multiple-vehicle crashes, pickup drivers recorded 135 deaths in the rate table, compared with 366 for cars. The corresponding pickup rate was 19 deaths per million registered 1-to-3-year-old vehicles, versus 35 for cars; vehicle type, use patterns and driver demographics can affect this comparison as well as design. IIHS, “Passenger vehicle occupants”
In single-vehicle crashes, pickup drivers had 102 deaths in 2024, including 77 frontal-impact deaths. The pickup rate was 15 per million registered vehicles, including 11 frontal, 1 side, less than 1 rear and 1 other death per million; IIHS’s less-than-one value should not be converted to zero. IIHS, “Passenger vehicle occupants”
Ford Truck Crash Safety Data by Impact and Setting
Initial-impact classifications describe where the first recorded impact occurred, not necessarily the complete injury mechanism or a vehicle’s test performance. In the 2024 U.S. pickup occupant table, frontal impacts dominated the recorded fatal outcomes.
- Frontal initial impacts accounted for 2,467 pickup occupant deaths, or 61% of the table.
- Side initial impacts accounted for 660 pickup occupant deaths, or 16%.
- Rear initial impacts accounted for 148 pickup occupant deaths, or 4%.
The rollover-specific table shows a different restricted population: pickup occupants killed in rollover crashes. Among those deaths, 685 followed frontal initial impacts, equal to 44%; 214 followed side initial impacts, or 14%; and 67 followed rear initial impacts, or 4%.
These percentages are shares within rollover deaths, not overall pickup crash rates. IIHS, “Passenger vehicle occupants”
Large-Truck Crash Deaths, Roads and Time of Day
Large-truck statistics provide broader context than light-duty Ford pickups. The category includes large trucks generally, so these figures should not be assigned to Ford truck occupants or models.
In 2024, 5,340 people died in crashes involving large trucks. Large-truck occupants represented 17% of those deaths, passenger-vehicle occupants 62%, and pedestrians, bicyclists or motorcyclists 19%.
Deaths were 58% higher in 2024 than in 2009, the low point since FARS collection began in 1975; large-truck occupant deaths were 84% higher over the same comparison. These are counts, not per-mile trends. IIHS, “Large trucks”
| 2024 large-truck measure, United States | Deaths or share |
|---|---|
| Tractor-trailer-involved crashes | 3,098 (58%) |
| Single-unit-truck-involved crashes | 1,957 (37%) |
| Other major roads | 2,739 |
| Interstates/freeways | 1,582 |
| Minor roads | 981 |
Truck-type categories can overlap conceptually because some crashes involve both tractor-trailers and single-unit trucks. Road-type shares were 51% on other major roads, 30% on interstates/freeways and 18% on minor roads; rounding and other/unknown categories mean they may not sum to 100%.
The largest time-of-day share was noon–3 p.m., with 958 deaths or 18%. Wednesday had the highest daily count, at 905 deaths or 17%, but neither measure adjusts for traffic volume or miles traveled. IIHS, “Large trucks”
Ford F-150 Investigations, Defect Reports and Recalls
Ford-specific safety evidence is more narrowly defined. NHTSA’s chronology concerns certain 2014 F-150 vehicles equipped with 6R80 six-speed automatic transmissions and unexpected downshifting reports.
NHTSA received 86 vehicle-owner questionnaires potentially related to the issue before opening Recall Query RQ24-005. Ford’s CCRG opened its investigation on February 8, 2024, after an increasing number of reports, while NHTSA opened the query on March 27, 2024, to investigate the scope of earlier recalls 19S07 and 19S19.
VOQs and recall queries are reports and investigative steps, not confirmed defect counts, injury counts or failure probabilities. NHTSA, “Ford Motor Company Recall No. 24S37 Chronology”
Earlier field actions in the chronology include Ford action 16S19 for certain 2011–2012 F-150 vehicles and other lines, involving downshifts related to intermittent output-shaft-speed sensor failures. Ford approved 19S07 for 2011–2013 F-150 vehicles on February 4, 2019, and approved 19S19 on June 13, 2019, to update an error in remedy software for certain 2013 configurations.
Through May 2024, Ford evaluated field reports and warranty data for 2014 F-150 vehicles. The chronology says the report rate remained lower than for 2011–2013 F-150 vehicles, but it does not provide numerical rates and lower does not mean zero.
It identifies 24S37 as covering certain 2014 F-150 vehicles with unexpected transmission downshift, not the entire model year. NHTSA, “Ford Motor Company Recall No. 24S37 Chronology”
Pickup Compatibility and Risk to Other Vehicle Occupants
Truck safety includes the risk posed to people in other vehicles. IIHS’s peer-reviewed analysis used FARS deaths involving 1-to-4-year-old passenger vehicles from 1989 through 2016; its comparisons are not current Ford model-year forecasts.
- In 2013–2016, pickups were 158% more likely to kill the driver of a partner car than when a car crashed with another car.
- In 1989–1992, the corresponding pickup-versus-car incompatibility figure was 159%.
- In 2013–2016, pickups were about 2.5 times as likely as other cars and minivans to be involved in a crash fatal to a car or minivan driver.
Weight matching narrowed, but did not eliminate, the difference: light pickups weighing 3,500–4,000 pounds were 23% more likely to kill a partner-car driver than cars of similar weight in 2013–2016. The measure concerns the other vehicle’s driver, not pickup occupants. IIHS, “Trends in aggressivity and driver risk for cars, SUVs, and pickups: vehicle incompatibility from 1989 to 2016”
SUV compatibility improved more substantially in the study period: SUVs were 132% more likely to kill a partner-car driver in 1989–1992, 59% higher in 2009–2012, and 28% higher in 2013–2016. These are study-period comparisons using FARS data, not a Ford-specific rate. IIHS, “SUVs no longer pose outsize risk to car occupants, but pickup compatibility lags”
Ford Truck Recall Activity and Completion Limits
NHTSA’s 2024 annual recall-completion report lists Ford Motor Company with 65 recalls and 7,670,252 recalled vehicles. The manufacturer summary covers Ford vehicles and recalls broadly, not trucks alone, and a recalled-vehicle count is not a defect rate or completed-repair count.
The Ford row lists the following large recall populations:
| Recall | Recalled vehicles |
|---|---|
| 22V413 | 2,925,968 |
| 22V250 | 652,996 |
| 21V537 | 631,176 |
| 22V193 | 391,836 |
| 22V191 | 345,451 |
| 22V087 | 247,445 |
| 22V150 | 195,864 |
Recall 22V150 had a 72.2% completion rate in the report table. NHTSA warns that completion rates should not be compared across recalls or manufacturers without accounting for vehicle age, parts supply and other factors; vehicle mix and remedy status must also be read from the individual recall record. NHTSA, “2024 Annual Recall Completion Rates”
The most defensible reading is therefore layered: national pickup and large-truck fatality data describe the broader safety environment, F-150 chronology documents specific investigative activity, and Ford’s manufacturer-wide recall totals show scale without proving truck-specific exposure or repair completion.