Reliable Auto DB

2019 Ford Transit reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2019 Ford Transit holds 37 complaints after 8 years, a rate of 4 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Transit years here — under the median of the other years, which is 9. NHTSA has 9 recalls on file, including Latch or anchor, Camera, and Parking brake linkage and cable.

2015 Ford Transit 250 medium-roof cargo van
Photo by Mr.choppers, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0
Complaints

37

Per year

4

Recalls

9

Years on the road

8

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Service brakes (6 of 37), then Structure, body (4) and Engine (3). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 40,000 miles, and the middle half falls between 7,000 and 103,000 miles. Those filings include 2 that report a crash.

Next to 2018 and 2020

The 2018 Transit has 57 complaints, 5 per year, and the 2020 has 84 complaints, 7 per year. The 2019 has fewer complaints per year than the 2018. The 2019 has fewer complaints per year than the 2020.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2019 Ford Transit. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (9)

Recall adaptive equipment, wheelchair restraints, latch or anchor 2025-12-17 · NHTSA campaign 25V876000
Summary Rollx Vans (Rollx) is recalling certain GMC Yukon, Sierra, Chevrolet Express 2500, Ford Transit, E-250, Toyota Sienna, Sienna Hybrid, Honda Odyssey, Chrysler Town and Country, Voyager, Pacifica, Dodge Grand Caravan, and Ram Promaster vehicles equipped with QRT-Deluxe and QRT-Max wheelchair restraints. Please refer to Rollx's recall report for specific model year information. The retractors may not lock, preventing the wheelchair from being properly secured.
Remedy Rollx will work with Q'Straint to inspect and replace the retractors as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 5, 2026. Owners may contact Rollx's customer service at 1-800-956-6668.
Vehicles affected 86
Recall back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2025-09-04 · NHTSA campaign 25V572000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Lincoln MKC, Mustang, F-350 SD, F-250 SD, F-450 SD, 2015-2017 Lincoln Navigator, Expedition, 2015-2018 Edge, Transit Connect, 2016-2019 F-550 SD, Transit, 2017-2019 Econoline, and 2019 Ranger vehicles. The rearview camera may display a distorted, inverted, or blank image when the vehicle is in reverse.
Remedy Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 13, 2026. Ford owners will receive letters in phases, beginning January 2026 and June 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S89. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 25V270. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning September 8, 2025.
Vehicles affected 1,456,417
Recall Parking brake linkage and cable 2021-08-11 · NHTSA campaign 21V631000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Transit vehicles. An incorrect driveshaft torsional damper service kit may have been installed, which can allow the damper shield to contact the parking brake cable, possibly resulting in parking brake failure.
Remedy Dealers will replace the passenger side parking brake cable with a cable that provides sufficient clearance to the damper shield, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on September 24, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 14, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S39.
Vehicles affected 30
Recall Rear non-powered axle assembly 2021-05-07 · NHTSA campaign 21V324000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2019 Transit T150, T250, T350 vehicles equipped with aluminum alloy wheels. The wheel mounting surface of the axle flange may be warped and cause the wheel studs to fracture.
Remedy Dealers will inspect and if necessary, replace the rear axle shaft assembly, axle shaft mounting bolts, and rear wheel lug nuts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on June 28, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S21.
Vehicles affected 2,503
Recall seat belts, front, retractor 2020-05-05 · NHTSA campaign 20V250000
Summary National Van Builders, Inc. (National Van Builders) is recalling certain vehicles based on 2019-2020 Ford Transit and 2019 Ram Promaster vans equipped with Freedman GO-ES foldaway seats. The seat belt retractor block out zone may have not been set correctly, potentially resulting in a seat belt that may not properly secure the occupant. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 209, "Seat Belt Assemblies."
Remedy National Van Builders will notify owners, and dealers will replace the retractors, free of charge. The recall began May 19, 2020. Owners may contact Freedman customer service at 1-800-443-4540 or National Van Builders customer service at 1-800-527-7477.
Vehicles affected 5
Recall seat belts, front, retractor 2020-04-20 · NHTSA campaign 20V222000
Summary TransitWorks is recalling certain Driverge vehicles based on 2019-2020 Ford Transit vans equipped with Freedman Seating Company (FSC) PT Foldaway and GO-ES 3-point Foldaway seats. The seat belt retractor block out zone may have not been set correctly, potentially resulting in a seat belt that may not properly secure the occupant. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 209, "Seat Belt Assemblies."
Remedy TransitWorks will notify owners, and dealers will replace the retractors, free of charge. The recall began May 13, 2020. Dealers can contact Freedman Seating Company for parts and reimbursement information at 1-800-443-4540.
Vehicles affected 205
Recall Emergency escape/exit 2019-06-11 · NHTSA campaign 19V439000
Summary LA West Inc. (LA West) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Ford Transit vehicles modified to be equipped with glass roof hatches. Temperature and vibration stresses may cause the tempered glass roof hatch to shatter.
Remedy LA West will notify owners, and dealers will replace the hatch lids, free of charge. The recall began July 11, 2019. Owners may contact LA West customer service at 1-704-498-4940.
Vehicles affected 15
Recall Seats 2019-03-22 · NHTSA campaign 19V229000
Summary TransitWorks is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford Transit, 2018 Ford Transit Connect, and 2016 Dodge Ram ProMaster vehicles modified to be equipped with Freedman Seating GO-ES seats. When the back seat cushion is rotated from the stowed position to the upright position, the seat cushion may not remain locked into place when under load, such as in a crash or a sudden stop.
Remedy TransitWorks has notified owners and instructed them to contact Freedman seats for a repair kit. The recall began December 19, 2019. Owners may contact Freedman Seating customer service at 1-800-443-4540 or TransitWorks customer service at 1-855-337-9543.
Vehicles affected 776
Recall Driveshaft 2019-02-21 · NHTSA campaign 19V103000
Summary XL Hybrids, Inc (XL) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford Transit vehicles modified to be equipped with XL's electric hybrid system. The cardan (universal) joint on the front driveshaft may fail, possibly causing the front driveshaft to detach.
Remedy XL will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front driveshaft with an updated one, free of charge. The recall began April 15, 2019. Owners may contact XL Hybrid's customer service at 1-833-953-5338.
Vehicles affected 174

NHTSA's count is every vehicle in that campaign. A campaign can cover other model years and other models.

Complaints by component (37 total)

Service brakes
6
Structure, body
4
Engine
3
Powertrain
3
Speed control
3
Speedometer and odometer
3
Air bags
2
Electrical system
2
Hub
2
Seat belts
2
Accelerator pedal
1
Buckle
1
Electronic stability control (ESC)
1
Exterior lighting
1
Hydraulic brakes
1
Linkages
1
Parking assist sensors
1
Seats
1
Steering
1
Visibility and wipers
1
Show 12 more Show less
Crash-flagged

2

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

0

Death reports

0

Of the 17 complaints that include an odometer reading, the median is 40,000 miles. The middle half fall between 7,000 and 103,000 miles.

Complaints filed per year

4201942020520212202262023820245202532026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Air bag failure at 35 to 45 mph. All sensors on front end should have been activated to deploy. I am reporting this due to this vehical having prior mvc and has been serviced. I am wondering if air bag system was not…"
    Engine, Air bags, structure, body · filed 2026-08-18
  • "Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2019 Ford Transit. The vehicle was a dealer sale. The vehicle was purchased March 7, 2026. The mileage was recorded at 74,127 at the time of the purchase. The vehicle was taken to…"
    electrical system, instrument panel, speedometer and odometer · filed 2026-03-09
  • "This fall 2025, my kids started saying they couldn’t get out of this one particular seat. It would get stuck and they had to try to slide out from under the seat belt to get out. Shortly after that it wouldn’t even…"
    Seat belts · filed 2026-01-30
  • "After SYNC 3 software update, rain sensor wiper software malfunctioning."
    Visibility and wipers · filed 2025-11-20
  • "The contact owns a 2019 Ford Transit. While the contact's wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. No warning lights were illuminated. The…"
    Hydraulic brakes · filed 2025-10-02

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2019 Ford Transit High Roof 15 Pass WAGON RWD Not rated Not rated 5 stars 1 star
2019 Ford Transit High Roof(8,10,12) Pass WAGON RWD Not rated Not rated 5 stars Not rated
2019 Ford Transit Low Roof 15 Pass WAGON RWD Not rated Not rated 5 stars 2 stars
2019 Ford Transit Low Roof(8,10,12) Pass WAGON RWD Not rated Not rated 5 stars 3 stars
2019 Ford Transit Medium Roof 15 Pass WAGON RWD Not rated Not rated 5 stars 2 stars
2019 Ford Transit Medium Roof(8,10,12) Pass WAGON RWD Not rated Not rated 5 stars 2 stars
2019 Ford Transit Van VAN FWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Transit T150 Wagon 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Rear-wheel drive 15 19 16 MPG $4050
Transit T150 Wagon 3.7L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Rear-wheel drive 14 18 15 MPG $4300
Transit T150 Wagon flex-fuel 3.7L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Rear-wheel drive 14 18 15 MPG $4300

Specs and fitment

1st-generation (US market), 2015–2019
Body styles Cargo van, Passenger van
Oil 3.7L V6, 5W-20 , 6 qt capacity
Tire size 235/65R16C (varies with vehicle options)

Known issues for this generation

Safety recall 19S38 (NHTSA 19V-767) covers certain 2015-2017 Transit vans whose flexible coupling between the transmission and driveshaft may prematurely fail. If the coupling fails the van cannot move under its own power, the disconnected driveshaft can strike and damage the brake and fuel lines, and the van can roll away if it is left in Park without the parking brake applied. As an interim repair Ford's dealers replace the flexible coupling every 40,000 miles; the final remedy fits a driveshaft front section with a mechanical universal joint in place of the coupling, free of charge. This recall supersedes 17S15 (NHTSA 17V-408) and carries over the vans covered there, except those that had already received a mechanical u-joint and any 156-inch or 178-inch wheelbase chassis cab and cutaway bodies.

Compare

Previous year 2018 Ford Transit Next year 2020 Ford Transit See every Ford Transit model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2019 Ford Transit reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2019 Ford Transit holds 37 complaints after 8 years, a rate of 4 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Transit years here — under the median of the other years, which is 9. NHTSA has 9 recalls on file, including Latch or anchor, Camera, and Parking brake linkage and cable.

What are common problems with a 2019 Ford Transit?

The complaints owners file most often name Service brakes (6 of 37), then Structure, body (4) and Engine (3). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 40,000 miles, and the middle half falls between 7,000 and 103,000 miles. Those filings include 2 that report a crash.

Is the 2019 Ford Transit more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2018 Transit has 57 complaints, 5 per year, and the 2020 has 84 complaints, 7 per year. The 2019 has fewer complaints per year than the 2018. The 2019 has fewer complaints per year than the 2020.

Has the 2019 Ford Transit been recalled?

The 2019 Ford Transit has 9 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2019 Ford Transit?

Owners have filed 37 complaints about the 2019 Ford Transit with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2019 Ford Transit get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2019 Ford Transit is 15.3 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What did the Ford Transit replace in the US lineup?

The Transit replaced the Ford E-Series (Econoline) full-size van starting with the 2015 model year.

Was the 2020 Ford Transit a full redesign?

No, it was a mid-cycle facelift with a new front fascia, dashboard, base engine, and available all-wheel drive, not a new platform.