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2015–2017 F-150 · SAFETY RECALL 17S33 / NHTSA 17V652000

Ford door latch recall

A frozen or bent door latch cable on certain 2015–2017 F-150 trucks can let a door open while driving. Paste a VIN below to see if this recall applies — it's free to fix if it's still open.

NHTSA safety recallFree if open on this VIN

Don't confuse it with 23S36

Ford has run more than one door-latch-related recall, and it's easy to mix them up. Recall 23S36 covers a broken pawl-spring-tab on the Ford Transit Connect — a different vehicle and a different defect. The one that actually applies to a 2015–2017 F-150 is 17S33 / NHTSA 17V652000, the water-intrusion/frozen-cable issue described above. If a dealer or forum thread mentions "the door latch recall" on an F-150, this is almost certainly the one they mean.

Where this shows up on a CurbSpec sheet

The F-150 family library cites 17S33 as a known issue, tiered as an official safety recall, alongside the separate cam-phaser and oil-pan TSBs where they apply:

Full F-150 known issues and due-spend sheet →

Frequently asked

What is the Ford F-150 door latch recall?
Safety recall 17S33 (NHTSA campaign 17V652000) covers 2015-2017 F-150 trucks (and 2017 F-250/F-350/F-450/F-550 Super Duty). Water intrusion can freeze or bind the door latch actuation cable, or the cable can become bent or kinked — either can let a door open while driving even though it appears closed.
What's the fix?
A Ford dealer inspects and repairs the actuation cable and installs a water shield over the latch to keep it from happening again. Free of charge if the recall is still open on that VIN.
Is this the same as recall 23S36?
No — that's a common mix-up. 23S36 covers a broken pawl-spring-tab on the Ford Transit Connect, a completely different vehicle and defect. If you're checking an F-150, the one that actually applies is 17S33 / 17V652000.
Which model years are affected?
2015-2017 F-150. 2017 Super Duty trucks (F-250 through F-550) are also covered by the same campaign, but earlier and later F-150 model years are outside this recall population.
What if it's not fixed and a door opens while driving?
Off-warranty, the cable repair and water shield install typically runs $200-$500. That's a small number next to what an open safety recall gets you for free — worth confirming 17S33's status on a specific VIN before assuming either way.