Head-to-head reliability

Honda Cbr500r vs FORD F 150

How the Honda Cbr500r and FORD F 150 compare on NHTSA complaints, recalls and crash reports — and which is the lower-risk used buy.

Honda Cbr500r0 complaints · 4 recalls Fewer issues per year
FORD F 15011,157 complaints · 144 recalls

Based on NHTSA owner-complaint & recall records

Which should you buy?

Honda Cbr500r averages fewer NHTSA complaints per year. Honda Cbr500r has 0 complaints and 4 recalls on record; FORD F 150 has 11,157 complaints and 144 recalls. Source: NHTSA owner complaints.

The numbers

Side-by-side NHTSA record

Lower is better in every category. The highlighted cell is the stronger result.

CategoryHonda Cbr500rFORD F 150
Total complaintsAll model years combined0 Better11,157
Safety recallsFederal recall campaigns4 Better144
Crash reportsCrash-related complaints0 Better324
Complaints per yearAveraged across model years0.0 Better1115.7
Reported injuriesTied to owner complaints0 Better287
Reported deathsTied to owner complaints0 Better1

Source: NHTSA owner complaints & recall records.

What actually goes wrong

The problems owners report

The most-complained-about systems on each vehicle — what fails, and what owners say in their own words.

Honda Cbr500r

No component data available.

FORD F 150

  1. 01POWER TRAIN3,503
  2. 02ELECTRICAL SYSTEM2,058
  3. 03UNKNOWN OR OTHER1,383
  4. 04EXTERIOR LIGHTING1,150
  5. 05ENGINE829
In owners' words — POWER TRAIN

I started noticing hard and delayed shifts from 7th into 8th gear. My RPM's were not increasing when this happened, and then on a very crowded major road I lost all power, vehicle shut off and drifted, then started up and jerked again very hard. This failure…

I am filing a safety complaint regarding the transmission in my 2019 Ford F-150 equipped with the 5.0L V8 and 10-speed automatic transmission. My vehicle currently has approximately 88,000 miles. The transmission began experiencing abnormal shifting, includin…

Official recalls

Safety recalls on record

Federal recall campaigns — the defect, the risk, and the fix. Confirm any open recall was completed before you buy.

Honda Cbr500r — 4 recalls

Service Brakes, Hydraulic
#21V690000Feb 2021

The defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019-2020 CB500X and CBR500R ABS motorcycles. Excessive grease in the ABS modulator may collect debris, which can get stuck in the check valve and cause a brake fluid leak.

The risk: A brake fluid leak can reduce braking performance and increase the risk of a crash.

The fix: Dealers will inspect the lot number on the ABS modulator, and replace the modulator as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 12, 2021. Owners may contact Honda Powersports customer service at 1-866-784-…

Service Brakes, Hydraulic
#21V690000Feb 2021

The defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019-2020 CB500X and CBR500R ABS motorcycles. Excessive grease in the ABS modulator may collect debris, which can get stuck in the check valve and cause a brake fluid leak.

The risk: A brake fluid leak can reduce braking performance and increase the risk of a crash.

The fix: Dealers will inspect the lot number on the ABS modulator, and replace the modulator as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 12, 2021. Owners may contact Honda Powersports customer service at 1-866-784-…

Exterior Lighting
#21V382000

The defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Super Cub C125, CB500X, CB650R, CBR300R, CBR500R, CBR650R, Rebel 300, Rebel 500, Monkey, 2020 CRF250L, GROM, 2021 CRF300L, and CB500F motorcycles. The rear reflector lens may not reflect brightly enough. As such, these vehicles fail to…

The risk: A dim rear reflector may reduce the visibility of the motorcycle to other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.

The fix: Dealers will replace the rear reflector, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2021. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-866-784-1870. Honda's number for this recall is KM3.

Exterior Lighting
#21V382000

The defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Super Cub C125, CB500X, CB650R, CBR300R, CBR500R, CBR650R, Rebel 300, Rebel 500, Monkey, 2020 CRF250L, GROM, 2021 CRF300L, and CB500F motorcycles. The rear reflector lens may not reflect brightly enough. As such, these vehicles fail to…

The risk: A dim rear reflector may reduce the visibility of the motorcycle to other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.

The fix: Dealers will replace the rear reflector, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2021. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-866-784-1870. Honda's number for this recall is KM3.

FORD F 150 — 144 recalls

Exterior Lighting — Headlights
#20V097000

The defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 F-150 trucks equipped with high series LED headlamps with Autolamp (On/Off) functionality. The Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) may remain activated instead of dimming to parking lamps when the Master Lighting Switch (MLS) is manually rotated from…

The risk: DRL that cannot dim may reduce the visibility of other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.

The fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the body control module, free of charge. The recall began March 10, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20C03.

Electrical System — 12v/24v/48v Battery — Cables
#19V805000Dec 2019

The defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2019-2020 F-150 vehicles. The fastener securing the Power Distribution Box (PDB) 12V cable and Battery Monitoring System (BMS) eyelets to the positive battery terminal may loosen and affect the vehicle's systems such as instrument panel displays and br…

The risk: Inoperative vehicle systems or an engine stall can increase the risk of a crash. Reduced braking and steering efforts increases the risk of a crash. This condition could also create a resistive short, increasing the risk of a fire.

The fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the positive battery cable/BMS/PDB joint for excess sealant adhesive and remove any excessive adhesive, reassemble the joint, and retorque the fastener, as necessary, free of charge. The re…

Engine
#18V894000

The defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Ford F-150 and 2017-2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty, F-350 Super Duty, F-450 Super Duty, and F-550 Super Duty pick-up trucks equipped with an engine block heater. Water and contaminants may get into the block heater cable's splice connector causin…

The risk: When the heater is plugged in, prolonged corrosion could cause a resistive short, increasing the risk of overheated or melted wiring which can increase the risk of a fire.

The fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will disable the block heater cable, free of charge. Once parts are available, Dealers will replace the engine block heater cable, free of charge. The recall began June 3, 2019. Owners may contact Ford…

Seats — Front Assembly — Recliner
#19V633000

The defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 F-150 and 2019-2020 F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 Super Duty pickup trucks, and 2018-2019 Ford Explorer, 2019-2020 Expedition, and 2020 Escape vehicles equipped with driver and/or passenger's manual front seat back recliner mechanisms. Also…

The risk: A seat back with an improperly assembled recliner mechanism may have reduced strength and may not adequately restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

The fix: Ford will notify owners, and Ford and Lincoln dealers will inspect the seat structure and replace them, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 21, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's num…

Year by year

Which model years to avoid

Complaints per model year for both vehicles — lower is better. The spikes are the years to scrutinize.

YearHonda Cbr500rFORD F 150
2026017
20250324
20240611
202301484
202203407
202105182
2020027
2019032
2018042
2017031
Years to scrutinize: the 2021 FORD F 150 drew the most (5,182). Inspect these model years especially closely.

Check the actual car

Comparing models is smart. Checking the VIN is essential.

Brand averages tell you the trend. A VIN check tells you what's wrong with the specific Honda Cbr500r or FORD F 150 in front of you — accident history, open recalls and title records.

Go deeper

Full reliability reports

Honda Cbr500r vs FORD F 150 — comparison facts
Comparison
Honda Cbr500r vs FORD F 150
Honda Cbr500r total complaints
0
FORD F 150 total complaints
11,157
Honda Cbr500r total recalls
4
FORD F 150 total recalls
144
Honda Cbr500r avg complaints/year
0.0
FORD F 150 avg complaints/year
1115.7
More reliable overall
Honda Cbr500r
FORD F 150 top complaint area
POWER TRAIN