Short stories about Ford F-150 recalls, lawsuits, and other interesting bits. Signup to have these stories emailed to you for free from CarComplaints.com.
because they weren't properly bonded to the structure. And while no injuries have been reported yet, the automaker says this greatly increases the chances of something bad happening during a collision. Yep, that checks out. Owners should be on the lookout for recall notices during the first week of April.…
keep reading article "F-Series Windshields Recalled for Popping Out During Crashes"A proposed class-action lawsuit says Ford needs to properly address oil consumption issues in the 5.0-liter Coyote engine.
A couple major flaws inside the engine draw excess oil into the combustion chamber where it is burned off. Not only does this mean the engine uses much more oil than advertised, but all that additional carbon buildup causes wear on ignition and emissions equipment.…
keep reading article "2018-2020 F-150 Owners Sue Ford Over Excessive Oil Consumption Concerns"The 6-speed transmission is dropping into 1st gear due to a communication breakdown between the transmission output speed sensor and the powertrain control module (PCM). This can happen at any speed and without warning. Ford believes they can fix the issue with an update to the PCM software.
Hmm, where have we heard that before?
keep reading article "F-150 Recalled for Suddenly Dropping Into 1st Gear"The cap is notorious for swelling and delaminating when it gets hot. It’s also a great place to trap moisture and encourage corrosion. The end result? A lug nut that’s either too big for a standard wrench or fused so tight you need a drill, welding torch, and 7 Hail Marys to remove it.
A 2017 class-action lawsuit accused Ford of cost-cutting when switching to the two-piece design. It also said the automaker is aware of the problems, but won’t honor its warranty by denying any lug nut related claims.…
keep reading article "The Swollen Lug Nuts Lawsuit Against Ford Has Been Dismissed"The automaker believes a low and unshielded mounting position is allowing road salt to corrode the heater cable’s splice connector, causing at least three known fires.
Block heaters are made for cold climates. Road salt is too. I'm not sure how those blockheads forgot to shield those cables in the first place.
keep reading article "Engine Block Heaters Recaled for Starting Fires in F-Series Trucks"Brakes really thrive under pressure, it’s what pushes the pads against the rotors and keeps your brake pedal from falling to the floor. You know, little stuff like that. In a twist, it’s Ford that finds themselves under pressure from a California lawsuit looking for an expansion of a previous master cylinder recall.…
keep reading article "Lawsuit Says Ford Should Expand a Previous F-150 Master Cylinder Recall"There’s a lawsuit that says a change to the F-150’s master cylinder design is creating a dangerous braking situation.
All 2013-2018 Ford F-150s use master cylinders supplied by Hitachi, with the pistons fitted with just a single cup seal responsible for containing pressurized brake fluid. The lawsuit alleges this is unusual because pistons within master cylinders are usually fitted with two cup seals to ensure that fluid does not leak out of the master cylinders.
These single-seal master cylinders have already been recalled for the 2013 and 2014 model years. But instead of changing the design, Ford replaced the defective part with – I bet you can see where this is going – new defective parts.
keep reading article "The F-150's Single-Seal Master Cylinder Design is Doomed to Fail"Well, guess what? Following a lengthy investigation into the seat belt pretensioner system in the 2015-2018 F-150, Ford has decided to recall 2 million trucks that are catching on fire after a crash.
Between April and October 2017, Ford knew of four reports of localized interior fires that occurred on 2015-2016 F-150s after the seat belt pretensioners deployed. An investigation on the four trucks was opened that focused on the front seat belt pretensioners (both retractor and lap anchor), electrical wiring, insulation and carpeting.
Pretensioners use a small explosive charge to lock the seat belt in place during an accident. Except, the F-150’s charges aren’t small and have been producing “excessive sparks” that smolder on interior panels and sometimes start a fire.
The recall covers both the Regular and SuperCrew Cabs.
keep reading article "Millions of F-150s Recalled Because Their Seat Belts Are Starting Fires After Crashes"Ford also says the plaintiffs talk about swollen lug nuts as if the lug nuts should be indestructible and the warranties should last forever, then wrongly "attempt to cast their product-defect allegations as warranty, fraud and unjust-enrichment claims."
Should lug nuts last forever? Of course not. But they also shouldn't fuse into something harder than a diamond after 10,000 miles on the road.…
keep reading article "Lug Nut Lawsuit is Baseless According to Ford Attorneys"David Woods, reporting for CarComplaints.com says _The 2017 trucks are equipped with 10-speed automatic transmissions that can remain in gear no matter where the gear shift lever is positioned. Ford says a pin that attaches the transmission shift linkage to the transmission can come out, leaving the shift lever unable to change gears.
In other words, the shift lever might say “park” while the transmission is still very much in “drive.” Until the fix is ready, now would be a very good time to become friends with your parking brake.
keep reading article "2017 F-150 Could Remain in Gear, Even if Your Gear Shifter Says Otherwise"When exposed to the elements, the cap swells in the heat, cracks and delaminates, and corrodes from moisture. This leaves owners and lessees who get flat tires often stranded on the roads without the ability for even tow truck drivers to remove the swollen lug nuts. This means a tow to the shop just to have the lug nuts removed and the tire replaced.
The two-piece capped lug nuts are cheaper than a one-piece stainless plug, but they look nice because of the cap. Most owners never think twice about the lug nut when buying a vehicle, only to be met with this headache down the road.
keep reading article "Ford Sued for Using Two-Piece Lug Nuts That Swell"A lawsuit that is seeking class-action certification wants Ford to fix their ETBs.
"The plaintiff wants Ford to pay damages and equitable relief, fix all vehicles named in the lawsuit by replacing the electronic throttle bodies, inform consumers through advertising campaigns about the dangers of sudden unintended deceleration and educate consumers about their pre-purchase or pre-lease legal rights once all the facts are known."…
keep reading article "Another Ford Throttle Body Lawsuit"
It also turns out some of them just can't stop thanks to widespread brake issues. Federal safety regulators are investigating 2015-2016 Ford F-150 trucks after reports of brake pedals going to the floorboards, a complete loss of brakes and dealerships diagnosing the problems as caused by faulty master cylinders.
We've all heard about putting the pedal to metal, you just never want that to happen with the pedal on the left.
If all this master cylinder / brake talk sounds familiar, it's because the 2013 and 2014 model years were recalled for the same issue earlier this year. I guess that's one box still unchecked on the Ford engineer's to-do list.
keep reading article "2015-2016 F-150 Brakes Under Investigation"Emphasis on intended because the system is well-known for failures. While a glitchy navigation system is an inconvenience, a proposed class-action lawsuit says the system can be dangerous in how it limits access to basic vehicle functions.
“Ford is on the receiving end of a proposed class-action lawsuit filed in a California court. The lawsuit claims the system is a safety hazard because it often fails and can cause serious problems with the defroster and rear-view camera.”
Common complaints about MyFord Touch include a terrible navigation experience, rear-view camera failure, issues controlling the temperature, no way to turn on the defroster, and more.
keep reading article "MyFord Touch Complaints May Finally Get Their Day in Court"The automaker says the seatback may not have been properly welded and could fail to hold the driver in a crash.
The recall is expected to start on August 15th, 2016.
keep reading article "F-150 and Explorer Seat Backs Could Pop Off in a Crash"That stops the boosting and --- not surprisingly --- your ability to come to safely come to a stop.
Ford says the problem only affects the front wheels, so rear braking isn't affected. But that wasn't enough to stop 9 accidents, however, which have all been attributed to the sudden loss of stopping power.
The recalled trucks are from the 2013 and 2014 model years. They all have the 3.5-liter GTDI engine and were built between 08/01/13 and 08/22/14.
keep reading article "Leaking Master Cylinder Recall for Early 12th Generation F-150 Trucks"Ford opened customer satisfaction program 15N05 that **extends warranty coverage for the electric vacuum pumps in 2011-2012 Ford F-150 trucks equipped with 3.5L GTDI engines. The satisfaction program extends warranty coverage for up to 10 years of service or 150,000 miles from the warranty start date.
"All affected F-150 trucks are eligible for the program through July 30, 2016, regardless of mileage."
You say customer satisfaction program, I say recall. Po-tay-to, Po-tah-to I suppose.…
keep reading article "Investigation Closed Into Vacuum Pump Failure in F-150 Brakes"The problem is an empty master cylinder resevoir that's hard to detect because there's never any corresponding brake fluid leaks. It's like a magic trick that no-one finds amusing.
A new investigation hopes to pull back the curtain:
"The no-leak symptom is what makes NHTSA believe the fluid is moving from the master cylinder to the brake booster. In addition to that, some owners told NHTSA that Ford dealers have said the same thing."
The investigation covers 2013-2014 F-150 trucks equipped with 3.5-liter engines. If the problem is confirmed, it should prompt a recall.
keep reading article "Master Cylinder in F-150 Brakes Under Investigation"NHTSA had received 95 complaints about the 3.5L EcoBoost engine in F-150 trucks misfiring. The misfires would only happen under humid or rainy conditions.
The EcoBoost engine uses twin turbochargers that compress air to increase the engine's power, and what Ford found was condensation building up inside of the air cooler tubes. When the condensation is high enough, up to three cylinders can misfire.…
keep reading article "Engine Investigation Closed for the 2011-2013 F-150"Ford says it's related to the angle of the drive shaft. Or in Ford's words 'driveline windup'," complained the upset Ford owner. “Since they haven't been able to find a similar truck without the problem, they've washed their hands of the problem by claiming it's ‘characteristic’ of the vehicle and an ‘acceptable’ vibration. It's not acceptable to me."
The V6 EcoBoost is an option in the 2010-2013 Ford Flex, Taurus SHO, Lincoln MKT and Lincoln MKS; the 2011-2013 Ford F-150; and the 2013 Ford Explorer Sport.
keep reading article "EcoBoost Lawsuit Says the Engine Shakes and Rattles, Before it Rolls"The best way to find out what's wrong with a vehicle is from the people who drive them. Not only do owner complaints help us rank vehicles by reliability, but they're often used to spark class-action lawsuits and warranty extensions. Plus, they're a great way to vent.