Truck sometimes has almost no brakes after cold start. 34004 miles

- Grand Rapids, MN, USA

2011 F-150 ecoboost: My brakes have been failing on cold start-up for approximately 18 months. Braking is so hard in the morning, truck will not stop. I brought this to the attention of the benna Ford dealership in superior, wi on two occasions and they did nothing. I then did a little research on-line and determined hundreds of other 2011 F-150 ecoboost owners have complained of the same issue and it was determined that it was a flawed design of the vacuum pump. This is a very expensive part that is directly related to safety upon cold braking. Why has the NHTSA done nothing about this known problem for the past 2 years when this should have been a recall? I had to pay over $500 for a new vacuum pump that should never go bad

- Lake Nebagamon, WI, USA

When first starting vehicle the brakes fail, they are hard to push and have to brake at all. Very dangerous after being parked on a hill, I rolled out into the cross road and luckily there was no traffic, found out online that is serious problem with year truck and model and should be recalled and fixed before a death occurs. It is the 2011 ecoboost 3,5.

- Mount Pleasant, IA, USA

When I first start my F150 2011 and move it the brake pedal is hard as a rock it will take at least a few minutes to get back to normal, but it happens all the time when first start up. I did some research and found that a vacuum pump that provides power braking gets corroded. In my opinion this part should be recall because is a safety issue you could loose braking, I checked on the part and it cost around $600. This issue should be looked into before someone gets hurt.

- Lake Orion, MI, USA

Vacuum assist pump went failed with no warning. Luckily it happened at a repair shop, but the fail was sudden and complete. If this had happened on the road either at low or high speed, it could easily resulted in loss of life. The fail was complete resulting in no way to stop the truck at all.

- Mundelein, IL, USA

While backing out of my driveway one morning I was not able to brake because my brake pedal felt like it had seized and was stiff. I pushed extremely hard and it helped the vehicle slow down and there was a slight grinding sound. After the truck sat for a few minutes, the brakes began to work. This has happened to me on several different occasions now where when the truck has been idle not running for approximately 8 or more hours, the brakes seize and do not work for the first few minutes. I believe that this is caused by the electronic vacuum pump for the brakes malfunctioning. This is a serious safety concern because if the brakes should give out while I am on a main road and going full speed, lives could be in danger.

- Fuquay Varina, NC, USA

Brake pedal is really hard after start up, yet the brakes don't work. Brake assist vacuum pump whines few several seconds at start up. Truck rolled in the ditch at my house a couple times while I was backing out. Luckily, my ditch isn't very deep and no damage to my property or vehicle has occurred up to this point. This has happened to me several times, it is not an isolated incident. This is an expensive repair, and I really hope it doesn't cause me to collide with another vehicle or run over another person in a parking lot or somewhere similar before I can afford to perform the repair. According to my internet research, this is a fairly common problem with this model vehicle, and should really be recalled before someone is seriously hurt or even killed.

- Pikeville, KY, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. While driving at approximately 20 mph, the steering wheel seized. In addition, the vehicle drifted slightly to the left and the brake pedal was hard when depressed. The vehicle continued to drift and crashed into the front of another vehicle. The contact stated that the "service advancetrac" warning message displayed. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A police report was filed and no injuries were reported. The approximate failure mileage was 75,000.

- Gladstone, OR, USA

I have a 2011 Ford F-150 FX4 ecoboost with 44,100 miles. When the truck is first started after sitting for 4 hours plus, the braking system fails until the vehicle has been running for a couple of minutes at which point the braking system comes back. This happens every morning when backing down a flat driveway or backing out of my parking space at work (truck has been sitting for 8 hours). From what I am reading, this appears to be a common issue with 2011 Ford F-150 ecoboost trucks. I brought this issue up with my local Ford dealership and they said there was nothing they could do about it.

- Springfield, IL, USA

F-150 ecoboost 3.5 L shifting to drive from park, brakes become stiff and will not stop vehicle at idle. After several attempts, engine vacuum returns brake assist. Appears to be a failure with the electronic brake vacuum pump. This only occurs at startup.

- Mount Gilead , OH, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford F-150. While driving approximately 5 mph and depressed the brake pedal to stop at a stop sign, the anti lock brake warning indicator illuminated. The brake pedal was pumped and the vehicle slid into the intersection. The failure recurred on two other occasions. On the third occasion, while driving approximately 30 mph, the brake pedal failed to respond when depressed. The brake pedal was pumped as the contact slid into an intersection. The contact clipped the rear of a Jeep that was traveling approximately 60 mph, causing the Jeep to flip over twice before landing upright. The contact and the driver of the other vehicle sustained injuries that required medical attention and were transported by ambulance. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a body shop, but the failure was unable to be determined. The damage to the vehicle was repaired. The contact also stated that when the windshield wipers were powered off, they would independently swipe across the windshield approximately every ten seconds. The contact stated that the fuse had to be removed so the windshield wipers would disengage. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 59,000.

- Scottsburg, IN, USA

When starting the truck and backing out of my garage, I had no power assist brakes. I was able to press harder on the brakes, however I did come close to hitting my house and the ABS was activated. This is the second time this has happened with this vehicle. The first time was taken care of under warranty around 26000 miles. I was informed that since the vehicle is outside of bumper to bumper warranty coverage, and it has been over a year since I had this part replaced last, it would be around $600 for parts and labor out of pocket (for something that has failed twice in about 51000 miles).

- Westland, MI, USA

No brakes when the vehicle first starts up. Start vehicle, shift into gear, pedal does not engage unless it is stomped on and even then its difficult to stop vehicle. I have taken this to dealership where purchased. First time dealer replaced front brake pads with a modified pad and recalibrated the ABS module. Second time they replaced brake vacuum pump and vacuum line. Third time dealer replaced vacuum line. All of these failed to solve problem, dealer contacted Ford tech line and Ford engineers told tthe dealer that it was a characteristic of the truck and could not be fixed we called Ford customer service and they opened a case. We recieved a callback from a Ford regional customer service manager and was told if this concerned us that we should just sell the vehicle and buy a new Ford since we have the Z plan. There are no warning lights that alert you to this happening! I can not longer even drive the truck I bought because I do not have the strength it takes to stomp the pedal down when this happens. Im so concerned that this truck could hurt someone. Im a 58 year old women and Ford does not even care to resolve this serious safety issue.

- Arnold, MD, USA

I was backing out of my driveway and felt the brake pedal get soft like I had no power booster. The truck was very difficult to stop. I had to pump the brake a few times before the pedal stiuffened up a bit. This has happened everyday since, but only in reverse and only if I go in reverse 1st. The pedal seems a little softer than normal going forward but not near as bad as in reverse. I replaced the front brakes on 7/25/2015 (rotors and pads- high end replacements) and that did not help the problem. I just replaced the rear brakes on 8/15/2015 (rotors and pads- again better than oem) and I can still tell there is something not right when I back up as a first action. The pedal still needs to be pumped a couple of times before it feels better.

- Long Lake, MN, USA

As I start my 2011 Ford F150 3.5 ecoboost after it has sat for some time, such as overnight, I have no power brakes for 30 to 45 seconds, the pedal becomes stiff and the truck keeps moving even under heavy breaking. This is dangerous because I often park on an incline or on a steep grade. I have also lost my power brakes when I was pulling a trailer and had to take evasive maneuvers and use the transmission to slow me down until my brakes came back. At no time did I get a warning that my brakes were failing or any kind of code to check brakes I talked to the dealership and the said it was a common problem and that the brake vacuum pump had gone out. And they said for $600 they would replace the pump. I decided against it and he told me it would be fine to drive it like that. This seems so dangerous and Ford is unconcerned about possible brake failure and an accident. I don't let my wife drive it anymore because I'm not sure she would know what to do if it happens while she is driving.

- Wolfforth , TX, USA

The brakes on our truck have started to fail when the vehicle is first started. It used to be less frequent and only after sitting over night but has increased in occurrence and is now occurring each time you start the vehicle. If you put the truck in drive, there is a mushy brake pedal and the anti-lock brakes kick in. In reverse, the pedal is mushy and there are no brakes. Once the truck has been running for a few minutes and you have pumped the brake, the brakes seem to work okay. The dealership service department has replaced the vacuum booster but this did not fix the problem. Because the problem has gotten worse and more frequently, it is worries one that it may happen when driving. We trailer a lot and we live on a very steep graded road.

- Somerset, KY, USA

At times, I experience a soft brake pedal that will travel almost to the floor. And then at times I will have a harder pedal without the possibility of the pedal traveling to the floor. I have had the brake fluid flushed and this still happens on occasion. I have gone through 3 sets of brake pads on the front of my truck in 60,000 miles. I can hear the secondary pump run for a longer duration at times during start up and if I pump the brakes while stopped with the engine running. When I experience a soft pedal it travels much further before I would come to a stop compared to the harder pedal feel. Also, at times it feels as if the harder pedal needs more force to experience any "normal" braking power. After experiencing this situation, then some time later I would experience a normal brake pedal. I have had my vehicle serviced at the dealer for this situation for abnormal brake wear and pedal feel, but still have had no fix for the issue. I just replaced a front brake caliper and I am currently waiting to see if this resolves the issue.

- Sparta, NJ, USA

At roughly 32000 miles, in October of 2014 I experienced a failure of the electric brake vacuum assist. The symptoms were that the pump constantly ran and could audibly be heard where it was not previously constantly running. As soon as I noticed a change I reported the issue to johnson Ford in pittsfield MA.. the pump was replaced in October of 2014 under warranty. No recall or campaign has been implemented for this condition but numerous reports by Ford owners have been made regarding the same condition. I believed the audible noise I was hearing was a steering component because I was simultaneously having an issue with "notchy" steering. While negotiating a long, gradual turn my steering would lock while turning left. The wheel would lock when the top of the steering wheel was in the area of the 10 O'clock position. No crash occurred but the condition was very unsafe. The vehicle had to be driven erratically to remedy the condition. A hard yank on the wheel was necessary to forcibly increase steering input. The steering components were also replaced in October of 2014 by johnson Ford under warranty. No recall or campaign has been implemented for this condition but numerous reports have been made regarding the same condition. The electric vacuum assist replaced in October of 2014, nine months ago was the same part with no updates as the one that failed. I again hear the vacuum assist motor running almost constant as it was when replaced. The truck is no longer under warranty. I have only had this vacuum assist for nine months. I spoke with Ford customer service. No warranty is available as I have driven the truck in excess of 12,000 miles (12,200 miles at the time I reported the problem). The customer service employee offered no service other than to bring it to Ford at my expense for repairs, $130 diagnosis, $580 pump, $200 labor.

- Windsor, MA, USA

In May 2015 my 2011 Ford F150 3.5L ecoboost began making a buzzing noise in the front left fender well under the hood. From that time forward the truck makes the noise upon start-up. Once the vehicle runs for a while the noise seems to fade away but returns upon restart. A technician tried to diagnose the noise at a local repair shop but to no avail. The noise has gotten worse which prompted me to take the truck back to the repair shop to diagnose again. This time I did some research on the matter and noticed that there was some concern about the vacuum pump in some of these model trucks. Upon picking up my truck the technician informed me that he thought it was the vacuum pump and that I should take my truck to the dealership to have them diagnose the problem and that the part is only available through Ford at this time. I made and appointment with the Ford dealership with the service manager about the noise. He was familiar with the problem and said that 9/10 times the vacuum pump is the problem. He explained that Ford had switched vendors for the part and redesigned the pump in newer models and issued a (tsb) regarding the pump. Since my truck was just outside the warranty period he said I would have to pay for the repair, which was quoted at more than $900. The service manager told me that the part was on back order until mid August 2015 and that I should schedule to have the repair completed then. I asked if there was a safety hazard associated with continued driving and he said, "no, the only thing that could happen is you could lose your brakes or possibly 4 wheel drive, but you'll notice that the brakes are heavy if its going out completely." I feel that Ford should be responsible to replace the defective part that they acknowledge as a problem and have redesigned, and which can cause brake or 4 wheel drive failure putting myself and my passengers at risk.

- Morgantown, WV, USA

Poor braking in the morning at 29,212 miles. Ford replaced brake vacuum pump assembly at no charge (under warranty). Same problem at 50,198 miles. No longer under warranty and I was charged $319.66 for the same part. I feel there is a problem with this assembly and it's a safety issue.

- Wales, MI, USA