10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 13 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 2 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 52,814 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. While driving at 5 mph, the brake pedal was depressed and failed to respond. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,200.
- Flat Rock, MI, USA
Driving at 70 mph and tried to push the brake pedal to take vehicle off cruise control. The brake pedal was so firm that I couldn't push it, almost like the brakes were frozen. Very scary situation on snowy roads and 70 mph. The problem occurred several times when it was cold. Since then the brake vacuum booster has been replaced but the problem has gotten worse. Now when I start the vehicle, I have to wait several seconds for vacuum to build up before the pedal softens up. The brake vacuum pump behind the drivers side headlamp has been replaced twice and problem still exist.
- Stanwood, MI, USA
After starting the truck the brake pedal was very hard like there was no power assist. It only happened periodically and I assumed my brakes were getting old. Brakes were replaced and the problem still existed at times. It is now happening more often. Just found out about the electric vacuum pump investigation and it sounds like exactly what is happening. Have not had it checked out professionally. I looked at it and it appears there is corrosion happening inside the plastic body. Dates and mileage noted approximate as I did not document it.
- Dalton, OH, USA
Occasionally, upon initial startup of vehicle, the power brakes would fail to engage, resulting in extreme force being necessary on brake pedal to slowly bring vehicle to a stop over several feet. This has resulted in near - hits of other vehicles in the driveway, basketball pole, camper, and house. Fortunately no impacts were recorded, but a major risk nonetheless. This phenomenon did not happen while driving, and did not happen 100% of the time during startups, but when it did it had the potential to be a major hazard.
- Fleetwood, PA, USA
No braking while backing out of garage. Heard ABS motor engage while pushing on brake pedal. Took three 'pumps' on pedal for normal braking to return. Took vehicle to Ford dealer and they replaced brake vacuum pump assembly under warranty. Problem has returned as of 06-24-2015.
- Isabel, SD, USA
I purchased this vehicle for my son in December 2012. We took a trip to Alabama on the Saturday following the purchase. The truck had problems stalling, misfiriing, and not braking immediately. We have taken the truck to the Ford dealership for repairs approximately 15 to 20 times. It is in the shop again today for the misfiring/stalling. The service writer told my son that his vehicle has only been the shop twice for the same problem. We still have all the service paperwork to dispel that remark, this vehicle has approximately 24,000 miles on it. The factory warranty expires in December and has still not been fixed. It does not just stall in rainy or very humid conditions as stated by Ford in their response to the NHTSA investigation. They have replaced spark plugs twice, updated software, put a heat shield in front of the inter-cooler. None of these things have worked. The shield in front of the inter-cooler defeats the purpose of the inter-cooler by not allowing it to cool as intended. It raises the temperature in the intercooler in an attempt to produce less condensation. My son believes the inter-cooler has a design flaw. He thinks that the air return from the inter-cooler to the engine being on the bottom allows more condensation to be sucked back into the engine. If it were on the top, more of the condensation would stay in the bottom and not returned back to the engine. There is an after market fix for this problem but it is expensive and I believe Ford Motor Company does not want to spend the kind of money that it will take to fix this problem correctly. This vehicle should be able to operate efficiently under any conditions. If it does not, it is flawed. I will probably have to purchase the replacement inter-cooler out of my own pocket. I've included all this information in the event that it helps others with the same problem.
- Kempner, TX, USA
Electric vacuum pump fails and you loose your power brakes. Brake petal gets very hard with little or no braking power to stop. 2012 was the last year to use electric vacuum pump to supply power brakes and then was replaced in 2013 with a belt driven vacuum pump. This is a common failure in the F-150 from 2012 and prior year mdls.
- Denver, PA, USA
Auxiliary pump for power brakes boost noisy/failure
- Milford, MA, USA
During first startup of the day, the electric vacuum pump makes a terrible noise for approx. 10 seconds as it builds up assist vacuum pressure. The brake pedal becomes hard as a stone with no vacuum assist. This is due to a faulty design with the pump assy. It becomes corroded internally and externally, and the piston inside the cheap housing becomes corroded and the pump will eventually seize. This is definitely a dangerous issue. If the pump seizes, there is not enough vacuum assist coming from the engine to provide enough vacuum pressure to the brake boost system and the pedal becomes hard as a rock to press. This happens every day during first startup in the morning, and start up in the afternoon when the vehicle sits for a long period of time and vacuum pressure depletes.
- Risng Sun, MD, USA
Started truck and pulled away, pressed the brake pedal to stop and no brakes. As truck runs a few minutes the brakes start working. Failed 2 days now. Ford wants about $600 for replacement of vacuum pump. Should be recalled for safety.
- Lakeville, OH, USA
On 27 December 2013, I returned home from work sometime between 5-6pm. I parked the vehicle in the driveway just as I had every day since I have owned the vehicle. I put the vehicle in park, and exited the vehicle and walked to the passenger side to retrieve bags that I had to take into the house. I opened the passenger side door, took out the bags, closed the door, and pressed the lock button on the key fob as I walked into my house. I remember it was a windy day and as I recently researched, gusts were up to 27 miles per hour during the time in question. Approximately 45 minutes after I went into the house, the neighbor was at the door and told me that my truck had rolled down the hill. In panic and disbelief I ran outside to see that my truck had rolled down my driveway, but since the wheels were slightly turned, it stopped in my yard after running into the mailbox. I quickly ran down to the vehicle and tried to open the door but it was locked. I put in the code and unlocked the truck. I then ran into the house to get the keys. I had not brought them out the first time I ran out. When I got back in the car, I noticed that the gear selector in the dashboard did not have the orange line it usually does when in park. It looked like a smaller line, almost as if it was somehow between park and reverse. When I assessed the damages the truck ran into the mailbox and busted the driver's side tail light. T the next day, I took the truck to the dealership. They said they could not find anything wrong with the vehicle, and stated that they would not pay for the vehicle damage even though it was still under factory warranty. They suggested a file a claim with my insurance. I filed a claim with Ford, but they stated that my information did not substantiate my claim of a manufacturing or design defect.
- Rising Sun, MD, USA
"check brake system" warning appeared on dash display. No problem found with brakes. Turning off the ignition for a time seems to return things to normal until the next episode which has happened many times. Two dealerships have not found the problem. Outside ambient temperature seems to play a part since no problem in winter. This is not an isolated issue since a search of the internet confirms other owners have the problem. I have become inclined to ignore the warning but worry that there may be one time when there is a true problem that if ignored may jeopardize the safety of my vehicle and passengers.
- Stevensville, MD, USA
Below is the email I sent to Ford, please help me. I have just bought a 2012 F150 ecoboost and have had a issue with the breaks when in reverse, I almost crashed with my 3 year old son in the car the first time this happened, a quick google search showed that this is a common issue, a issue I am sure you have heard of, I am an iraq war vet who could have been killed along with my 3 year old son because of this defect, I demand answers this is a serious safety defect and I am putting you on notice no denying you knew about this when someone is killed. Here is a link documenting this issue www.F150online.com/forums/2009-2014-F-150/500762-ecoboost-no-brakes-first-thing-morning-here-S- I have taken it to the shop repair bill of $890 this is why Ford is not recalling it, although they changed the part in model year 2014.
- Chicago, IL, USA
The vacuum pump on my ecoboost truck needs to be replaced. When I start my car every once and while the brakes are super stiff and it has trouble stopping the car for a few seconds. After driving for a bit the brakes are fine. This seems to be a common issue with the 2011/2012 ecoboosts.
- Warwick, RI, USA
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. While driving 5 mph, the eco boost braking system failed. The contact was able to engage the eco braking system once the vehicle was driven for awhile. The failure occurred multiple times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 5,874.
- Rowley, MA, USA
I am writing to complain about the failure of the vacuum pump on our 2012 Ford F150 with ecoboost. Once the vehicle had been driven around 33,000 miles, we began to notice some issues with the brakes immediately following startup: The brake pedal was difficult to press and unless pumped several times before moving, the brakes would not fully engage. This in other words, the vehicle could not be brought to a complete stop in a normal or safe amount of distance. We informed the technicians at our local Ford dealer of this issue while having the annual inspection completed. Ultimately, they found the vacuum pump to be completely inoperable and it had to be replaced. Fortunately, no accident occurred before we had this part replaced, but the potential was significant. Ford should take some action to prevent any possible crashes that may happen as a result of the early malfunction of this component.
- Murrysville, PA, USA
After the vehicle is started and placed in gear, there are times when no power brakes are available and the vehicle is difficult to stop when it is only rolling at a few miles per hour (less than 5mph). You have to stand on the brakes to stop the vehicle, and if I'm towing a load when this happens it's a very scary event because the vehicle doesn't stop when you need it to stop. When pulling out of a parking position in a parking lot, I've come close to hitting a parked vehicle when my vehicle wouldn't stop as you would expect it to. I had my vehicle into the Ford dealership today to have this vacuum brake pump replaced to correct this problem, a problem that they know that exists and that is a safety issue, and I was told that the part will not be available until halloween timeframe.... a 3.5 month back order. This is the most popular selling vehicle in North America, and if this is happening to only a small percentage of Ford F150 ecoboost's, it's only a matter of time before an individual is seriously injured or killed from this vacuum brake pump failure on this vehicle equipped with the ecoboost engine.
- Skaneateles, NY, USA
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while reversing at approximately 5 mph, the brakes became hard and failed to respond, causing the contact to crash into a tree. A police report was not filed. There were no injuries reported. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 41,000.
- Milton , VT, USA
Brakes engaged partly when I was going down the road without stepping on the brake. This has happened several times. Dealer turned rotaries but did not solve problem. This truck had less than 10,000 miles when this problem was occurring. I have taken the truck to two different dealerships, but Ford has not corrected the problem yet. The reason I bought the Ford was to respect the workers who did not take the government bailout and to get better gas mileage. I feel this is a safety issue.
- Camden, TN, USA
- Pascoag, RI, USA