10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
26 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
12 / 1
Average Mileage:
58,978 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.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2013 Ford F-150:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #160

Feb 112018

F-150

  • 46,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. While driving 30 mph, the brake pedal was depressed, but failed to stop the vehicle. The contact stated that the brake system failure warning indicator illuminated. The contact had to apply the parking brake to slow down and stop the vehicle. The failure recurred twice. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. Frederick motor company (1 waverley dr, frederick, md 21702, (301) 663-6111) was contacted and an appointment was made to have the vehicle diagnosed. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 46,000.

- Middletown, MD, USA

problem #159

Feb 062018

F-150

  • 115,252 miles
After pulling into parking lot, and at low speed, I began to press my brake pedal down to come to a stop. I wasn't stopping and had to use all of my weight on the pedal to stop. Once stopped, I had a notification popup that read "check brake systems", followed by my parking light being illuminated. I turned my truck off and back on, and this time, pushing the brake pedal felt like I was trying to push a brick down. 10 seconds later I got the "check brake system" notification, in addition to the check engine light being illuminated. Had I been on an actual street when this happened, this could have ended very badly.

- Watauga, TX, USA

problem #158

Jan 112018

F-150

  • 23,000 miles
2013 Ford raptor super crew 27953 miles. Oil change 2 months ago. Oil life still at 69%. I went with the recommended Ford Motor Company synthetic and Ford Motor Company oil filter. I was on my way home from work about 10 minutes into my drive. I went to take off from a stop light and I got through the intersection and had an immediate reduction in power the truck was stuck at 1,000 rpms and would not do anything but slowly creep forward at 5 miles an hour. I limped to a lighted parking lot about a half block away as my low oil pressure light came on and a wrench icon on the dash. I shut it off and popped open the hood. I check my oil level transmission fluid level power steering level and everything was well above tolerances. I could find no problems and when I got back in the truck and started it, it ran fine all the way home. I just scanned the system and no error codes. The stop light road was at a slight downward angle and I had just below a half tank of 93 octane fuel. K and N air filter in stock holder. No other power train or engine modifications. Loss of power, power steering and decreased braking. It would have been very dangerous had it not been later at night.

- Pinellas Park, FL, USA

problem #157

Dec 142016

F-150

  • 73,485 miles
Brake pedal goes all the way to the bottom and it is losing pressure. I was driving about 10 miles per hour when I push the brake and all of a sudden the pedal when all the way to the floor..

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #156

Dec 252017

F-150

  • 71,000 miles
I was slowing down as I approached a red light at an intersection. The vehicle was slowing down fine but when I tried to come to a complete halt the brake pedal suddenly felt soft or loose and easily hit the floor but vehicle did not stop and kept rolling forward slowly. I pumped the brakes but the brake pedal just felt soft and easily hit the floor. I managed to steer to avoid a pedestrian and then jammed transmission into park and this stopped vehicle. Road condition was slightly wet but clear. The vehicle was traveling slowly at the time of the incident. I then shut off and restarted engine. Then I tested the brakes again and they worked fine. Took vehicle to local Ford dealership to get checked out. The dealership could not find a specific cause for this brake failure, no sign of brake oil leak. Dealership recommended replacing master brake cylinder. There is a recall for this exact same model, but only for those trucks built in August 2013. My truck was built in Kansas City February 2013, so I had to pay for cost of work.

- Vaughan, Ontario Canada L4l1z4, AL, USA

problem #155

Dec 062017

F-150

  • 64,000 miles
I was driving about 55 mph and my red break light came on. I then tapped my breaks and realized my pedal was nearly fully compressed and extremely firm to press. I was forced to mash the breaks to get the vehicle to slow down at all. I pulled over and sat for a while, off and on pressing the brake pedal. About 15 minutes later I started my truck and the issue went away. I drove another 15 minutes home with no issue. The very next day I was driving down a bridge the exact same issue occurred, once again being forced to smash the break and nearly causing a wreck. I repeated the same steps and the problem went away after a few minutes.

- Sulphur, LA, USA

problem #154

Nov 252017

F-150

  • 54,000 miles
I first noticed the problem when I was slowing to a stop on a city street. I had my foot on the brake pedal applying constant pressure and the vehicle was slowing down. Then it felt as if the brakes had loosened and the car was no longer slowing down. I "pumped" the brake pedal (let up on the pedal and then re-applied pressure) and I had pedal pressure and was able to apply brakes to slow down. I tested the brakes again at the next intersection and they felt fine so I ignored it thinking I had probably lifted my foot off the pedal. It happened 1 or 2 other times, and I also had my wife drive the vehicle to ensure it wasn't just me. She also noticed the odd feel and behavior of the brake pedal. At this time (maybe 1 week after first noticing the problem), I was testing the brakes and was able to push the peddle all the way to the floor. It had brake pedal, but if I kept increasing the pressure, it would go to the floor, but with some resistance. Think of an air mattress as you are pushing air out of it. That is what it felt like. It was at this point I took it into my local dealership and they confirmed the master cylinder was faulty and needed to be replaced. There is an existing recall on the same make, model, and year of my vehicle (investigation: PE 16-003, recall: 16V-345), but only for vehicles manufactured August 1, 2013, to August 31, 2014. My vehicle was manufactured in June 2013 at the Kansas, Missouri plant.

- Belgrade, MT, USA

problem #153

Sep 152016

F-150

  • 50,000 miles
I bought a new F-150 in 2013. The front brakes began pulsating when applied at 50+ mph. The dealership turned the rotors, charging @ $500. About 6 months later with less than 10,000 additional miles, same problem. Dealer said this is normal and brakes would have to be repaired about every 10,000 miles. Research shows this problem to be pervasive with the F-150 because of inferior material used in the rotors.

- Euless, TX, USA

problem #152

Nov 252017

F-150

  • 42,384 miles
Driving on highway, low brake fluid light came on, got off at closest exit, brakes went to floor had to use emergency brake to stop. No fluid in master cylinder, no sign of leaks, walked to walmart bought fluid, filled with fluid, drove home, light came on again, pulled into garage hit wall when brakes went to floor, . contacted local Ford dealer and Ford customer assistance and was told my truck was not part of the recall, 16V345000. My truck build date is 7/2013, action covers build date starting 8/ 2013. Everything else is same, 3.5 ecoboost, built in dearborn. 42,384 miles just out of 3/36 bomber to bumper warranty. 5/50 is in effect but does not cover brakes.

- Punta Gorda, FL, USA

problem #151

Oct 302017

F-150

  • 45,000 miles
The brake pedal has no presser, it's lower to the floor. There is no oil leak on all four wheel, the vehicle has about 45,000 miles.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #150

Oct 252017

F-150

  • 79,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. While driving downhill and towing a trailer at approximately 55 mph, the brakes failed. Also, the speed increased to over 70 mph and the check braking system and emergency brake sensor indicators illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer (future Ford in roseville, ca) where it was diagnosed that oil from the vacuum pump had leaked into the brake booster, causing both the front and rear brakes to malfunction. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 79,000.

- Rocklin, CA, USA

problem #149

Oct 102017

F-150

  • 60,000 miles
Driving on the highway at 60 mph the brake system hazard light illuminated. The electronic breaks did not work properly. It was raining slightly and the roads were wet. First incident of this happening, the sync system/ touch screen has froze and not worked both in motion, and stationary 3 times. Concerned that all electrical issues may be related. Have owned used vehicle for 50 days, just went over 60,000 miles.

- Bennington, NE, USA

problem #148

Sep 282017

F-150

  • 112,000 miles
Hard jumpy braking. It will sometimes not stop at all or it will stop really hard. The mechanic says there was a leak and the vacuum motor has stopped working. This would happen any time moving slowly at home or in town or driving down the highway. This has happened multiple times during the past month.

- Moscow, ID, USA

problem #147

Sep 262017

F-150

  • 25,000 miles
25000 miles. Have to replace front brakes, right front caliper sticking. Rotors, pads, caliper, and hose all have to be replaced. Normal driving no towing or heavy loads. A known problem to Ford and dealers. Ford thinks it's not a safety problem. Since when are low mileage brake failures not a safety problem? huge expense. Ford needs to be accountable. Fortunately this was caught when tires were rotated. No accident or damage.

- Camdenton, MO, USA

problem #146

Sep 182017

F-150

  • 48,220 miles
The brake master cylinder reservoir is losing brake fluid that is leaking into the brake booster, causing loss of brakes. We were informed, by our Goodyear service provider in our community as we do not have a Ford dealership, that there is a recall# 16S24 for Ford F-150 2013-2014 trucks with this specific and exact issue of brake fluid leaking into the brake booster, however our truck was made on July 18 and the recall date is for vehicles made between Aug 1-Aug 31. I feel this is a case of complete negligence on Ford's part, as our vehicle is the same make, year, model and displaying the exact problem that the recall is for, yet they say it does not fall in their recall details, so it is not their responsibility. They are fully aware of this extremely unsafe issue with our vehicle, have a recall out, but because ours was technically made two weeks before the Aug 1st cutoff date, they will not provide assistance and it is now our out of pocket responsibility. I am completely beside myself on the negligence and irresponsibility we are experiencing and receiving from Ford/the Ford recall department.

- Beaver City, NE, USA

problem #145

Jul 102017

F-150

  • 93,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving about 10 mph, the brake pedal was soft and exhibited an uneven amount of pressure. There was no warning indicator. The vehicle was taken to the dealer at: Gary smith Ford, 1 beale pkwy, fort walton, fl, where it was diagnosed that the brake master cylinder leaked brake fluid into the brake booster. The technician also stated that there was no recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there was no recall and provided a case number to the contact. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was about 93,000.

- Niceville, FL, USA

problem #144

Aug 302017

F-150

  • 29,741 miles
I started the truck and the "low brake fluid" light came on. I drove to the nearest repair facility (about 4.7 miles) upon arrival the brakes went to the floor, after pumping the H$ll out of them I barely stopped before crashing into a group of cars. Come to find out the master cylinder is blowing fluid into the brake power booster on each press of the brakes. This happened all of the sudden and could have been very deadly if not for the fact that I was going very slow to begin with due to traffic. Now why, after not even 30K miles would this catastrophic failure happen?

- San Tan Valley, AZ, USA

problem #143

Aug 072017

F-150

  • 80,907 miles
Driving on interstate when brake light came on. Tried brakes but they did not work. Very hard pedal that could not be pressed on without noises coming the brakes. Stopped vehicle with ebrake and took to locale Ford dealer. Discovered that vacuum pump locked up causing the exaust cam to break into pcs inside the motor. Had to replace motor due to the vacuum pump issue.

- Acworth, GA, USA

problem #142

Aug 142017

F-150

  • 42,871 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. When the vehicle was started, the contact heard an abnormal noise was present. The contact turned the steering wheel in the other direction and the noise started again. When the contact shut off the vehicle and restarted it, "steering fault" illuminated on the message center and the steering ability became very difficult. The vehicle was driven to deltaville auto and marine in deltaville, Virginia where it was diagnosed that the steering rack failed. Also, on the way to the dealer, the brake warning indicator illuminated and "brake fluid low" appeared on the message center. The contact added 3/4 of a quarter of brake fluid, but by the time the vehicle was moved to the parking lot, the brake fluid was gone. There were no noticeable leaks. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 42,871.

- Deltaville, VA, USA

problem #141

Aug 012017

F-150

  • 60 miles
I am having brake issues just had all new brakes and rotors replaced as check brake system light has come on after repairs were made I was still having issues that I was having prior to repair loss of braking system on several occasions with kids in the car brake goes to the floor and some time later re gain breaking system very scary I have paid over 40 thousand dollar for this truck and well over 8 thousand in repairs what has to be done before recall is issued the run around between dealerships and he said she said. I guess someone has to be killed before there is a recall this is absurd.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »