10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 9 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 2 / 1
- Average Mileage:
- 35,029 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
Truck was parked on a hill and when I returned I got message low brake fluid and had no brakes. I added brake fluid and within 2 minutes it all leaked out, but nothing on the ground. Had truck towed and the Ford service department said all the brake fluid had leaked from the master cylinder to the brake booster. Both were replaced by local Ford dealership under warranty. Truck had 10,000 miles at the time. Seems like this is the same issue many others have had. Very dangerous. Hopefully a recall will be done before somebody dies because of it.
- Columbus, GA, USA
An article in our local paper, from the associated press said your organization was investigating the problem with the Ford 2014, F-150,3.5L engine, for brake failure.on inspection of my vehicle, there is a puddle 15"X5" of what I would guess is brake fluid that has leaked down the drivers side strut.I have called the dealer and he said, "he hadn't heard of this problem.I plan to take the truck in very soon.vehicle was stationary when observed above.
- Cedar Hill, MO, USA
Yesterday when I got into my truck and started it the low brake fluid light came on and the brake pedal instantly when to the floor leaving the truck with no brakes. I got out and checked the brake fluid reservoir level and it was completely empty but, there was no leaks anywhere, the truck had to be towed to get fixed. I discussed it with joe and upon exploring this further joe came across the attached article and it turns out this sudden total loss of breaks has happened to several other F150 truck and are being investigated
- Houston, TX, USA
Ford F150 supercab 4X4 5.0 automatic. Purchased vehicle new in February 2015. Shortly after purchase, I noticed the truck would begin to creep forward while stopped in traffic with the brake applied. This would require more effort to be applied to the brake pedal until the pedal would eventually go all the way to the floor. I took the truck in to the dealer at around 500 miles to have the brakes checked but was told that this condition was normal for power assist brakes. I have owned many vehicles with power assist brakes and this condition is not normal. The truck now has 11000 miles and the condition persists. Based on complaints from other F150 owners it appears that these trucks are equipped with defective master cylinders which are bypassing. So far I have not encountered a total brake failure but the braking problem with my truck could be a precursor to complete failure. I know that the brake problem has mainly been identified on trucks with the 3.5 engine but Ford has acknowledged that it could affect trucks with other engines such as mine because it has the same braking system. While I had my truck at the dealer I was also told by the service manager that they checked the brakes on a new 2014 F150 on the lot and the brakes did the same thing as mine, therefore it was a"normal" condition. This appears to be a widespread problem and it is only a matter of time before there will be more accidents caused by these faulty master cylinders.
- Talcott, WV, USA
Brake peddle went clear to floor Aug 2015, were told by Ford dealership break fluid ran into the brake booster. Did not cause a crash we were at a stop light on hill and started rolling backwards put on emergency brake before we rolled into the car behind us once light turned green we went up the hill and tried to turn could not stop and pedestrians were in crosswalk so we could not turn had to go straight and pull over. We were in downtown and found out later if we were able to turn it was a very steep down hill so good that we ended going straight it could have been a big issue for us. This issue once fixed then caused the bake lights not work work so we went back to dealership due to a switch that went bad due to the brake peddle going to the floor since we were on vacation in nashville tn when we left and started on road again soon found out that it also caused the bakes would not turn off the cruise control while driving on highway at 70 mph, we would hit brakes and we were still going 70 mph we did not know what was going on so we manually turned off cruise with switch on steering wheel. We had to get fixed once we returned to Ohio. Ford paid for our 3 extra day stay in a motel while we waited for parts to be found by us and our dealership in Ohio since there seemed to be no brake boosters available during this time. Once we found parts had them shipped to mid ten Ford in nashville tn.
- Lagrange, OH, USA
The contact owns a 2014 Ford F-150. While driving 45 mph, the brake warning light illuminated and brake fluid low was displayed across the message board. In addition, the contact attempted to depress the brake pedal, but the pedal depressed in excess. The contact refilled the vehicle with brake fluid; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, but the cause of the failure could not be diagnosed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 38,000. The VIN was unavailable.
- Bradengton, FL, USA
Since I purchaced my truck in March of last year.twice I had brake pedal issues.when applying the brakes trying stop. The pedal was very slow to return to its normal position.the next time the pedal went completely to the floorboard as if I was bleeding the brakes. After both incidents I took it to the dealership's. both dealership's said they are normal after road testing my truck.
- Baldwin Park, CA, USA
The rear brakes of my 2014 F 150 sporadically lock up for a few sec after short or long distance highway drive. The actual lock up occurs when I make a turn into and around a parking lot. Once I have completed the turn the brakes quickly release themselves. I have taken it to my local Ford dealer but can never replicate it, so nothing has been to even look at the braking system. The dealership told me it is probably just the ABS acting up once in awhile.
- Lebanon, IL, USA
The driver owned a 2014 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the driver was driving at an unknown speed, the brake pedal was applied but failed to respond. The contact mentioned that the steering wheel failed but was uncertain. As a result, the driver veered off the road and crashed. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The driver sustained a fatal heart attack. The driver received medical attention. The vehicle was destroyed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA action number: PE16003 (service brakes, service brakes, hydraulic), and NHTSA campaign numbers: 14V316000 (steering) and 14V710000 (seats). The failure mileage was not available.
- Cleveland, OH, USA
Lost all braking unexpectedly. Brake pedal went all the way to the floor and I immediately hade no brakes whatsoever. Described exactly as in this article - www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/us-investigates-420000-Ford-F-150S-for-brake-failure-371060011.html I was leaving my office parking garage and was very lucky to have acted quickly to engage the emergency brake. Co-workers helped me push the vehicle back into an empty parking spot where it was later towed to the dealership at dealership's expense. Around 10K miles or less at the time of the incident. Ford dealership said all fluid had leaked from the master cylinder into the booster. I view this as a serious defect and am highly suspect of the safety of this vehicle, as a result. Please advise.
- Saginaw, TX, USA
Took grandkids to soccer practice and brakes failed. Pushed pedal and it went to floor. Pumped pedal and regained brake power. Fluid low indicator came on, so I put fluid in and limped 1 mile home...the no fluid light came on and no brakes. There is no indication of fluid leaking in the wheels or master cylinder.
- Citrus Heights, CA, USA
Brakes failure at 20,200 miles. Brake booster and master cylinder failed while pulling out of garage. After stopping with the E-brake, several dash warning illuminated and a message of low brake fluid appeared. No fluid was found in reservoir and was sucked into the brake booster. Ford attempted to blame the failure on the after market charge air cooler. Truck is S 2014 Ford F-150 platinum 3.5L ecoboost 4X4.
- Alamogordo, NM, USA
While driving truck and taking offramp to service road, pushed brakes and they were hard, no response. Got truck off the road without a collision, had truck towed to dealership and they replaced a vacuum pump on the brake system. Truck had 21,500 miles. 3 weeks later while driving on the highway again same thing happened. Had truck towed to the dealership where it is at now waiting for a diagnosis on repair. How can this be same for brakes to fail so often without a recall from Ford Motor Company "?"
- Newcastle, OK, USA
Failure of master cylinder and booster pump. All fluid drained into booster with no warning. Repaired under warranty. Vehicle has only 9600 miles. Vehicle lost all braking ability (excluding ebrake) within 60 seconds of a low fluid alert.
- Longwood, FL, USA
As as I exiting I-95 onto an off ramp in a 2014 F-150 (going about 45mph at the time of breaking) I started to brake in order to slow to an appropriate speed to make a slight right curved turn. Within 1-2 seconds, my steering locked up, and the tires began to screech. I was unable to control my steering and the brakes did not seem to respond to the amount of pressure I was putting on the break pedal. While I did eventually stop, I would have definitely rear ended someone if they were in front of me. Thankfully I had an open lane. Once I was completely stopped, the car returned to normal operation and I was able to pull over and inspect my vehicle. I was unable to find anything that would signal an issue, so I drove it home and called the dealership. They told me there was nothing they could do if the system was not registering any errors and the truck was (currently) performing normal. Additionally, about 1 month prior, as I was accelerating and then began to brake due to a stop light change, the brake petal began to vibrate and the car made a 3 second grinding sound untill I let off the brake, and again performed normally thereafter.
- Jupiter, FL, USA
Brakes do not always react as they should when you hit the brake pedal. 1-2 sec. Delay
- O.O.B., ME, USA
Travelling at highway speeds. Low brake fluid indicator came on. Pulled over, topped off brake fluid. Had to purchase 24oz of fluid to get it to level. Drove another 20 miles. Indicator came back on. Added 12oz more of fluid and made it home. The next morning the brake pedal went straight to the floor. No brakes at all. No sign of leak anywhere. No fluid on driveway. Vanishing fluid? not sure how my truck can hide 36oz+ of brake fluid if it's not in the reservoir.
- Cedar Park, TX, USA
Started vehicle and pushed on brake to switch to reverse, warning message that vehicle was low on brake fluid. Verified by looking at master cylinder, added brake fluid and started driving. Within 3 miles same message, parked vehicle called Ford. They picked up the vehicle and called me later to advise that the master cylinder failed and the brake booster sucked all the fluid into it. They both needed replaced as well as other brake related stuff. I researched and I know I am not the first to have this exact same problem, I am just lucky I wasnt on the freeway at speed when this occurred.
- Pickerington, OH, USA
While checking engine oil noticed a "sucking" noise coming from the brake fluid reservoir and noted it was empty. Added some additional dot 4 fluid up to the min mark and within 30 minutes it was empty again. Traced all the brake lines and inspected the brake calipers and no leaks noted. Went to start the truck to move it and the low brake fluid light illuminated and the brake pedal when pressed went to the floor. No other signs of brake issues prior to this point. Had the vehicle towed to a Ford dealership and they stated that the master brake cylinder and brake booster are defective and need to be replaced. The brake fluid was leaking into the brake booster and collecting there hence no visible leakage. Fortunately the incident occurred in my driveway, but if it had occurred on the road who knows what the results would have been. The truck has ~21,800 miles and was purchased new in November 2014 with a build date in August 2014. Quick search on the internet has turned up similar instances with the same year, make, model, and ~ mileage.
- Deerfield, NH, USA
- Houston, TX, USA