The braking system on any vehicle is perhaps the most important item. Improper function of the brakes can result in a serious situation. There is now word of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigating 2013 and 2014 model-year Ford F-150 trucks for brake failures.
The NHTSA has received 33 reports of master cylinder failures. All of the reported trucks were equipped with the 3.5L V6 engines. Reports suggest that 4 failures resulted in collisions, although no injuries or deaths have been attributed to the failures. The majority of these reports have been received within the last year.
If these failures require a recall, then up to 420,000 F-150s would be affected in the United States.
Date Investigation Opened: FEB 29, 2016
Date Investigation Closed: Open
NHTSA Action Number: PE16003
Component(s): SERVICE BRAKES , SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULICManufacturer: Ford Motor Company
SUMMARY:
The Office of Defects Investigation has received 33 reports alleging master cylinder failures in model year (MY) 2013 through 2014 Ford F-150 full size pickup trucks. All of the reports involve F-150 trucks equipped with 3.5L engines, with an estimated 420,000 units sold in the United States representing approximately 36 percent of MY 2013-2014 F-150 sales. The complaints allege symptoms of brake pedal going to the floor with complete loss of brake effectiveness, brake warning lamp illumination, and/or low or empty master cylinder reservoir fluid level with no visible leakage. Several complaints allege repair facilities diagnosed the problem as brake fluid leaking from the master cylinder to the brake booster. Thirty-one (31) of the reports were received in the last 12 months, including 20 in the last 7 months. Four complaints allege that the alleged defect resulted in collisions. A Preliminary Evaluation has been opened to assess the scope, frequency, and safety-related consequences of the alleged defect. The ODI complaints cited above can be viewed at www.safercar.gov under the following ODI identification numbers: 10818273, 10817706, 10809601, 10788886, 10788369, 10785526, 10779854, 10776834, 10766291, 10762034, 10761412, 10760663, 10758997, 10750065, 10749886, 10748122, 10747875, 10747531, 10746143, 10745511, 10744847, 10743344, 10733196, 10733023, 10731327, 10725476, 10725096, 10725046, 10724169, 10715103, 10692723, 10662564, and 10632103.
We have never experienced a brake system failure or malfunction over the years of testing. However, we generally do not keep each test truck for more than a week at a time.
We reached out to Ford for a statement, and we will provide an update on this.
[Update: TFLtruck received the following statement from Ford. “We take the safety of our customers very seriously, and we will cooperate with NHTSA on this investigation, as we always do.” Ford did not share any other specifics about this case.]
Last year, The Wall Street Journal reported that the NHTSA is also investigating 2011-2012 Ford F-150 trucks for a seemingly unrelated brake vacuum assist pump failures. This separate investigation is reported to affect 250,000 trucks.
Here is a brand-new 2016 Ford F-150 5.0L V8 giving an outstanding performance on the Ike Gauntlet extreme towing test.
