What 2,796 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Ford F-150 Supercab Diesel

ON 24 DEC 2013 AT 2:15 PM I HAD TO BRAKE HARD TRYING TO AVOID A CAR COMING ACROSS MY PATH IN A PARKING LOT (THERE WAS A RESULTING ACCIDENT WITH NO INJURIES, BUT DAMAGE TO THE OTHER VEHICLES FRONT FENDER). I WASN'T MOVING VERY FAST LESS THAN (10MPH) AND INSTEAD OF JUST GRABBING THE BRAKES THE TRUCK SHUDDERED VIOLENTLY BEFORE THE BRAKES ACTUALLY GRABBED. I'VE NOTICED THIS ON SEVERAL OTHER OCCASIONS. I'M NOT SURE IF THIS IS EXPECTED BEHAVIOR WITH THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES, BUT I'M CONVINCED I COULD HAVE MANUALLY STOPPED THE TRUCK FASTER.

NHTSA ODI 10840020

WE HAVE HAD 3 WRECKS IN THIS TRUCK FROM REAR ENDING PEOPLE BECAUSE THE TRUCK WOULD NOT STOP OR THE PEADALWOULD GO TO THE FLOOR I STILL OWN THIS TRUCK BECAUSE I STILL OWE A LOT OF MONEY ON IT. I CANT AFFORD TO GET RID OF IT. SO I JUST HARDLY EVER DRIVE IT UNLESS I HAVE TO IT NORMALLY STOPS EXCEPT THOSE THREE TIMES IT HASN'T I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT COULD BE THE MECHANICS THAT FIXED IT BACK AFTER IT WAS WRECKED SAID EVERYTHING WAS OKAY. ALL THREE TIMES WE WERE ACCELERATING AND HAD TO STOP ABRUPTLY. MY WIFE WRECKED IT ONCE AND I TWICE. THE SECOND TIME I WRECKED IT WAS NOT 24 HOURS AFTER I GOT IT BACK FROM THE BODY SHOP AFTER MY WIFE WRECKED IT. SOMETHING HAS TO BE WRONG BUT IT WORKS MOST OF THE TIME.

NHTSA ODI 10839890

ON 5/1/15, WHILE BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY, AS I ATTEMPTED TO BRAKE, THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR, AND THERE WAS NO STOPPING POWER. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PUMP THE BRAKE AND USE THE PARKING BRAKE, MY VEHICLE CROSSED THE STREET, WENT UP THE CURB, AND STRUCK MY NEIGHBOR'S LANDSCAPE WALL, DAMAGING IT SEVERELY. TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELLED WAS APPROXIMATELY 2.5 TRUCK LENGTHS BEFORE IMPACTING THE NEIGHBOR'S WALL. UPON INSPECTION BY MYSELF AND LATER MY INSURANCE INVESTIGATOR, THE BRAKE FLUID RESERVOIR WAS EMPTY, BUT THERE WERE NO OBVIOUS SIGNS OF LEAKAGE. NO PUDDLES OR VISIBLE BRAKE FLUID. TRUCK WAS TOWED TO LOCAL DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS 'BRAKE FAILURE DUE TO LEAK FAULTY BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER'. WITHIN A FEW DAYS, THE BRAKES AGAIN DID NOT FEEL RIGHT WITH A STRANGE PEDAL FEEL. GRADUALLY, THE WORSENING PEDAL FEEL WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A METALLIC SCRAPING OR GRINDING NOISE. A SECOND TRIP TO A DEALER REVEALED A FAILED BRAKE BOOSTER DUE TO BRAKE FLUID INGESTION, WHICH ALSO EXPLAINED WHY THERE WAS NO VISIBLE EVIDENCE OF A LEAK AFTER THE CRASH. THE BRAKE BOOSTER OPERATES AT A VACUUM, SO AS THE MASTER CYLINDER LEAKED CATASTROPHICALLY, THE BOOSTER SUCKED IN THE FLUID, CAUSING IT TO ULTIMATELY FAIL AS WELL. BOTH THE BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER AND THE BRAKE BOOSTER WERE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. I AM SURPRISED THAT THERE AS BEEN NO ACTION ON THIS ISSUE YET - THE COMPLETE FAILURE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SAFETY SYSTEM OF A 2.5+ TON VEHICLE - AS THERE ARE NUMEROUS NEARLY IDENTICAL FAILURE MODES WITH THIS MODEL AND YEAR. I TRULY HOPE NOBODY IS KILLED BY THIS; IT WAS TRULY TERRIFYING TO BE WITHOUT BRAKES WHILE MOVING IN REVERSE IN A MASSIVE VEHICLE.

NHTSA ODI 10809601

WHILE BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPOT, I APPLIED THE SERVICE BRAKES AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. THE TRUCK CONTINUED IN REVERSE, STRIKING A CONCRETE WALL. I SECURED THE VEHICLE AND INSPECTED THE DAMAGE. UNDER THE HOOD, I LOOKED AT THE BRAKE FLUID RESERVOIR. THERE WAS A VERY SMALL AMOUNT OF FLUID IN THE BOTTOM OF THE RESERVOIR. I LOOKED BACK AT THE DASHBOARD TO SEE IF THE BRAKE LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED, IT WAS NOT. I HAD THE TRUCK TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED (NEW) IT TWO YEARS PRIOR, GOSCH FORD IN HEMET, CA. THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN SAID THE BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER AND BRAKE BOOSTER WERE BAD AND THAT THE FLUID HAD LEAKED BACK INTO THE BOOSTER. SINCE THE TRUCK WAS OUT OF WARRANTY, THE ESTIMATE FOR REPAIR WOULD BE $800. THE TRUCK HAS 36,443 MILES (443 MILES OVER THE BASIC WARRANTY FOR BRAKES). AS A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER, THE TRUCK IS USED TO TOW MY EQUIPMENT TRAILER NECESSARY FOR WORK. WITHOUT THE TRUCK, I DONT WORK AND MY BUSINESS SUFFERS. THE DEALERSHIP REFUSED TO SUBMIT THIS TO FORD FOR WARRANTY WORK STATING FORD IS VERY FIRM ON THIS ISSUE; EVEN ONE MILE OVER 36,000 WOULD BE REFUSED. I APPROVED THE REPAIRS SINCE I NEED THIS VEHICLE FOR MY LIVELIHOOD. AN HOUR LATER, THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT CALLED SAYING THERE IS A NATIONWIDE BACKORDER ON THE MASTER CYLINDER AND BRAKE BOOSTER (GO FIGURE), AND THE PARTS WOULDNT BE AVAILABLE FOR 5 WEEKS! SO, MY TRUCK (THE TRUCK I PURCHASED NEW TO ENSURE DEPENDABILITY, SAFETY AND RELIABILITY) SITS AT THE DEALERSHIP WAITING FOR THE REPLACEMENT PARTS FOR AN APPARENT COMMON BRAKE FAILURE PROBLEM. SINCE THEY ARE REPLACING THE DEFECTIVE PARTS WITH NEW (HOPEFULLY NOT DEFECTIVE) PARTS, I WILL CRINGE EACH TIME I STEP ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. AN INTERNET CHECK OF THIS PROBLEM REVEALED OTHERS WITH THE EXACT SAME SITUATION. WHY IS THERE NO RECALL? THIS IS A HUGE BRAKE FAILURE ISSUE.

NHTSA ODI 10749886

WHENEVER AT A STOP IN TRAFFIC, THE BRAKE PEDAL DRIFTED TO THE FLOOR CAUSING LOSS OF BREAKS RESULTING IN STRIKING THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. THE TRUCKS BEEN AT FORD TO REPLACE MULTIPLE PIECES OF THE BRAKE SYSTEM WITH ABSOLUTELY NO BETTER RESULT. THE MASTER CYLINDER RESOVIOR WAS FOUND EMPTY TWICE PRIOR TO THIS PROBLEM SURFACING.

NHTSA ODI 10743344

TRUCK WAS PARKED SEVERAL HOURS IN SON-IN-LAWS DRIVEWAY. WIFE GOT IN TRUCK, AFTER CRANKING AND PLACING IN REVERSE, NO BRAKES! BACKED INTO SON-IN LAWS VEHICLE DAMAGING IT AND DAMAGING F 150. F 150 STILL UNDER WARRANTY, TAKEN TO MULLINAX FORD MOBILE AL. FOUND MASTERCYLINDER DEFECT , FAILED GASKET CAUSED BRAKE BOOSTER TO FAIL. MASTER CYLINDER REPLACED BY MULLINAX FORD, MOBILE AL. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10692723