What 1,686 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Ford F-150 (regular Cab) Gas

Sudden and without any warning, complete catastrophic brake failure while stopped attempting to pay at the pay station to exit a parking garage. My truck was fully stopped, in drive with my foot on the footbrake pedal, and started moving forward and suddenly lurched thru the parking exit gate and damaging it and the front end of my truck. Fortunately, no one was crossing on the sidewalk in front my truck or they would have been injured or worse, or we would have T-boned by oncoming traffic on the street. There was brake fluid in several areas where I parked the vehicle on the street after moving from the parking garage. There was a "low brake fluid warning light" after having the truck towed to Haley Ford in Chester, VA. There were warnings prior to the accident. The truck had had a "The Works" service done at Haley Ford the week prior. Haley Ford claims the front brake lines were leaking and need to be replaced after their "diagnostic" inspection.

NHTSA ODI 11660236

Driving out of town for a trip and out of nowhere at“Steering Assist Fail” alert hill decent alert

NHTSA ODI 11654200

Unknown, I was pulling into a parking spot, at Sam's Club, and lightly tap the gas petal for the turn and the truck lunched forward in the one carlink, and hit a concrete parking pole (Sam's club in Southgate Michigan has security cameras) it warped around the pole and bent the frame as if though it was 90 mph and a telephone pole.. I had taken it in twice under warranty for the gas pedal not working correctly, the warranty company would not allow a 3rd repair nor did Ford dealership take that warranty company. The airbags did not deploy, and I now have a T4 fractured vertebrae.

NHTSA ODI 11637680

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the rearview camera would display a distorted image while the vehicle was in reverse(R). The contact stated that the failure had obstructed the driver's visibility which prevented the driver from safely operating the vehicle. Due to the failure, the contact stated that they had been involved in two low-speed, parking lot accidents. The contact stated that no injuries were reported in either incident and that two separate police reports were filed; however, the police reports were unavailable. The vehicle was taken to multiple dealers and was given multiple estimates for the repair. The contact's husband attempted to replace the camera himself; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and was given a case number. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11625448

The contact owned a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, smoke was coming from the rear passenger window with no warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled over and exited the vehicle safely and noticed that the rear of the vehicle caught on fire. The local fire department was able to extinguish the fire. The cause of the fire was undisclosed, but the fire marshal's report was provided to the contact. The contact suffered from smoke inhalation for a few days but did not seek medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to the local towing facility and later picked up by the contact's insurance agency for investigation. The dealer was not contacted, and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 152,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11598062

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while approaching a stop, the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle accelerated to unknown speeds. The driver continuously depressed the brake pedal, but it failed to respond. The driver crashed into a mailbox, brick decorations, a stop sign, a golf cart, a gas line, and a tree. The driver pulled the emergency brake, and the vehicle stopped.  There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a collision center. The contact sustained injuries to her hip, but medical attention was not provided. A police report was filed. There was no reported fire or air bag deployment. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

NHTSA ODI 11562985

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that as he was stopping the vehicle in front of his garage and slowing to approximately 3 MPH, the vehicle was not stopping. The contact stated that the brake pedal went to the floorboard when depressed. The vehicle crashed into the garage door causing the garage door to buckle. There was minor damage to the vehicle's front end. There were no injuries. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the brake master cylinder needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V150000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.

NHTSA ODI 11560669

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at 5 MPH, the contact approached a stop sign and depressed the brake pedal. However, the brake pedal was inoperable and the vehicle did not stop. Due to the brake pedal failure, the contact rear-ended the vehicle in front of him. No damage was done to either vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to contact NHTSA to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.

NHTSA ODI 11560246

Today 10/23/23 I remote started my f150 and the defrost on the rear window overheated causing the glass to explode and shatter. The wires burnt to the point of smoking out and catching on fire

NHTSA ODI 11551507

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the brake pedal went to the floorboard while depressed. The vehicle failed to stop immediately rear-ending another vehicle. No air bags deployed. The contact sustained injuries to his neck and back but did not receive medical attention. A police report was filed. Additionally, the contact stated the vehicle consumed an excessive amount of oil and the key fob failed to function as needed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

NHTSA ODI 11511503

Used the remote start and came out to the truck and got in to a cab full of smoke, shut the truck off and found a electrical fire in the rear defrost system

NHTSA ODI 11489645

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while his wife was driving, she attempted to depress the brake pedal to stop the vehicle however, the brakes failed to engage. As a result, the contact's wife rear-ended another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The brake system warning light was illuminated. The contact then stated that upon inspection, he noticed brake fluid was spilled on the ground. No injuries were sustained. A police report was filed. No medical attention was required. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it had not yet been diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000. The consumer stated the brake hose had come off causing brake line failure and the cost of repairs was $1000.

NHTSA ODI 11483967

The F-150 was involved in a car crash. It hit a street sign, an electrical pole and then a tree. The front bumper is split and insurance just devalued it a total loss. I am hereby reaching out to you, to let you know that none of the airbags in the truck went off. I have picture that I can provide to further confirm!

NHTSA ODI 11477910

Rear window spontaneously exploded on July 8th around 11:00am. My truck was parked and not driven for two days. The rear window exploded and shattered. The glass was everywhere, In the truck bed and all over the cab. The seats and carpet have shards of glass embedded in them. I called Tom Masano Ford in Shillington PA. Spoke to Lydia a service advisor. She told me that Ford would not cover the repair/replacement of the rear window. She stated that Ford would not take any responsibility for this safety issue. There was no warning lamps, messages, ect prior to the window exploding. We have an appointment at Tom Masano Ford on Monday July 18th.

NHTSA ODI 11473174

Downshifting while I was driving happened without warning. Besides the gear switch, I noticed problems with the speedometer, erratic gear shifting, and the transmission stuck in one gear. I could have caused a major accident by the vehicle as I was at moderately high speed in motion when the vehicle began to fail. I did also bang my head on the steering wheel when the truck began to decelerate on its own! Mechanics told me it was a problem with the OOS (Output Speed Shaft Sensor). I could have got in a major accident had I not had a quick reaction to the truck automatically downshifting while at a high rate of speed. There is currently NO recalls for the 2016 F-150 model however, I did research and found that there are issues recalls for this VERY same problem for older F-150 models. This is an incredibly dangerous problem. My truck at this time only has 66,000 miles. Not very many miles on it for a 2016 to have this type of issue. Major research needed to get this resolved asap! People’s lives are at stake with this truck!

NHTSA ODI 11466151

On 12/20/21, while driving home on State Route 7 from work, the low brake fluid warning appeared. I tried the brakes and as I tried to slow down, the pedal went all the way down. I almost went off the road but after pumping it was able to slow a bit. I was merging onto Interstate 8 West and slowly drove to figure out where to get off. The best off ramp was Imperial since it was uphill and managed to pull over after getting off and stopping the truck. Replaced the lost liquid and my brother in law followed me to his home. Same issue with brakes and slowly took it to his home. Took the vehicle to Ford dealer assuming that a recall on F150 due to master cylinder failure and leaking fluid onto the booster, which occurred to my vehicle that it would be covered in good faith by Ford. My VIN was not listed although the issue was similar to the recall. After calling the NHTSA and Ford, there was nothing else that I could do at that time but pay the service. My complaint is that I almost had an accident due to an issue that Ford had recalled various trucks and did not include my truck. The least that Ford can do is in good faith and that it was not an accident due to this failure, that repayment is made on the cost to repair master cylinder and booster.

NHTSA ODI 11449430

Unknown

NHTSA ODI 11445104

Engine block exploded with less than 100,000 miles while moving forward after a stop sign, dropped all water through a side of an engine, lost power unable to move from road blocking traffic. Once token into a shop, melted metal was found on the engine cover, and a big hole was found on the engine head. A lot of engine smoke (CO2) was released and got into the cabin getting me sick and feeling dizzy for a whole week

NHTSA ODI 11443342

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? While parked, the rear defrost button was engaged. Shortly afterwards (1-2min) the backseat filled with smoke. I had my family immediately exit the vehicle and the rear window exploded. I checked the area and found an electrical wire draped over the rear passenger seat. It was melted and had clearly exploded up and over the seat. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Yes, had my children remained in the vehicle, they would have been sprayed with glass or burned from the electrical short. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? No, however, I looked online and found this has happened to others. I called Ford service center and they informed me their were no recalls out on the truck. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No. However, Glass doctor performed the repair since Ford outsources their glass repair work Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No

NHTSA ODI 11432903

2016 F150, 3.5L, manuf Kansas City October 2016. Complete brake failure resulting in a collision of the F150 and its towed trailer. Over $4,000 damage to F150 and trailer, and $1,066 to replace Master Brake Cylinder and Brake Booster. Gaylord Ford (Bill Marsh) 1928 Otsego Ave, Gaylord, MI 49735 (989) 732-4835 SO#927036 diagnosed: Master Cylinder leaking into Brake Booster Safety Recall 20S31. Owner advised F150 VIN was manufactured Oct 2016, 3 months after 20S31 cut-off August 1, 2016. June 8, 2020 Ford Motor Company Recall 20S31 Chronology page 2: “Ford proposed conducting a Customer Satisfaction campaign to repair master cylinders if and when they fail and to continue monitoring the population of non-recalled vehicles. Due to the severity of this case at high-speed and potential for fatal and life changing injuries, full brake failure and none of the warning scenarios described by Ford in 4 items below; reasonableness on any public safety business standard would ‘red flag’ this wurst case scenario for investigation and review. Chronology page 1, ¶4 - Loss of Brake Fluid: None of the following were observed. In this case “Brake” illuminated on dash and then not illuminated to normal. Total brake failure followed 20 minutes later without any of these 4 Ford described scenarios a driver is to expect. 1) “the driver will receive an audible chime, a full screen message center alert, and a red brake warning indicator in the instrument cluster; all indicating that brake system service is required.” 2) “Braking ability would still be unchanged at that time.” 3) “If a vehicle continues to be operated and additional fluid is depleted, the driver may begin to experience a change in brake pedal travel and feel.” 4) “if a loss of brake fluid is substantial enough to reduce brake function to the front wheels, full braking function would remain in the rear wheel circuit. Indisputable evidence the failure is grossly worsened beyond 20S31 cut-off now into Oct 2020.

NHTSA ODI 11431772

The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated while attempting to enter the vehicle using the key fob, the key fob failed to unlock the door. The contact used the key to manually unlock the door. The contact noticed that the windshield was cracked and was burned. In addition, the dashboard on the passenger’s side was melted, the sun visor was melted and burned, the air bags were also melted. The vehicle was towed to a collision shop, the contact was informed that the cause of the fire was undetermined however, the fire might have started from the air bags. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided a case number. The approximate failure mileage was 80,100.

NHTSA ODI 11419647

I HAD JUST DROPPED OFF MY SON AT DAYCARE AND TURNED ON THE DEFROSTERS. I WAS SITTING IN THE PARKING LOT AT WORK, AND THE VEHICLE WAS COMPLETELY STATIONARY AT THE TIME. A RANK, BURNING SMELL FILLED THE TRUCK AND I IMMEDIATELY TURNED IT OFF. SECONDS LATER A LOUD "POP" OCCURRED AND THE REAR WINDOW COMPLETELY SHATTERED. THERE ARE SMALL PIECES OF GLASS THROUGHOUT THE BED AND INSIDE THE BACK SEAT. THANK GOD MY CHILD WAS NOT IN THE VEHICLE WHEN IT HAPPENED, AND THAT I TURNED OFF THE CAR BEFORE THE ENTIRE THING ENGULFED IN FLAMES.

NHTSA ODI 11403829

2016 F-150 3.5L 4X4 ECOBOOST WITH MAX TOWING PACKAGE - VEHICLE SUDDENLY AND W/O WARNING CAUGHT FIRE AND ENGULFED IN FLAMES WITHIN 10 MINUTES OF HEARING A HUMMING SOUND AND THEN SEEING WHITE OR GRAY SMOKE. WE WERE TOWING OUR 28 FT TRAVEL TRAILER FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ABOUT 4-5 MONTHS, 30 MINUTES INTO THE TRIP ON A FLAT HIGHWAY. PULLED OVER WITHIN 1 MIN OF HEARING THE NOISE/ SEEING SMOKE. UPON EXITING, SAW FLAMES PEEKING OUT FROM UNDER FRONT OF TRUCK. FLAMES HIT THE CAB WITHIN PROBABLY 3 MINS LATER. WE HAD TOWED A 28 FT TRAVEL TRAILER WITH THIS VEHICLE EXTENSIVELY AND COMFORTABLY WITH FEW ISSUES (EXCEPT THROTTLE BODY FAILURE AROUND 30K MILES). REGULAR OIL CHANGES AND MAINTENANCE. FULL PA STATE INSPECTION 3 MONTHS PRIOR, OIL CHANGE 2K MILES PRIOR. NO OUTSTANDING RECALL WORK TO OUR KNOWLEDGE. NO UNUSUAL HANDLING, SMELLS, LEAKING FLUIDS THAT WE NOTICED, OR WARNING LIGHTS. FIRE INVESTIGATOR'S BEST GUESS WAS SUDDEN TRANSMISSION ISSUE BECAUSE IT COMPLETELY BURNED AWAY BUT WE'LL UNFORTUNATELY NEVER REALLY KNOW.

NHTSA ODI 11402703

I HAD JUST COMPLETED WASHING MY TRUCK IN AN AUTOMATIC CAR WASH AND WHEN SLOWLY EXITING THE CAR WASH BAY, THE TRUCK UNEXPECTEDLY ACCELERATED. I LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WENT UP AN EMBANKMENT, WENT AIRBORNE, AND I CROSSED FOUR LANES OF TRAFFIC BEFORE I COULD GET THE VEHICLE STOPPED.

NHTSA ODI 11399345

REAR DEFROSTER SHORTED OUT. OVERHEATED AND CAUGHT THE PLASTICS ON FIRE. THE WINDOW THEN SHATTERED FROM THE EXCESS HEAT FROM THE REAR DEFROST. THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION ON THE HIGHWAY. OUTSIDE TEMP WAS 28 DEGREES. REAR DEFROST AND HEAT WERE ON FOR THE VEHICLE. WHILE TRAVELING, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SMOKE INTERNALLY. THE CAR WAS PULLED OVER, AND SHUT OFF. THE SMOKE STOPPED AND THE WINDOW SHATTERED. THE PLASTIC AND SEAT SURROUNDING THE REAR DEFROST CONNECTION TO THE WINDOW WERE MELTED.

NHTSA ODI 11383571