Are 2004-2020 Ford F150s Reliable? Recalls, Issues, Avoid These Years 

Just read the article. They state three years with significant problems and they site 100 to 200 complaints for those years. Really do they even have a clue Ford sells a million F 150's a year and less than 200 complaints is significant.

@@NASCARBOB57 sure volume plays into all models and makes. We said several times to take these results with a grain of salt and understand these aren’t going to apply to each truck. These are the results we found and we reported on those results.

Can the oil consumption problem be fixed easily?

Looking into buying a 2.7L after 2 years what’s the outlook?

how about the transmissions?

I've heard about some problems with the plastic oil pan leaking on the 2.7.

150k shouldn’t be impressive, it should be expected. For the price these trucks cost the benchmark for impressive mileage should start at 250k. We use Toyotas at work and they are run constantly and get replaced at around 500k miles with essentially no problems whatsoever.

How’s it held up after a year

130 K miles on EB ? You need to trade that thing before major parts start failing that is well known on those engines . High pressure fuel pumps , turbochargers , rear axle bearings , head gasket , Stuck valves due to carbon build up . The biggest is spark plugs breaking off . Often times those plugs are under tightened or over torqued and because they are in aluminum cilinder heads - they vibrate and wear out the aluminum threads inside causing them to break off . How much oil are you burning per 3k-5k miles ? Oil consuming engine is the one that burns 1 qtr per 3-5k . If you are burning anything more then that - that engine is toast already at 130k .

I had none of these issues with it and I do put my trucks to work. I have 2021 GMC Sierra Denali now and I could write a book about problems. Plus that mighty 6.2l V8 failed at 14K miles. What a disappointment this truck is.

@@antonbalek2968 6.2 failed at only 14k miles ? Yea ok LOL 😆 I don't believe it . If it truly did you are really one unlucky dude . Plus it's under warranty being 21' with 14k and it will get fixed what ever is wrong with it . But that it straight up FAILED , yea not buying it 😂

@@dannyt1705 It doesn't matter if you believe it or not, or if it's funny to you, new 80K truck should not spent 6 weeks in shop with mayor problems. We all have different expectations. Good luck with your brand loyalty!

The question is will that overpriced EcoBoost truck of yours outlast the 5.7L I-Force V8 in the Toyota Tundra? Also what job do you and you're friends have and how do you and you're friends make to afford those EcoBoost trucks with ease?

A simple search shows that 2019 Tundras, depending on model, have 6 recalls available. Also Toyota cheated it's customers out of a transmission cooler starting in 2019.

@@user-gx2bs1vq7w, mine has transmission cooler, it's just liquid to liquid.

Agreed

...I would NEVER pressure wash under the hood. Bag the essentials with the engine warm (not Hot). Spray with diluted dish soap or brake cleaner (or Both). Wait 10 or 15 and flush with a garden hose. Your method worked great for 70's engines...it's not so good for your post 1985 under-hood electronics, though. The seals are designed for rain driven at 80mph, not rain driven at 1000psi. It's also the same method my wife used to fill up the airbox on her car. (LOL)

The difference in gas will pay for the repairs alone

@@losdesmayosdeNestor Will it Chavez? The purchase price is $15,000 more for the F-150. You are telling me the difference in gas is going to make up that difference plus the costs of repairs?! GTFOYGDN! hahahaha!

@@losdesmayosdeNestor NO ! It will not . In fact you will spend more on gas as you will be constantly laying on that gas pedal to get the turbo to kick in and give you the power you need with towing , accelarating and etc.. You are way off with that assesment .

All that you said are very common things with EB piece of crap . Ive seen all that happen to alot of people who owned it and they all hated it . Alot had trans. go out before they hit 100k miles as well . Funny thing is they all say " EB is the best truck i ever owned " Untill it starts having issues and costs them a small fortune in repairs LOL . Its absolutely not normal to have all those issues at around 100k . Try and explain to them that those issues are directly related by turbos exerting more strerss on small displacement engine and you are not gonna get ANYWHERE . They dont understand simple laws of phisics that exerting more stress on small displecement engine to deliver power you normaly get out of large displacement angine and V8's will cause premature wear ansd tear .

Go choice brother l, now had you bought the 5.0L Coyote V8 in the F150 instead of the EcoBoost then you wouldn't had any issues at all what so ever but either way glad you loved the Tundra (especially one with the 5.7L I-Force V8 in it).

Real talk. I have a 2005 F150 and they never solved the issues it had until the 2008 model year, then in 2009 brought out an entirely new truck.

Did they cover the cam phaser replacements? My 2018 also needs them replaced. Sounds like a common rail diesel on cold starts

Agreed mate, for me I chose the 5.0L Coyote V8 over the EcoBoost V6 anyday.

As far as the oil consumption. Switch back to motorcraft 5W20 and it will go away. I had the same oil consumption experience using mobil 1.

@@mattknittel2929 Oil consumption was the highest with Motorcraft oil. Penzoil platinum was the lowest amount.

@@mattknittel2929 5/30

Ford doesn't post the numbers for f150, how many they sell.

Indeed

How much did you pay for this overpriced EcoBoost truck, also what job do you have and how much do you make to afford that truck as well?

No engine repairs?

I'm sure you take great care of them, that makes a big difference with any manufacture.

@@concernedcitizen9373 , not really. That's why he never replied to questions. Toyota is only truck that can last forever

repairvehicle yep. I have a 2010 toyota tundra 78k miles never once had a problem. Only had to get a new battery

@@calebkelly2093, I know tundras the best. I just purchased 2012 last year with 224k miles on, everything on the truck original including water pump. Now I have 226k miles and everything still original. Brother in law has f150, two times engine was repaired for timing chain problems with cam phasers. On his 3rd transmission repair and now computer problems. His truck has less than 180k miles. For Toyota haters, my frame is clean and I am in the rust belt state. Video with details on my channel as proof if anyone cares.

I had a 2010 5.4 3v and it needed a timing job because of that I ended up trading up to a 2013 3.5 and it’s at 140k still on the first motor and is quiet no rattling I’ve never hated the 5.4 but I knew it had its downfalls my 2010 got a warranties motor replacement at 30k and at 116k it took a dump too

Interesting. A lot of owners seem to like the 2.7. What don’t you like?

@@Pickuptrucktalk No growl...I know that doesn't matter to most but...it is a super crew truck. It seems to struggle when towing my travel trailer, which weighs 5700lbs empty. Gas mileage, at least for me is not that much different. Its only been 1 month of owning it. Like I said, I hope I get swayed. I have never had buyers remorse after buying a truck, this one....a little.

@@dwaynestimpson5449 What is your opinion now 3 months later?

@@dwaynestimpson5449 go trade it for a 5.0 lol

Should've gotten the 5.0 man cause those EcoBoost engines I tell you won't last very long and they'll cost you an arm and a leg in the long run.

Yet they won't outlast a good ol' Reliable NA V8.

Just say no to the siren. I got out just in time. It's a timebomb.

Stay away from those EcoBoost, the host of this video is lying to you mate.

For me either get the 5.0L Coyote V8 in the F150 or get the Toyota Tundra with the 5.7L I-Force V8 from 2007-2021.

What do you drive now?

@@alecsanderfuentes3913 F250 6.7L diesel

@@on2wheels275 did you get the f250 just cause or do you actually use it. Like I don’t need a diesel but u definitely want one

@@alecsanderfuentes3913 I probably don’t need the diesel but I wanted it because of longevity and reliability (as long as you keep up with the maintenance). I had a F150 ecoboost 3.5 and didn’t like it. Although it was quick and responsive, I felt it had no soul and I was afraid of those turbos going bad. They spin ALOT even if you are not hard on the gas. The 3.5 EB also didn’t really have good gas mileage for a small turbo driven motor. I actually get better fuel mileage with the F250 diesel (21.5- 22.0) than the EB. I didn’t go with the new 7.3L gas motor in the F250 because Indidnt want to be Ford’s Guinea pig again. If you know in 2018 Ford changed the perfectly tuned, perfectly wearing 5.0 coyote motor for the version they have now. And because of that, there are (were) oil consumption problems, cam phaser rattles etc with the new designed motor, all of which Ford was shamed into finally acknowledging (but not really fixing). For all those reasons and more I went with a F250 diesel (which I may be over-trucked) and never looked back. I’m going to a Super Duty F250 (and up 350,450) you give up a lot of ride quality (but no creature comforts). I hope this helps you

@@on2wheels275 damn that’s what I’m torn between the ride quality and reliability. But thanks for the insight man. Will probably search thru the 150s for now just cause I’m tired of my 2500 cat eyes trash ride. Ik with a 250 you can upgrade to have the best ride but I don’t want to put in all that money just yet for something like that. Just curious what year 250? I like the 17+ 250 bodies, but I also like the 11-16 bodies.

Everyone involved in the lawsuit would agree with you.

@@curtis1951 what's the lawsuit?

You are correct . Ford has recalled the most vehicles in US automotive history . And yes people don't realize that having that many recalls will affect their price so manufacturer isn't loosing money fixing millions and millions upon millions of recalls . So the high recall numbers is directly effecting their prices .

Interesting question.

turbo motors do that it's normal

That’s what ignorant people think

Yep. Heard a lot of those stories back years ago. Lots of drilling going on.

@@Pickuptrucktalk Well I have a picture of the hole through the side of the block from the dealer shop too. I wasn't talking about only intercooler condensation that was minor. Lol. Anyways they all have their issues.

Mike the block?!? 😯

@@Pickuptrucktalk Yeah con rod wanted to say hello to the outside world apparently. New engine was warranty then trade time. Some will do hundreds of thousand of miles, others get complicated. I was gapping spark plugs on the thing because they would go out of spec in no time, maybe it was my fault. Maybe fuel in the oil with turbos and PCV system. Only Ford Canada will know they sent it to them for a post mortem tear down lol. I wasn't the only one in my area I can tell you that.

2017 was last good year of Tundra. 2018 and up recall after recall.

@@user-gx2bs1vq7w Recall's aren't always bad. My wife had a Matrix with a recall. It was a replacement of a board that "could" have solder joints that fail and cause problems in the body control module. It was nothing serious so I appreciated that they replaced it without waiting for it to fail.

@@user-gx2bs1vq7w pump failures were widespread. The pump manufacturer screwed over not just Toyota but Honda as well.

alienation Really? Ha! The 2018 Tundra has 5 recalls. Very minor or limited ones. The 2018 F-150? 16, yes, SIXTEEN. For one year of the F-150.

Tundra is the only half ton truck able to reach 1 million miles without engine repairs. Only half ton truck capable towing 300k lbs space shuttle. Tundra is the only half ton truck with 10.5 inch rear differential ring, just like 1 ton trucks have.

I had a tundra Rad failure power steering hose failure emissions air pump fail battery ground fail and if you leave the key in engine off it cranks no start fail. It was a pile

@@Eric-lp4sk What year was it?

@@curtis1951 2009 long box 2wd I got it with 38000km,drove until 240000km and traded it for a 2019 stx F150 with the 2.7. Hopefully it works out well for me. I used to have a 2001 F150 longbox 2wd and I loved it no problems with that truck really. The tundra had an excellent engine transmission, diff and front end it wasn't a total pile but it wasn't as perfect as the Toyota cult would have you believe

@@Eric-lp4sk Still that doesn't seem like a lot of repairs over 240000km.

People trade Junk F-150 for Tundra because it will get a million miles. Something you will never see in a F-150 ecojunk.

My 2012 3.5 Ecoboost had that issue at 100k miles. It was $2700 repair (timing chain and VCT's) took over 2 weeks for dealer to get parts and repair!

I understand, My 2017 3.5 Eco 115,000 (full synthetic oil every change) in Dealer Right Now. $3000 repair VCT & Timing Set. Don’t believe maintenance mileage intervals or odometer oil change settings. Change sooner 3-5?K DO NOT BELIEVE dealer lifetime power train warranty. Will not approve if you DIY even if receipts and documentation. I had a mix of DIY, WM TLE, and Ford Dealer receipts and documentation. Also had After Market Extended Warranty. Not through Ford. Guess what part was excluded in fine print? VCT. Most failed part on 3.5 Got a 85% refund on warranty. Was on the fence about trading it in. Dealer only wanted to give a fraction of what it is worth and NO Incentives (Deals) to Buy New . (Shortage of INV. ) Keeping mine .Having them replace water pump, thermostat, belts, and hoses while they have it tore down at my expense too . less labor since they already had to remove those parts. Love the truck . Feeling betrayed after owning 20 Fords including 6 F150s over the years.

Some guy with a 2018 king ranch In the comments says he hated his f150 and sold it. He said it felt sluggish and that the 10 speed was horrible. Just wondering how you feel about your truck now

@@alecsanderfuentes3913 I don't have much time with an eco to compare with my 5.0. I guess I have grown used to more shifting with the 10 speed. Have had no performance issues pulling a boat or camper. Maybe some high rpm's at times, but that is what it is supposed to do.

😂😂

400k on my 5.3 runs like new still

@@elmerdane Which version of 5.3 do you have at what year? thanks

I bought my 2019, 3.5 eco-boost, super crew cab in April 17, 2019(brand new). After I bought it my wife drove it to British Columbia pulling a U-Haul trailer from Deer Park, WA and back, no problem. Plus, we have towed a horse with trailer numerous times with no problems. And I have driven this truck cross country to Kentucky, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, California twice, no problems. Of course, I do keep up the maintenance of the vehicle and I use premium fuel and full synthetic oil with the oil change. That is just me. I love my F-150, XLT.

Same with the 3.7L. I have a 2011 with the 3.7L and the engine has been great. The 6 speed is another issue but the engine is good.

I have it and it has been great so far after 2 years. Zero issues. I did another response about it further up the comments here.

There may not be too many issues with those. Check the Explorer forums though, the Explorer uses this engine as well.

I have a 2014 STX rwd with the 3.7 engine. Bought brand new. Started hearing "growning" sounds at around 30K coming off the hwy on a ramp around 30mph. Would do it every now and then. Would take to dealer, they never were able to duplicate or figure out what the problem was. Well, it became more frequent and started doing it at hwy speeds. I had the extended warranty to 100k, so it was somewhere in the 80k range, I took it in, demanded a tech drive it with me. I told him I feel it is a torque converter issue. Sure enough, it made the noise again and he concurred with me. Truck got a new torque coverter under the extended warranty. Now, at 145K, truck has been great. The only other issue has been two canister purge valves (5 min fix to replace). I am self employed and use this as my service truck and daily driver. Live in Virginia Beach, have driven it out west up in the mountains, towed cars behind it. The engine is certainly no power house, but when using it within its capabilities, it holds its own. It screams like a scolded banshee when towing up the hills of I-40 in Tennessee, but never lost speed. Just be meticulous with fluid changes (preferably high quality synthetics) and change often (including the transmission) and generally speaking, you will get a long, reliable life from it.

We have some in our work truck fleet. I love it. So much so I would have bought one if I hadn't found a used stx with a 5.0.

The 10 speed by Ford/Chevy

Toyota

I did a Ram video last year: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-CiUQLpm6qGY.html

I'll check it out. Thanks!

lol ! and that is worth mentioning ? Its not sopposed to let you let you down in only one year you had it lol . Come back in 5-6 yrs if you can tell the same thing . Smh at Ford owners , they think its an achievemnt if their truck didnt let them down in one year lol

Ive driven a 5.3(gmc) for 12 years has 400k. Never had 1 issue it runs like new still. I change the oil sometimes

@@elmerdane 5.3 is the best engine ever put in the truck . It will literally outlast every component in that truck by two fold

Nothing.

@@Pickuptrucktalk thanks for responding, it would be interesting to see the reliability of this engine, as well as, the 3.3 with 6 speed. Thanks again

K Blue sure. No problem. I haven’t heard of any issues with either so far. Low volume likely in each means less complaints.

@@Pickuptrucktalk thanks for the reply I didn't expect it so again I appreciate it. I'll continue to research both engines. Thanks again

Interesting. First I’ve heard of it.

@@Pickuptrucktalk please share it I’ve been battling with ford it’s very sketchy stuff they know what’s going on and I think it’s to get people past their warranty’s sooner

@@HeinekenSkywalker636 If that is true, please make a video in RU-vid. You will hit million views in no time.

Ford should have stuck with the metal oil pan could have saved them selves a lot of heartache and money hopefully someone got fired for that decision, the 2.7 still my engine of choice though

@@willie9397 real bonehead move for Ford

@@willie9397 Ford doesn't care, the customers are paying for it. Meaning they sell so many trucks that they can afford a few warranty oil pans.

I bet you had to go to the bank to buy these overpriced EcoBoost trucks with ease mate.

Why are you having problems with it

@@Vedo729ify at 50 k it smokes like it has a ring issue. A motor should not smoke at 59 k

Yet it won't outlast the 5.0L Coyote V8 in the F150 nor the 5.7L I-Force V8 in the Toyota Tundra (especially if those turbos fail and costs you more money in the long run).

Do you have the 2.7 or the 3.5 ecoboost. What is failing on them?

@@zx9green791 3.5

I see the 18-20 f150s with the 3.5 and 5.0 are having problems, i think the 2.7 is the way to go

Also 2018 3.5 Ecoboost here- VCT cold start issues. Ford cannot fix it. On top of all the electrical issues, 4wd issues that have been happening for years with no real fix- this is my last Ford.

Was 2016 the first year for the 2.7? I've heard of tons of problems with it for 2016.

@@hellkitty1014 2015 was the first for the 2.7 ecoboost.

My 2.7 failed at 25k miles. A piece of the exhaust valve broke off and ruined the engine. Ford warrantied it with a long block. The new engine has 35k on it and has had zero issues.

So many problems with my 15 2.7 Drove me away from Ford

@@ronaldmorrison2571 what do you have now?

Yes!

Wet behind the ears!

Ugh. That sucks!

Did you declare the Lemon Law?

@@Pickuptrucktalk in my opinion, the trucks health and reliability is on how it was assembled from the factory. Some truck plants from ford have horrible quality checks and just churn lemon truck after lemon truck people should pay attention to what plant their truck was assembled in.

Class action lawsuit on Ford's smaller EcoBoost engines. As Scotty Kilmer sez you can not take a small engine and inject gas at high pressure along with turbo charging an expect long trouble free service. Inject proper Scotty arm waving to emphasize the point.

Absurd.

Last Monday (morning) I saw vapor coming from the vents. In the evening when driving home in the blistering heat it would not cool. I drove it on Tuesday, still nothing I had to endure 36c+ temperature. I am in Canada (Toronto area) very little need to use the AC since we had a long winter. Called the dealership, they were too busy to answer or return a call. I eventually got them on Friday and they cannot get me in until the 7th of July. I don't the vehicle for regular commute, I save the mileage for long Journeys.

Consumer reports don't lie

@@damitbobby6677 I say consumer reports are garbage because there are certain kinds of people that report. People that do actual work and make a living with their trucks don't have time for that kind of thing. I will not buy a Chevrolet over a Ford based on a "consumer report". Or vise versa.

Young basically u doing a consumer report now. So u one of the people that have the time to do the reporting?

@@damitbobby6677 I've been making a living out of a truck for 20 years now.

Agreed 100% brother, I have a 1996 Ford F150 with a 5.0L (302) Windsor V8 with 210,000 miles and still going strong, the only things I replaced on my truck was the starter, the rear fuel pump, and the power steering megunisum but other than that mostly was just simple maintenance, took out the transmission fluid just to get rid of the shuttering it was making and it hasn't had a problem ever since.

I won't buy a Tundra again after my 2012 Tundra dropped a valve at 62,000 miles because the valve cover/cam tower leak. Toyota has known about this issue since since 2007 and refused to acknowledge it. So many problems with that truck, 2 air injection pump failures, ecm reading wrong alcohol density issue (never resolved in 3 years of ownership), rear axle bearing failure causing axle damage (entire axle assembly replaced). I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things but please hear me when I tell you that any auto manufacturer can build a pos. I was a blind Toyota fanboy before my 2012 Tundra as I'd owned a 91 pickup, a 96 Tacoma and a 2001 Tacoma, the only issue I'd ever experienced was rust related and rectified by Toyota. Boy, was I in for a wake up call when I purchased my Tundra. I'll go on record here and say my Tundra was the worst vehicle I've ever owned. I bought a leftover 2014 F150 and Ford has earned my loyalty.

@@user-gx2bs1vq7w would have brought another tundra and tried my luck b4 i touch another ford 😂🤣😂

Cutting corners/cost to pay for many UNION dues. Union is all about entitlements. I do believe that many of the finest engineers that the North American big three have, basically are force to be to tied one hand back as well as half their brains. Oh damn it! This is USA we have the finest in the world and many of the world’s finest come here for that exact opportunity ! It’s not hard to figure out we’re the damn bottle neck is at..

@@rockkstah2550 you are a idiot unions have nothing to do with it every union employee could work for free and it would not lower the price 20 % the union employees don't engineer the vehicle

Yeah till it breaks and costs you an arm and a leg to replace those turbos and not to mention that the Toyota Tundra with the 5.7L I-Force V8 in it will outlast that overpriced EcoBoost truck of yours with ease.

Ask the Ford Techs what would they buy.

I have a 2020 5.0 and doesnt feel good at all i think its the transmission but ford wont do anything

That's amazing that there's no issues with a brand new ford. They usually barely make it off the lot

225k miles on my 2012 tundra, original everything and no repairs. Even water pump still original. No rust, just one reliable tundra. I know a guy who purchased Tacoma with 300k miles on , needed a clutch. He purchased Tacoma for $700, replaced a clutch himself and sold it a year later for $5000 with over 300k miles. No rust, everything except for clutch original on truck.

repairvehicle - I bet and I had a 1990 4Runner I bought in 1998 with 110k mikes on it. I drove it to 440k miles.. It had a head gasket leak, which was even fixed on a recall yet leaked after the fix but still ran. I just kept dumping oil into it but that didn’t stop it. It was a gas hog and gutless but I loved it!!! I miss that truck. Yea, it had its issues but reliable.

repairvehicle I bet you can get 500k out of that Tundra, might need some minor repairs or issues but you can get that. I have a friend with a 2003 F-150 with 321k and only a couple minor issues. Still running strong

@@steved1880 , my brother in law has 2004 f150, 180k miles on it. He is on his 3rd transmission, two times cam phasers with timing chain has been replaced. Now truck has more problems with engine running and no engine codes. It's his last Ford ever.

@@steved1880 , tundra is the only half ton truck that has been proven to last 1 million miles without engine repairs. 700k miles transmission repairs for reverse.

I wouldn't call it bias. I'm just trying to pick words that will get people's attention. As you saw in the video, I made the case for the EcoBoost being reliable. I also drove a F-150 STX that was AMAZING. The 7.3L Super Duty video also had the great things about it as well.

@@Pickuptrucktalk you have decent content. It appears to be bias. Keep being us the new stuff

Ford fanboys get upset when hearing the truth. Imagine

3rd engine swap but still odo said 400k