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Ford F-150 Brakes Fail On 2013-2014 3.5 Liter V-6 Models, Leads To Investigation Of Over 420 Thousand Trucks

By David Cornell
Published on: 06:07 PST, Mar 4, 2016

Ford F-150 brakes on 2013 and 2014 models with 3.5 liter V-6 engines have been reported to be failing. For a vehicle of that size, this is a serious issue. The larger the vehicle, the more important it is to be able to stop. The size and weight alone could decimate any smaller cars it ends up hitting, resulting in consequences up to and including vehicular manslaughter.

This is why anti-lock brakes were invented for newer vehicles; if the driver panics and hits the pedal too hard at higher speeds, the vehicle doesn’t simply spin out of control and make the problem worse. The stop is gradual and safer, requiring the driver to keep a safe distance from whatever is in front of them before braking.

One consumer said in June 2015 that their pickup truck was unable to stop as it backed out of their driveway, crossed the street, jumped a curb, and hit a neighbor’s landscape wall, says the Los Angeles Times.

Another owner of a Ford F-150 said their brakes failed and they had to improvise, according to the New York Times.

“I was able to exit the freeway by down shifting and using the emergency brake. I see I’m not the only person with this issue, yet nothing – as far as I can tell – is being done about it. Does someone have to be injured or killed?”

Down shifting is a method used by big rig drivers to avoid using their brakes to slow at high speeds. It forces the engine itself to slow mechanically as the RPMs drop. Larger load vehicles are especially dangerous when the driver brakes too fast, but a pickup truck being forced to do so is more of a sign of a major problem with the brake system itself.

The issue reported in 33 customer complaints, including four crashes, hasn’t resulted in any injuries yet, says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. These reported Ford F-150 brake failures are certainly cause for concern and could result in a major recall.

“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.”

The master cylinder is where the brake fluid does most of its work, creating the force necessary to apply pressure to all four brake pads. A lack of fluid can make the brake pedal feel spongy or simply not offer any resistance at all, and some drivers may find themselves pumping the Ford F-150 brake pedal in a hurry to build the pressure up.

The Ford F-150 brake issue affects one of Ford’s most popular models, due to its flat bed options and smaller engine in comparison to the F-250 and larger models. The F-650 and up are reserved for work trucks. In 2013 and 2014, Ford sold over 700,000 F-150 models, cites Autodata Corp statistics.

A similar investigation also came to light with the 2011 and 2012 3.5 liter Ford F-150 brake systems, but it’s been considered an unrelated issue due to its connection with colder temperatures and slow speeds. It is very possible that Ford needs to examine how the brake systems are assembled if the problem becomes widespread enough.

Ford has said that it will cooperate with investigations stemming from the NHTSA reports, and they take these matters very seriously. It is unknown if there will be a recall on 2013 and 2014 Ford F-150 3.5 liter V-6 trucks due to allegedly faulty brakes.

[Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]

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