This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
I was merging onto highway 44 in St. Louis from lindberg blvd. I applied the brakes to allow an 18 wheeler to pass. Suddenly the low brake fluid light came on the dash and the parking brake. I started losing pressure on my brake peddle as it went almost completely to the floor. I was pulling a trailer at the time and used the trailer brakes to come to a stop safely on the side of the road. I looked under the hood and my brake fluid was almost completely empty. When I took the car into dobbs auto they stated that the master brake cylinder leaked into the brake booster causing almost complete loss of braking. Thankfully, I had the trailer otherwise this could have caused an accident. I don't have the repair invoice yet, but I will be happy to forward it once I pick up my truck. Thanks
With no prior warning symptoms, I started my truck the morning of May 23, 2020 and saw a brake alert message on the dashboard. Brake pedal went all the way to the floor. I immediately called my local Ford dealer and (carefully and slowly) drove the truck the 2 miles to the dealer. They informed me that the brake master cylinder had failed, leaking brake fluid into other parts of the braking system. They did not have replacement parts in stock, so I am now awaiting parts shipment before they can complete repairs. I feel very fortunate this happened now, as my wife and I are scheduled to leave on vacation in 10 days, pulling our 9000 lb travel trailer on an extended highway trip. Had this sudden brake failure occurred on the road while pulling an rv, we would quite likely not have lived to tell the tale.
Started truck up on 5/21 in garage and noticed brake light on console came on indicating issue. Brake pedal when depressed went all the way to the floor. Checked fluid level and it was nearly empty. I added a bottle of dot 4 brake fluid and pumped brakes. It seemed to hold for a small amount of time. I checked fluid reservoir again and it was nearly empty again. I visually check under vehicle to see if there was a noticeable leak. None was noticed.
Today drove truck normally around neighborhood. Parked it for maybe 3 minutes, upon restart had low brake fluid warning and complete loss of brakes. Tested to see if light was error, but total loss of brakes. Had truck serviced at local Ford dealer just 134 miles where they inspected all fluids. Incident occurred on local street. Searched internet and noted several similar occurrences for 2016 models. Thankful I was moving at slow speeds. Attached photo of previous service record and indicator light. I'll have towed to Ford tomorrow to diagnose the problem. No incident occurred but given experience of others I thought important to add documentation to this type of failure.
My brake warning light came on when I depressed the brake peddle, after exiting a busy street onto a commercial driveway. The peddle bottomed-out and I had very little braking power. I was traveling at very low speed and I was able to stop by engaging the park brake. The master cylinder/reservoir was near depleted. I was unable to find evidence of brake fluid leak under the hood or under the vehicle. I refilled the master cylinder and operated the vehicle at the "off-street" lot where the malfunction occurred. After several applications of the brakes, the master cylinder was low again. I refilled it and drove home (near by). Again, I had to engage the park brake in order to come to a stop in my driveway. The master cylinder was near empty and again I was unable to find a leak. The vehicle has been towed to the dealership (https://www.southwayford.com/). I'm awaiting diagnostic result. Until now, I was unaware of the issues (2013 F 150 & 2014 F 150 recall; current investigations for years 2015 - 2018) surrounding this problem. Meanwhile, I have to pay for related expenses (towing, diagnostics, parts and repair).
- San Antonio, TX, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
As I was travelling down the highway at approximately 65 mph, a low brake fluid notification appeared on my display. Additionally I saw the brake warning light illuminated. When I applied the brakes the pedal went all the way to the floor. I stopped and opened the hood to verify the empty brake fluid reservoir. Once verified I refilled by purchasing a 32 oz bottle of dot4 brake fluid. Once refilled with almost the whole bottle, the brake pressure momentarily returned. However upon returning to the highway, I felt the brake pressure go away again and the low fluid light re-lit within 10 minutes. I then went to the local Ford dealership about another 10 miles away. There was very little brake pressure the whole way. I only had about an inch of play and had to apply the brakes several seconds (5-10) earlier than normal. The Ford dealership diagnosed the issue and reported the following "tech check on customer concern, brake fluid reservor empty, put vehicle on hoist check for external leaks, no external leaks, remove brake master cylinder and found all brake fluid leak into brake booster, brake master cylinder leaking into brake booster, need to replace brake master cylinder, and brake booster that is contaminated with brake fluid"
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 40 mph, the low brake fluid level warning light illuminated. The brake pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard. The contact stated that the vehicle slowly decelerated with the brake pedal depressed. The contact pulled into the residence and the vehicle was parked. The contact drove 10 mph to earnhardt Ford (7300 w orchid ln, chandler, AZ 85226), to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the brake master cylinder needed to be replaced and the brake system needed to be bled. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 57,500.
Sudden warning indicator with "low brake fluid" followed by loss in brake pressure. Used E-brake to stop. No visible leaks at master cylinder or any of the 4 calipers. Refilled fluid and drove to a brake shop. Diagnosed as master cylinder leaking into brake pressure booster. Replaced master cylinder, fluid bleed/flush.
I am on the parkway low fluid brakes light comes on, I click ok it goes off the brake light is on. 1/4 mile I get off at the next exit and have no brakes all the way to the floor. I push the parking/ emergence brake. I slow down to the light. Turn on the street go to 1 mile away using the emergency brake. Check fluid it is low" purchase fluid fill snd pump brakes get pedal. Drive about 1 mile brake light comes on no brakes pull over fluid is gone again no leaks wheels anywhere, going into motor I guess and burning out the exaust. Smoking. For dealer has here in savannah. I have read complaints about this same issue. Not much warning 20 seconds to the ramp then no brakes" any information would be appreciated.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 mph the warning messages and alarm activated indicating a failure in the braking system. Approximately 5 minutes later the brake pedal extended to the floor while attempting to stop the vehicle, which caused the braking distance to be extended. The vehicle was towed to fiesta Ford located at (78990 varner rd, indio ca.) who diagnosed that the brake master cylinder leaked and the brake booster failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 32,000.
My wife was driving our 2 girls to our nanny's home and the brakes completely failed on her while she was driving. Fortunately she did't get too far. And thank goodness we were not traveling our normal commute which is on a 75 mph highway. I love my truck, but now I feel unsafe driving it. It is sitting now until Ford fixes it. The more information I read and collaborate, the more disappointed I am in this vehicle and manufacturer. We already had one safety incident with this truck as the rear driver's side passenger seatbelt was installed backwards! now the brakes failing completely while driving is the last straw. What is shocking to me is that there was a recall for this as far back as 2015 however, some of the faulty parts (master brake cylinder) trickled into production. This recall had to do with the brake master cylinder and if the vehicle was equipped with the faulty part, it could lose all of it's braking capability. Again, I am thanking my lucky stars that all of my girls are ok, but this is unaccep as a vehicle should not lose 100% of braking while in use. What if this happened on the highway we travel every week? have a look at the attached photos. An empty brake fluid reservoir and zero brake fluid--anywhere.
I have little to no brakes first thing in the morning. After a couple of minutes they work fine. I believe it's a vacuum booster pump problem on the Ford 3.5 ecoboost motor. 3 dealerships failed to duplicate the problem. However it's a common occurrence to me. Pulling out of my driveway into traffic is a real danger to me and my family.
While traveling to work on us-19, traffic came to a sudden stop. As I pushed on the brake pedal it went all the way to the floor and would not stop. I veered left into the emergency lane and passed 2 vehicles before the truck came to a stop with the assistance of the emergency brake. I see that this has been a recall for earlier Ford F150 2014 & 2015 but not the 2016 which has more complaints than the prior years.
My 20 year old daughter was driving through a parking lot and without any prior problems or indication of a brake issue the brake pedal went to the the floor board and the truck barely came to a stop before hitting other vehicles in the parking lot, at this time a warning chime and warning message displaying low brake fluid appeared on the instrument cluster. She happened to be in the Ford dealership parking lot picking the truck up from multiple recalls being preform (non brake related). She pulled back in the service lane and asked for assistance, the service writer went and got the technician to inspected it in the service lane, he checked the brake fluid reservoir and it was completely empty causing the truck to loose all brakes. They ended up keeping the vehicle over night and inspected it the next day.. the technician added more brake fluid to the brake reservoir and tested the trucks brakes and the brake master cylinder immediately lost the brake fluid into the brake booster. The technician diagnosed the failure as the brake master cylinder leaking fluid into the brake booster. Now both the brake master cylinder and brake booster need to be replaced at a cost of $1,031. From what I have researched this is a widely know problem with 2013 to 2018 Ford F150S equipped with the 3.5 liter engine like we have. My daughter was extremely fortunate she was driving at slow speeds through a parking lot, if this would of happened traveling a higher rate of speed it could of ended up causing serious injury or death! this matter needs to be addressed in a swift way to prevent anymore drivers being at risk, not only to the occupants of the defective vehicle but those that could be hit by the out of control Ford F-150!
I experienced an electrical failure that was intermittent at first but became worst over time. With this failure I would lose steering and vehicle advance track as well as ABS brake function. When electrical power was lost the electrical power steering would stop functioning causing complete lose of steering. This caused me to cross into oncoming traffic, luckily there was no one in the oncoming lane. The dealer found a wire going to the alternator that had worn through causing an over voltage condition. This caused many of the systems, including steering, to shut down. In my research this is not the only occurrence of this issue. My vehicle has 42,000 miles on it. I would guess this will become a much more common issue with time.
While driving on the freeway, I applied my brakes and noticed no reaction and my pedal went all the way to the floor to slow the truck. I was really luck there were no cars to my right because I would have rear ended the car in front of me. After all this I got a message for 'low brake fluid'. I passed 6 cars till I came to a stop.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. While driving 60 mph, the brake pedal traveled to the floorboard when it was depressed. The emergency brake was used to slow the vehicle down and the low brake fluid indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to summerville Ford (843-873-3550, located at 9700 dorchester rd, summerville, SC 29485) where it was diagnosed that the master cylinder and brake booster needed to be replaced. The technician stated that there was no recall. The manufacturer was called, but the contact did not speak with anyone. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 31,000. The VIN was not provided.
While driving in mansfield, tx on 10/27/ 2019 ( on frontage rd. Near debbie ln) as I was preparing to stop at a traffic light. I pressed the brakes and the petal went to the floor. The truck gradually came to a stop in the middle of the intersection! fortunately, there wasn't a lot of traffic and I was able to back up out of the way of on coming traffic. There were no warning lights, chimes or alerts to signify a problem. It was a frightening experience!! I made it back home safely, but nervously! now I'm very apprehensive about driving the truck!
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. While driving approximately 55 mph, the brake warning message suddenly displayed and the vehicle failed to stop when the brake pedal was depressed. The contact indicated that the brake pedal traveled to the floorboard when depressed. The emergency brake had to be applied to stop the vehicle. It was discovered that brake fluid was present and had been sucked into the brake booster. The cause of the failure was not determined. Joe cooper Ford (4921 N. automall dr, shawnee, ok) was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 90,000.
I was driving on the freeway, when the low brake fluid light came on. I pulled over to the next exit and went to a gas station and added two bottles of brake fluid to get the level above the minimum line. The pedal pressure was decreasing with each use and I drove the rest of the way to work, about a 1/2 mile. After letting the car sit for 3 hours the fluid was gone and there was no visible sight of fluid on the ground. I added more fluid and did not drive the truck, but 3 hours later the fluid was gone again. I took the truck to the dealer, 1/2 mile away and the brakes were gone at this point. The mechanic diagnosed that the fluid was leaking from the master cylinder to the brake booster according to the service report. The master and booster were replaced and the truck functions properly again. I know this was an issue on the 2013-2014 F150S and there was a recall, but this happened in a 2016 F-150 with 37,000 miles where a failure like this should not have happened. I am reporting this since there could be a similar failure happening on the 2015+ F150S as the previous generation.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Saint Louis, MO, USA