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8.3

pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
$550
Average Mileage:
52,950 miles
Total Complaints:
18 complaints

Most Common Solutions:

  1. replace pump (15 reports)
  2. not sure (2 reports)
  3. replaced vacuum pump, warranty (1 reports)
2011 Ford F-150 brakes problems

brakes problem

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2011 Ford F-150 Owner Comments

problem #18

Aug 012016

F-150 XLT 3.5L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 52,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I have a 2011 f 150, biggest p.o.s. at $40,000. I am done with Fords they don,t stand by their products, my dad worked at fords, so in respect I always purchased a ford, I have had several problems with transmission 3 to 1 shift, deflector issues shuttering issues in heavy rain,brake rotors rotted out,driver door speaker went out, now a $600 electric vacuum assist pump for the brakes,I nearly hit a kid backing out the driveway when brakes went out! I was unable to stop especially when these engines idol very high when first start vehicle, no warning lights, just no brake, now another 600 out of pocket expenses,not a happy camper!

- Ken W., Melvindale, MI, US

problem #17

Jun 172015

F-150 XLT 3.6L V6 Ecoboost

  • Manual transmission
  • 75,000 miles

When I turn over the engine at any time of the day, I hear the vacuum pump, pumping and I have no brake pressure or brakes what so ever. On many occasions I have put the truck into gear and almost hit something due to not having brakes. This issue once again has caused many safety concerns and of course this issue is not covered by warranty due to the fact I am over on miles. Yet once again I am not alone here... I feel Ford needs to look into this, having brakes go out on a $42,000 truck should not happen. Stick to your word Ford and fix our trucks. You are losing customers based on your crappy designs and parts you are putting in your "top of the line" trucks.

- trevormn, Saint Paul, MN, US

problem #16

Apr 292015

F-150 XLT S/CAB 3.5L ?

  • Automatic transmission
  • 43,459 miles

A real pain in the ass as the breaks did not work and they made a bad noise.

- nelsbabcock, Cortland, NY, US

problem #15

Feb 012015

F-150 Lariat 3.5L V6 Ecoboost

  • Automatic transmission
  • 65,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Without warning, the vacuum assist pump for the brake system quit. It caused you to have to push the brakes as hard as your leg could push and then provided only limited stopping, with stopping distances doubled or tripled from normal. Had my wife been driving when the pump quit, the odds of an accident would've been very high based on how hard you had to push the pedal to get the truck to stop. I called Ford and they said the vacuum pump was not covered on warranty due to the mileage on the truck and that they could replace it for approximately $600. They said there was no recall on the pump, but clearly this is a commonly occurring issue. At three years old, a major failure in a vehicle's braking system rates rather high on my list of systemic problems that should not happen so in a vehicle's performance lifetime.

- Townley H., Carlisle, US

problem #14

Dec 242014

F-150 XLT 3.5L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 74,600 miles

I have a 2011 F150 EcoBoost that I have had for about 11 month. For months I've noticed a noise in the front right area upon starting the lasts about 3-5 seconds. Does not repeat during driving. I am thinking that this is something normal for the Ecoboost. Emailed my sales rep at the dealer and he did not have a clue, which I am not surprised. Sounds like one of those little air compressors that you plug into a cigarette lighter plug. I will be bringing it for a service inspection and see if they will cover it. I am, from reading a lot of different articles, 100% sure that the problem is the brakes Vacuum Pump. Hopefully Ford will cover it, since I've found out that they're about $400 just for the part.

- Miguel J., Columbus, OH, US

problem #13

Jul 202015

F-150 XLT 3.5L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 46,603 miles

The brake vacuum pump was faulty when you first started the vehicle and went into reverse. When it failed, The brake pedal was very hard and you didn't have brakes for approximately 4 seconds. It was very scary the first time that this happened.

- dnisula, Orleans, ON, Canada

problem #12

Oct 052015

F-150 V8

  • Automatic transmission
  • 55,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

We took the truck to get some minor body work done and was called by the body shop saying the brakes had completely failed. It was a sudden event as we had driven it to the shop without any issues.

They could not even drive it around the shop yard without the possibility of crashing into another vehicle. We had no choice but to have it repaired at the closest repair shop possible as it is completely unsafe to drive without risking possible death to anyone in front of the truck. It is scary to think how tragic this could have been if it had failed while on the road.

I'm going to be writing to Ford as this is a danger to the general public. If that doesn't work, I'm sure a news agency would be happy to look deeper into it.

- Brenda T., Mundelein, IL, US

problem #11

May 192015

F-150 XLT 3.5L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 98,798 miles

Third vacuum pump on this truck. The original one failed (noisy). The updated one fitted under warranty failed. So now out of warranty and installed myself. Should be a safety recall for sure, as no power brakes when it fails.

- Chris F., Melancthon, Ontario, Canada

problem #10

Aug 132015

F-150 Lariat 3.5L Ecoboost

  • Automatic transmission
  • 39,960 miles

Bought a 2011 F 150 Ecoboost and on the second day I had it I had no brakes when I backed out. The brake vacuum pump was bad.

Researched and found that this is a major problem on the 2011's due to the original vacuum pump being all aluminum they corrode and stop working. The "NEWER" version replacement pump is all plastic and is supposed to be better. HOWEVER when we took the defective pump out it was the newer plastic version and that concerns me because either someone had already replaced it or since it was a late year manufacture date they had already switched to the new design pump at the factory.

Either way we had to replace it, so that tells me that the new design pump fails also!!! Is this going to be an ongoing thing of replacing pumps on a regular basis ???? Every dealership that I spoke with said that Ford needs to issue a recall on this issue because it is a frequent problem and a very DANGEROUS issue , and that I could loose all brakes. I have replaced the pump and it's good now, but I owned the vehicle ONE DAY ( 8-13-15 ) and had to spend $600 to repair it.

I have owned many Ford products and I have been very happy, but not this time. My wife is afraid to ride in it, and if there are any accidents connected to this problem then Ford is running a huge risk of getting sued. The complaints are everywhere and yet Ford has not issued a recall ???? This is NOT one of Ford's "better ideas" !!!!!

- Dave W., Jefferson City, MO, US

problem #9

May 152013

F-150 XTR Ecoboost

  • Automatic transmission
  • 37,500 miles

Lost brakes almost every morning. Called for appointment before warranty ended, get in for repair at 60,500 km... Answer: no warranty sir... Plus parts was B.O. they were not able to fix it for a few weeks. Got to argue several hours with Ford Customer assistance to get 75% of the claim to be paid. Makes no sense.

- sfrace10, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada

problem #8

Jun 012015

F-150 3.5L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 41,600 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Ford F150 ECO Boost, 2011, faulty noisy vacuum pump is a serious problem. This should be a recall. Just found out what the noise is. In the process of getting it fixed before something serious happens. By other comments this is very expensive to have fixed.

FORD you need to RECALL.

- astowe, Bourne, MA, US

problem #7

Jun 102015

F-150 XLT V6-ECO

  • Automatic transmission
  • 50,100 miles

This should be a recall! Nothing more to add. We know what the problem is.

- Michael F., Hingham, MA, US

problem #6

Mar 142015

F-150 Lariat 3.5L V6 Ecoboost

  • Automatic transmission
  • 68,000 miles

2011 ford f150 ecoboost. Brake vacuum pump has failed. Going to fix before an accident happens. Ford should be recalling for this problem. Unacceptable for brake failure at 4 years (barely) old.

- Townley H., Carlisle, US

problem #5

Jun 182014

F-150 Lariat Ecoboost

  • Automatic transmission
  • 24,855 miles

When backing out of driveway I had absolutely no brakes, but when driving braking would improve, Called dealer to make appointment for 6 months service, and informed them of concern with my brakes. They could not get the truck in right away, but made an appointment for the next week.

They found the vacuum pump to be faulty and replaced it, however and here is the real kicker, when I called to report it, the truck was still under warranty, but the appointment date was 5 days past warranty. The dealership sold me the part at cost, but I still had to pay labor, I made a complaint with Ford Canada and there was nothing they could do for me.

What a crock, but at least I can stop now and no-body got hurt. I agree this should be a recall.

- rockfan, Courtice, ON, canada

problem #4

Aug 012014

F-150 Lariat 3.5L V6 Ecoboost

  • Automatic transmission
  • 38,152 miles

Squealing noise on left driver side when pressing brake, research it on internet and found hundreds of incidents like mine. Took it to dealer and it cost $200 to diagnose and total $640 to fix and replace the vacuum pump. The F-150 eccoboost is 2011 with 61,400km on it and one week over 3 year and Ford refuse to pay for it because of 1400km over the 60k warranty. This is a brake assist pump and could cause death and injury if brake fails. Would probably not buy another Ford again.

- tip8889, Edmonton, AB, canada

problem #3

Jul 092014

F-150 XLT 3.5L Ecoboost

  • Automatic transmission
  • 46,000 miles

Sent my truck in for a engine stutter problem, tech at dealership fixed that and was test driving truck. When he went to stop there were no brakes, the brake pedal was hard as a rock and he almost hit the building. The cause was the brake vacuum booster went bad. This was three weeks ago, my truck is still in the shop as there are no parts available to fix it.The dealership will not release my truck to me as this is a very serious problem.

Fortunately I have a good dealership. This is being covered under my extended warranty. However due to the nature of the problem and the fact that there are no parts in the system to repair it tells me this is a major problem with Ford Trucks and possible other vehicles. There should be a recall on this. THIS PROBLEM WILL GET SOMEONE KILLED IF NOT TAKEN CARE OF. I got lucky in the fact that my dealer tech discovered it as I use my truck to tow a camper a lot. If this had happened to me while towing the results could have been disastrous.

Update from Jul 31, 2014: just found out today we are #42 on a list to get the part.... could take until september....not good

- Blair C., Prairie Du Chien, WI, US

problem #2

Feb 212014

F-150 XLT 3.5L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 41,700 miles

Truck is less than 6000 miles out of warranty. Ford will not cover cost or supplement cost to replace pump. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AND NEEDS ATTENTION OF NHTSA IMMEDIATELY! Vacuum pump provides power assist to brakes on initial start-up and at idle. There are no signs that the pump will fail. You will start-up the truck and put it in drive one day. Then when you need to use the brakes and apply pressure the truck will continue to roll. Requires an extreme amount of force to brake pedal to stop truck. This was my exact experience as the truck continued to roll into neighbors mailbox while reversing out of the driveway. If someone was behind the truck.....well I think you could imagine the outcome.

Took to Ford dealer knowing the issue and hoping they would replace. Got charged 1 hour for mechanic to diagnose. Not sure why it took an hour to troubleshoot as the parts manager states this is a common issue and they replace 2-3 every month!

Dealer has many pumps in stock (go figure) and wants almost $700 replace. I had to turn them down when the service manager refused to submit a claim to Ford. Do not let Ford replace this for you. Go to rockauto.com and buy the pump for $323 + shipping. Pump is located behind front head light and easy to replace.

Ford has since changed design for vacuum pump in 2014 as it runs off the motor. Kind of like acknowledging there is a problem with previous design! ford will not supplement cost - parts = $565

Also pump operates the front hubs on 4x4 models. So the truck is left without operational 4x4.

Since I do not have 4x4 working, I tried to get this part covered under power train warranty and service manager still denied request to submit claim.

- tinman441944, North Canton, OH, US

problem #1

May 192013

F-150 XLT 3.5L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 54,681 miles

2yr old f150, my vacuum pump for the brakes became noisy, it was replaced under extended warranty.

But the dealer told me it was a common problem, not good as it is related to the braking system.

ie. if it had fail I would of had no brake assist

- Chris F., Melancthon, Ontario, Canada

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