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.
The car was parked in the parking lot. I started to back up and found I had no brakes. The brake pedal went to the floor and I was unable to stop the truck. The truck then ran into the vehicle in a parking behind the truck. The brakes were checked by lieut. Edwards of the police department and he found it there were no brakes and there was no fluid in the master cylinder. I observed that the brake fluid reservoir for the front brakes was completely empty and the reservoir for the rear brakes had slightly visible fluid in the reservoir. Prior to the event there was no warning indicator on the dashboard or any other warning that the brakes were going to fail. The brake pedal would go completely to the floorboard when pushed. The Ford F150 bumper was significantly damaged and the parked car was slightly damaged. We are now in the mountains of North Georgia and if had we been going down the road to the valley we possibly been seriously injured or worse. I reported a previous event with this truck to you folks last year relating to the computer system that controls just about everything on the truck causing a complete shutdown of the vehicle. At that time I was driving down the mountain road and fortunately I was able to stop the vehicle. The vehicle at that time was towed away for repairs as we did this time after the brake failure. It is my understanding that the break fluid reservoirs have level indicators that should give some warning. They apparently are inoperable.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 20V332000 (service brakes, hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated while driving 20 mph, when merging into the right lane he impacted another vehicle. The contact stated he depressed the brake pedal but the vehicle failed to stop. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. The contact stated no one was injured or seek medical attention. A police report was filed. The contact stated the vehicle had minor damage was able to drive the vehicle to his residence. The contact called local dealer bell Ford located (2401 w bell rd, phoenix, AZ 85023, (602) 457-2144) where it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired as of yet. The manufacturer had not been informed of failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. The failure mileage was 85,000.
Brake pedal went all the way to the floor when depressed. Brakes did not engage. Low brake fluid alarm sounded. Upon slowing to a stop, the brake fluid reservoir was depleted but no fluid was evident on the ground. The brake fluid was replaced to specifications but was depleted again within a short period of time and brakes were not restored. Auto technician discovered master brake cylinder was leaking internally and brake booster was damaged. No previous issues with braking system were ever observed and driving conditions did not put excess wear on braking system. This issue is identical to issues described in Ford recall 20S31.
My brakes went out while I was driving it and I almost crashed into other cars because of it.. there is a recall for this issue 20S31 already. According to the Ford website, the problem is with the brake master cylinder and brake booster, this repair will be completed free of charge for material and labor. The dealership, pinnacle Ford, is trying to charge me $1200 for the repair because it has not been determined what is covered in the recall. I have been trying to reach somebody at Ford to handle the situation for 3 days. I finally reached somebody on the phone and they said I needed to call back because the system was down. Nobody seems to want to be responsible for this problem.
Ford has a known issue with the master brake cylinder failing in these trucks. Mine has clearly failed due to this issue, and my entire family was nearly killed on the interstate as a result. I took the truck to the dealership and they agree that this is the same master brake cylinder issue that Ford has acknowledged as a known issue. But magically my truck is not included as part of the recall even though its a 2016 Ford F-150 3.5 ecoboost built in Kansas City. All the parameters for the recall seem to match my vehicle precisely but yet somehow it magically is not included in the recall. Ford refuses to take accountability for this major safety issue and now I am out $500 out of my own pocket because Ford refuses to step up and take care of this known safety hazard for me. Ford should be ashamed of themselves and with how many new complaints I see filed here weekly for this same issue the NHTSA should also step up and force Ford to expand the recall because clearly not all affected vehicles have been recalled at this point. I cannot say it enough, this is a major safety concern. Me and my entire family were nearly killed as a result of this issue. It is appalling to me that Ford and the nhsta have not done more to rectify this very dangerous and deadly problem. Next steps I see in the near future is a class action lawsuit against Ford for ignoring this well known issue. This should have never happened and Ford should take accountability for this problem but they are refusing because it isn't part of the "recall". shame on you Ford!
- Herriman, UT, USA
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Brake failure going down a hill, brake pedal went to the floor. Pumped the brakes however it did not help. No warning about a brake problem before it happened. Truck rolled to a stop at the bottom of the hill on flat terrain. I was fortunate no other vehicles or pedistrains were on the hill at this time. Vehicle is at Ford dealer trying to determine cause of brake failure. Date of failure 7/28/2020.
Complete, sudden, unexpected brake failure. Brake pedal went straight to the floor with no warning. So dangerous.this happened on the interstate at 70 mph towing my travel trailer with my family in the car.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at 45 mph, the vehicle in front of him stopped abruptly and his brakes failed while depressed without warning. Due to the failure, the contact rear ended the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. There were no injuries reported at the scene and a police report was not filed. The contact was able to drive the vehicle home from the scene of the accident. The contact initially took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where they repaired the damage to the vehicle; however, upon a test drive, they discovered that the brakes remained faulty. The independent mechanic then took the vehicle to another independent mechanic where they diagnosed the vehicle with a faulty master cylinder. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that his vehicle had been placed under NHTSA recall number: 20V332000 (service brakes, hydraulic); however, the parts to repair the vehicle are unavailable. The contact never received a notice about the failure. The contact called bill brandt Ford (8100 brentwood blvd, brentwood, ca 94513) where they referred him to the manufacturer. The manufacturer was notified and informed him that they would reimburse him for the repair to the master cylinder. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.
My 2016 Ford F150 3.5L ecoboost didn't have its VIN tagged for the leaking brake master cylinder recall. Reference 20S31. My truck was built at the dearborn plant and matches every single parameter for the recall. I was driving my truck down a Colorado highway at a high elevation. My brakes started softening and felt almost no pressure in the pedal. My brake fluid low warning came on my dashboard along with the brake light indicator. I was able to get to a store to purchase brake fluid. Within 5 miles of driving after filling up the tank the warnings went off again my brakes weakened. It was very terrifying with having my partner and two dogs in the car with me. I spoke to a Ford dealership and they said they won't cover these repairs. This is after I mentioned my life being in danger just trying to get to work. I had the truck inspected by a credible mechanic which told me that the issue matches the recall details perfectly. I believe now, the brake fluid has leaked from the master cylinder into the brake booster and is now leaking into the engine. An enormous amount of thick exhaust was being expelled from the truck on the second day of noticing brake failure. I believe Ford should be responsible for any danger or harm that comes to me since they have turned me away just because of my VIN not matching.
Brake fluid light came on resulting in loss of brakes while driving. After seeing light I went to auto parts store to purchase brake fluid. I filled brake fluid to an almost max level to get home. While driving less than a mile home the light came back on about 1/4 mile and started losing brake function. I arrived home and added more fluid to the vehicle while parked and it immediately began to go down. There were no visible brake fluid leaks anywhere. Under further investigation a recall has been issued to trucks made at the same time with the same issues. My VIN number does not have a recall so Ford won't doing anything with this obvious manufacturer defect and obvious safety issue. The brake master cylinder leaks fluid in to the brake booster pump causing a loss of braking power. Ford recall code 20S31 and the press release was issued this month. I could have crashed into another vehicle due to this issue.
Drove truck to airport on 6/9, all was well. On 6/14 we returned to our truck. Upon backing out of parking space I tried to apply the brakes and had to press the pedal to the floor. Heard a warning chime and a dashboard warning appeared stating brake fluid was low. Checked brake fluid reservoir which was almost empty. Limped to 7/11 while manually downshifting and added two bottles of fluid. Brake functionality was restored for about ten minutes and then experienced the same failure and warnings as before while driving 30mph and not applying the brakes too often. This all happened after 11pm and the roads were empty. Added more fluid this morning and took it to the dealership where I learned about the recent recall. Should have the truck back tomorrow. Very fortunate not to have had this problem while driving from ca to va last month.
Backing out of garage and brakes suddenly went out, pedal to floor. Warning lights of low brake fluid. No leak anywhere around vehicle. Master cylinder fail. Truck only has 38000 miles.
I was driving on a freeway at 75 mph when the "low brake fluid" light illuminated. I immediately exited and while braking, the brake pedal went nearly all the way to the floor. The brake light also illuminated on the dash. I pulled into an auto parts store and purchased brake fluid. It took approximately 20 ounces to fill the reservoir. After filling, the warning lights went off, but the braking pedal was still not firm. Once I got to my destination, I parked the car for 3 hours and when I left, the low brake fluid light and the brake warning light came on again. I put another 12 ounces of brake fluid in the reservoir and immediately drove to the Ford dealership service department. At no time did I observe any brake fluid on the ground. Upon inspection, the dealership told me the master cylinder had failed and was leaking brake fluid into the brake booster. This was an extremely dangerous failure as there was no warning prior to the warning lights on the dash and the loss of brakes was immediate. The vehicle has 52,000 miles on it.
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).
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.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- St. Augustine, FL, USA