Is F150 reliability blown out of proportion or are there real problems to worry about?

Question

America's best selling truck, the Ford F-150, has been for decades, but lately there seems to be a lot of chatter online about reliability concerns. Some owners have had engine, transmission and electrical system problems, while others have said their trucks have been bulletproof. We don’t know if these are common problems or if they are just being amplified by social media. If you are thinking about purchasing a new or used F-150, how concerned should you be about issues to come? Is one brand or model year more reliable than another? But where do F-150s stack up against competitors like the Chevy Silverado or Ram 1500 in terms of long term dependability?

Abhay · Accepted Answer

Now I've had my 2021 F-150 with the 5.0 V8 for over 50k miles and it's been rock solid. No issues whatsoever. A lot of the complaints you see online are from a vocal minority, I think. These trucks are out there by the millions, so if only 1% have problems, that's still thousands of angry owners posting online.

Nirati · Answer

I don't think the issues are overblown, eh. The 3.5 EcoBoost has been in the shop 3 times already this 2019. Not a big deal, but annoying for a $50k+ truck. Especially concerning is the cam phaser rattle. It drives how I love it, but the reliability hasn't impressed me yet.

Gazal · Answer

It really depends on the engine and the year. Typically, the 5.0 V8 is the most reliable. There was some issues with the first few years of the 3.5 EcoBoost but most of that has been ironed out now. For now, avoid the PowerBoost hybrid until they work the kinks out. On average fullsize trucks are about average for reliability and I’d say F-150s are too.

Awadhesh · Answer

I see a lot of F-150s come through the shop, but no more than other truck brands; I'm a mechanic. Things will eventually break, and they’re complex machines. The key is proper maintenance. Religiously change your oil, ignore the warning lights and you should be fine. If taken care of, any modern truck should last 200k+ miles.

Ravi · Answer

I think the reliability is fine if you own an F-150, but the problem is that they are expensive to fix when something goes wrong. My friend just had to replace the turbo on his EcoBoost and it cost over $2k. Most repairs are at least easier and less expensive with the V8.

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Is F150 reliability blown out of proportion or are there real problems to worry about?

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