The 2016 Ford F-150’s top problems include potential brake failure and various engine issues, which sound scary. But when you consider that Ford sold around a million F-Series trucks in North America in 2016, it seems a thousand consumer complaints make up a relatively small number of unsatisfied owners.
Key Points
- The 2016 Ford F-150‘s biggest problem is a potential leak in the service brake master cylinder. The issue has been recalled, but complaints keep rolling in.
- The truck has its share of engine issues, with the big one being a warped engine exhaust manifold leading to engine stall and knocking noises.
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued three recalls for a potential fire hazard owing to a corroded block heater cable. The matter seems to be settled, but it is worth keeping an eye on.
Brake Fluid Leak is 2016 F-150’s Most Common and Dangerous Issue, and Led to a Major Recall, yet Some VINs Weren’t Included
By far the 2016 Ford F-150’s biggest problem is found in the service brakes. Of just under a thousand complaints, 249 are categorized under brakes, and nearly 300,000 F-150s from the 2014-2017 model years were recalled for a braking problem.
The issue: in models equipped with 3.5L Ecoboost engines, the brake’s master cylinder has the potential to leak brake fluid into the brake booster. This results in service brakes losing power or even going out entirely.
When a problem has been addressed with a major recall, you can usually assume that the matter has been settled. But that might not be the case this time. The recall was issued in June of 2020, but complaints are still rolling in as late as November 2021.
A Florida driver claimed that while driving 65 mph, the low brake fluid warning light illuminated. They stated that they were “depressing the brake pedal to the floor, but failed to stop the vehicle,” being forced to put the car into neutral and use the parking brake.
So, why don’t they just head on over the nearest Ford dealer and get the repairs taken care of? Well, their VIN wasn’t included in the recall.
An Indiana driver reports the same experience. Brake warning light went on, they pressed the brake pedal to the floor, but it failed to stop the vehicle, and “the VIN was not included” in the recall. And it’s the same story over and over for hundreds of complaints.
Warped Exhaust Manifold Can Lead to Many Engine Issues, with Early Signs Including a Burning Smell and Excessive Fuel Consumption
Nearly 130 of the 2016 F-150’s complaints registered with the NHTSA point to the engine, with the leading issue being a warped exhaust manifold, which is stage-one of your car’s exhaust system. This is the big octopus-looking thing that funnels the exhaust gases from your cylinders out to the catalytic converter. If it’s not working, a lot can go wrong. Early signs include a knocking noise coming from under the hood, a burning smell, and excessive fuel use.
More severe symptoms soon follow, like engine stall or sudden loss of power, and from there, you could eventually be looking at total engine failure.
Some other issues pop up throughout the complaints, like busted turbocharger tubes, but by and large, the manifold is the key problem here, with dozens of complaints on file specifying manifold problems, and plenty more that might not have been diagnosed as having to do with a warped manifold, but which report the same symptoms you would experience with a warped manifold.
There are no recalls and no investigations on file for this one. So if you’re losing power and noticing puddles under your car, all you can really do is get your exhaust manifold fixed. A new unit typically costs around a thousand bucks, which, if your warranty won’t cover it, does sting, but it beats dealing with blown gaskets, or even replacing the whole engine a few months down the road.
Block Heater Cable Fire Hazard has Resulted in Three NHTSA Recalls of a Total of Over Half a Million 2015-2019 F-Series Trucks
An issue that just keeps coming back to haunt the automaker: a fire hazard resulting from a potentially corroded block heater cable. They first issued this recall in December 2018 for just over 400,000 units, then again in April 2019 for over 130,000 units, and finally in February 2020 for around 14,000 units, totaling well over half a million 2015-2019 F-Series trucks across all three recalls.
The first recall addressed potential corrosion from water and contaminants, the next for potential damages resulting from the fix they did the first time around, and the third for a block immersion heater that may have been relocated improperly during either of the last two fixes. Any one of these problems resulted in a potential fire hazard under the hood.
It seems that they’ve finally gotten this issue taken care of. But… you never know. We recommend keeping an eye on the NHTSA page.
2016 Ford F-150’s Big Sales Figures Equal Big Problems
F-150 recalls are always massive, because it’s the most popular vehicle in the world. Ford sold around a million F-Series units in North America alone in 2016, so when the NHTSA has a thousand complaints on file, well, that’s only one complaint per thousand F-Series sales.
The 2016 F-150 is a fine purchase if you’re after a full-size truck with the look and feel of a Ford. The truck’s problems tend to get blown out of proportion simply by the sheer number of F-150s on the road today.
Photos: Ford
