All Entries Tagged With: "f150"
2015 F150 Wins Best Buy Award Before It’s Even Been Sold
KBB.com decided to give the 2015 F-150 – which only recently began actual production – a “Best Buy” award. Considering that:
- The truck isn’t available for sale yet, which means the only trucks KBB could have tested were pre-production units (which are often built by hand), and
- The EPA fuel economy figures haven’t been released yet, thus we have no idea how fuel efficient the truck really is
This award seems a bit premature, doesn’t it?
Ford’s EcoBoost Losing Steam With Ford Loyalists
Update: Brian J in the comments below asked me to support my post with some data – here’s the data that supports the original conclusion.
When Ford’s EcoBoost engines came out, a lot of people (myself included) saw the engine as a game-changer. A bold new step forward for trucks, one that promised better fuel economy without sacrificing much power.
A growing number of Ford truck owners are questioning the reliability and fuel economy benefits of the EcoBoost V6. That’s bad news for Ford, as they’ve put all their eggs in the EcoBoost basket.
Years later, we’ve seen copious amounts of evidence to suggest that the EcoBoost isn’t the game-changer it promised to be. From anecdotes about mediocre fuel economy to problems with stalling and hesitation to hefty turbo replacement costs, there is ample evidence for skeptics like me to grab on to.
But what about Ford loyalists? Are they too seeing that EcoBoost isn’t what it’s cracked up to be? The answer seems to be yes – at least partially.
BREAKING NEWS: Ford – F150 EcoBoost Shudder Fix Confirmed
Responding to our story late last week about EcoBoost F150 shudder problems, a source at Ford has told us that a fix has been found and that current EcoBoost F150 owners will be given the opportunity to fix their trucks in early November.
Specifically:
- All new EcoBoost F150s manufactured after Sept. 18th,2012 have received a redesigned CAC (charged air cooler) that addresses the moisture build-up problem.
- Beginning early next month, Ford will issue a TSB that instructs dealers to replace the CAC in any EcoBoost F150 that’s suffering from this problem with the redesigned unit.
The redesigned CAC will not collect condensation in the same way that the current unit does, so this problem should be officially fixed very shortly.
Our source on this news is a Ford employee.
Ford F-150 EcoBoost Problems: Shuddering, Power Loss & Limp Mode
UPDATE: We’ve been told that Ford has a fix for this problem coming ASAP. See https://tundraheadquarters.com/2012/10/26/breaking-news-ford-f150-ecoboost-shudder-fix-confirmed/ for the details.
In recent months, a growing number of Ford F-150 EcoBoost owners are reporting that their trucks can shudder and stall during normal use. In severe cases, some EcoBoost F150 owners have said that their trucks have suddenly gone into “limp mode,” where the engine loses almost all power.
Reports of EcoBoost shudder and power loss are coming primarily from humid states, such as Texas and Florida.
After reading numerous Ford truck forums, talking to various auto experts, and even talking to a couple of Ford technicians, this is what we’ve learned:
- Ford has a growing problem here, as the number of EcoBoost owners reporting issues isn’t getting any smaller
- Ford’s response to this problem has only served to anger afflicted EcoBoost F150 owners
Wind Noise Problems At Ford?
Is Ford's $100 million investment intended to address a common Ford quality complaint?
Following last week’s news about Ford’s likely drop in the 2011 JD Power Initial Quality study (which is due out this Thursday), there’s more news about some of the quality problems Ford CEO Alan Mulally was concerned about. In the same press conference that Mulally warned about declining quality, he talked about some new robotic systems for makeing sure that doors were installed properly on all new vehicles. Was this bit of news shared to show that Ford is addressing a common concern with their products – specifically, wind noise?
