In March 2016, the U.S. government opened an investigation into 33 reports of brake failure on the 2013 and 2014 model-year Ford F-150 with 3.5L EcoBoost V6 engines. Just two months later, the agency closed the investigation. No recall was issued after Ford agreed to extend warranties on the vehicles.
In several cases, mechanics diagnosed the issue as “brake fluid leaking from the master cylinder to the brake booster,” causing the master cylinder to fail. Drivers reported complete brake failure — pushing the pedal all the way to the floor with complete loss of braking power.
In May 2016, Ford issued a recall for about 271,000 of F-150 trucks that had been under investigation. Many of the owners who reported the problem said they suddenly lost all braking power without warning.
Nine crashes were reported and one driver injured his knee. Ford said dealers would replace the master brake cylinder for free, plus the brake booster if it was leaking.
The government also has owner complaints of one brake failure on a 2015 and another on 2016 model F-150, neither of which is covered by the recall, according to the New York Times
Brake problems have also been seen on the 2011 and 2012 model-year Ford F-150 truck with 3.5L V6 engines. In October 2015, the government said it was aware of 7 crashes and one injury caused by brake failure — plus 432 complaints and 6,476 warranty claims for electric brake vacuum pumps. However, the investigation closed less than a year later with no recall.
Source: CNBC