I went to start my truck and the brake went all the way to the floor. I had no braking power and it had to be towed back home over an hour away. There is a recall on 2016 Ford F150 with the 3.5 Eco Boost engine which I have. This recall involves a seal in the master cylinder failing and losing braking power and affecting the brake booster. Referencing recall 20S31. I went to Ford and they told me the recall did not apply to this specific truck due to a different batch of parts. This truck is now having the exact problem as the specific ones which have already been recalled. I believe the recall should be expanded. This occurred shortly after driving an hour in the rain with my kid in the back. It could have easily killed us on the highway with no brakes. We had no idea this recall was in effect. It’s the last time I’m buying a Ford. I want to feel safe with my kids in the back and Ford does not seem to care.
2016 Ford F-150: brake failure
149 of the 2,098 complaints about the 2016 Ford F-150 describe brake failure.
- owner complaints
- 149
- of this car's complaints
- 7%
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,000
- typical mileage
- 32,000
- recalls
- 2
Brake failure by model year
What owners say
On XXX I lost all brakes in my 2016 Ford F-150 while towing a fishing boat. I had just decended a steep grade on a busy downtown street when I received an alert that I was low on brake fluid. The next pump of the brake went to the floor. I received an audible alarm. Had this occured on the steep grade, this could have been a very serious accident. I understand the loss of brakes was due to failure of the master cylinder just and as described by the open recall on my vehicle. I added a quart of brake fluid to an empty resevoir, tried to pump the brakes up and the fluid vanished. I could not find any evidence of a leak. Clearly the fluid is in the brake booster, which is also replaced under this recall. I had the vehicle delivered to the closest dealership, Pierre Ford of [XXX] on Monday the XXX. The service advisor tod me he would need ot for two days. Four days later, the advisor text me to report that parts are not available, and that he would let me know when they were. I asked him to make sure that a VOR report had been submitted so that my repair repair parts could be expidited by Ford Corporate. He assured me the VOR had been placed. Today, on XXX, I called Customer Care who verified my recall eligability, and also informed me that no VOR had been requested against my VIN. I have found genuine ford parts for the repair of my vehicle in many Ford facilities in the nation. I dont feel that Ford is working very hard to get my only vehicle back on the road INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
On July 6th, I was in my 2016 Ford F-150 at a stoplight after driving 200 miles in mountainous roads when my brake pedal got soft and went to the floor. I immediately shifted into neutral and waited for the light to turn so I could ease into a parking lot. Once parked, I noticed fluid on the ground and on the inside of my front passenger tire. I called for a tow and had it sent to a local repair shop. The repair shop told me that the right front brake line failed causing loss of brake fluid. The cost of the repair was $495.00. When I called the local Ford dealership they told me that they could schedule me for July 31, 2026. I had the local repair shop do the repair. I did not have a brake fluid warning light come on while I was in the truck. My truck has 95,262 miles on it at the time of this incident.
Truck was repaired under recall 20S31 to repair the master cylinder issue in November 2020. Just the other day the master cylinder went out again and my brakes went out while driving. There clearly was an inadequate repair and Ford so far is not open to covering the expensive repair costs to this critical safety issue.
I was in a parking lot moving a trailer to a different spot when all the sudden my foot on the brake goes to the floor. I wasn't even on the brakes hard. I then check my truck and I see my passenger front wheel is covered in brake fluid and a large puddle underneath it. I then took off the wheel and saw that the brake hose had a split so I replaced it. The split is at the top of the brake hose When doing research I saw that other ford vehicles of the same years had break issues so I thought I would make a report. The ford edge in particular
Sudden and without any warning, complete catastrophic brake failure while stopped attempting to pay at the pay station to exit a parking garage. My truck was fully stopped, in drive with my foot on the footbrake pedal, and started moving forward and suddenly lurched thru the parking exit gate and damaging it and the front end of my truck. Fortunately, no one was crossing on the sidewalk in front my truck or they would have been injured or worse, or we would have T-boned by oncoming traffic on the street. There was brake fluid in several areas where I parked the vehicle on the street after moving from the parking garage. There was a "low brake fluid warning light" after having the truck towed to Haley Ford in Chester, VA. There were warnings prior to the accident. The truck had had a "The Works" service done at Haley Ford the week prior. Haley Ford claims the front brake lines were leaking and need to be replaced after their "diagnostic" inspection.
Brake pedal goes all the way to the floorboard causing me to cast through a red light. Problem is persistent.
I have now had two brake lines burst (both in the front) which resulted in loss of braking ability. The first incident was in March of this year, and the second was in October of this year. This has cost me at least $800 in repairs plus towing costs.
* Brake hose, right front wheel * Wasn't able to stop truck, Made a emergency entrance into a parking lot. * Problem has not been confirmed by a dealer or service center, only a parts store as I used their parking lot to pull into to stop. * No inspection yet on part. * Yes, Low oil light for brakes while driving and brake pedal was going to floor right when brakes failed. Lost of brakes while driving from a ruptured brake line hose on right front wheel. Truck has less than 74,000 miles.
When braking, the brake pedal goes to the floor and makes stopping the vehicle difficult. There is no sign of leaks from the lines, and is acting like the open recall on other VIN numbers on this model however Ford does not have an open recall on this VIN. The recall is the brake booster leaking into the master cylinder.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford F-150. The contact stated that as he was stopping the vehicle in front of his garage and slowing to approximately 3 MPH, the vehicle was not stopping. The contact stated that the brake pedal went to the floorboard when depressed. The vehicle crashed into the garage door causing the garage door to buckle. There was minor damage to the vehicle's front end. There were no injuries. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the brake master cylinder needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V150000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.
The right front brake hose split, leading to a complete loss in braking capability while the truck was moving. The brake went to the floor with no braking. I have looked online and found multiple cases of this brake hose splitting in exactly this place. Fortunately, I was able to safely come to a stop.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Some 2016-2018 F-150 and 2016-2017 Expedition/Navigator vehicles may require pressure bleeding of the...
- Noise when the brakes are applied
- Noise when the brakes are applied
- DTC C0051 in the ABS module
- Some 2015-2016 F-150 vehicles may experience intermittent loss of throttle pedal response, illuminated...
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: master cylinder
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, and 2016-2018 F-150 vehicles equipped with 3.5L Ecoboost engines. The brake master cylinder may allow brake fluid to leak from the front wheel circuit into the brake booster.
- Risk
- A loss of brake fluid may result in a change in brake pedal travel, increased pedal effort and reduced front brake function, requiring greater effort and distance to stop the vehicle. These conditions can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the brake master cylinder. If the master cylinder is leaking, the brake booster will also be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. An interim owner notification letter notifying customers of the safety defect were mailed on April 29, 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed April 29, 2022. This recall is an expansion of the federal safety agency recall number 20V‑332. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S11.
Recall number 22V150000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: power assist
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014-2017 F-150 pickup trucks equipped with 3.5L Ecoboost engines. The brake master cylinder may leak brake fluid into the brake booster.
- Risk
- A loss of brake fluid may result in a change in brake pedal travel and feel, increased pedal effort and reduced front brake function, possibly requiring greater effort and distance to stop the vehicle. These conditions can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake master cylinder and inspect the brake booster, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. Ford issued owners an interim notification on June 30, 2020. The recall began on October 28, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S31.
Recall number 20V332000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2016 Ford F-150 brake failure
Is brake failure a common problem on the 2016 Ford F-150?
149 of 2,098 owner complaints about the 2016 Ford F-150 (7%) mention brake failure. The model year with the most reports is 2016.
How much does it cost to fix brake failure on the 2016 Ford F-150?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,000 (median of 13 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2016 Ford F-150?
There are 2 recalls and 6 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2016 Ford F-150
Check engine light 173Door locks 135Stalling 101Loss of power 80Won't shift 75Backup camera 56Jerking 53Fire or smoke 42Adaptive cruise 37Wipers 37Harsh shifting 36Transmission failure 36Engine failure 29Shudder 27Grinding brakes 25Hesitation 20Misfire 20Won't start 20Slipping 19Overheating 18Screen failure 17Power steering loss 16No deployment 15Key fob 15Fuel smell 14Warning lights 14Water leak 13Airbag light 12ABS 8Collision warning 8Knocking 8Fuel pump 8Sudden acceleration 8Sunroof shattered 8Oil consumption 7Seat belt 7Spongy pedal 7Pulling 7Steering lock-up 6Headlights 5Steering noise 5
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