IAJack

Reading on these forums about all the problems that some people are having with the Ecoboost motors is like a hypochondriac reading the WebMD site. I am nearly getting scared to purchase a 2012 with an Ecoboost motor for fear that I am buying a time bomb of problems? ( I am looking at a 2012 with 50K mi. and the 3.5 V6 Turbo.)

Is there any particular year that tends to have more problems with that motor. Is it hit and miss or is this simply a case where these forums are just a catch point sounding board for people that do have problems and are seeking help?

Any reassurance here would be appreciated LOL. I imagine if the motor were that big of a problem or issue then Ford would be taking a bigger beating publicly?

Sirikenewtron

Yup, most people come to these forums to complain or try to resolve problems, not a whole lot coming to just say how trouble free their trucks have. It's a very small percentage of the ecoboost trucks that are throwing rods, having issues regardless. Also you have to realize the amount of owners who do not and will not ever join, spend time on a forum.

I personally would try to get at least a 2013 though if I were you, even though there are many, many people with the earlier years who've had no issues.

Extended warranty is a good thing too, on any newer vehicle, no matter what engine. The peace of mind is worth it.

BigNick98

I just picked up a 2012 ecoboost with 47k miles. I have no issues with the truck whatsoever but after reading over this forum there are some things that I want to tackle as preventive maintenence. Some say they never have issues what so ever, some say they are plagued. There's a rotten apple in every bunch. I will say I love my truck so far and look forward to throwing some mods on this motor down the road.

PawPaw

I've got a '13 with the Ecoboost and no problems in 22K miles. My son in law has a '13 also with the Ecoboost and has 36K trouble free miles. If you use these trucks like they were designed to be used they are great little engines.

H-60 Electrician

I also have a 2013 eco and just turned 32,000k without issue. I have had it since production, so I know the history of maintenance. If I were buying used and had concerns about the engine, or anything else about the truck, then I would look up the maintenance history and see what's been done to it. I think if there were cac, or any other engine problems, they would have been dealt with by now though.

tomasulo

I've had my 2011 Eco for a year and a half. Not one issue with the motor in this truck yet! Love it. More pep than my 5.4L had. Yes, it's the initial build year, and before I bought it, the original owner had any of the early TSB's done, to fix some of those issues they had. My truck runs like a dream. Any repairs I've had done are common ones with all other F150's like clutch packs in the rear end and a man electronic steering rack. I did also have one of the latest TSB's done by the dealer (no cost to me) for the fuel smell in the oil/possible over full symptoms. I didn't experience those issues, but they replaced the parts anyway. Overall, love the Eco, and for a 2011, I've had no problems with this motor. Good luck!!

SilentJ

Great write up. Could you elaborate on the steering rack issue you had?

WXman

Yeah I read thread after thread across a few forums about carbon buildup due to the direct injection, turbo failures, moisture in the intercoolers choking them down, valvetrain noises, PCM issues, poor fuel economy, etc. and it kind of scared me away too.

I did, however, test an EcoBoost truck thoroughly before buying my Coyote and it confirmed my decision just based upon driving dynamics alone. Even if Ford eventually perfects the design of the little turbo engines, the fuel economy will always suck with them because you can't over-ride the laws of physics. A small engine is going to have to work hard, turbos or not.

NASSTY

Surprised you weren't scared off by the 5.0 oil consuming, knocking, ticking, oblonged cylinder, shortblock replacement, stalling while coming to a stop threads.

zx12-iowa

Jack. The Eco is really pretty bullet proof. There are two issues that can creep up. A stutter that can happen occasionally that is generally fixable pretty easily these days. And 2, potential timing chain stretching that can happen between 100k-200k miles.

I guess a 3rd would be a small minority reported field dilution in oil. Checking smell of dipstick usually will tell you b hose vey few that had it, it showed up very fast even after a recent oil change.

The 5.0 has some quirks as well just like most vehicles have minors quirks. The engine chooses ford has for this round are really very good and the transmission is very strong.

I wouldn't worry at all about the purchase of the truck overall checks out.