Truck owner

On my second SD. I also had a 2013 Ecoboost. This one has 2 main issues 2 dealerships and Ford corporate has failed to fix. 7 separate trips to get it fixed and neither problem fixed. I enjoyed my SD but it's time to go with a more reliable and dependable truck model. Soon I will be trading for a Tundra. Can't believe I am saying it but Ford lost my confidence and trust. Tired on these trucks nickel/diming you to death with Ford not carrying that you bought 3 of there trucks. Hope you guys have better luck than me. Let me add that this is post is more about the lack of desire from Ford/Dealer to actually find/fix my mechanical issues. If you got the 8ft bed and deal with the bed bounce and the front end noise like a dry shock when going over dips then you know what i mean. Warranty work has changed over the years and dealers don't want to waste any time fixing a problem that is either apparent or there computer can't tell them what it is. Gone are the days of the true mechanic.

Braggs

You've got a work truck, not a Cadillac. The tires are aired up to 80 psi on rear, 65 on front. It's not gonna ride smooth. The hard tires are gonna get air on pretty much every bump. Some people recommend deflating them to 55 psi when you're not hauling a load. If you put about 1000lb in the bed, everything settles down and rides real nice. That's what these trucks were meant for, hard work.

I have heard of the front end suspension issues. If you look underneath, there's only about 2" of space between the axle and the bump-stops. People usually remedy this by lifting the front end (anything helps apparently). Mine is still stock but I don't take a 8700 lb vehicle off-roading, either.

What other issues have you been unable to remedy? If you're under warranty, maybe the Ford rep over on the other forum (ford-trucks.com) might be able to help you? I've heard horror stories of lousy local dealers not helping or not knowing how to fix issues that even have service bulletins. It happens.

Truck owner

Braggs, I know its a work truck and I use it to tow a boat, load rocks, haul dirt and other household chores. This truck bed bounces at 45-50 mph. I was told it was normal for an 8ft bed. It still feel the vibration when i tow my boat. I cant accept ford engineers designed the truck bed to bounce at 45mph. Dealer/FORD no solution. The front end noise is a dry shock grind each time front end turns the corner or hit a slight bounce in road. Replaced bushings,motor mounts, front shocks, greased everything and they couldnt fix the issue. The thing i was told by techs is they get paid crap for warranty work and cant invest any time to fix my issue. It appears tech are commissioned employees and no longer salary. My anger resides with how FORD handles difficult cases. Tech sends email to help desk and has to wait for a response back and try this. And it goes back and forth for days and weeks w/o resolution. Was told FORD engineer coming to dealership to see it and made me bring truck in and left it for 3 days and then called and was told he never showed up. NICE!!

Braggs

This sounds like a common issue that others also are working with Ford to resolve. I remeber seeing a Ford Service Bulletin that was supposed to remedy this issue. Here's some other links with more info. Btw, my 2015 F350 has been great and have no vibration issue.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1009886-rear-end-bounces-40-45-mph-3.html

http://www.thedieselstop.com/forums/f149/vibration-shaking-rear-40-45mph-273557/#/topics/273557

Truck owner

Braggs, glad to hear your truck is running fine and i am sure there are many others with no issues. My 2 issues have been since truck was new and have never been resolved or cared to resolve them from Ford/Dealer. I must have all the crap dealers in my area. Take these 2 issues out and truck is fine. But it is the BS way Ford just doesnt want to fix their problems under warranty. My situation is shared by many around the country who have issues that neither ford/dealer want to fix. I just decided for me its time to no longer give Ford my business. Always liked there trucks (this is my 3rd). But as we get older reliability and quality matter. I just got stuck with a truck with gremlins. Oh well, such is life. Thanks.

Braggs

Yes, I can understand your frustration. In the ford-trucks thread above, one guy even took it to the BBB and they ruled with Ford that the "hop" is the way the vehicle is designed and there is nothing to remedy.

Skimming through the thread, it looks like they tried tires, wheels, and shocks with no results. One guy put airbags on his pickup and it reduced the vibration, but it was still there. One of the most promising remedies was to have the driveshaft balanced. One guy put some other "overdrive" module on, shortened and re-balanced the driveshaft and the vibration was gone.

Another theory was that the electronic locking differential was trying to engage but there wasn't any way to test/fix this.

Still, Ford's approach (and is a TSB part) was to install a vibration dampener. I'm not trying to change your opinion to get rid of the vehicle, but I like to fix problems, not just put a band-aid on them. The guys in the 1986 forum will actually fix issues, but the guys in the newer trucks just want Ford to do it for them. I understand some of them are under warranty, but in the end, a corporation has to make money. Sometimes that means doing the cheap fix rather than the real fix.

Truck owner

Braggs, I would have been happy if they even tried the vibration dampener at all. They didnt want to even address the bounce and call it normal. Then Service Mgr tells me that Ford is gonna fix this in the 2018 models. Just what a customer wants to hear. Ford can make money but it comes at a price of losing future customers. I have at least a few more trucks in my future, but they won't be Fords, or Chevy or even Ram. There is no perfect vehicle but if the Tundra is as reliable as there other models then its Tundra for me. Ford trucks are the baddest on the road but its time for a change.

Truck owner

I just want to add this is my 3rd Ford truck, 2002 SD, 2013 MaxTow F150 Ecoboost and now my 2014 SD CC. All 3 never made it out of warranty w/o multiple issues. This is where my frustration lies.

jcb206

I had a lemon truck too. Very frustrating. My 2015 has been perfect.

Not a big fan of the Tundras as they seem stuck in the past. What do they excel at? If you are completely against a Big 3 truck, I would go try a Nissan Titan XD. Very interesting truck. Just wish it had better mileage.

Braggs

They sure are trying hard to make their Nissan Titans look like the Ford F150. It's a classic corporation tactic to make an identical looking product so they can steal market share. Ford is still #1 in pickup sales for a reason.