jetjoe

Just came upon a newer Chevy that obviously backed into something with the tailgate down. Both sides were wavy all the way to the front of the box and the tailgate shot. Obviously, the "high strength steel" wasn't strong enough. Point is? Unless they find some sort of steel that absolutely nothing will damage it, its just a matter of what happens, not Aluminum or steel or what brand. GM knows they are late to the game and their defense is stupid commercials aimed at naïve customers.

roxbury29

The new Alum F150's are soo light the doors can't even stay shut;
New recall;

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/f...143000079.html

roxbury29

Ford still uses STEEL as much or more than any other MFG. Even, Audi- Flagship A8 - switches back to More STEEL in its Body Structure ...
Steel has the highest strength for safety; it is more affordable and has a lower carbon footprint than any other material. Advanced steels are the go-to material for automotive industry. Aluminum has a place too, it's been used in car components for a long time along with Plastic, Fiberglass, etc...
In Addition, Steel is also more "Green" for the environment for North America too.

acdii

A lot of trucks have already had this repair done, mine included. Look up frozen door locks and you will find all sorts of threads on it.

Old news, Ford is just doing the recall to make sure no one actually does get hurt.

shortride

iTrader: (1)

As usual, the manufacturer publishes information that may not be totally incorrect but in most cases misunderstood by the buying public. The term "MILITARY" grade Aluminum is misleading and is not well understood my most. Ford Motor Company as they do in other marketing techniques uses words that make it sound like the latest and greatest product. The only real advantage to the use of Aluminum in the manufacturing of Ford body panels is weight reduction.

The real question should be, if everyone that bought a Ford truck made from Aluminum knew before you bought what you know now would you have bought it? To be honest, I believe that an awfully lot of folks look for reason to complain. Some legitimate some not.

This would have never happen to an F-150 made of steel. So what? It still would have been totaled.

acdii

Aluminum has a lower melting point than steel, so yeah, it will turn into a pile of ash when burned. I do believe that the aluminum has helped raise the crash safety ratings of the F150 so that it is fully 5 star. It is much more energy absorbent than steel.

Military Grade means it uses the same type as used in vehicles built for military use. It's just the grade. There is Aircraft grade which is quite different from Military grade. It really is nothing more then the alloy.

I would much rather it made from Military grade than consumer grade or aircraft grade.

Stu Cazzo

This is like an eco vs 5.0 thread...
The ecos say theyre better than the 5.0 and vis versa

The steelers say theyre better than the liminums and vis versa

nubbins_

I don't see why the debate is still going on here. There are different alloys of steel and aluminium. The reason you don't see aluminium F150 frames is because steel is the superior choice...when it comes to high strength frames.

The metals used in the body are all, comparatively, trash used for cost-effectiveness. Steel body panels will hold up no better than aluminium body panels in a crash and the 13th gens just go to show that the "softer" metal happens to win big with IIHS crash safety ratings.

The amount of confusion here is as if people just took Chevy's garbage fake news "commercial" as gospel. If Chevy's body panels were anything near as tough as they make want you to believe them to be then the Silverado would be a lumbering 60-tonne M1 Abrams.

gone postal

Military grade is an absolutely meaningless marketing phrase. There's military grade aluminum foil in the linings in MRE packets, wouldn't want a truck made out of it, but it's MILSPEC, hence military grade. I wouldn't want a vehicle made out of the same alloy used for APC armor, either.

Cwprotek

"Why Aluminum over Steel?
There are a few high-end, luxury cars that use aluminum, but Ford is looking to emulate the alloys used in aerospace and commercial transportation with its military-grade, 5,000/6,000 series high-strength aluminum alloy body, more than a sports car.

Although aluminum is weak by itself, by combining the lightweight material with other metals and special heat treating, Ford has created a stronger material than the previous steel body in this aluminum alloy. This unique aluminum body, class exclusive to the F-150, allows the truck to be about 700 pounds lighter than previous models without losing strength."

I don't know what the truth is but I've owned mine for a couple years now and it's still perfect.

I got side swiped by a car on my street that left scratch marks down the right side over the tire. It was all gray paint that came from the other vehicle. It all came off and sits perfect. The body might be stronger than you think.

As for crashing. I'm not sure if the steel body absorbed a whole lot, it isn't very thick. When your talking about hitting or smashing something weighing 2.5 tons the body doessnt do a lot, the frame absorbs the hit and the airbags cushion it.