33 of the
879 complaints filed about the Ford F-150 Hybrid
are about the braking system —
4% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2021.
I am reporting a safety-related transmission problem I experienced with my 2023 Ford F-150 equipped with the 10R80 automatic transmission. While driving normally, the transmission suddenly does not accelerate for up to 3 seconds while pressing the gas pedal, brakes either harshly or too soft at varying times, and very irregularly. This occurred while accelerating onto the highway, and almost every time I am braking at a stop sign or light, creating a potentially dangerous situation because the truck did not respond as expected when I needed predictable acceleration, propulsion, or deceleration. I believe this incident may be related to the known 10R80 CDF clutch-cylinder/sleeve problem. Ford technical information identifies axial movement of the CDF sleeve that can cause hydraulic-circuit leaks and harsh or delayed engagement and shifting. This condition can result in slipping, RPM flares, delayed engagement, unexpected gear changes, harsh downshifts, lurching, or loss of propulsion. This is a safety concern, not merely a transmission quality or reliability issue. Unexpected loss of propulsion or unpredictable shifting while merging, accelerating into traffic, crossing an intersection, turning, traveling at highway speeds, slowing down, and stopping, can create a collision hazard. Because I personally experienced this unexpected transmission event, I request that NHTSA investigate the 10R80 CDF clutch-cylinder/sleeve condition in Ford F-150s. Please review Ford warranty claims, dealer repair records, transmission replacements, consumer complaints, and field-failure data to determine whether this is a safety defect requiring a recall. I believe owners should not have to wait for a potentially dangerous transmission failure before this known condition is addressed.
NHTSA complaint #11754497 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The driver's side rear light is full of moisture and some water. It is available for inspection. The Ford dealership in Beeville Texas Coastal Bend Ford inspected it already and informed me that it would cost $1,400 to replace and that it was only going to get worse. They also informed me that Ford allows a certain percentage of moisture and water to be in there safely. When you see the pictures this is definitely unacceptable and unsafe. This is causing the reverse lights to flicker intermittent. The moisture accumulation inside the lights can result in inoperative or flickering reverse lamp function. Inoperative reverse lamps may reduce the awareness of other motorists or road users of the driver's intention to operate the vehicle in reverse gear increasing the risk of injury or crash. I bought the vehicle from a Ford dealership in Austin Texas less than 10 days ago. I reported it to them and they stated it wouldn't be covered under warranty. The best assessment in my opinion of cause is going to be microcracks in the outer lens. Because my truck is a 2023 Ford F-150 King Ranch, and there is a known recall for the same issue for 2022-2023 Lariat and Platinum models, so this can't be a coincidence. Refer NHTSA recall number 23V-418
NHTSA complaint #11745962 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I want to include an important detail about the accident involving my 2025 Ford F-150 (VIN: [XXX] ). Immediately before the collision, I experienced a sudden change in braking. The brake pedal became very hard, and the vehicle did not slow as expected even with increased pressure on the pedal. This condition lasted for a few seconds and significantly reduced my ability to stop. The auto braking feature also did not activate. There were no clear warning indicators at the time, and the event happened very quickly. Based on how the vehicle responded, it felt like a loss of brake assist. My vehicle collided with a semi truck, totalling the front end. I was very lucky to walk away alive. Thankfully airbags and my seat belt saved me. I am reporting this as part of the incident record in case it is relevant to the cause of the accident. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11733467 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Lower steering intermediate shaft bolt loose or missing Recall incomplete Front brake hose jounce bracket repair Recall incomplete 3.5L engine cup plug inspection Recall incomplete Connecting rod inspection Recall incomplete Transmission main control valve body replacement Please add to the list of RECALLS incomplete from Campaign 25S19/25V164. As Front brake hose jounce bracket repair Recall being incomplete is a IMMEDIATE concern for reporting to ANY driver on the highway and roadway in transit. Please report for incomplete BRAKING issue fixed, as is is detrimental on highway traffic at HIGH MPH.
NHTSA complaint #11679480 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Was stopped behind a car in line in the parking lot. The truck was in drive with the auto hold brake feature enabled. The auto hold disengaged and the car rolled forward rear ending the car in front of me. Collision alert didn't sound as expected. A similar recall came out August 6 for 2025 F150s.
NHTSA complaint #11678466 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving roughly 30-40mph, there was complete loss of brakes. complete soft pedal to the floor with no brake function. ABS and Brake lights flash on dash board, parking brake malfunction warning. No prior warnings, issues, messages indicating need for brake service. My wife and kids were in the car and were lucky to be on a street where we were able to coast to a stop. Any busy street or highway driving could have been sever accident/potential loss of life incident. The dealer said they have never seen this issue before and said they went through a bunch of control modules and simply reset and made software updates. I never received a confirmed "root cause". Dealer made above mentioned software updates and drove the car for 50 miles, claim the issue/service is complete and we need to take the car. No root cause, no confirmed component failure, etc. We do not feel safe taking delivery of the car. We have requested a Ford field service technician/engineer inspect the vehicle with no luck. we have started buy back/replacement process with Ford, no decision made - tells us we are subject to lemon law as if this is a "creature comfort" issue and that we need to take the car back.
NHTSA complaint #11675627 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving, a vehicle began stopping in front of me. I attempted to stop, however my braking power seemed heavily reduced. Eventually the emergency automatic braking kicked in and engaged my emergency brake. I barely stopped in time. Simultaneously, several warning lights appeared on my dash including ABS, traction control, hill assist, and check engine. Immediately after the incident, my brake pedal felt loose. Braking power was severely diminished and delayed. Stopping while going a mere 5 mph would take about 10 yards. It was extremely dangerous and scary to operate - even to pull into the nearest safe parking lot. Upon restarting my vehicle twice, the lights went off except for the check engine light and my braking power returned.
NHTSA complaint #11670728 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The brake lines that leave the master cylinder and route down to the frame rail. There is a short, flexible connection between the body side hard brake line, and chassis side hard brake line. This connection consists of braided flexible steel hose with crimped connections securing it to the hard line. All of the crimps on the flexible connection in that area are collecting dust build up, and have a wet appearance to them. When you touch them, you get an oily residue on your fingers. Yes it is available for inspection. If air enters the braking system where it is leaking, this will cause the brakes to become inoperable, due to air being more compressible than brake fluid. No it has not been inspected by the dealer. And it has not been confirmed by a dealer, I have not brought it to them yet. There has been no indication of the leak from within the vehicle, it is not dripping under neath. I only found it because I was checking the oil and inspecting other items at the same time. Noticed it around 28k miles
NHTSA complaint #11663502 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Brakes failed on my 2025 F150 and several ABS and brake system alarms came in. The problem went away on its own. I took the truck to my dealer and was told Ford is aware of the problem and does not have a fix. No other advice was given.
NHTSA complaint #11660830 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? When the brakes were applied, the vehicle accelerated instead of slowing down/stopping. The vehicle is available for inspection and we are begging for someone to investigate this as we do not want to get behind the wheel of this truck if the issue is determined and rectified. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Because of the above issue, the car accelerated and crashed into a building putting the driver and passenger at risk. The airbags deployed. The vehicle went over a walkway where, luckily, no one was walking or they would have been seriously injured or potentially killed. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Ford keeps telling us to work with our insurance company. The insurance company did an estimate for the repairs, but they are not able to inspect the vehicle and determine the cause of the malfunction. Our insurance adjuster said that Ford needs to be the one to access the black box and perform testing to determine the malfunction. Ford has been unresponsive to our claim and the service manager where the vehicle is sitting will not touch the truck due to it being a Ford liability. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No, the vehicle just suddenly accelerated when the brake was applied. The airbags deployed when the truck hit the building, the horn went off and wouldn't stop, and the brakes are stuck (unable to apply pressure).
NHTSA complaint #11648946 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2023 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, making a right turn and coming to a stop, the check engine and Forward Collision Avoidance warning light were deactivated, and the traction control warning light and other system failure warning lights were illuminated. The contact attempted to depress the brake pedal; however, the brakes failed to respond as needed. The contact coasted down the street and drifted and parked the vehicle. The contact attempted to accelerate; however, after depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle failed to stop as needed. The contact drifted and stopped and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the electronic brake booster had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer contacted the manufacturer and opened a case. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 22,075.
NHTSA complaint #11648664 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When at a signal light with the brake pushed, we are experiencing an issue where the whole vehicle will unexpectedly lurch forward as if hit from behind after coming to a stop. This could possibly result in the truck hitting the vehicle in front of you if you are in tight traffic. Our local dealer inspected but could not find a solution.
NHTSA complaint #11637973 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact rented a 2024 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the vehicle independently accelerated. The contact stated that the brakes failed to respond as needed. The contact was able to steer the vehicle and ended up in a neighbor's driveway. The contact was then able to shift into the park gear. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact informed the Enterprise Rental Car where the vehicle was rented of the failure. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and filed a complaint. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 25,000.
NHTSA complaint #11631233 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On 14 September, at approximately 11am, I rear ended another vehicle a Honda Pilot. I anticipated the vehicle in front of me pulling out into the intersection and took my eyes off that vehicle to look at vehicles approaching from my left. The vehicle in front of me stopped and I hit them moving less than 10 mph. The airbags didn't deploy and the people in both vehicles were fine. However, my 2022 Ford F-150 Platinum is equipped with emergency braking and pre-collision safety features. They did not engage and I hit the vehicle. People cannot rely on these systems protecting them.
NHTSA complaint #11614593 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the ABS, auto collision, and traction control warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel while depressing the brake pedal. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with a defective electronic brake booster. The vehicle was repaired by the dealer. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V533000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) which the contact linked to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 43,000.
NHTSA complaint #11610853 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Coming off the freeway, heard a loud noise in the rear of my truck. Then it sounded like rocks were getting pulverized. Put the vehicle in park and since we (Me, wife, and two children) were on a decline the brakes did not work and our truck drifted into oncoming traffic. Luckily cars were able to avoid us in time where we pulled off onto the shoulder and engage the parking brake.
NHTSA complaint #11594825 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
If you pull onto a road and try to accelerate, the vehicle is unresponsive. The RPMs will increase, yet the vehicle drive train (10 Speed Transmission) is unresponsive for several seconds. This has been an ongoing issue with the vehicle since new and was first reported to Ford Customer service on Jan 2022. Ford has made several attempts to fix this issue, yet the transmission continues to fail with the same issue. This is a critical safety issue that jeopardizes the passengers in the vehicle. Vehicle parking brake engages without notice. At any given time, the electronic parking brake engages without warning and you have to manually release. While sitting at a controlled intersection, on an inclined street, waiting for traffic light to change, with vehicle in Drive, foot on the brake, the electric parking brake engaged. Vehicle shift lever moved to the park position on its own. Vehicle engages it's parking brake and moves shift lever into Park while sitting in traffic is very dangerous. Vehicle shift column failed in drive and vehicle would not move or run. This caused drive train to lock in place, freezing all four tires. Ford had to drag truck onto flat bed with tires locked. It had to be dragged off flatbed when delivered to Ford dealer for repair. They had to put grease down on the flatbed so truck would slide off without tires rolling. While at the dealership, the mechanic had to manually disconnect the calipers in order to move vehicle. The safety backup features failed and would not release wheels (lever under steering column).
NHTSA complaint #11585878 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving on interstate vehicle lost all braking and steering. Numerous warning lights popped up. I almost was in a very bad accident. I was able to put transmission in manual and gear down and finally got steering back with no power and could maneuver off road. Truck then shut down and would not start again. Called Ford and not very helpful. Contacting attorney for help.
NHTSA complaint #11583230 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving to work a car crossed over two lanes and pulled in front of me, I had to slam on the brakes to avoid a collision. The truck applied the brakes and that was avoided but at that moment my dash lights came on, no ABS, brake light, engine lights, and traction control all lit up. I was near my exit and got off applied the brakes and the pedal went to the floor. Basically no brakes, I was pumping and could hear some type of noise like a hissing or air leak. Because i was going up an incline was able to stop otherwise i would have hit someone. When I stopped could see brake fluid leaking and the truck also made like a pumping noise i believe from the brake system and another hissing sound. Had the truck towed to Ford - They stated a leaking brake line from EBB to the right front caliper. There was no leak until I slammed on the brakes. The truck has 27, 901 miles
NHTSA complaint #11572581 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.