2008 Ford F-150

STARTED SHAKING AND SPUTTERING IN REVERSE AT LOW RPM. TWO TRANSMISSION SHOPS SAID IT WAS THE REVERSE BAND IN TRANSMISSION AND NEEDED REBUILD. HAD TRANS REBUILT (AT COST OF 2390.00). AFTER REBUILD, MECHANIC WAS DRIVING AND IT STILL HAD PROBLEM. AFTER RESEARCHING, HE THINKS IT IS THE CAM PHASERS CAUSING PROBLEM. HE HAD REPLACED MY PLUGS BEFORE TRANSMISSION WORK TO RULE THAT OUT (ALL 8 OF THE PLUGS BROKE WHILE TAKING THEM OUT, HE HAD NEVER SEEN ALL BREAK ON A F150 BEFORE). THIS ENGINE/TRANSMISSION IS A BAD DESIGN ALL AROUND AND FORD NEEDS TO STEP UP, ADMIT IT AND FIX AND OR REIMBURSE CUSTOMERS FOR REPAIRS. YOU CAN SPEND THOUSANDS CHASING PROBLEMS IN THIS POWER TRAIN! EVEN THOUGH THE TRANSMISSION REBUILD DID NOT FIX THE INITIAL PROBLEM, THE REAR BAND WAS WORN, AND THE PLATE IN THE TRANSMISSION HAD A SMALL DENT AND HAIR LINE CRACKS, SO IT WAS GOING TO FAIL EVENTUALLY! THE TRANSMISSION SHOP SAID THIS IS COMMON IN THESE. I WANT SOMETHING DONE! *TR

PURCHASED USED 2008 FORD F-150 5.4L V8 GASOLINE TRUCK A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. LAST YEAR THE TRUCK STARTED TO SOUND LIKE A DIESEL ONCE THE ENGINE WARMED UP. THE CAM PHASER SENSORS WERE REPLACED. THIS DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. NEXT WE WILL HAVE A CAM PHASER LOCK OUT SYSTEM INSTALLED. THE MECHANIC SAYS THAT 50% OF THE TIME IT FIXES THE PROBLEM BUT THE OTHER 50% REQUIRES A BRAND NEW ENGINE. ALSO, KEYSTONE IS THE ONLY ENGINE THAT MY MECHANIC WILL USE FOR THE REPLACEMENT DUE TO THE ORIGINAL MANUFACTURER HAVING THIS PROBLEM WITH 2004 TO 2008 MODEL YEARS. ALL SEARCHES ONLINE AND DISCUSSIONS WITH VARIOUS PEOPLE (FRIENDS, FAMILY, FORD DEALERSHIP MECHANICS, PUBLIC FORUMS) HAVE FOUND THIS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM THAT CAN COST UP $7,000 TO FIX YET FORD HAS NOT RECALLED THE ENGINE OR OFFERED TO MODIFY THE ENGINE BY INSTALLING THE LOCK OUT KIT. NOW THE TRUCK HASN'T BEEN DRIVEN MORE THAN A COUPLE OF MILES IN THE LAST YEAR SO THE ENGINE IS NOT DESTROYED. THE MOST COMMON COURSE OF THE BREAK DOWN IN THE ENGINE IS AS FOLLOWS: CAM SENSOR FAIL, CAM PHASERS BREAK IF NOT LOCKED OUT, FRAGMENTS OF THE PHASER GETS INTO THE OIL CAUSING THE ENGINE TO BE DESTROYED. *TR

I HAVE A 2008 FORD F-150 KING RANCH WITH A 5.4 L ENGINE. EXHAUST STUDS HAVE SNAPPED OFF CAUSING A LEAK FROM THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD AND CARBON MONOXIDE FILLS THE CAB OF THIS VEHICLE SETTING AT IDLE. FORD HAS A PROBLEM WITH THIS ENGINE FOR USING A NON CONFORMING GRADE OF STUD. ACCORDING TO FORUMS THAT I HAVE RESEARCHED SHOWED THAT FORD HAS CHANGED THE STUDS. THEY ARE NOW USING STAINLESS STEEL STUDS. IS THERE A POSSIBILITY OF A RECALL ON THIS VEHICLES ENGINE FOR A REPAIR TO CHANGE ALL STUDS TO STAINLESS STEEL. I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE USED AND NOTICED THE PROBLEM AFTER THE 30 DAY WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED. BUYER BEWARE! PROTECT YOUR FAMILY FROM THIS PROBLEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD F-350. THE CONTACT STATED WAS DRIVING 35 MPH AND NOTICED THAT THE ENGINE RPMS INCREASED AS SMOKE BILLOWED FROM THE EXHAUST. AFTER THE CONTACT ALLOWED THE VEHICLE TO COOL DOWN, IT WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE SEALS WERE LEAKING TO THE BEARINGS AND THE TURBO OF THE EMISSIONS SYSTEM HAD FAILED. THE MANUFACTURE WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 34,000.

MY SON WAS HAVING TROUBLE WITH ENGINE BEING SLUGGISH FOR A WEEK OR SO AND TRIED TO PASS SOMEONE AND ENGINE CUT OUT AND HE WAS ALMOST RAN OVER BY ONCOMING TRAFFIC. WE TOOK TO FORD DEALER AND THEY HAD A BULLETIN FROM FORD ABOUT FAULTY ENGINES IN 2008 F 150'S AND SAID FORD WOULD REPLACE THE ENGINE. THEY CALLED BACK NOW AND SAID THEY FOUND SOME SLUDGE IN BOTTOM OF ENGINE WHICH ONLY HAS 41,000 MILES ON IT AND SAID FORD WILL NOT COVER IT. THIS IS A FORD DEFAULT AND THEIR LIABILITY. READY TO JOIN THE CLASS ACTION AGAINST THEM ON THIS ISSUE. *TR

THE TRUCK STEERING COLUMN WAS HARD TO TURN. CLUNKING AND STICKING POINTS WERE NOTED DURING TURNING.FOUND LOWER STEERING SHAFT U-JOINT IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT SEIZED. THIS COINCIDES WITH LATEST FORD RECALL FOR 2005 - 2011 FORD CARS. THIS WAS DIAGNOSED AS "FROZEN" BY FORD AND REPLACED ON 06/17/13. THIS RECALL SHOULD BE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE FORD F-150 SERIES TRUCKS. THE REPAIR COST $460.00. I THOUGHT THIS SHOULD HAVE NOT HAPPEN BEING ONLY 5 YEARS OLD. ANOTHER ISSUE WITH TRUCK WAS A SPLIT IN THE RADIATOR (MAIN CORE.) WHILE DRIVING , MY FAMILY NOTICED THE SMELL OF GLYCOL. THE RADIATOR WAS LEAKING (STREAMING)IN THE MIDDLE OF RADIATOR CORE. FORD REPLACED THE RADIATOR AT A COST OF $820.83 ON 08/05/13. THERE WAS NO IMPACT DAMAGE TO RADIATOR. IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS LEAKING. *JS

THE #3 PASSENGER SIDE ENGINE SPARK PLUG WAS BLOWN COMPLETELY OUT OF THE ENGINE HEAD. THE BLOW-OUT STRIPED ALL THE THREADS FROM THE ENGINE HEAD. THIS DAMAGE CAUSED THE SPARK PLUG HOLE TO BE UNUSABLE. REINSTALLATION OF THE SPARK PLUG WAS NOT POSSIBLE. THE SPARK PLUG BLOWING OUT ALSO CAUSED THE COIL TO BE BROKEN LEAVING THE COIL LAYING ON THE ENGINE STILL ACTIVE WITH HIGH VOLTAGE ARCHING ACROSS THE SURFACE OF THE ENGINE POTENTIALLY CAUSING A FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THIS INCIDENT HAS NOT BEEN UNCOMMON TO FORD ALUMINUM HEAD ENGINES AND IS A PROBLEM FORD REFUSES TO ADDRESS. THE COST TO CONSUMERS IS IN THE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO REPAIR THIS DEFECT IN THE ENGINE HEAD. CONSUMERS ARE BEING FORCED TO REPLACE THE HEAD OR REPLACE THE ENTIRE ENGINE DUE TO THIS DEFECT. A QUICK INTERNET RESEARCH INTO THIS ANOMALY WILL REVEAL MILLIONS OF CONSUMERS WHO HAVE VICTIMIZED BY THIS DEFECT. FORD SERVICE FACILITIES ARE MAKING MILLIONS IF NOT BILLIONS OF DOLLARS AFTER THE SALE OF THE VEHICLE AS A DIRECT CONSEQUENCE OF THIS UNREVEALED DEFECT. THIS IS NOTHING LESS THAN A CASE OF DOING BUSINESS IN BAD FAITH AND SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BY THE NHTSA. *TR

MY 16 YEAR OLD SON WAS DRIVING OUR TRUCK AND THE ENGINE STARTED TO KNOCK AND THEN PROCEEDED TO DIE. IT STARTED BACK UP BUT IT WILL DIE WHEN YOU START TO SLOW DOWN FOR AN INTERSECTION OR TO PARK. OUR TRUCK IS ONLY 5 YEARS OLD, ONLY HAS 121,000 MILES, AND HAS HAD ITS OIL CHANGES REGULARLY. THERE IS NO REASON WE SHOULD BE HAVING A PROBLEM LIKE THIS WITH THE TRUCK. WHEN I TALKED TO OUR LOCAL AUTO MECHANIC HE INFORMED ME THAT HE HAS REPLACED THE CAM PHASERS IN 7 F-150'S IN THE PAST MONTH. THIS SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM THAT SHOULD BE LOOKED AT BY FORD. THE REPAIR IS NOT CHEAP AND I BELIEVE FORD HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO LOOK INTO THIS CONSIDERING THE DANGER OF THE VEHICLE DYING WHENEVER IT WANTS WITH NO WARNING. I THOUGHT I WAS GIVING MY SON A RELIABLE TRUCK TO DRIVE BUT AS IT TURNS OUT HE CANNOT DRIVE IT BECAUSE I FEEL IT IS TO DANGEROUS FOR HIM WITH THE ENGINE DYING. *TR