THINK TWICE

The brake master cylinder on the 3.5L EcoBoost F-150 can leak brake fluid past its seals into the brake booster, reducing front braking and lengthening stopping distance -- and Ford had to recall the same trucks more than once. Recall 20V332000 first covered 2014-2017 3.5L EcoBoost F-150s; 22V150000 then extended to 2016-2018 3.5L EcoBoost F-150 (plus Expedition and Navigator), and 25V236000 followed for 2017-2018 trucks, so an early repair did not always end the problem. Complaint texts describe a low-brake-fluid warning followed within a short distance by the pedal going soft or sinking and reduced braking. This is a safety recall, not a driveability annoyance.

Check — Run the VIN through Ford / NHTSA recall lookup and confirm every applicable master-cylinder recall (20V332000, 22V150000, 25V236000) shows completed -- and be aware a truck fixed under an early campaign may still fall under a later one. On the test drive check for a firm, high brake pedal, the correct fluid level, and no brake warning lamp.

Harsh, erratic shifting is the defining complaint on the 10R80 ten-speed automatic Ford fitted to the F-150 from the 2017 model year. Owners describe hard or banging up- and downshifts, a hesitation-then-lurch pulling away from a stop or in stop-and-go traffic, delayed engagement, and gear hunting; it is the single largest issue on these trucks, with well over a thousand power-train complaint texts across 2017-2020 and many naming the ten-speed or 10R80 directly. Ford handled the driveability side with powertrain reflashes and valve-body work in service bulletins (TSB 18-2079 for a harsh/delayed-shift code P0711, and TSB 18-2274 for harsh, bumpy up/downshift and engagement concerns on 2.7L, 3.5L, and 5.0L trucks), and issued separate SAFETY recalls on the same transmission: 18V213000, where a missing roll pin can let the truck roll away despite the lever and display showing Park, and 20V197000, where a shift cable locking clip can leave the transmission in a different gear than the one selected. A truck that lurches unexpectedly in traffic or can move when it reads Park is a safety matter, not just a rough-shifting annoyance.

Check — On the test drive make many low-speed shifts -- repeated stops, crawling in traffic, light and hard acceleration -- and feel for banging, lurching, or a long delay before the gear engages; have the transmission codes scanned (for example P0711) and ask whether the latest reflash / valve-body bulletin work was performed. Run the VIN through Ford / NHTSA recall lookup and confirm the ten-speed Park-function and shift-cable recalls (18V213000, 20V197000) show completed, and check that the truck holds firmly in Park on a slope.