F150 Recall Fears Rising Over Dangerous Speed Defect

Quick - what is the best selling motor vehicle the US has ever had? Quick - what is the best selling Ford there ever has been? The answer is the same - the Ford F Series truck line, with over 34,000,000 built since 1948 and easily way ahead of whatever is in second place.

But the winner of the race may have hit a speed bump with federal safety investigators, who have received so many owner complaints that they have opened an investigation into highway sharp loss of speed dangers in the 2011 Ford F150 and the 2012 Ford F150 and the 2013 Ford F150 model trucks.

There's a growing fear being reported that Blue Oval management smells a huge recall coming from a ongoing federal safety investigation. The investigation involves some 400,000 Ford F150 trucks that are the subject loss of acceleration complaints. But it may not stop there. A power unit that is the focus of the investigation is also used in the Ford Explorer, the Ford Flex and the Ford Taurus.

If a recall hits, it may involve the Ford truck line as well as the Ford SUV models and Ford sedans. The numbers could easily become huge.

Owners are filing Lemon Law and warranty breach cases against Ford over the 3.5 liter V-6 EcoBoost engine and claim that it has defects that cause the vehicles to shake, the engine to misfire and the vehicle to rapidly lose power. When that happens on any road, it can be dangerous, but especially so at highway speeds.

If you think your Ford F150 is a lemon, click here to call or email us for free help to get rid of your lemon and get your money back or a new truck in Ohio, Kentucky and Hawaii.

NHTSA has reported that the problem involves reduced engine power during hard accelerations in model year 2011 through 2013 Ford F150 trucks equipped with 3.5L gasoline turbocharged direct injection (GTDI) engines.

Ford has issued three technical service bulletins related to intermittent stumble/misfire on acceleration from highway cruise in humid or damp conditions in some model year 2011 and 2012 F150 vehicles equipped with 3.5L GTDI engines. The most recent bulletin, TSB 13-3-3, includes instructions to Ford dealers on new procedures for diagnosing a condition related to moisture accumulation in the Charge Air Cooler during extended highway cruising at constant throttle in humid or damp conditions; and attempting a repair of the condition by reprogramming the powertrain control module and installing a new Charge Air Cooler and air deflector plate.

Will this latest procedure work to fix the continuing engine problems in the Ford F150? Only time will tell, but this isn't the only problem the Ford F150 has seen lately. 

The 2012 Ford F150, for instance, has been the subject of at least ten secret warranty campaigns, called "service bulletins" and several involve the same symptoms involved in the NHTSA safety investigation - loss of engine power.

The Preliminary Evaluation may be the last chance Ford has of heading off a recall before the investigation is handed off to federal safety engineers at NHTSA, the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, the federal safety agency in charge of motor vehicle recalls in the United States.

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If you've got a 2011 Ford F150, a 2012 Ford F150, or a 2013 Ford F150, be careful. Drive defensively and stay alert for any sign of engine power loss, especially during highway use. At the first sign of trouble, slow down and stop as soon as possible and call your nearest Ford dealer.

This can be a dangerous and deadly defect if it happens to you. So caution may dictate having your Ford F150 truck towed to the nearest Ford dealer for another repair attempt. And keep in mind the lemon law definitions in your state. You don't have to give the Ford dealer more than 4 attempts to fix the engine stumble problem in any state, only 1 one chance in Ohio and many other "deadly defect" states, and most often 3 chances in other states.

If you live in Ohio, take the Ohio Lemon Law Test by clicking here.

If you live in Kentucky, take the Kentucky Lemon Law Test by clicking here.

If you live in Hawaii, take the Hawaii Lemon Law Test by clicking here.

To learn more about the lemon law test in all 50 US states, click here.

Does a lit up air bag warning light mean anything? Well, it probably does if you're driving a BMW.

BMW has long been a brand that tried to communicate key concepts to its customers. Excellence, engineering quality, sporty --- these are just a few. And then there's safety. That's where the vehicle air bag system comes in.

Federal safety investigators have opened a "preliminary evaluation" investigation into several BMW models due to front passenger air bag malfunctions. The suspect models include the 2005 and 2006 5 Series, 2005 525I, 530I, 545I, 745I, 745LI, 760I, 760LI, and the X3, along with the 2006 & Series and 750LI.

Apparently some air bag malfunction renders the air bag inoperative. About 66,000 vehicles are being involved in the safety investigation.

A Preliminary Evaluation is the initial phase of a NHTSA safety or defect investigation and is almost always the result of numerous consumer complaints or manufacturer service bulletins that suggest a safety defect may exist. A service bulletin is often the formal notice a vehicle manufacturer sends to its dealers, telling them that they have found something going wrong in their cars and what the dealer should do about it.

The results of a PE determine whether the investigation will be upgraded to an Engineering Analysis or closed. The Engineering Analysis is the next step on the road to a recall. Most PEs are resolved within four months, but not always.

BMW has issued at least one technical service bulletin for the affected vehicles that related to improper illumination of the air bag warning light and the passenger air bag status lamp.

If your vehicle's air bag warning light is lit up, call your dealer right away. And don't take "could not duplicate" for an answer either. Air bag systems are mandatory in new cars sold in the US and there's a good reason for it. Make sure your's works right. It can be a deadly defect if your air bag system doesn't work just when you need it. And in Ohio, like many states, the manufacturer only gets one chance to fix a deadly defect. After that, your car's a lemon.

That means you complain once and if the dealer doesn't get it fixed on the first attempt, you've got a lemon and you may be entitled to a free new car or your money back. Your choice.

If you've got a lemon, don't go it alone. Call us, 888.331.6422 Toll Free from anywhere. Or email us today.

Making manufacturers take back badly built cars and trucks --- that's what we do every day.