Overview & Reviews

The Ford F-150 is the star of the long-running F-Series line, which stretches back to the post-World War II era, and millions of F-150s have been sold in that time. Originally conceived as a rugged, no-frills workhorse, the Ford F-150 has since morphed into a well-appointed, versatile rig with numerous trim levels that serve a wide range of shoppers, including weekend warriors who need room for the family and the occasional trip to the hardware store.

The full-size pickup segment is so competitive these days that it's hard to pick a clear favorite. But new or used, the F-150 is a great choice, with recent models offering cutting-edge features like turbocharged engines and the MyFord Touch electronics interface. Thanks to the Ford F-150's countless configurations and incredible popularity, you're almost guaranteed to find one that meets your needs.

User Reviews:

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  All 97 5.4 L Knock on cold start up (overbore) - 1997 Ford F-150
  By Jerry Myers - January 20 - 1:21 pm

  Ford discovered a calibration error on the block boring machine that ended up over boring the early 5.4L engines for all of 97 and half of 98. This was discovered (especially up north) when many fleet trucks with this new modular engine began to knock like a rod bearing going out during cold weather start-up after approximately 85,000 miles. After engine warm up or in warm weather (well above freezing temperature) the knock subsides (metals expand in heat). Apparently, according to the tech bulletin issued in late 98-99, the cylinders in the 5.4 Ls were accidentally over bored causing piston slap when cold during startup, and stated it would not harm the engine or interfere with function or performance. After purchasing a 35,000 lariat 4x4, I found the news disappointing at best and little consolation for owners that have to listen to an annoying knock in the engine until warm-up of the engine or warm weather (which ever comes first). Mine has over 160,000 miles as of this note date, and has not burned oil, but simply irritates me that Ford would not do anything about it (expense of putting oversized pistons in these engines to cure the issue). WARNING: AVOID the 5.4L engine in the 97 and most of the 98 Ford vehicles at all cost. Beyond that theyre good engines!

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  Wort Vehicle Ive Ever Owned - 2006 Ford F-150
  By Stewart - December 23 - 8:33 am

  My 2006 FORD F150 4X$ 4.6 motor was probably the best looking land-boat (break out another thousand) that I ever owned. I purchased it as a lease return in 2008 with 26,000 miles on the odometer. Within 30 days the four wheel drive crapped out, costing the dealer $1,800.00 to repair. At another 30 days the instrument cluster dies and I had to wait two months for a new one. Three months later the left front vacuum operated locking hub froze and had to be replaced. Apparently this was a once a year issue for me (owned the truck for 5 years) as water and crud would work its way into the sealed unit. Then both front window regulators starting squealing so bad everytime the window went up or down, that they were replaced. Then the posi rear-end stopped being posi and the clutch disks had to be replaced. Then the real fun started. At about 120K miles the alternator died on the way to work. It was replaced but the the truck would engage in four wheel drive all by itself and the alternator would discharge all the way. Id have to stop the truck and shut everything off. Re-start and then wait (usually within minutes) before the whole sequence would start all over again. Three alternators later.....same thing. Traded it in on a RAM.

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  Disappointed, Nightmare - 2011 Ford F-150
  By Kenneth Crutchfield - December 19 - 3:47 am

  I have a 2011 F-150 3.5 twin turbo Eco Boost, I bought it with 50,000 miles from Bob Maxey Ford dealer in Detroit Michigan in 2013. It cost $29,000 I thought I had something. It road good for the first 6 month. I mad sure I kept my oil change because my brother have the same vehicle and had problems with his Timing chain which was costly. In November of 2015 my Truck stopped and would not run in the middle of Southfield Rd, Southfield MI, so I had it towed to Avis Ford. They wanted $1945.00 to diagnosis the engine because they could not till me what was wrong from the initial survey. I called Ford customer service because my warranty was over after 60,000 mile. I only had a little over 100,000 mile on this Built Ford Tough Truck. Ms. Jane stated that Ford would have nothing to do with the tear down of this truck and they may help me if I took it to a ford dealership. I went to the Veteran Administration for monetary help, and tried to qualify for their trust funds, they recommended several auto shop but I did not qualify. They said that I could afford to pay for my repairs. I has this truck towed to AAMCO They gave me a good price of $2388.00 for labor and parts, there is a Technical Service Bulletin on the Truck TSB1 and TSB2. Ford is very aware of the problems with the Timing Chain on this make an model of this truck. AAMCO repaired the timing chain issue and did a pressure test only to find that the pressure on cylinder 2 3 6 was 65 70 70 and should be 130 in order to be in spec. Now the head has to be sent to a shop for repair and the 4 valves per cylinder replaced. at least another $1500.00. I am hurt. paying on a Ford truck that broken down on me and my 13 year old son and I must still pay the truck note. I am communicating with Ford customer services but will not receive and help because it is not a Ford dealership. I am pissed because Ford Motor Company knows about this timing chain issue, they have a TSB explaining this issue, and this may cost me $4000.00 that I dont have. Built Ford Tough!!!!

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  2005 f150 horrible - 2005 Ford F-150
  By Rich - September 28 - 3:48 pm

  Bought2005 f150 Lariat new in 05. Put 2 engines and 2 transmissions in it by 13k miles then truck caught on fore and burned to ground. Have had many friends with 04 to 08 that have had major engine trouble. Do not buy!!!!

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  2011 ECOJUNK - 2011 Ford F-150
  By John - August 19 - 1:38 pm

  1. Dont buy this truck. 2. The motor has issues and Ford does not know how to fix them. I have had mine in the shop at least 5 times for the same issues since the week I bought it. 3. The gas mileage estimates are not even close. If I drive 65 on a flat highway, I may get 17.5 MPG. On average, my truck gets 14.9 MPG. 4. The suspension is garbage and Ford does not know how to fix it. I was literally given a can of WD40 by the Ford Service Writer as the solution to the constant squeaking. He said just keep spraying the WD40 on the bushings to stop the noise. I sprayed daily for a week and no improvement. My neighbors think I drive a 60 year old truck.

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  I tried but I could not do it... Ford fix the ride - 2015 Ford F-150
  By JoeTX - July 21 - 3:48 pm

  I recently purchased a new truck. To my dismay it was not the F150. As I test drove the other brands (Dodge, Chevy, GMC, Toyota) none of them really spoke to me. I drove an F150 with a bench seat with a straight V6 and was not impressed so the salesman asked me to try out the Lariat. All I had to do was sit in it and I was sold. I am a big guy 350+ lbs and this cabin fit like a glove. It spoke to me like no other. I was super excited and took it for a test drive. I felt the road and the bumps but the salesman told me that it was a stiff suspension because it was new and it was a 4x4. I was super excited to bring my wife with me the next day to take a test drive of the 4x2. I went to the dealer with my checkbook and title to my current truck. I was mentally prepared to pay extra above my target budget to get this truck. We took the V6 turbo 4x2 Lariat for an extended test drive of about 30 min stopping home to show the kids. The entire ride on the highway and on our newly paved side roads I kept asking my wife if she could feel the road and the bumps and the jitter but she said no it was OK. When we got back to the dealership and the salesman was parking the F150 my wife told me the ride sucked, I wasnt crazy, and her back hurt. She didnt want to say anything bad with the salesman in the truck with us. I soon realized my back hurt as well from the bumps and jostling around on smooth roads. I tried and I tried to talk myself and my wife into purchasing the F150 but we couldnt. We just could not spend that kind of $ for a ride this bad. The cost of the F150 is significantly higher locally (TX) than the other brands. We went down the road to our second choice and purchased a truck with the same feature set for less $ but I settled for it. I am happy to have a new truck after 13 years but Im not super excited. I feel I would have been more excited with the F150 if it would have just rode as good as any of the other brands. It wasnt even close. The ride is called out as the biggest con in many reviews. I am not a brand loyalist. I purchase based on features I want that I determine before I go shopping, comfort, and other professional and owner reviews. Over the last 24 years Ive owned a Dodge for 11 years and a Chevy for 13 years. I purchase to get my $ out of the vehicle and I take care of them so they last. I love the look. I love the styling. I love the cabin on the Lariat. I love the 3.5L V6 turbo and the V8. I dislike the price. I hate the ride. The ride is so bad that I could not force myself or talk myself into purchasing the vehicle. If Ford ever fixes the ride I will sell my current truck early and get one. Hopefully, by the time they fix the ride the price will be better too. Ford please fix the ride!!!!

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  Nickle and dimes you to bankruptcy! - 2007 Ford F-150
  By Scott Sells - March 24 - 10:25 pm

  This is probably one of the worst trucks ever made. I cant believe people have honestly rated it this high (I suspect Ford had a hand in this). Luckily I got this used after the spark plug problem. Cam phasers went at about 200kms, $2000+ to fix. $1700+ to replace the garbage driveshaft. Constantly replacing the tie rod ends and ball joints (again poor design by Ford - Not "Ford tough"). The truck is enjoyable to drive, but it is a money pit, and as a Ford lover it is a HUGE let down. It will be a long time before I could ever consider buying a Ford again. They made a garbage truck and refused to stand behind it. Ill be looking for a Toyota or Honda next. Anything but Ford.

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  Hidden Features - 2009 Ford F-150
  By swicky88 - December 20 - 10:22 am

  Do you have a hard time getting your dog to take a bath? Do they run when they hear the bathtub filling up? Well the 2009 F-150 is the truck for you. Just pick a good rainy day to take you pup for a ride, squirt some soap on the roof, and drive into the storm. Your cab transforms into a doggy bath with sprayers installed above the front and rear windshields and back corners of the roof. Open the doors after to drain water. Then crank the heat for a fast dry time.

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  Very Upset With Ford - 2011 Ford F-150
  By montana63 - October 22 - 10:17 pm

  I have an F150 I bought 16 months ago and I loved the truck until the miles til empty start gaining and losing about 50 miles and the fuel gage started moving back and forth, and the information software has been restored then replaced. But the final straw was when I was driving down the road and the truck shut down. As its under warranty, I took it back to Ford and the throttle body was replaced on a truck that is only 16 months old and have less than 20,000 miles on it. I have been a faithful Ford customer for more than 20 years but my faith has been shaken recently. Has anybody else had this problem?

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  2015 f150 Platinum 3.5L, disappointed... - 2015 Ford F-150
  By Dave - October 10 - 10:18 pm

  Owned the 2015 f150 Platinum 3.5L Ecoboost for 9 months/14,000 miles, 3/2016 sold 11/2016. Being 65" could never get comfortable compared to the previous 10 f150s and 2 f250s owned. Lane departure stopped working 2 months into ownership, front rotors have gouges, right side of windshield had a waviness blemish between plys, engine developed an oil seep, seat backs are thin, you can feel all of the controls, wires etc. for the massaging seats in the back and they squeak. Cooled seats stink, heat works well. Drivers seat leather starting to fade and all seats are so slick that all contents end up on floor under moderate braking. AND the aluminum body, forget it, it actually looks like it has dents/ripples all over IMO, creases around door handles, poor fit and finish and the hood actually bounces going down the road due to min stiffeners. Using adaptive cruise control on the highway, around corners, can be tricky if there is slower traffic in the lane next to you, the FLIR sees the traffic as being in your lane and clamps on the brakes, not a warm and fuzzy feeling. Ride is horrible over rough roads and the back end is so light it feels dangerous but man is she quiet inside if the sun roof rails arent squeaking (requires several opens and closes to "reset" it. When standing in the bed you can hear it bend, moan and groan, I am only 215 lbs. MY BAD for dropping 49k on the POS! live and learn. Traded it in for a 2013 f150 5.0. LOVE the 2013... LEDs are way cool though, thats about it... I am in aviation and pay extreme attention to detail and baby all of my vehicles. Again, Im a Ford guy for life and thought "stepping up" to the Platinum I would be ecstatic, boy was I wrong.