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Problems with 2012 Ford F-150 SERVICE BRAKES

On average, the 2012 Ford F-150 starts to “feel” problems with the SERVICE BRAKES and its various aspects after 58 739 miles.

Recently reported SERVICE BRAKES problems on 2012 Ford F-150

After having the brake pads replaced at about 24,000 miles, i was backing up and lost power and almost ran into my neighbors yard. the mechanic is saying its the vacuum assist pump and possibly something else but this problem didn't happen before and only when i start the car and back up

Vacuum assist pump is failing at 33000 miles. this is the second pump that has failed. . pump makes loud noise and vehicle loses braking ability brake pedal requires excessive force to stop vehicle and greatly extends stopping distance.

Brake pedal goes to floor loss of braking right after starting engine and moving vehicle. has happened repeattedly for the past two years.

Started vehicle placed in drive gave a little gas was unable to stop,i was standing on brake pedal but was not stopping until going through the corner post of my garage.

Periodically lose brake power and it sounds/feels like the antilock brakes are kicking in. typically happens immediately after starting and at low speeds (<5mph). brake power is returned if i rev the engine in neutral or park. nearly hit a person in the parking lot and did minor damage to snow fence today when backing up and could not stop in time.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford f-150. when the vehicle was started, the brake pedal was depressed but failed to respond. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the vacuum pump and wiring harness needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 67,000.

Brakes don't engage after sitting, vaccum pump to booster is not working properly.

At cold startup, the electric vacuum pump fails due to corrosion and the brakes do not work at all. the truck will not stop regardless of how much pressure is applied to the pedal during the first 2 minutes of startup time. this happens every time the vehicle is started after not running for more than 5 hours. i have nearly hit pets, kids, pedestrians, and mailboxes because of this. parking attendants driving my vehicle have hit other vehicles because of this. this happens when the vehicle is first started, and immediately put into gear, it begins to move with no ability to use the brakes.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford f-150. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 mph, the brake pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to stop. the contact veered to the right to avoid crashing into the vehicle in front and crashed into a tree. the air bags failed to deploy. the contact sustained unknown medical injuries that required medical attention. a police report was filed. the vehicle was towed to a dealer for diagnostic testing. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 39,000.

When i started the car in the driveway and tried to move it 20 feet away from my garage, the brakes would not immediatly work and i came within 2 feet from hitting another car. i took the vehicle into the ford dealership and they informed me that i had a brake vacuum pump failure and i had to pay $900 to have it fixed. if there were a child walking in front of my vehicle, i would have not been able to stop.

I have had continuous problems with braking after cold start when backing or driving forward out of my driveway. replaced vacuum pump as this is a documented problem and after only a few days the problem resumed. this has been happening for several months. my truck is currently at my mechanic for further evaluation and potential repair. this is a serious safety concern and also costing me alot of money in repairs! i have not experienced any issues when driving on the roadway, however, i do not transport my family in the truck due to this issue.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford f-150. while driving at 5 mph, the brake pedal was depressed and failed to respond. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 80,200.

2012 ford f-150 ecoboost came off warranty in april, on july 2nd i started the truck, put it in gear (drive), and had no brakes. there was a grinding noise as if the abs was trying to engage. i had to practically stand on the brake pedal to stop the truck and put it back in park. pumped the brakes a few times and tried it again same thing. i shut off the engine, turned it back on, and let it warm up a few minutes. now it was ok. from then on when the truck started cold it has done this on a regular basis. good thing i found this before i reached any speed, and while there was no cargo in the bed to add inertia. i did some research and reported to ford that the brake vacuum assist pump was likely corroded, and that this was a known issue on 2011-2013 f-150 ecoboost models. they needed a ford technician to make the diagnosis, which i was charged $100 for (to determine that i was right). they also reported a bad fuse for the pump. i am hoping nobody is trying to say that with a bad fuse these pumps will disintegrate in three weeks of summer weather? let's be honest- the bad pump took out the fuse, if the fuse was blown. they estimate a ~$900 repair. i opened a ticket with ford motor company because this event exactly matches nhtsa preliminary investigation item pe15026. people with these trucks or anyone around them could get seriously hurt if the driver cannot react quickly or panics when this part fails, and it is a poorly designed part. apparently this part was re-engineered for 2014 and later models. at the time of this writing i am hoping i can get some help from ford. i am a long time customer and have had no prior issue with the dealership or their service department. this is a manufacturing quality issue, pure and simple. i just wanted to report in order to make sure that this case was included with the others related to pe15026... updated 09/30/15*bf

Truck has no power brakes when first started.

When vehicle is started with a foot on the brake, and then put into gear, the brake pedal depresses completely and the abs system then kicks in to assist in stopping. the result was that there was a defect in the brake system's vacuum pump, which also blew the fuse for it. under my extended warranty, the dealer replaced the vacuum pump, although not the fuse which caused a subsequent trip to the dealership as the problem did not seem to have been resolved.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford f-150. while driving approximately 40 mph, the brake pedal was depressed and traveled to the floorboard without warning. the vehicle failed to slow down and crashed into the rear of the preceding vehicle. the abs activated even though the road surface was dry. the vehicle resumed normal operation, but the brake warning indicator was illuminated. there were no injuries. the front bumper sustained minor damage. a police report was not filed. on five separate occasions, the failure recurred. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failures. the approximate failure mileage was 75,000.

I have been hearing a loud noise behind my headlight on the drivers side for quite some time now. a few months back, my brakes didn't seem to work correctly and i rear ended someone. i am going through brake pads like crazy on my truck and my brakes still don't seem to work correctly. i was doing research and found out about the vacuum brake assist behind the driver side headlight. that's what's making that noise inder my hood & has got to be the problem for the loss of my brakes. if my brakes worked correctly i would have never rear ended car in front of me. i knew something was wrong at that point. & now i know the exact cause. but with everyone having this issue with the 2011-2012s, i think this is something that should be a recall. ford should be the one paying for the wreck i got into since it's a common problem that's happening. hopefully we could come to a conclusion before someone gets killed! i do have an accident report if you need more information from it.

Electric vacuum pump fails and you loose your power brakes. brake petal gets very hard with little or no braking power to stop. 2012 was the last year to use electric vacuum pump to supply power brakes and then was replaced in 2013 with a belt driven vacuum pump. this is a common failure in the f-150 from 2012 and prior year mdls.

I also have experienced the brake pedal going to the floor and not having any brakes when applied. the dealer replaced several parts to no avail. the first time it happened i was getting off the interstate highway and the brakes went all the way to the floor and i went straight through the stop sign at the end of the ramp. i believe the problem has been resolved but i am still very careful. i would love to find the exact problem.

After starting the truck the brake pedal was very hard like there was no power assist. it only happened periodically and i assumed my brakes were getting old. brakes were replaced and the problem still existed at times. it is now happening more often. just found out about the electric vacuum pump investigation and it sounds like exactly what is happening. have not had it checked out professionally. i looked at it and it appears there is corrosion happening inside the plastic body. dates and mileage noted approximate as i did not document it.

No braking while backing out of garage. heard abs motor engage while pushing on brake pedal. took three 'pumps' on pedal for normal braking to return. took vehicle to ford dealer and they replaced brake vacuum pump assembly under warranty. problem has returned as of 06-24-2015.

Occasionally, upon initial startup of vehicle, the power brakes would fail to engage, resulting in extreme force being necessary on brake pedal to slowly bring vehicle to a stop over several feet. this has resulted in near - hits of other vehicles in the driveway, basketball pole, camper, and house. fortunately no impacts were recorded, but a major risk nonetheless. this phenomenon did not happen while driving, and did not happen 100% of the time during startups, but when it did it had the potential to be a major hazard.

During first startup of the day, the electric vacuum pump makes a terrible noise for approx. 10 seconds as it builds up assist vacuum pressure. the brake pedal becomes hard as a stone with no vacuum assist. this is due to a faulty design with the pump assy. it becomes corroded internally and externally, and the piston inside the cheap housing becomes corroded and the pump will eventually seize. this is definitely a dangerous issue. if the pump seizes, there is not enough vacuum assist coming from the engine to provide enough vacuum pressure to the brake boost system and the pedal becomes hard as a rock to press. this happens every day during first startup in the morning, and start up in the afternoon when the vehicle sits for a long period of time and vacuum pressure depletes. *tr

Auxiliary pump for power brakes boost noisy/failure

Started truck and pulled away, pressed the brake pedal to stop and no brakes. as truck runs a few minutes the brakes start working. failed 2 days now. ford wants about $600 for replacement of vacuum pump. should be recalled for safety. *tr

The below problem has repeated itself more than 20 times since the first incident. when parked overnight or over a long period of time, upon starting and operating the truck - either reverse or drive - the brakes fail to engage the first one or two times. had to either hit the brakes very hard or i had to revert the truck to p(parking) position. this just about works to bring the truck to a halt, but even this failed a couple of times when d(driving forward). thankfully, no one was around for 10 meters. this has led me to only starting the vehicle when there is no person/object either in front or the rear. it is high-risk each time given the damage the truck can do if it collides into something. it is not readily reproducible as it works fine thereafter and hence could not prove it exists to ford technicians. reported it first to ford along with an e-brake issue on 02/12/2015. they replaced the e-brake but brushed off this issue saying it could be rust and it's normal on vehicles parked for long. however the frequency has increased of late and i see quite a few ford owners having the same issue on ford forums. the possible issues could be the vacuum pump failing, but ford technicians claim to have never heard of this problem. really at a loss and hope ford sends out a bulletin to fix this asap. this is not a joke. it's life threatening and could cause real damage very soon.

Braking fails sporadically when starting forward or reverse. unable to stop. once moving problem appears to go away. identical to descriptions given in other 2012 recall on brake failure. vehicle has 31k miles, and problem has existed since around 24k miles. becoming more frequent.

Each morning, when i pull the truck out of the garage, the brakes sometimes do not work. sometimes, it is very difficult to stop the truck. i heard it might be a vacuum issue, but it happens all the time, summer winter, etc. truck was stationary to begin with. the brakes sometimes make a loud noise, as well. it's happened ever since i bought it, last year.

Below is the email i sent to ford, please help me. i have just bought a 2012 f150 ecoboost and have had a issue with the breaks when in reverse, i almost crashed with my 3 year old son in the car the first time this happened, a quick google search showed that this is a common issue, a issue i am sure you have heard of, i am an iraq war vet who could have been killed along with my 3 year old son because of this defect, i demand answers this is a serious safety defect and i am putting you on notice no denying you knew about this when someone is killed. here is a link documenting this issue http://www.f150online.com/forums/2009-2014-f-150/500762-ecoboost-no-brakes-first-thing-morning-here-s- i have taken it to the shop repair bill of $890 this is why ford is not recalling it, although they changed the part in model year 2014. *tr

Loss of brake pedal when parked at cold start. able to eventually pump brake pedal to achieve vehicle braking. problem occurs intermittently. reported to dealer on 10/28/2014 but no problem found. reported to dealer again on 8/19/2015 for further investigation.

The vacuum pump on my ecoboost truck needs to be replaced. when i start my car every once and while the brakes are super stiff and it has trouble stopping the car for a few seconds. after driving for a bit the brakes are fine. this seems to be a common issue with the 2011/2012 ecoboosts. *tr

Ford motor company brake issue: ford motor company has had an ongoing issue with their rotors and brake pads on several popular vehicles for several years. the rotors prematurely wear and warp causing a reduction is braking power and an increase in braking distance, thus creating an unsafe, hazardous, and potentially deadly condition. the failure of the rotors, due in part to sub-par material and craftsmanship, causes excessive and premature wear/failure of the brake pads. ford motor company is aware of this issue and has subsequently labeled the brake pads as a "wear item" not covered under warranty. with under 11,000 miles on my 2012 f-150, which i purchased brand new, i noticed a pulsation in the brake pedal and scheduled a service check with at the place of purchase. autonation ford in north canton, ohio advised that they "found front rotors corroded and pitted. also found rear rotors in same condition. rear pads were at 2mm. turned front and rear rotors and replaced rear pads." ford refused to reimburse the replacement cost of the dangerously thin rear pads, claiming they are a "wear item", when in fact the pads were worn at an accelerated rate to that level because of the faulty rotors. ford motor company has a faulty and dangerous product on their vehicles that needs to be recalled and replaced before it results in injury or death. *js

I am writing to complain about the failure of the vacuum pump on our 2012 ford f150 with ecoboost. once the vehicle had been driven around 33,000 miles, we began to notice some issues with the brakes immediately following startup: the brake pedal was difficult to press and unless pumped several times before moving, the brakes would not fully engage. this in other words, the vehicle could not be brought to a complete stop in a normal or safe amount of distance. we informed the technicians at our local ford dealer of this issue while having the annual inspection completed. ultimately, they found the vacuum pump to be completely inoperable and it had to be replaced. fortunately, no accident occurred before we had this part replaced, but the potential was significant. ford should take some action to prevent any possible crashes that may happen as a result of the early malfunction of this component. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford f-150. while driving 5 mph, the eco boost braking system failed. the contact was able to engage the eco braking system once the vehicle was driven for awhile. the failure occurred multiple times. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 5,874.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford f-150. the contact stated that while reversing at approximately 5 mph, the brakes became hard and failed to respond, causing the contact to crash into a tree. a police report was not filed. there were no injuries reported. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure and current mileage was 41,000.

After the vehicle is started and placed in gear, there are times when no power brakes are available and the vehicle is difficult to stop when it is only rolling at a few miles per hour (less than 5mph). you have to stand on the brakes to stop the vehicle, and if i'm towing a load when this happens it's a very scary event because the vehicle doesn't stop when you need it to stop. when pulling out of a parking position in a parking lot, i've come close to hitting a parked vehicle when my vehicle wouldn't stop as you would expect it to. i had my vehicle into the ford dealership today to have this vacuum brake pump replaced to correct this problem, a problem that they know that exists and that is a safety issue, and i was told that the part will not be available until halloween timeframe.... a 3.5 month back order. this is the most popular selling vehicle in north america, and if this is happening to only a small percentage of ford f150 ecoboost's, it's only a matter of time before an individual is seriously injured or killed from this vacuum brake pump failure on this vehicle equipped with the ecoboost engine. *tr

On 27 december 2013, i returned home from work sometime between 5-6pm. i parked the vehicle in the driveway just as i had every day since i have owned the vehicle. i put the vehicle in park, and exited the vehicle and walked to the passenger side to retrieve bags that i had to take into the house. i opened the passenger side door, took out the bags, closed the door, and pressed the lock button on the key fob as i walked into my house. i remember it was a windy day and as i recently researched, gusts were up to 27 miles per hour during the time in question. approximately 45 minutes after i went into the house, the neighbor was at the door and told me that my truck had rolled down the hill. in panic and disbelief i ran outside to see that my truck had rolled down my driveway, but since the wheels were slightly turned, it stopped in my yard after running into the mailbox. i quickly ran down to the vehicle and tried to open the door but it was locked. i put in the code and unlocked the truck. i then ran into the house to get the keys. i had not brought them out the first time i ran out. when i got back in the car, i noticed that the gear selector in the dashboard did not have the orange line it usually does when in park. it looked like a smaller line, almost as if it was somehow between park and reverse. when i assessed the damages the truck ran into the mailbox and busted the driver's side tail light. t the next day, i took the truck to the dealership. they said they could not find anything wrong with the vehicle, and stated that they would not pay for the vehicle damage even though it was still under factory warranty. they suggested a file a claim with my insurance. i filed a claim with ford, but they stated that my information did not substantiate my claim of a manufacturing or design defect. *tr

When backing out of driveway at approx. 5mph, the power brakes become spongy and can be pushed all the way to the floor. the vehicle fails to stop and the brakes must be pumped several times before they work. this only occurs at initial startup (first use of the brakes) that day. this happens almost daily during warm/hot weather months. the problem has existed since the vehicle was purchased and i have taken it to the dealership 2-3 times regarding this issue. however, they could not duplicate problem or determine the cause. it's been happening for the past 3-4 years and it's only a matter of time before i don't stop in time and backup into my neighbors car across the street. i have the 2012 ford f150 w/ eco boost six-cylinder engine and find similar complaints on the internet regarding this truck. a recall for similar brake problems was issued on 2013-2014 year models but not 2012. my truck is not used daily and has about 30,000 miles on it.

I purchased this vehicle for my son in december 2012. we took a trip to alabama on the saturday following the purchase. the truck had problems stalling, misfiriing, and not braking immediately. we have taken the truck to the ford dealership for repairs approximately 15 to 20 times. it is in the shop again today for the misfiring/stalling. the service writer told my son that his vehicle has only been the shop twice for the same problem. we still have all the service paperwork to dispel that remark, this vehicle has approximately 24,000 miles on it. the factory warranty expires in december and has still not been fixed. it does not just stall in rainy or very humid conditions as stated by ford in their response to the nhtsa investigation. they have replaced spark plugs twice, updated software, put a heat shield in front of the inter-cooler. none of these things have worked. the shield in front of the inter-cooler defeats the purpose of the inter-cooler by not allowing it to cool as intended. it raises the temperature in the intercooler in an attempt to produce less condensation. my son believes the inter-cooler has a design flaw. he thinks that the air return from the inter-cooler to the engine being on the bottom allows more condensation to be sucked back into the engine. if it were on the top, more of the condensation would stay in the bottom and not returned back to the engine. there is an after market fix for this problem but it is expensive and i believe ford motor company does not want to spend the kind of money that it will take to fix this problem correctly. this vehicle should be able to operate efficiently under any conditions. if it does not, it is flawed. i will probably have to purchase the replacement inter-cooler out of my own pocket. i've included all this information in the event that it helps others with the same problem.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford f-150. while driving under 30 mph, the traction control warning indicator illuminated and the vehicle decelerated without being prompted. the brakes engaged and the failure recurred numerous times. the vehicle was taken to a dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage was 52,000. updated 11/01/16*lj the consumer stated the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. *js

Check brake system warning appeared on dash display. no problem found with brakes. turning off the ignition for a time seems to return things to normal until the next episode which has happened many times . two dealerships have not found the problem. outside ambient temperature seems to play a part since no problem in winter. this is not an isolated issue since a search of the internet confirms other owners have the problem. i have become inclined to ignore the warning but worry that there may be one time when there is a true problem that if ignored may jeopardize the safety of my vehicle and passengers. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford f-150. while driving various speeds and making a left or right turn, the traction control system warning indicator illuminated. when the brakes were engaged by the system, the vehicle's speed was severely reduced and almost caused several crashes. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where a recording device was attached, indicating that the contact depressed the brake pedal when, in fact, he did not. the brakes and several parts were replaced by the dealer, but the cause of the failure could not be diagnosed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified. the approximate failure mileage was 5,000.

Brakes engaged partly when i was going down the road without stepping on the brake. this has happened several times. dealer turned rotaries but did not solve problem. this truck had less than 10,000 miles when this problem was occurring. i have taken the truck to two different dealerships, but ford has not corrected the problem yet. the reason i bought the ford was to respect the workers who did not take the government bailout and to get better gas mileage. i feel this is a safety issue. *tr

Driving at 70 mph and tried to push the brake pedal to take vehicle off cruise control. the brake pedal was so firm that i couldn't push it, almost like the brakes were frozen. very scary situation on snowy roads and 70 mph. the problem occurred several times when it was cold. since then the brake vacuum booster has been replaced but the problem has gotten worse. now when i start the vehicle, i have to wait several seconds for vacuum to build up before the pedal softens up. the brake vacuum pump behind the drivers side headlamp has been replaced twice and problem still exist.

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