Agency’s Inquiry Covers 400,000 Ford Pickups

[alp227]

Source: NY Times

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Sunday that it was investigating consumer complaints about “sharp reductions” in acceleration on 2011 to 2013 Ford F-150 pickups that are equipped with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 engine.

The action — called a preliminary evaluation — covers about 400,000 of the F-150 pickups, one of Ford’s most important and popular models, according to a report the agency posted on its Web site on Sunday.

The safety agency said that it had received 95 complaints from owners saying that the pickup sometimes lost power when trying to pass other vehicles. About one-third of those filing a complaint said the problem occurred in damp or rainy conditions.

The EcoBoost is a family of engines the come in different sizes. Ford has widely boasted of the EcoBoost’s turbocharging and direct-injection technology as providing excellent power and fuel economy.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/27/business/agencys-inquiry-covers-400000-ford-pickups.html

[Xipe Totec]

1. How fast were they going when trying to pass?

Is it outside the calibration parameters?

[KentuckyWoman]

2. My brother's whine about this often.

Traction and drive by wire stops the truck from accelerating too fast and losing stability in wet conditions. Can't gun it and spin the tires like we did in the olden days.

My guess is the 95 out of 400,000 truck owners who complained to the NHTSA experienced a vehicle that did what is it supposed to do...... protect the driver from themselves.

[Augiedog]

3. Yer wrong guys

This happened to my 2012 f150 Eco-boost while hauling a 3600 lbs trailor while accelerating to go up a hill in Maine, yes in the rain. Scared the heck out of me when the engine staggered the way it did. When I told my ford tech about it he said it was bad gas. Come to find out it may be the inter cooler. This is no joke and now that the Feds are involved i will add my name to that list. This is a great truck with a problem that needs to be addressed, not the end of the world or drivers not knowing how to drive.