2015 Ford F-150 Brakes Problems

I purchased my 2015 Ford F150 January 2020. I’ve had several issues with the brakes, calipers & rotors. From Sept 2022 my truck has been in the shop for these issues 6 times & it’s now doing the same thing. I’m [XXX] & have never had so many of the same issues with one vehicle. There has to be something causing this. Please tell me what I can do to keep from spending so much time & money on this. I greatly appreciate it. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11754783

Incident

Sep 16, 2022

The vehicle has a documented, active transmission failure code P0720 relating to Recall 26S28 (NHTSA Campaign 26V237). Per pages 3 and 4 of Ford's official Part 573 Safety Recall Report, dealers are explicitly required to bypass the software wait and replace the physical lead frame hardware if a vehicle exhibits this code prior to the software's release. The local franchise dealership (McCombs Ford West in San Antonio, TX) and Ford Corporate Customer Relations are both actively refusing to honor this hardware safety remedy directive, forcing the vehicle to be grounded on the dealer lot due to the severe risk of high-speed rear-wheel lockup, while denying mandated alternative transportation support. Furthermore, the dealership has failed to execute the safety remedy for open Brake Master Cylinder Recall 20S31 (NHTSA Campaign 20V332000), which presents an immediate risk of a sudden loss of braking pressure.

NHTSA ID

11748183

Incident

Jul 3, 2026

The vacuum pump failed and leaks oil on manifold, leading to burning oil on manifold. The vehicle has 75,000 miles [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11738688

Incident

Oct 24, 2025

gears dropped fast on the highway, rpm's went up because my foot was on gas because I was on the highway, rear end locked up and I skidded going from 60MPH to 30 in a second.

NHTSA ID

11685394

Incident

Sep 5, 2025

The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while towing a trailer and driving approximately 30 MPH, the electronic trailer braking system erroneously activated, causing the vehicle to abruptly stop. The contact stated that minutes later there was a burning odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. The contact removed the main fuse, and the electronic trail brake was released. The contact determined that the Electronic Trailer Brake Control Module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 94,000.

NHTSA ID

11668120

Incident

Jun 19, 2025

Mileage

94,000 mi

This vehicle was purchased by a friend with the factory tow package. No modifications were made before my purchase three years ago. I installed a factory brake controller for a travel trailer I purchased. The software was enabled with Forscan, and the dealer updated the software to the latest available. Even with a new seven way plug, the truck displays "trailer disconnected" when using the slide brake and also never shows any output when braking. The brakes do engage but very mildly. The travel trailer brakes normally on my other vehicle. There are no fault codes and no obvious connection issues. The dealership today said they do no know the cause and would likely be unable to resolve it.

NHTSA ID

11664446

Incident

Jun 2, 2025

brakes failed all fluid leaked out

NHTSA ID

11648830

Incident

Mar 13, 2025

Front passenger side brake line (plastic) burst - causing no braking on vehicle. This happened when parked and just starting to drive vehicle out of carport. Vehicle was towed to service center (Car Fix Western Ave Knoxville, TN), damaged confirmed by tech. Both front brake lines were replaced, system flushed and tested. Incident occurred [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11616346

Incident

Sep 10, 2024

The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle abruptly downshifted with the transmission warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle shuddered and hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to a dealer on several occasions; however, the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The dealer was finally able to diagnose the vehicle with a defective wheel speed sensor on the lead frame. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11596861

Incident

Jun 1, 2022

Brakes became completely unoperational and brake lights on dashboard lit up at same time. Luckily it happened coming out of my garage and not while on road or highway.

NHTSA ID

11591879

Incident

May 31, 2024

The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at a undisclosed speed the contact noticed a failure when he attempted to engage the brake gear no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed as a failure with the master cylinder which needed to be repaired. The vehicle was repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000. The VIN was not included.

NHTSA ID

11590470

Incident

May 23, 2024

Mileage

32,000 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH and entering an intersection, the brake pedal was depressed, and the pedal extended to the floorboard. Due to the brake failure, the vehicle failed to stop and drove through a red light into the intersection. The vehicle eventually rolled to a stop. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that the brake fluid reservoir cap had come off and brake fluid had leaked from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V332000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 130,000.

NHTSA ID

11581767

Incident

Mar 20, 2024

Mileage

130,000 mi

my truck now has 40,000 miles on it. For the past week the speedometer screen get covered by the message window. YOUR AUTOMATIC PARKING BRAKES HAVE A MALFUNCTION, GET IT SERVICED IMMEDIATELY. I can't really tell if the parking brake is dragging. My gas mileage has dropped about 1 mpg and it has feeling of slight chattering when starting out. I I keep deleting the message but it randomly comes up again. I live about 1 mile from Westway Ford in Irving, TX. I called for a service call appt. Over the phone they said they would come to get it at 10:30 a.m. I offered to drive it over to their service department but they said they would come and get it. They also said there would be a $395 charge whether the look at the problem or not. Why didn't they want me to drive it to their service departmenT?

NHTSA ID

11569473

Incident

Jan 17, 2024

I connected the 7-pin trailer wire of my 16' tandem axle enclosed trailer with electric brakes to my pickup. I checked the lights on the trailer. All functioned correctly. I got into my pickup to drive. The integrated trailer brake controller was smoking and getting hot. No error messages popped up on the dashboard. I pulled the fuse for the trailer brake module to prevent the integrated trailer brake module from melting or catching fire. Upon searching the internet, this appears to be a problem with my model year (2015 F-150). Ford dealership re-programs the trailer brake module. This needs to be addressed before the brake controller fails and could potentially catch fire. It also could cause an accident, because the electric trailer brakes will lock up or cease to engage.

NHTSA ID

11560611

Incident

Dec 16, 2023

Al darmarcha mi camioneta no dio marcha creei que la vateria estaba baja pero no dio marcha solo encendieron las luces del tablero brake system y Electric park brake no damarcha se bloqueo por completo

NHTSA ID

11559234

Incident

Dec 8, 2023

The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH the braking system had malfunctioned and while pressing the brake pedal the vehicle did not stop causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle and crash into a ditch. The front end of the vehicle was damaged, but the air bags did not deploy. The driver sustained a right leg injury which did not require medical attention. The front passenger sustained a right knee injury and the rear driver's side passenger sustained and left shoulder injury, both required medical treatment. A police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was able to be driven home. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 130,000.

NHTSA ID

11540011

Incident

Aug 10, 2023

Mileage

130,000 mi

While driving on a highway, the low brake fluid light came on. When I went to stop, the brake paddle went to the floor and I was finally able to get stopped. I opened up the brake fluid reservoir and it was empty. I looked to see if I could find the leak and could not see any signs of a leak. After filling the brake reservoir, I started to make my way home checking the brake fluid level every time I stop. While going up a hill, the engine stopped and a big cloud of white smoke came out of the exhaust pipe and under the hood. The truck was towed the a repair shop where it was said that the engine through a rod. The brake reservoir was empty again also. The truck was traded in at Coccia Ford dealer ship in Wilkes-Barre , PA.

NHTSA ID

11538355

Incident

Aug 7, 2023

The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V332000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the brake pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard. The contact stated that the brake warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID

11526687

Incident

Jun 12, 2023

Mileage

120,000 mi

Brakes failed as per recall. Ford dealers unable to repair for up to 60 days. Ford motor company unwilling to provide loaner/rental vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11526507

Incident

Jun 11, 2023

the truck has been acting up for several months now. it has been throwing out strange codes when attempting to start {parking brake malfunction, oil light, power train system default, ect} and often times it WILL NOT CRANK unless we hook it up to a battery charger for just a bit of time. The truck has a new battery that was installed by autozone, where it was bought {6 months ago}. Since we were in town, we stopped by autozone to get them to attach the code reader. {power train system and ABS malfunction} while driving, later in the day, the trucks auto start/stop system turns itself on and stops the truck dead in its spot.(danger: we were pulling onto the road {fm 2100} during rush hour traffic, when the trucks system went haywire and stopped us dead in our tracks in the center of both turn lanes and two of the main lanes.) there was no restarting, nor were we able to get the gear to change into neutral in order for us to be able to move it out of the main roadway. when we were finally able to move it, we hooked a fully charged jump box {one rated for up to semi truck sized vehicles} to it to get it started, and it simply would not crank for quite a while. at this time, we took the opportunity to recheck the oil level, which was set at full. After several minutes of begging "the truck" to just start so we could just take her home, it finally cranked up and home is where we took her. the truck has 19771 original miles on it. it was drove off of the show room floor, back in 2015, with 6 miles on it, and has had absolute regular maintenance and has only had one owner.

NHTSA ID

11525067

Incident

Jun 1, 2023

Front left brake line ruptured suddenly. Defective part in possession and available for inspection if needed. Brake line ruptured at the rubber just below the metal fitting closest to the engine. This instant and unforeseen failure resulted in an immediate loss of vehicle brakes endangering the occupants of the vehicle as well as other nearby motorist. This part has yet to be inspected by any agency. After a complete loss of brakes, a warning message illuminated on the dash displaying “brake fluid level low”.

NHTSA ID

11520975

Incident

May 6, 2023

The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60-70 mph downhill, the vehicle failed to stop. The contact depressed the brake pedal but it became hard and failed to stop the vehicle. The contact was swerving in traffic and came to a sudden halt in a rock pit. The ABS warning indicator light was illuminated. While looking under the hood, he noticed that the supply booster spring clamp was not in the correct location. The contact stated that he sustained injuries to his neck but no medical attention was provided. The vehicle was towed out of the rock pit by a relative. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 2,280.

NHTSA ID

11520007

Incident

Apr 30, 2023

Mileage

2,280 mi

The brakes failed while I was driving down the road. The brake pedal went all the way to the floor. I had to use the emergency brake to get to a safe location. I see many F150 owners have reported a similar problem, and there have been recalls for model years just before and after mine. Why wasn't the 2015 also recalled? It seems to be experiencing the same issue.

NHTSA ID

11508504

Incident

Feb 21, 2023

1-the Brake System Light has come on and brakes are extremely hard to press and use. I was having issues with the brake pedal slowly going to the floor while sitting at a stop. Today they will not go down at all and brakes are very difficult to press. very dangerous to drive and a safety issue. I see that my VIN does not show a recall for it, but there is recall #20S31 that relates. 2-The engine has an exhaust leak while driving and it smells as though the exhaust is getting into the cab of the truck. I was told the manifold is bent because of a design flaw in the manifold missing a bolt. been making this noise since the truck was rear-ended by semi truck.

NHTSA ID

11505687

Incident

Feb 5, 2023

The contact owns a 2015 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the parking brake intermittently failed to engage. The service now warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted who referred him to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

NHTSA ID

11497322

Incident

Dec 13, 2021

Mileage

85,000 mi