Federal Regulators Begin Investigation into Ford F-150 Brake Failures
Federal regulators have opened an investigation into reports of brake failure in Ford F-150 pickup trucks, and as many as 420,000 vehicles could be affected, according to multiple news outlets.
The investigation covers Ford F-150 pickups with 3.5-liter, six-cylinder engines from the 2013 and 2014 model years, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website. The NHTSA has already received 33 reports of brake failure in these trucks, according to the Associated Press.
One F-150 owner from San Marcos, California wrote the NHTSA to say that he completely lost the use of his brakes while backing his truck out of the driveway in May 2015, according to the AP. The driver told the NHTSA that the pickup crossed the street, went over a curb, crashed into a neighbor’s landscape wall, and caused serious damage.
“I am surprised that there has been no action on this issue yet — the complete failure of the most important safety system of a 2.5-ton-plus vehicle,” the driver wrote.
Some drivers reported that mechanics told them the problem stemmed from brake fluid leaking from the master cylinder to the brake booster, the AP found. In addition to the reports of total brake failure, some drivers said that brake warning lamps came on or that they found brake fluid reservoirs empty or low despite a lack of visible leakage.
No injuries related to the brake failures have been reported yet, but four crashes have been linked to the problem.
If you have been injured due to a brake failure or other automotive defect, please call the personal injury attorneys of Hossley & Embry at (866) 522-9265 or send us an email at newcase@hossleyembry.com. One of our primary areas of focus is offering legal representation to victims of defective products. We provide free consultations and have the resources available (including charter aircraft) to travel throughout Texas and the United States on short notice to investigate your potential claim.
References
Krisher, T. (2016, March 4). US investigates 420,000 Ford F-150s for brake failure. Associated Press. Retrieved from http://bigstory.ap.org/article/28a89cb091fb4daea20a109b0375298e/us-investigates-420000-ford-f-150s-brake-failure