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Regrets?

Snakebitten

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I’m both amazed and horrified by the complexity, and I’m reminded of Murphy’s First Law: anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.
I too am waiting on a Lighting. And WHILE I wait (measured in years ?) I have been enjoying a Platinum Powerboost. About 6 months. Coming from a couple of Ecoboost before it, it IS a daunting array of technology. But mine has been perfect so far.
I like it so much more than I expected that I ordered another one, but this time EXACTLY the way I would configure it, rather than the dealership inventory.
Obviously nobody can predict accurately how long it will take, but it isn't like I'm suffering while I wait.

I probably won't be the first, but I will have the new CCD suspension, onboard scales, and smart hitch this time. So if you think about it, all I did is ADD more whizbang complexity!

Truck has a warranty, you know. Lol
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Losi

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I too am waiting on a Lighting. And WHILE I wait (measured in years ?) I have been enjoying a Platinum Powerboost. About 6 months. Coming from a couple of Ecoboost before it, it IS a daunting array of technology. But mine has been perfect so far.
I like it so much more than I expected that I ordered another one, Truck has a warranty, you know. Lol
Do…not…tempt…me!!
 
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Snakebitten

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I bought. So I will be taking a depreciation hit. But not as bad as some might think. I've been doing business with this rural dealership for almost 25 years and the deal was painless enough. The only promise I am making is to not rack up a whole bunch of mileage before the new KingRanch arrives.

I have a couple of toys to drive so the truck will be for multiple passenger trips only.

This time I'm KingRanch instead of Platinum. Only way to de-chrome and still be high trim. Going long wheelbase and tow mirrors too. It's a dream boondocking tow machine. :)

Ford F-150 Regrets? Screenshot_20211110-153721_Gallery


Ford F-150 Regrets? Screenshot_20211110-172751_Gallery
 

boo radley

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It seems that the Power Boosts are having the most issues.
 

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Snakebitten

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Based on …. ?
Probably the ongoing gnashing of teeth over the 10r80+EV less than polished shifting strategy?

Other than that I don't see anything except some one-off issues that pop up on a few.
 

F-150 Prius

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Probably the ongoing gnashing of teeth over the 10r80+EV less than polished shifting strategy?

Other than that I don't see anything except some one-off issues that pop up on a few.
That's why I chuckle every time I see the thread title "powerboost whining" and I feel like posting "what can you do; people are going to whine?" : )

I think there's several legit "lemon" vehicles we've seen here, but that's what forums create -- a place for people with real problems to find resources and other people with the same problem, so we have to expect a high ratio of people visiting with real, serious problems (e.g. "shifter broke off" … seems serious to me … I'm certainly treating the shifter very carefully now. : )

There's two problems with saying the PowerBoost is having "the most" issues or even a significantly higher than average number of issues.
1) it's a new model in a niche, low production numbers, lots of new systems/tech/parts, it just hasn't been on the road for enough units and miles, months and years to gather data
2) Ford would have to publish data on which problems in a PB are related to the PB and which are common to all F-150s

Note that the F-150 is a high reliability vehicle, but scores only "average" on quality (in terms of number of consumer reported defects) so you have to separate major failures due to defects (roadside breakdown) from quality (seat stitching is not straight.)

Personal note: I was advocating a friend buy a PowerBoost a few weeks ago (when you could find one to buy …) and I said "if Ford called up today and offered $1000 to buy my PowerBoost back if I'm not satisfied, I wouldn't take it." Other than wanting to update to the '22 with CCD, which is entirely a separate decision, I just can't imagine any vehicle (including the Lightning) convincing me to sell the PowerBoost. They're going to have to build a PowerBoost plug-in and then I'll be keen to update – for a fair price – but I'm guessing that's not a product they want to offer till they're selling the Lightning.​

The defects and user satisfaction complaints I've read about that are unique to the PB are few (e.g. throttle lag, battery connectors not fully seated) and the defects that are common to all F-150s include things like:
"worse than expected mpg"
"harsh transmission shifts"
"transmission overheats while towing"
"heat shield not fastened"
… all serious, but not relevant to the PowerBoost.

Nobody outside Ford can explain or quantify the full impact of the supply side logistics "chip shortage" impact on initial build quality or reliability. I'm sure it plays a part (e.g. no spare production to inventory parts for rapid field service turnaround) so some of the examples posted in this forum are exacerbated by "it's been weeks and they don't have a solution" … it's also hard to train field service techs without having parts and equipment and tools in a new model selling in relatively low numbers compared to the bread and butter, familiar ecoboost or coyote.

Even when Ford does a mass recall / service bulletin on that shaky shifter, it won't be for PowerBoost only. Unless we start hearing about battery fires or the motor melting itself into a lump of copper or onboard power glitches, I think the only "fact" is the PowerBoost has more parts and that means more points of failure resulting in more defects per 100,000 units. For example, to use simple numbers, if a typical F-150 has 100 parts and a PowerBoost has 110 parts, if the PB has less than 10% more defects, it's actually a more reliable vehicle even though the owner risk of a defect is higher. As they say, there's lies, damn lies and statistics … but this is a realistic depiction of the vehicle reliability.

Anyway, bottom line afaict, until there's a published number of verified defects in the PowerBoost drive train and onboard power accessory, per 100,000 units, compared to defects in all other F-150s, to say there are "more" or "most" is baseless.
 

Jus Cruisin

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So I've put about 400 miles on mine since the hybrid drive unit replacement. I have zero issues. The trans is operating pretty much like it was prior to the repair which was really good. Never had a problem with the trans. Right now my immediate attention goes to the dash looking for "ready" when I hit the starter button. So far so good. My repair is the only one I've read about so it's far from a big Powerboost problem. Would I try to talk someone out of buying a Powerboost? No because my issue was not normal.
 

Snakebitten

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Personal note: I was advocating a friend buy a PowerBoost a few weeks ago (when you could find one to buy …) and I said "if Ford called up today and offered $1000 to buy my PowerBoost back if I'm not satisfied, I wouldn't take it." Other than wanting to update to the '22 with CCD, which is entirely a separate decision, I just can't imagine any vehicle (including the Lightning) convincing me to sell the PowerBoost.​

.
Ummmmm, I caved and am doing just that. I guess I'm going to have my second "most troublesome" F-150 if/when it arrives. :)

It IS the most daunting vehicle I have ever owned regarding the shear complexity and number of components, but the 6 months of ownership have been like a magic carpet ride. What a truck!
 

sccaldwell

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Hope I can shed some light on a couple things for you - and the trailer brake issue is definitely a huge issue that hopefully they can figure out…

#5 - this vehicle has turbos. Turbos are great for torque and power, but they suck gas. You can always lock out gears as you see turbo boost build. Many who tow with ecoboosts do this and notice significant fuel economy gains. Additionally, tow haul mode locks out electric driving, which is where a lot of your unladen efficiency comes from. For what its worth, my buddy has a 2020 5.0 V8, and just towed his and his wife’s side by sides about 600 miles (6500ish lbs). He averaged 8.2 mpg. Not much better than ecoboosts.

#7 - I’ve never used the truck’s nav - why don’t you just use Apple Maps or Google Maps since you have CarPlay?

#9 - The wireless charger issue is not an F-150 issue, it’s by unfortunate design constraints. iPhone XS wireless charging rate is limited to 5W, or 7.5W for Apple approved devices. I’m going to assume the truck is not Apple approved, so limited to 5W. On top of that, a lot of energy is lost in wireless charging, so the phone doesn’t even get the full 5W into the battery. My dad has a 2019 Tacoma with a Qi charging pad - if I run maps on my phone while it sits on his charging pad, the battery will slowly die or just barely be maintained.

#11 - is this really an issue? Doesn’t seem to affect the truck in any way. It’s probably running some self checks or updating the info in your Ford Pass app to help with continuity of connectivity.

#13 - annoying design choice, but forced to a degree by governing bodies. My previous car could only “remember” eco mode or normal mode. It couldn’t restart in sport, smart, or custom drive modes, it would default to normal. As I understand it, the EPA requires only modes that it was fuel economy tested in to be automatically resumable. It’s actually kind of nice that the F-150 will ask you if you want to return when you restart the truck.
Thanks for the reply and suggestions. I'll give a shot on locking out higher gears (not sure right off how to do this, though, but I'll look into it).

As for the nav system, you're right, and I do use CarPlay sometimes (that's all my old 4Runner had, with the aftermarket Pioneer system), but am kind of annoyed that the built-in nav system doesn't work better than this. I DID pay for it, so I expect it to work!!

You may have hit the answer on the Qi charging. I had assumed that Ford would have included an approved charger.....I mean, come on, Ford...shouldn't you provide optimum support for the most popular phone in the world?? Silly me... Maddening that my $15 home Qi charger does a far better job than the one on my $70,000 truck...

You're right that #11 (the SYNC display being on, although nothing displayed) isn't necessarily a problem, although if it does it often enough, it'll run down the 12V battery (and cycling the battery unnecessarily shortens the battery's life. Also, even if it is doing background stuff (updates, etc), there's no reason for the display to be on if the truck isn't on. Design flaw, at best.

Your explanation on the Drive mode also makes perfect sense from a regulatory perspective...but is stupid from a consumer perspective. Mine also almost never asks if I want to stay in the previous mode, and when it does, the prompt goes away so fast that I often miss selecting the option.

Thanks again for all the feedback and suggestions...much appreciated!

Craig
 

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Snakebitten

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Locking out gears is nothing more than clicking the minus button on the gear lever and watching the dash remove the available gear ratio from the listing.
Click once, 10th is removed
Click again, 9th is removed.....

If the truck is in 8th, and you click to remove 8th, the 10r80 will downshift to 7th.

Keep in mind that 8,9,10 are ALL overdrive ratios, so removing them and leaving 7th as the maximum available ratio is equivalent to the old days of simply disabling Overdrive.

When towing heavy, or on grades, or against stiff headwinds, I usually intervene and take the overdrive ratios off the table with the Ecoboost motor
 

apMechorse

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My only real regret is getting a '21 job 1 truck. With so many additions/improvements added to Gen 14 after job 2 I should have just waited for the '22s. Especially since Ford seems to have forgotten that the job 1 trucks are still waiting for the updates that the job 2+ trucks are being sold with.
 

Edward Abel

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My only real regret is getting a '21 job 1 truck. With so many additions/improvements added to Gen 14 after job 2 I should have just waited for the '22s. Especially since Ford seems to have forgotten that the job 1 trucks are still waiting for the updates that the job 2+ trucks are being sold with.
A lot of the Job 2 updates cannot be added to the Job 1 trucks as there is more than just a computer update involved. Such as the scales and the taillights
 

apMechorse

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A lot of the Job 2 updates cannot be added to the Job 1 trucks as there is more than just a computer update involved. Such as the scales and the taillights
I'm referring to the ones that can be added by update: The SYNC 4 updates that the majority of us are still waiting for, the added function of the rear cameras at speed, the turning on of BlueCruise for those, unlike me, that ordered their trucks with the prep kits, etc.

Obviously added features that require different hardware to function cannot be turned on by an OTA update.
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