I drove my 2001 F-150 to the store today, came home and parked it in my apartment complex's parking lot at approximately 3:30PM. My wife came home at around 9PM to find my truck engulfed in flames. I have had no serious issues with this truck since I bought it 10 years ago. Tonight, it burst into flames and I looked up on spontaneous combustion on Ford trucks on a whim and find this a pretty common occurrence. Thanks Ford, being a paid for truck, I only carried liability and am now out of a ride. Thanks again Ford. I have owned Ford vehicles all my life. Guess I will buy a Chevy and leave my Ford - Found On Road Dead.

You guys are all stupid! Listen to your comments my truck does this my truck does that. I mean really who cares? I love my F-150 and no matter what you say will not change my mind from buying another Ford so get over it!!

Lmao at the above troll. It's getting ridiculous, hahahahah

This is an interesting discussion. As my user name implies I prefer GM but went with a new 2012 crew cab EB 4x4 this year. The reason why is that GM doesn't have anything like it and I needed extra towing but didn't want to go 3/4 ton or diesel because of fuel costs. So I did extensive research and looked all the makes 1/2 ton. The Ford was simply the best value. Its my first anything that wasn't GM and I have to say that so far I am really impressed.

Since purchase I have done exhaustive research on the engine. The stall or studder is most commonly caused by condensation in the charge air cooler. The fix was to put a fin in the top front that blocks airflow to a few inches of the cooler. This causes the cooler to be a bit warmer since less surface area is doing the cooling and alleviates the condensation. There is an engine computer flash that goes with this that adjusts the system for the slightly warmer temps. The power loss is non existent and throttle response is the same. My 2012 was built in June and came with the mod, my friend go his in January 2012 and his did not have the mod and he has had the shudder, he's getting the mod next week when his truck goes in for some work.

For me I'm not a Ford fanboy but I do like this truck. Ford has applied diesel tech to a gas engine and came out with an incredible motor. It has an injection pump, direct injection, and a turbo configuration that borrows from diesel tech.

At high altitudes this engine works great and will run circles around a 5.3 Chevy. Like anything else, I think if it is maintained the way its supposed to be it will last as long as anything else.

I also know there are exceptions to every rule and no matter the make or model, someone has a had a bad experience. I chalk that up to the human condition. For me I am really pleased with the truck.

On a side note not truck related. Taxing the wealthy will lower everyones standard of living. The wealthy will not buy as much, which will lower manufacturing and cost jobs. Then the middle class will get poorer. When the government runs out of rich people the line will drop to a new definition of rich and those will be taxed to death, and the cycle will repeat until the US is a 3rd world country. No one ever taxed their way to prosperity. To be proserpous we need money in the economy, in everyones pockets to spend as they please not sucked out of the economy for the government. Civilizations collapse when the government takes away. Prideful Americans with the "it can't happen here" attitude are going to bring about the end of this great land before our very eyes.

Finally, the real Frank has come back! If you smelllllllllll what the real Frank is cooking!!!!!

1st point - congratulations to Ford and GMC on their respective milestones.
The whole trolling crap is a bit much. Every engine has had problems.
I cannot say anything for or against the EB 3.5 since I do not know anyone who owns one.
The 5.4 horror stories are interesting. I own one and in the past 2 years (duration of ownership) have had zero problems. I know a large number of guys with this engine of slightly older origins and they have not had the complaints posted here.
I've heard some accounts of problems with Ford 6.0's. The 6.4 was only panned as being a pig on fuel.
I'd have to say the same for the Chevy piston slap complaint. I know a lot of guys with 5.3 Chevy's.
The "it always happens when it is cold" excuse would mean that I would of heard of it before as it gets real cold in Northern Canada.
No complaints on the Duramax. I've heard and seen tons of problems with the very first 350 based Chevy diesel.
My brother has had 3 - 6.0 GM company trucks over the last 5 years and no reported problems other than a poor shifting transmission on his last one. His only other complaints are crappy bumpers, plastic, and interiors.
Ram, I've talked to some guys with horror stories with their HD's. I haven't heard of any problems with 1/2 tons. The tranny problem that always resurfaces did occur but that was in the early '90's.

All h guys that right that the eco is no good is just lies u guys are hating on the ecoboost I have one and I have no problem with mine and I have 60,000 miles and I tow my boat like nothing ass for the hemI beating the eco that all lies also not even the 8 speed ram could beat it look at you tube for it the ecoboost is the best engine outhere.. period I love my ecoboost
And ford is my number one choice by far dodge is always go stay in 3 rd place there please crap ford going be number one for along time I rest my case

@lariat9907 - thanks for making Ford look good. (sarcasm on)

Hemi lol your funny here's some ecoboost fatpigs running 12/13 sec 1/4 .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ab9XR9R8II

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=iJSRRTGLPFE&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SzXzGaJ1E8&feature=related

all this apples to apples crap... Line up your ecojunk and your i-fart against my 6.2L Denali...enough said.

@ Jason

and the 5.7 i-force will DUST your Denali as well..... see you have a problem and its called "all wheel drive" that means your truck is SLOOOOOOWWWWEEEERRRRR..... I'll line up with you anytime you want and you will lose. plain and simple. OH, and if you REALLY need power then your little toy truck is useless since you dont even have a 4-lo option so go put your gashog useless truck back in the garage. just because it makes more power doesnt mean it makes it to the pavement efficiently. that old pushrod 6.2 is no match for the 5.7.

@ cory

you are a tard plain and simple. dont post crap about heavily modded vehicles that the farthest thing from the norm that its irrelevant..... If you spend 20 grand on a honda itll run 12's too but that means NOTHING. The point is the is NEVER going to be a time where the ecoboost could make more power than the 5.7 i-force with the same things done to it. the displacement difference is too great between the two to make it possible.

If one looks at the 2008 PUTC shootout where the 5.7 Ram, 5.7 Tundra, and 6.2 Chevy and 6.2 GMC were run together (along with 5.6 Titan, 5.4Ford), the results were interesting.
1/4 mile empty:
1. Chevy
2. Tundra
3. GMC
4. Ram
5. Titan
6. Ford

1/4 mile loaded:
1. Tundra
2. GMC
3. Chevy
4.Titan
5.Ram
6. Ford

hillclimb:
1. Chevy
2. Toyota
3. GMC
4. Ram
5. F150
6. Titan

It would be interesting to see if AWD would affect the standings.
I find it odd that the 2 GM products finished the way they did since they both were 6.2 powered trucks, same transmission and 3.42 gears.

We do need to see a 2013 shootout.
This time, do not let the manufacturer's send what they want.
How about testing mid-level trim packages. I have to agree with Bob on this one, most of us do not drive luxury trucks.
All crew cab, shorter box 4x4's.
Pick gear ratio's based on "overall" transmission/rear end ratio's.
In a perfect world I'd like to see every engine tested but I'll settle for the 3.5 EB versus 5.7 Hemi (with 8 speed) versus 6.2 GM and Chev versus 5.6 Titan versus 5.7 Tundra.

Make sure they are all running identical tires.
Do braking empty and loaded but also do a test to measure brake fade. 3 runs in a row hard braking, fully loaded, with no cool down.
Make sure all of the trucks are tested on highways and gravel roads.

How about an offroad shootout with all of the offroad badged 1/2 tons - FX4, Outdoorsman, TRD Offroad etc.
Run them with identical tires.

HEMI LOL posted ------>(if you REALLY want to have fun boost the i-force 5.7 with a TRD Supercharger and at only 8psi the engine is at 504HP and 550 lb.ft. and will send my 2010 crew max down the quarter in 13.2 all 5900lbs of it!) YA $7,000 option ? you just dogged me about MODS you TOOL I posted 3 vids of ecoboost pigs running 12/13 sec 1/4 on JUST TUNES MORON not $20,000 worth of mods. ya RA TARD .... your irrelevant JACKASS lol ....

Congrats to both GM (and their Japanese affiliates) for the Duramax and also to Ford for having future tech on sale right now with Ecoboost.
They are both a sucess story and yes; Ram/Fiat and the others have some hits also.
Unfortunatly this website has gotten absolutely absurd with the a$$holes who come on here only to post "NEGATIVE" about whatever brand the story is about.
Either the average poster on here is a 15 yr old wannabe trucker punk or we havwe a bunch of real crazy mature folks?

*** "Notice" ***
To whomever looks after this site and does "NO" weeding out of the trash..
I for one will be deleteing this site from my favorites and won't be back. I am only one guy I know but if I want to read junk on a kids site I could go elsewhere. I bet others are giving up also!
After over 40 yrs in the auto business I can't take this any more...
PLEASE clean this website up so "real" truck entusiasts can gather usefull info.

hemilol: in my family there is a 27 yr old GMC that is stock! with the only mods being exhaust, and CIA, to the powertrain, and I garrantee you , it will leave your tundra with the tumbleweeds, you might have heard of them, it is called a Typhoone, it is the pickup version of the Syclone, that GMC made in the mid 80's, at the time it was made, it was the quikest vehicle made in America, only the Corvette and turbo Trans-AM were faster, but not quicker, it has over 70K on it, has never had anything done to it except what I said above, his timing slips from Eping N.H. says 0-60@4.9 and 1/4@13.2, and that is with street leagal tires, mainly because it has AWD and needs nothing like slicks, just the regular tires that came on it, I believe they are 285/50-18, but I am not sure, it has been a while since I have seen him, or his truck, but I know he still has it, (I am 1st on the family list for it). With all this said, GMC needs to bring this truck back, either in full size or whatever, the above post of the Denali brought back some very fond memories of his Typhoone! and I know with a little work, would run with any tundra stock for stock or S/C or S/C! the only advantage you have with the tundra, is yes if you use the TRD parts, and have them instaled at a dealer you will have the remainder of your warratee, were as with the Denali if he was to use a Gale Banks S/C , he would be on his own, but they have been known to be fairly bullet-proof. For facts go to the last mo. Truckin mag. in that issue they have a article about a junkyard 5.3 with 180K on it, they took it to over 1000hp at 6900rpm, and the only thing that went wrong was a colapsted lifter! and that was with a stock block, with aftermarket heads and intake and twin turbo's, great story, and the whole purpose, was to see how the 5.3 would hold up, they are going to fix it, and see how much farther they can go, the actual figures were 1300hp and 989lbft!!! so far, and that was a 5.3!

First time poster, long time reader. I really enjoy the mindless bantering.

Anyhow I bought a 2013 ecoboost because my friends 2011 has been close to flawless with awesome power. The first 500 miles I was extremely happy with my purchase. But in the last 200 the condensation in the intercooler issue has happened twice. The second time was after a dealer visit wher the computer was reflashed. The issue has not been fixed.

I wish I wouldn't have joined the F150forums because I read about the transmission shutter because I think it is developing that too. It has had the occasional very harsh shift too. The myFordtouch needs a lot of work too, it has froze at least once a week since I bought the truck. The truck has averaged 15.8 mpg with about 70% highway, a little less then I expected, but about 1 mpg better then my 08 hemi.

@Don - someone mentioned a baffle/fin that is being fitted/retrofitted to Ecoboost engines that fixes the condensation problem.
I haven't had any problems with the transmission on my 2010. The only time I'll get a harsh shift is when cold out (around zero celcius/30F or colder) and the truck isn't warmed up. It only will do it climbing the big assed hill taking my kids to school.
Your mpg sucks. I get that or better with my 5.4.

Gasoline turbo motors in a truck is a no go for me. Man alive the spin and how it's spun .

Lou, unfortunately the fix that ford tried didnt work because my truck still has the problem.

@Don - sorry to hear that.

Lou, That is another spammer again using other names. I suspect it is Hemi V8, the same person who was posting as Frank earlier. There is no problem with my truck. The real Don.

That is Hemi V8. The fix is not for the 2013's. The 2013's already have the flash and an updated intercooler and other parts. He should study up before he pretends to be a 2013 F-150 owner.

Here is a legit report from the forums and a 2013 owner:

2013 XLT Lariat
145"
3.5 ecoboost
331 gears 4x4

The truck has over 800 miles on it and shifts super smooth with no shutter at any speed or gear.It is always in the right gear with no abrupt upshifts or downshifts. Maybe they did some updates on the 13's?

True. 2013's already has the updated CAC. That troll doesn't know what he is talking about. It could also be one of the Chevy fans. I haven't heard any problems with the 2013's.

@Don - thanks and sorry.
Any man made product is subject to human error and despite computer modeling one cannot plan for every eventuality. Safeguards and redundancies can be built into any product but those safeguards are not without "holes". You line up the holes of several safeguards and something can get through. A "perfect storm" for the lack of a better term.
The EB had it with its intercooler developing condensation and the Pentastar has had it happen with its ticking.
Unforeseen, and under the right conditions - a problem.

people will only spend time writing about bad things never good things. all i say is numbers never lie ford best selling and still continues to grow taking sales from the others. it will slow down when the new chev comes out because it is finally being remodeled for the chev guys.