potential new owner concerns / opinions please

[mackverde]

so i’ve been around fords a lot, i have had 4 03/04 Cobras, 01 Cobra, a few SN95 Cobras, a few S197 Coyotes, and a pair of S550’s. some big power and some stock. i am very familiar with vehicles and am not afraid of a little DIY.

the truck i am looking at buying is a 2023 Atlas blue just like this picture. i have only bought one new vehicle and i loved it (s550). it was nice being the first person to wash/turn a wrench/etc on the car.

my concern is post-COVID quality and the complaints i see.

AC going out and dash needing to be pulled
Transmission being a pain in the ass
Paint or rust issues
General lack of QC.

$60k out the door with everything. how is that price? $54,500 before taxes and fees. we are at $550 a month roughly with $35k down for 48 months at 2.9%.

i want the truck, it’s beautiful and i love the coyote. all of the issues i see scare me into wanting to buy another older diesel for $20-30k that will be reliable (i come from a cummins that needed nothing, and a few duramax trucks).

any opinions and critiques are appreciated

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[Gros Ventre]

Took delivery of my '21 XLT end of June '21. Virtually flawless. In wyoming we cover alot of miles... did a speed run from Wyoming to Myrtle Beach SC last summer, 1,000/day there then back... What a cruiser.

 

[Spiffers]

241 miles on my new 2023 and I've had no issues outside of getting used to sport mode shift points in a few areas around here. It seems to really love to stay in 3rd gear going down hills. Scared me at first but I didn't think I was gonna get slowed down enough for the curve at the bottom.

 

[madsend81]

I've had my 2023 PB XLT since August. I've put 4,000 miles on it since then, including towing a 4klb TT from San Diego to Tucson and back. It hauled up a 6% grade pulling the TT and my family like nobody's business. I haven't had any issues. I firmly believe in not buying the first two years of a major redesign, but by the 3rd model year a lot of the quirks and bugs have been worked out.

Have people had issues with their F-150's? Yes. Does everyone have a problem? No. Do GM owners have problems? Yes, some do, many don't. Do Ram owners have problems? Yes, some do, many don't.

This site has had some great insights from people like @Snakebitten on how to head off some of the nuanced issues that have popped up with some owners.

 

[GIjoe]

Your post Covid concerned apply to any make and model out there so I’d call that a wash. It’s hard to comment on the price without knowing the options but if you look around you can find huge savings especially if you go out of state. I was dead set on a Chevy and shopping/searching for months until I went and test drove an f150. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it

 

[mackverde]

thank you so far, i attached the sticker

 

[STM]

I have a 2022 PB with 27,000 miles on it and I have had just a couple minor issues... This is an amazing truck... And a joy to own... And drive... If you are wanting to buy "a" truck that has THE most reliability vs THIS truck for all the features it has and the enjoyment it brings to the owners, then it's a different equation..

On these forums, you hear from the people who have had really bad experiences and others like us with really good experiences and probably don't hear from the vast majority of owners who are perfectly happy with their trucks..

If I just read just the one star reviews, I would not buy any products at all! While you have had great experience with duramax, I am sure there are others who have had bad experiences with them too..

This is a great truck and if you decide to buy it, I am sure you will love it...

 

[JExpedition07]

My 2023 has been great sans the sync screen. Sync 4 kind of sucks….but so did sync 3, MyFordTouch, and sync 2. They all have sucked. So nothing new there lol.

 

[discothan]

As for pricing, you could look to see if you can find a way to get X-plan pricing. Also if you register on the Ford.com site and stay logged in while looking around the site, you might get a PCO emailed to you. I had one that just expired for 2K off.

F150 302A V8 w/MaxTow that you are looking at is a beauty. I have 2021 EB 302A and it has been flawless for me, but I was fortunate to buy inventory that arrived to the dealer prior to factory shutdowns. The OTA updates were the biggest nuisances for me, but eventually my F150 got all the updates published to it.

I do miss some of the QOL features, mainly memory settings for seats/mirrors.

 

[Kodiak]

Remember forums are often where people come looking for answers to issues or problems. That can make it seem like everyone is having problems, but often it is a very small group. Most have basically been issue free, including my 2022 PB Lariat 502a in the Atlas Blue too.

 

[Graygoose2021]

Bought my 21 Stx in Nov 21.....zero issues other than had to replace battery.

Life's short, treat yourself.
You have warranty if needed and can always add a longer one later if so compelled.
I say you love it, go for it.

Beautiful truck!

 

[SemperVee]

Love my 22 F150 Screw 5.0 leather Lariat in Space White. Especially the pull out tailgate step up I was so missing on my 19 Ranger!! I get 23.8 MPG in ECO on the fwy and when I step into it I KNOW IT!!! Other than a few recalls that have yet to be addressed No much to complain about!

 

[Jerome10]

Been fine. I'm at 3800 miles. I bought this truck for basically 1 reason.... the Pro Power On Board. Ford makes the best truck for work purposes. They offer the most engines and payload configurations etc. I've always liked Ford as a brand, history, etc.

With that said, if the RAM has enough payload and towing for you, and you don't need ProPower on board (since you want Coyote I imagine you don't).... I would have gotten the RAM.

I would have given up some MPG, sure. I don't like it is missing a dead pedal. Pretty much liked everything else about it other than the brand/image... but it is a nice truck.

I'm very picky, I admit. I've had a very bad constant dash rattle since I picked it up (90% solved by dealer). There was a quarter size bubbled paint defect on my bed the factory didn't catch and had to be repainted under warranty. There is dirt and I think a bristle of some sort embedded in my paint. The engine air filter was not clamped down from the factory. My coolant was overfilled from the factory. I've had to adjust the driver door because it would make a constant rubbing noise on anything other than perfectly smooth roads. The transmission is "fine" but it can be clunky. Granted I have a hybrid so it is expected but the transitions and braking aren't the smoothest. I have an ongoing sounds like heat shield rattle at 1800rpm, that is quite loud, dealer says wastegate but I'm skeptical of that. I also now seem to be having 4x4 IWE weird engagement problem that the weather is cold (you'll probably see these threads as well... sounds like it is not uncommon).

So to me, the design is there. Engines are solid. 10 Speed I think should be proven (though I don't understand why it isn't smoother). I like the styling. It has amazing power. Drive it gently and I average 23-24 mpg. I find the seats extremely comfortable for me. Sync is easy to use and looks good. The truck is advanced and feels like it. I like the brand. My dealer has been awesome in customer service.

But I do wonder why I'm having multiple issues with only 3800 miles, many of them on the truck the second it left the factory and were not caught/fixed. My ongoing theory has been COVID has resulted in automakers just shipping whatever they could build and quality engineering took a back seat to just getting product out the door. Even in 2023 we're still paying for that.

There are no guarantees, of course. Consumer Reports has the RAM the only recommended full-size. HEMI is old but proven for the most part. The transmission operates almost entirely in the background. The ride is better. I feel it is a better value up front (BigHorn vs XLT you get 4 AUTO for example). The infotainment is arguably as good as Sync. Its older tech for sure, but to me it feels like it will likely just work, and it drives amazingly well. But it might not have the towing and payload you need, and it definitely doesn't offer anything like ProPower on board.

I'm just being honest. I haven't bought a new car since 2008 before 2023. I've owned Toyotas, BMWs, Lexus, VW. I'm a little surprised how the truck left the factory. With that said my sister has a current Toyota Highlander and it has had its own share of niggling issues (mostly rattles and such). Frankly, Ford has the design, engineering etc down but I feel needs to pay more attention to the details in assembly and supplier quality and consistency.

I like my truck (I'm also not a truck guy so part of my lack of enthusiasm might also be that its huge, and the ride is bouncy etc.... I bought it for work towing purposes). But I so far have not gotten the feeling that I'm driving a truck that will go 100k+ miles with basically maintenance-only.

You'll find people complaining about any car or brand. I get that. I also half expect that every car company has paid less attention to quality the past 3+ years so maybe you'll find assembly issues with everyone. I don't know. I guess I just wish I could tell you I've just had a rattle or two and its been solved and the rest has been perfect but the truth is it hasn't been. Buying a different brand may not make any difference in that regard. Sometimes I wonder if anyone has pride or does a good job with much of anything in life.... not just in the auto industry.

If I were buying again... I'd pick the F150 again Just because the on board generator is that important to me. So that might tell you something.

No perfect choices out there. Buy whatever truck checks the most boxes for you. None of them are going to do it all.

 

[azdub1]

Well since you asked... here's my story ... but I will preface it with pls don't let my story stop you from buying this truck you love. Yours could end up not having a single problem. My truck is a beauty but for $70k (used) should not have any issues much less this amount. And, honestly, I don't think there is any consistency whatsoever to the issues....we all have issues of some kind and all random from 21-23 I see on here all the time.

Bought a 21 5.0 Platinum with 15k miles Oct 2022 and in the year I've owned it, I feel like it's been at a Ford dealership longer than in my driveway. Had truck totally die 3 weeks after purchase...apparently someone put a non-Ford battery in it and I bought it like that and that battery wasn't capable of the carrying the load for the truck. Had it towed to a dealer, and luckily they fixed within 24 hours. Had to pay out-of-pocket because it wasn't a Ford battery, but Carmax reimbursed me though. A week or so later, a/c evap coil went out and I had to wait a month for an appt. I can't imagine if it was summertime in Georgia when it went out! They had to take my beautiful Carmelo leather seats out so I was mortified they would scratch them, then had to take off entire dash. They had it for 3 weeks just to fix that! (Found a random screw rolling around in floorboard, so they forgot a screw somewhere while putting dash back or seats back together.) Then, they said since we already have the truck here do you want us to install the BC modules and I said okay. Well, that took a week because modules kept "failing."

So, they had it for a month to fix a/c and install BC. I barely got my truck back in time to leave for NC for Christmas - 12/22. Left 12/23 for NC and the entire ride (6 hours), the interior lights flashed off and on. Tried to unload Christmas presents that night, found that the bed lights quit working. Then truck alarm went off Xmas Eve morning at 3am, so the neighbors were not happy. We have cameras and not even a month flew by so no idea what happened there. Lol. Dealer said "we have no idea what could have caused any if that as all we did was install BlueCruise and fix evap coil, said he would ask service techs and call me back and never heard from him again.

Got back from NC in Jan 23 to fix interior and cargo lights and that same dealer said he was now booked out til June 23. I said really? This happened within 24 hours of picking it up from yall after you had it for a month! I'm back from Christmas break and cannot wait 6 months to fix. My battery will constantly die if these lights don'ts top flashing. I found another dealer with an appointment in a few weeks but they were almost 2 hours away. They ended up replacing BCM 2x over another 2 months. Also, Ford-branded retractable cover had been leaking since I bought it...first dealer said nothing wrong with it, this dealer got Ford to replace the retractable cover, though it still leaks in same spot (right rear corner) but not as bad. Also, mentioned rear speaker(s) crackling, but they said it's normal. It's worse now. I also have driver door rattle. And then the 3 recalls issued in 12 months with only 1 having just been fixed a few weeks ago (wipers and wiper motors). Had "temp fix" performed on involuntary parking brake engaging at same time. Since then, the parking brake still engages on its own, more than it did before the "temp fix." So I have an appt to look at that on 12/11. And another appt Jan 2024 for rear speaker, column shifter, and possible throttle body cleaning/issue due to major lag in acceleration and hesitation while going through the 10 speeds. So, again, since you asked...there's my horror story. I would suggest buying the extended warranty but not from dealer during purchase....buy from online Ford dealer like Granger, Ziegler, Flood Ford. You will need it eventually, cheaper to buy now than later. But, somehow, I still love my 5.0 truck, I lovingly call Linda (or Pearl when she's not pms'ing LOL) -- she's star white metallic. All that said, yours could be perfectly fine...there is no rhyme or reason to the issues. Good luck! -Andrea

so i’ve been around fords a lot, i have had 4 03/04 Cobras, 01 Cobra, a few SN95 Cobras, a few S197 Coyotes, and a pair of S550’s. some big power and some stock. i am very familiar with vehicles and am not afraid of a little DIY.

the truck i am looking at buying is a 2023 Atlas blue just like this picture. i have only bought one new vehicle and i loved it (s550). it was nice being the first person to wash/turn a wrench/etc on the car.

my concern is post-COVID quality and the complaints i see.

AC going out and dash needing to be pulled
Transmission being a pain in the ass
Paint or rust issues
General lack of QC.

$60k out the door with everything. how is that price? $54,500 before taxes and fees. we are at $550 a month roughly with $35k down for 48 months at 2.9%.

i want the truck, it’s beautiful and i love the coyote. all of the issues i see scare me into wanting to buy another older diesel for $20-30k that will be reliable (i come from a cummins that needed nothing, and a few duramax trucks).

any opinions and critiques are appreciated

 

[Buyer2021]

Any particular vehicle risks being a 'problem child', and yep, forums are magnets for those unfortunate cases of every marque.

FWIW I've been super-happy with my post-Covid-build 2022 Lariat. 9k miles with nary a lick of trouble including a few truly minor things that have been the subject of recall.

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