Have a new 2013 F150 XLT 4x4 V6 SuperCab. It's a great truck and I really wanted to give the new V6 a try. So far the engine is living up to its name.

However there are four things I very much dislike:

1. The 6speed transmission is very "clunky". You can feel the shifts too much, and especially when downshifting in the lower ranges. And it seems like there is alot of "slop" in the rear gears. But I'm sure they are fine. The transmission is most likely the culprit. There is just alot of slack somewhere and its fairly noisy and annoying. You can feel it thump all the time especially when your coasting to a stop and the light turns green...apply the throttle and THUMP. Should be seamless, but far from it. Probably nothing the dealer can do about it.

2. The driver side floor vent for feet heat SUCKS!!! Hardly any air comes out of it unless you have it on floor mode only, and fan maxed out. The dash vents and the passenger side floor vents are great. But my feet are always freezing as virtually no heat gets to that area. If you have it on vent/floor and blower level 3...hardly anything comes out the driver floor yet the rest of your body is on fire. Poor design of the duct work by Ford. Again nothing the dealer can change I'm sure.

3. The oil fill tube and dipstick are almost impossible to reach...and I'm 6'-1". I have to stand beside the truck and fully reach as far as I can to check the oil. WHY didn't Ford give a little longer dipstick that is accessible from the front in a normal standing position? Instead it's at valve cover level at the back of the driver side valve cover. Terrible. And the fill is valve cover level, hard to reach, and you have to use an extended funnel to fill. Good luck not spilling anything if you need to add on the road with no funnel.

4. Dome light switch is integrated into the dash cluster dimmer. So if I want my dome lights on instantly...I have to hold the dimmer switch in for a moment and wait. WHY couldn't they just give me an instant on/off switch??? When you turn them off its the same. Hold, wait, and then they fade away. If you don't get it right you dash brightness gets changed instead. Dumb idea Ford.

Thats about all I dislike about the truck. Other than that is seems to be a great truck.

 

What about the missing LH A-pillar grab handle?

For this and all the others you mentioned ..... SCRAP IT!
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Goth 150
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I totally agree with you about the dipstick. I have to use a small ladder to reach mine!

 

There is no such thing as the "perfect truck"..4 minor dislikes isn't bad.

 

I agree with the dipstick and the dome light. I haven't noticed the transmission issue you mentioned, but I love the 6 speed transmission. With cruise control on and going up an incline, our Suburban downshifts until the motor is turning about 4,000 rpms. It sounds like the motor is going to let go. The F150 downshifts if necessary and rpms stay around 2,500 or 3,000. I haven't noticed the heat issue either. The heaters definitely work well once the truck warms up!

 

I would take it in to the dealer and let them evaluate the shifting issues. I agree that a brand new truck should shift seamlessly. You paid good money for the truck, don't just "settle". Maybe they can reflash the system or reprogram some shift points? It could also be possible that there is an issue with the blending of the air and heat. Heck, I'd have it looked at, especially with warrranty.

 

I would like a light to tell me when the windshield washer fluid is low. My 2010 Ranger had it. No fun to run out on a long drive on snowy roads.

 

Low washer fluid indicator would be nice

 

2 comments:

#1 .... the shifting will likely get better as you drive it. the truck learns how you drive and adapts the shift strategy to match your driving style. the adaptive shift strategy seems to ride the short bus, though, and takes quite a few shift cycles to "get it right" ... it gets better as it learns, that being said .... when you do something out of the norm it can get confused and shift all stupid-like. my advice is to drive normal, and then occasionally make abrupt throttle input changes and let it sort the shifts out a few times. that is to say stand on it a few times until it figures out how to downshift smoothly. 4 or 5 times in a row seems to learn it a thing or two (that and it's kinda fun).

#2 .... why are we leaving on long trips without checking our windshield washer fluid? guess i've never seen the need for a warning lamp .... if it quits working it is usually because it is out ... then i think to myself "shoulda prolly checked that before i left" followed by "oh good, there's a gas station" then my washer fluid level issues is resolved in very short order. I guess if there was a warning lamp that were to come on i would see the lamp and think to myself "i can prolly make it" followed by "oh good, there's a gas station" .....

 

My navigator Hates down shifting, if I go up an incline it wont downshift.......Not that it need too tho

 

Double post!! Don't HURT ME!!

 

I've got a 2011 FX4 5.0L Supercab.

As far as the transmission issue, it'll get better over time...When I first took deleivery on my truck back in late 2011 it had 3.2 miles on the odo and one of the first thing's I noticed was that the trasnmission seemed to get confused easily. I was a little off put but I read in the fourms that these new transmission's learn your driving patters and behavior over time, after about 1,000 miles or so I noticed that my trans seemed to functioning much more efficently. Trucks now got 18K miles on and it shifts like a dream.

Haven't noticed the floor air vent issue, but its not something that I really paid attention to either.

And I totally agree about the dome light.

 

The low washer fluid indicator on my '04 Expy will drive you fricken nuts as the tank approaches half empty. To me, that's a good thing. No warning at all is foolish.

The thing that ticks me off is that everything that everyone is asking for has either been used on previous F-150's or was / is used on other Fords.

Not being able to build the perfect truck is true BUT, when the simplest of gadgets and convenience items are used elsewhere in the fleet, then the F-150 should have them incorporated. God knows these trucks are priced at a premium.

To me, the engine oil dip stick is the biggest issue. I can check everything under the hood on my Expy without a ladder. I need a ladder to check my oil on my 2011.

I would like to be able to lock my tail gate with the key fob.

 

I never noticed the dome light thing... When ever I need some light and cant open the door I use one of the map lights. BUT what you say is a legit complaint.

Heat... Mine seems to work fine. However I dont like alot of hot air directly on my feet. If they get hot and sweat, You will never keep them warm. If the rest of my body is toasty my feet normally follow.

Dip stick. yeah, I get it. 6'2" here and its a stretch to not only get it out, but to put it back in is an excersize in patience!

 

I also hate the dome light switch and the dipstick needs to be longer. Ford should design an extension or a dipstick with a longer handle and give them out for free.