I can truly appreciate the desire for some numbers here, however outside of someone who works for Ford in a statistical capacity and has access to warranty / repair data... I don't think you will find this information anywhere online.

 

Here are some numbers. Ford sales have been pretty equal between the 5.0l and the 3.5l in recent years. One engine choice has not been more popular than the other with Ford saying around 28% for each 5.0l, 3.5l, and the 2.7l in 2014/15.
(V6 engines will outpace V8s for the 2015 Ford F-150 - Autoblog)

Ford as of June 2016 has sold 1 million f150's with the ecoboost engine, average of 200,000/year. For me to be concerned with it I would need to see more than 10% (20,000/year) of these trucks having major issues IF the truck had proper documented maintenance. You would hear about issues if there were 20,000+ people having them. Proper maintenance includes the changing the oil every 5k and spark plugs earlier than suggested as that should be general known maintenance at this point (also why I wouldn't by a 2011 of either engine)

(Ford has Sold One Million EcoBoost F150 Pickups - Torque News)

If you go the 5.0 route I would say the same thing. Very few engines actually having the tick with the 1+ million sold. Most major issues are caused by people not doing routine maintenance.

The v8 might be a "go to" engine for ford but the coyote is brand new design just like the 3.5l was and neither of these principles were brand new, it was just Ford's first time with a turbo v6 but they have years of turbo use.

 

Thanks for the interesting articles. It seems unlikely that sales would be that good if the issues were widespread. I'm still kind of leaning toward the 5.0 since I will be daily driving it a lot more than I will be towing or hauling heavy loads. Dad pretty much hits or beats the EPA mileage with his 5.0 4x4 Scab with a fiberglass topper on it. I don't think I really NEED the extra oomph of an Ecoboost most of the time. I'm sure it would make me smile after having towed my pontoon with my 2 valve 5.4 Expy. I don't think even a 3.7 would scream any worse than that old girl! Pontoons aren't particularly heavy, but it's kind of like towing a massive parachute!

Hmm, before I posted the above paragraph I did a search and found an F150 ecoboost forum. There is a 51 page thread about the timing chain/cam phaser issue with the ecoboost engine. Ford F150 3.5L Ecoboost Rattle Upon Start Up- Timing Chain Stretch Issues TSB

Kind of scary. On the other hand, how is the timing chain/phaser setup different on the Ecoboost engines and the 5.0 or even the 3.7L engines? Do they have any of these issues? Arrgh!

 

Go for a 2013 or newer, 5.0. You won't be let down.

Unk Bob

 

So let's assume 10 posts per page and each one was actually a different person. That is 510 people impacted. Let's assume it's the same for 10 forums. Still only 5,100 people. For 5 years. That's 1,000 out of 200,000 sold a year. 99.5% success rate..... I'll take those odds.

 

^^^I couldn't agree more. I still remember the 6.0 diesel and 5.4 3 valve. Those filled the shop day in and day out. I think we've had 2 3.5's in for timing chain/phaser replacement in the last 3-4 months. You have to keep in mind that the F150 is the best selling truck and the 3.5 is the premium engine so it should have the highest take rate. Also in the thread you linked the ones that had the noise return were probably early repairs when Ford was recommending timing chain replacement only.

If you want a 5.0 get one. They're a good engine. No replacement for the V8 sound. If you're interested in an EcoBoost don't let the internet chatter scare you away. In the words of one of the best techs I know in response to concerns about EcoBoost reliability, "Take care of it like you should and stay off the damn internet."

 

Yeah, I was kind of thinking of that too. I'm just trying to minimize the chances of needing major work. I'm 64 years old and can't even estimate the number of vehicles I've owned, especially if I count the ones my kids had while they were still at home that I was responsible for. Yet the only major failure was on an old Nissan pickup my daughter got for free that needed a head gasket. I replaced the gasket, but like a dummy, I didn't replace all the hoses. She drove it for a few months before a heater hose let go while she was on the interstate. Needless to say, she toasted the motor. A buddy found another truck of the same vintage that had a good motor and bad body. I bought it for $100, swapped the motors and she drove it until she left for college in Texas. She sold it to a friend's dad for $500 and I think it's still running, albeit without doors in use as a rock picker. That truck and a Chevy that lost the tranny (700r4 POS) six months after I bought it have been the worst problems I've dealt with. Well, replacing the clutch slave cylinder in a Ranger isn't my idea of a fun time, but not particularly expensive.

I do my own maintenance because, no offense to anyone here, but I don't trust the "grease monkeys" at the dealers'. It has worked for me for many, many years. Either I'm really lucky, or most of the trucks today are built pretty darn well, regardless of brand (GM being the possible exception).

 

I'm starting to believe that is the best advice one could get, lol!

I certainly appreciate EVERYONE'S input. Now I just need to drive a few of each and then decide. I've seriously considered Ram, but it's hard to get the blue oval out of my blood.

 

Playing devils advocate: To the OP, it looks like you are seeking reassurance that you will have a low probability of issues with whatever vehicle you end up with. I don't think you will be able to find that exact information here. There are too many variables to just "assume" a percentage from forum threads. There was a suggestion that regular maintenance will prevent major issues, and though I agree to a point - I've owned my 2013 5.0 since new, maintained it to a fault and am currently going through remediation of the 5.0 "tick". Random fluke? Probably but it happens. Just thankful I am still under powertrain warranty.

With that said, I do agree that if there were a majority of problems, we would be hearing this in places other than the forums.

If I were you, I would drive all the vehicles you mentioned and pick the one you like best. And this is coming from a diehard Ford owner (all but one vehicle I've owned has been Ford). There is going to be a bit of chance involved regardless of the brand/engine combo picked.

Best of luck with your decision.

 

Yeah, I know there are no guarantees even when buying new, regardless of make. Ram has some transmission issues, though the 5.7 seems to be pretty solid. I've kind of ruled the Tundra out. I parked next to one yesterday at work and my God, that thing is HUGE! Yet, the interior apparently is not so much. I'm kind of down to Ram and Ford. If I go with the Ram it would probably be the 5.7 or the 3.6 with the 8 speed transmission. The 4.7 has little more power than the V6 with worse mileage than either of the other two. Ford offers more of a dilemma with two V6s and the 5.0. The 3.7 has to rev like crazy to make power, which would take some getting used to, although it would probably do the job. Both the 3.5 and the 5.0 have their issues, which depending on whom you ask are either insignificant or widespread and scary. I haven't had time to test drive any of them, with the exception of my dad's 2011 5.0, which I really like, so I guess that has to be the next step.

Sorry to hear about your "tick." Is it the cam phaser tick or the warped cylinder knock? I thought the latter was a 2011-2012 issue.

 

One more thing to consider, if it's a factor for you anyhow. The Ram has a pretty bad crash test rating all around, when on the flip side the F-150 was rated very well.

 

Yup, I'm aware of that and it is a factor. On one hand, I grew up at a time when our seat belts were my dad's arm across my chest and the speed limit was 70 mph even on the two lane roads. Air bags weren't even someone's dream yet then and bias ply tires were the norm, so I'm not real easy to scare. On the other hand, I have six grandkids, any of whom could be riding in my truck on a given day, which is another reason I'm leaning toward

 

I'll offer my data point on Ram. My company runs about 30 1500 Ram's, we buy them from Fastenal for dirt cheap and low miles, typically 30-50k miles on a 3-4 year old truck. Can usually get the trucks for 12-15k, but they are usually only available in single cab/long bed. The owners like to run the trucks into the ground so we've got quite a few with over 200k miles. Some getting close to 300k miles.

They seem to be pretty reliable. The biggest issue has been electronics, namely the ECM's. About half of them have required a new ECM's for a price well over $1k and the truck being down.

Had quite a few rear-end failures around 200k miles
I think only one tranny failure.
A few wheel bearings failures
No engine failures (most are the 4.7L V8 with a few Hemi's)
Interiors fall apart pretty quickly.

Overall reliable trucks for guys doing work that don't care how nice the interior looks.

The one I typically drive is a 2010, 2x4 with the 4.7L. I don't like the way the truck drives compared to my Ford. You sit too low in the truck, interior feels a lot cheaper. It does get fantastic mileage. About 22-23mpg on the highway runs. The 4.7L is gutless, but that's solved by getting the Hemi.

Just bought my Ecoboost so I can't comment on the reliability. Mine's great. My only complaint is the sound, I really miss the V8 rumble. Although it's definitely much nicer sounding than the V6 in your Tacoma. I really like the powerband of the Ecoboost. Gobs of low-end torque, very diesel-like. That's the one thing I don't like about the 5.0 and most other modern V8's. You really have to rev them now to get power.

I know there are a few guys that have over 300k on their 2011's without issue which is a good sign.

 

The revving of both the 5.0 and the 3.7 is what kind of pushes me toward the EB with it's low rpm torque. I still miss that from my '02 Ram 2500 with the 5.8 CTD. Even with a 3.55 rear end, it was a stump puller without having to crack 2500 rpm. If diesel hadn't spiked a few years ago, I'd probably still have it. I have to agree, the interior could have been better, but it really wasn't all that much worse than most other trucks I've had.

The main requirement on the interior of a truck, for me, is that the seats don't break down or tear. All the fancy stuff belongs in cars. I HATE carpet in a truck, but finding one without it can be a challenge anymore. I use my trucks as trucks, so mud, sand and other less desirable stuff happens. Plain old rubber floor mats are WAY easier to scrub out, don't stain, and don't stink. I want it to start every time, haul stuff, pull stuff, and ride well enough to keep my arthritic back from objecting. I don't want it to sound like some fart-can ricer, but it doesn't need to wake up the neighbors either.

BTW: my Taco doesn't really sound all that bad for a 190 horse V6. Kinda got a nice rumble to it...better than one would expect, lol!

 

I thought I'd add an update to this thread since I started it. After much searching online and driving through car lots, my wife and I happened to spot a 2010 XLT SCAB 4x4 with a 4.6l 3v in a lot near our acreage. The lot was closed for the day, so we couldn't do anything but a walk around. My wife loved the color, Royal Red, but I thought they were a little high on the price and pretty much dismissed the truck, although I did find it on Autotrader and save it for some reason.

Then last week I got an Autotrader alert that the price had been reduced by $1600 to $17,160. I mentioned it to my wife and got no reaction, so again, I dismissed the truck and kept looking. It seemed that the only trucks I was finding in my price range were in the 2009-2012 range or had really high miles or were stripped down models, but I kept looking.

Then on Thursday, I was at the cabin and my wife was at home. She called me and suggested that I stop at the dealer in Dyersville and see how they would trade on the 2010...after a test drive of course. After a long haggle...damn, I hate that part...we finally came to a price I could live with in terms of boot, but the boss was not so sure. I told the guy I'd have to sleep on it...boy those car dealers hate to see you walk out, but I had squeezed all the $$$ out of him I was going to, so he had to let me go.

I met my wife for our nephew's graduation party and we talked some more. The website had the truck listed as having over 95k miles, but in reality it only had 73k. That kind of made up her mind, so yesterday the F150 came home with me and the Tacoma stayed behind in the Ford lot. It was rather sad to drive away without it since it has been a great little truck, but riding in the F150 makes me smile, so it's all good . I just hope I have as good of experience with this truck as I have with the Taco.



I'm not a real fan of all the chrome, but I'm adjusting to it.

In the end, I decided the 4.6l, which is rated for 7900 pounds towing capacity with its 3.55 open rear end, would tow anything I'm likely to hook up to it, and I can't seem to find a lot of negatives posted about that engine. The six speed shifts smoothly and even in the hills of the Driftless Area of Eastern Iowa it didn't seem to search for the right gear all that much. The Lie-O-Meter says I got 19.4 mpg for the 50 mile trip home, which included a trip through Dubuque for a Walmart run, so I'm impressed. I know the computer may not be all that trustworthy, but even if it's off by 2-3-4 mpg, that's not bad for a full sized truck.

Sorry for the long post, folks.