We are told the Super Duty's share the cab with the F-150 to gain the advantages of the newer design, but it seems they also share some significant disadvantages which are not being addressed.

I started reading this thread because I was getting excited about the prospect of getting a truck with the new 7.3L gas engine in a couple of years. (Torque moves trucks, horsepower sells cars; the 7.3 is the first gasoline "torque" engine ford has designed since the V10.) But I am not going to pay $70(+) thousand for a new truck and purchase problems that Ford has not addressed since 2015. I'm not going to hunt all day and find myself frozen out of my truck at dusk in a snowstorm with falling temperatures miles away from any other shelter--that just ain't gonna happen!

When the Super Duty Trucks came out in 1999, Ford was constantly redesigning components which exhibited even minor flaws. Mid-year revisions were common. Early 99's differ greatly than the later ones, and there are significant changes to my truck with a build date of February 01 from the 01's produced in September of 2000. Did that work? Ford sold more Super Duty's in that era than all Chevrolet, GMC and Dodges combined (8,600 GVW and higher). And of course, the company was much more profitable than it is today.

Are you listening Ford?

 

Since the 6.7L hit the market and the new redesign, Ford Super Duty trucks are really moving out in the market place. Dodge of course has its Cummins and Chevy its Allison.

Who's going to take the large pick-up lead next and what could it be that will single it out? Will it be battery hybrid? Some kind of cell power?

 

The answer is Tesla...

 

I don't mean to belittle your concern. It's surprising that Ford didn't catch this flaw in winter testing at a secret base in some butt-cold area of the world. I just got their letter offering to fix it.

But many vehicles suffer from this type of flaw. We lived in Northern France for 17 years, and I found that all kinds of systems fail in a hard freeze, especially if after rain or sleet. Even door seals will freeze to the door jamb and lock you out. Door seals get slightly porous over the years, and the water in them freezes up. Anything with a physical key will also freeze up (remember, before remote unlock?). Sliding doors on wifey's minivan will freeze up as quick as Hillary steals votes. I adopted a late fall routine of wiping every door seal with silicone lube, and spraying every lock mechanism including the truck, hatch, hood, whatever. When weather was horrid, I'd douse those locks again with light silicone lube. Oh, and don't forget the gas cap door. I had to break one off our supposedly-luxury Peugeot when it froze solid and I needed fuel. For frozen keys, I'd slide the key in then heat the key with a flame to carry heat into the lock cylinder. Plastic on the key? Problem.

The best cars for winter were BMWs, in our experience. They even put little heating grids under where the wipers park. The French cars generally sucked. We had no Fords then because they're not imported into France.
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Climate concerns should reflect package options. For those who generally live in a cold climate, an all season or cold climate package is offered.

Hot climates have their own needs like extra cooling capacities, darker tinting, UV protection, paint and interior concerns.

My truck has the cold climate options for Colorado, Wyoming and Montana, etc. The truck comes with a block heater and pre-electric heat so you get some heat while waiting for the motor to warm up.

Plus a few other cold climate options like heated front and back seats. Someone in Arizona, Florida, Texas, etc might like the air conditioned seats although I have them but haven't tried it.

I don't really think full electric cars are ready for all environments and terrains due to extremes for both. Like said above, I sure don't want to get stuck with a low or dead battery in Gnome Alaska.

I could carry and extra starter battery or a fuel can, but there are no charging ports out in the sticks.

 

I live in northern Wyoming and I've lived in the area all my life (68 years.) Oftentimes while hunting, I've left my truck at 5:00 a.m. and returned at noon or 1:00 and I have never had a time I couldn't get into my 2001 Super Duty, in freezing rain, wet snow, -40F degree temps. Never. Hopefully Ford will have a sure-fire re-design by the time I want a new one!

And hopefully they will come up with a better looking grill by then too! I know its a matter of personal taste and I am not bashing anyone who likes them. I actually like the new grills on the F-150's but the current Super Duty grills are just plain butt-ugly to me!

 

I won't buy a hybrid, or external-combustion (aka coal-powered at the power plant) vehicle. I tried one already. They are hideously complex. The batteries and massive electronics require rare earth minerals mined by Chinese child slaves. Recycling all that gallium arsenide etc a few years down the road will be costly. And the risks posed to firemen by hybrid vehicle fires are huge. I got trained on them when I was a volunteer fireman. The smoke is deadly, as is the risk of explosion and accelerated combustion.

I'll take a nice modern clean diesel, thank you. If Ford goes hybrid, I won't buy it. Every time they send me a survey, I tell 'em.
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You forgot the potential electrocution hazard, up to 650 volts on some electric and hybrid vehicles.

 

I agree heartily. Oddly, all of our Texas trucks have block heaters, even the 1986 that was originally purchased in CA. We do use the block heater on our 1989 IDI. It's a cranky starter.

What year is your truck, and what does that cold climate option include? My 2018 has heated steering wheel and seats, but I doubt it has a resistance element in the cab heater. I have to wait a good 7-10 minutes to get heat from the HVAC,

We don't get many months of cold in TX, but we did get a few weeks of teens last year. It varies. Right now it's 36 and windy as heck at 10 am.

 

Bingo. You hit it with the hose and get electrocuted. Dead. It's happened. So we establish a perimeter, water that down to avoid propagation, and sit back to watch the fire.

 

First responders are trained, but the general population is not. (I learned about the risk reading a notice posted in a fire hall I was doing electrical work in.) So after an accident a good Samaritan will try to open a door or lean against the car to see if the occupants are OK, or a passenger will try to get out and suddenly your injuries/casualties increase dramatically!

 

Here's a newie.....
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...w-defrost.html

 

That's a little better than the 09-14 F150s back windows shattering when the rear defrost was used.

 

It makes you wonder if the issue is Chinese subcontractors building defective windows, or has Ford started hiring plant workers that are as reality-impaired as their customer service phone staff. The last two times I called, uh, the only two times, I wound up talking with clueless youth that sounded waaaay more concerned with gender fluid than transmission fluid, social justice nonsense than with actually informing me about my truck. One asked me "what do you mean by 'service interval'?" Their personal lives and degeneracy are their own business, but at work they should deliver quality customer service.

And quality rear window defrosters that actually defrost.
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