US opens probe into 250000 F-150 trucks - The Detroit News
Washington — The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Friday it is opening an investigation into 250,000 Ford F-150 pickups for braking problems linked to two crashes. The investigation covers the 2011-12 F-150 with a 3. 5 liter gasoline turbo direct-injection engine and comes as 32 complaints alleging electric vacuum assist pump failures resulting in loss of brake power assist and increased brake pedal effort. NHTSA said “none of the complaints reported any warning indicators to alert the driver of brake power assist loss or the potential of increased stopping distance. The agency said the complaints suggest “an apparent increasing trend, with approximately 60 percent of complaints received within the past nine months. The owner of a 2011 F-150 wrote Ford last year after buying a 2012 F-150 and said he almost crashed. Ford replaced the pump to supply power brakes with a belt-driven vacuum pump from the 2013 F-150, owners said. Ford said it was cooperating with the NHTSA investigations. Source: www.detroitnews.com
