Most reliable trucks

[GinoandLinda]

For those looking for a tow vehicle, this may be helpful. https://carbuzz.com/the-most-reliabl...last-10-years/

[Ron in BC]

While I still say that my F150 is "best tow vehicle ever" I'm not surprised with the #7 rating because mine has had more issues than the total of all the pickups that I've owned in the last 40 years.

And after you've lost power and had the whole truck wanting to shut down because of moisture in a tail light, it does make you wonder if the next tug will be a Ford.

Ron

[Chamberman]

While I appreciate that organizations out there are trying to quantify reliability. I personally put a much lower level of concern on for example speakers that fail versus engines that fail. However it appears this study doesn't discriminate in the severity of the reported problems. I'd like to see a study that displays the out of warranty cost of the reported problem because many of these vehicles problems will fail outside of the warranty period and these problems will be owned by the buyer and likely not reimbursed by the manufacturer.

[John in Santa Cruz]

I saw a youtube 4x4 truck guy saying his ideal truck would be an Ford with a Cummins diesel.

From what I've seen, long term reliability is way down on ALL of the newest vehicles, things like direct injection, lotsa-gears transmissions, fully computerized everything, have created a lot of new problems. Even the Cummins diesels, the newest versions are nothing like the 4v 5.9L of 10 or 15 years ago that would go 400k, 500k miles with mostly just oil changes.

[brjohnso]

My tow vehicle is a 2013 F-150 with the 5.0l V8. If you want it reliable, it should be simple. No turbos. No diesels. No hybrids. And definitely no electrics. Try and find a non-turbo V-8 Ford or Toyota. It won't get great milage, but it will be reliable.

[BravoDeltaRomeo]

Originally Posted by brjohnso

My tow vehicle is a 2013 F-150 with the 5.0l V8. If you want it reliable, it should be simple. No turbos. No diesels. No hybrids. And definitely no electrics. Try and find a non-turbo V-8 Ford or Toyota. It won't get great milage, but it will be reliable.

This!

I'll take my 2019 V8 Tundra gas guzzler with 1960's amenities and interior over most new trucks. It even came with a CD player.

The gas mileage is awful on it, but it's ultra reliable and I knew the MPG before I purchased it.

[GinoandLinda]

My very first vehicle was a Ford F100 with the 300cid inline six and three on the tree. Simple as a stone axe. I remember my dad helping me work on it. We both could stand in the engine bay, feet on the ground, on either side of the motor. If there was ever a gas engine that wanted to be a diesel when it grew up, it was the Ford 300 I6.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by brjohnso

My tow vehicle is a 2013 F-150 with the 5.0l V8. If you want it reliable, it should be simple. No turbos. No diesels. No hybrids. And definitely no electrics. Try and find a non-turbo V-8 Ford or Toyota. It won't get great mileage, but it will be reliable.

I've heard the 3V and 4V 5.4L V8's have camshaft problems that the earlier 2V 'Triton' ones didn't. Maybe this was sorted by the 5.0 'Coyote', I dunno. You'll be hard pressed to find a V8 F150 much newer than 2015 except special models like the Raptor.

The 3.5L Ecoboost twin-turbo V6 they are using in almost all the current generation light duty trucks (and my Expedition) is actually a pretty reliable engine, the early ones had some issues with the variable cam actuators

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by GinoandLinda

My very first vehicle was a Ford F100 with the 300cid inline six and three on the tree. Simple as a stone axe. I remember my dad helping me work on it. We both could stand in the engine bay, feet on the ground, on either side of the motor. If there was ever a gas engine that wanted to be a diesel when it grew up, it was the Ford 300 I6.

I had a 1965 F100 w/ that exact engine and transmission. it was a beater truck we used for dump runs. Gawd, those old drum brakes were *awful* coming down a steep grade with a full load.

[GinoandLinda]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

I had a 1965 F100 w/ that exact engine and transmission. it was a beater truck we used for dump runs. Gawd, those old drum brakes were *awful* coming down a steep grade with a full load.

LOL. Yep those brakes were awful. Thanks for the pic. Brings back memories. Mine had west coast mirrors. I had a cold start routine: pump gas pedal a couple of times, pull the choke out, try to start. Push choke half way. Try again. If it didn’t start, wait a few minutes and repeat.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by brjohnso

My tow vehicle is a 2013 F-150 with the 5.0l V8. If you want it reliable, it should be simple. No turbos. No diesels. No hybrids. And definitely no electrics. Try and find a non-turbo V-8 Ford or Toyota. It won't get great milage, but it will be reliable.

I think that you got lucky and yours is the model just before they designed the tail lights not to be waterproof on the basis that it was better to let moisture drain out. Might sound reasonable but corrosion will trigger one of the body control modules and everything goes downhill from there. We're talking thousands downhill.

How they managed to escape having to do a recall is beyond me.

Ron

[SRS]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

I think that you got lucky and yours is the model just before they designed the tail lights not to be waterproof on the basis that it was better to let moisture drain out. Might sound reasonable but corrosion will trigger one of the body control modules and everything goes downhill from there. We're talking thousands downhill.

How they managed to escape having to do a recall is beyond me.

Ron

FWIW, my 2021 has sealed taillights. I know because I've broken two backing my trailer. While replacing them I looked for weep holes or drains and found none. The lights and the Blis module are really well sealed. I guess Ford learned, but I remember your saga with the BLIS system and it didn't sound fun or cheap.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by SRS

I guess Ford learned,

Oh they did alright and got away without having a recall. But they knew there was a problem and that's why they had the settlement with them covering 1/3, the dealer 1/3 and lucky me the other third. It was still very expensive for tail light.

Today, on my "best tow vehicle ever" I just finished installing a temporary horn. First thing I checked when the factory horn stopped working was the horn fuse. No problem. Checked that the terminal inside the fuse holder had current. Nope. Evidently that indicates a problem with a body control module. I'm thinking that my temporary horn might become permanent.

Ron

[Chamberman]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

Oh they did alright and got away without having a recall. But they knew there was a problem and that's why they had the settlement with them covering 1/3, the dealer 1/3 and lucky me the other third. It was still very expensive for tail light.

You may have seen this video

this video

, crazy, Ford Tech Makuloco is said to charge less than the Ford dealer too and it was still outrageously expensive. The original owner posted in the comments accompanying this video. He said that he was able to get his insurance company to pay a large portion of the repairs because the damage was water related.

There are times when I see things like this that I'm quite happy with my rather basic 2014 F150 STX which has none of the sensing electronics in it. I even had to add an aftermarket head unit to get a backup camera so my wife would drive it.

[Chamberman]

Originally Posted by BravoDeltaRomeo

This!

I'll take my 2019 V8 Tundra gas guzzler with 1960's amenities and interior over most new trucks. It even came with a CD player.

It may be basic by modern standards, but 1960's In the 1960's they couldn't even imagine the gadgets most 2019 model cars came standard with, Airbags, antilock brakes, bluetooth connectivity to stream audio and make phone calls, sensors in the tires to transmit your tire pressures to the computer, backup cameras and screens to watch what you're backing into, etc.

I was helping my son get his 1969 Olds 442 out of storage and started this past Friday. We restored it about 20yrs ago and it has sat in covered storage for about 8 years now. After we got it started I was just sitting there in the drivers seat and taking in the starkness of the interior. There's not a lot there, AC and an automatic are about the only options in his car.

[BravoDeltaRomeo]

Originally Posted by Chamberman

It may be basic by modern standards, but 1960's In the 1960's they couldn't even imagine the gadgets most 2019 model cars came standard with, Airbags, antilock brakes, bluetooth connectivity to stream audio and make phone calls, sensors in the tires to transmit your tire pressures to the computer, backup cameras and screens to watch what you're backing into, etc.

I was helping my son get his 1969 Olds 442 out of storage and started this past Friday. We restored it about 20yrs ago and it has sat in covered storage for about 8 years now. After we got it started I was just sitting there in the drivers seat and taking in the starkness of the interior. There's not a lot there, AC and an automatic are about the only options in his car.

It wasn't meant to be taken literally. It is no secret this generation of Tundra is dated in features and luxuries. But the engine is tried and true, which is why we bought it. For example, the same year f150 has a 10 speed transmission vs my 6 speed. Toyota fell behind in things and tried to catch up and their new models are flooded with issues.

But based on other vehicle manufactures, it is a decade behind in luxuries and "included" features.

About the only thing I wish was better is, the gas mileage. But I can't complain as I knew what it was before we purchased.

[Northerngirl]

We experienced total brake failure towing our 21NE, with our 2018, RAM eco diesel this September. A big hill in the Peace river region of BC. Terrifying experience

My husband stopped using the E brake and trailer brakes

Currently shopping for a new TV

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by Northerngirl

We experienced total brake failure towing our 21NE, with our 2018, RAM eco diesel this September. A big hill in the Peace river region of BC. Terrifying experience

My husband stopped using the E brake and trailer brakes

Currently shopping for a new TV

eeeek, thats a scary thing.


fixing the brakes is probably a lot cheaper than a new truck, just sayin'....

[BravoDeltaRomeo]

Originally Posted by Northerngirl

We experienced total brake failure towing our 21NE, with our 2018, RAM eco diesel this September. A big hill in the Peace river region of BC. Terrifying experience

My husband stopped using the E brake and trailer brakes

Currently shopping for a new TV

What was the service history on it?

That seems like an odd total failure unless they had been neglected for years.

[John Webb]

I have a 1996 2500 Dodge 4x4 with a Cummins in it. It has 254,000 miles on it and has been used like a truck. No Def, and pretty simple truck. If They made one, I would have bought another one like it last year, when it was time to buy a newer unit. I bought a Chevy 3500 Silverado 4x4 with the Duramax. Thing has way more power than I need, and amenities up the wazu. I can tell You right now it will never be as trouble-free as the Dodge. Just too many computer chips. Not as easy to drive in town, and park either, as this is a really large truck. It is a great long-range cruiser out on the Freeway, when You want to go on very long trips. For those that are looking, check out the Chevy 1500 Silverado, with the 6 cylinder diesel. The thing gets stupid good mileage, and has a tow rating higher than My old 3/4 ton Dodge. I did hear a rumor that They may discontinue that particular engine. I would have bought one, but it just didn’t quite have enough payload for some of the loads that I occasionally haul. Lastly, I have seen that the Chevy 2500 with the 6.6 engine has been pretty dependable, although has less power than the Ford’s. There are a lot of really good reviews on Utube out there. Good luck in Your search!