The Ford F-150 pickup truck is one of the most popular cars in the United States. It’s been the top-selling pickup truck for over 40 years, beating out the Chevy Silverado 1500 and Ram 1500. While the Ford F-150 is an excellent work vehicle with a high towing capacity, it’s still not without its flaws.

Like all automakers, Ford is no stranger to recalls. Nearly 70,000 units of its flagship truck were recalled this year for a serious transmission problem. The Ford F-150 was also included in a massive recall over doors with broken latches. Here’s the latest of the Ford F-150’s woes and what you should do if your vehicle is affected.

The Ford F-150’s brake fluid problem

Last week, Car and Driver reported that Ford had announced a recall over a brake fluid leak. In affected trucks, the brake booster can become damaged due to a leak from the brake master cylinder’s front-wheel circuit. This can cause the brake function to fail or be reduced in the front wheels.

Ford clarified that the back wheels will still be able to retain braking function even if there’s a brake fluid leak. Still, this could increase the truck’s stopping distance by several feet. Not being able to stop your car in time could lead to a crash. 

Accidents as a result of this recall

So far, Ford is only aware of seven low-impact crashes and two minor injuries that have occurred due to a brake fluid leak. No fatal or serious injuries have been reported. However, more than 300 people have filed complaints with the NHTSA over the car’s dangerous brakes. One driver’s brakes went out while he was on the interstate, but thankfully he was able to stop safely.

Which Ford F-150 models are included in the recall?

Almost 300,000 Ford F-150 pickups are affected by this problem. Most of them were sold in the States, but 50,000 affected trucks were also sold in Mexico and Canada. Trucks built in 2015-2017 at the Dearborn, Michigan plant between October 2014 and August 2016 are affected.

Additionally, Ford F-150 models from 2014-2017 that were built at the Kansas City plant between September 2015 and August 2016 are also affected. Only the trucks with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine are included in this recall. If your truck has a brake warning on the instrument cluster screen, it could be experiencing a brake fluid leak.

What Ford had to say about it

Some drivers expressed frustration that Ford hadn’t addressed this issue sooner. After all, the NHTSA had been receiving reports of this issue for a couple of years prior to the recall. Ford has previously released a recall over faulty brakes, but that one only included Ford F-150 models from 2013 to 2014.

In one statement, according to WSMV, a Ford spokesperson said that the company had been continually working with the NHTSA to address the complaints. The automaker wanted to make sure that there was enough consistent evidence of the truck’s problem to warrant a recall.

What should Ford F-150 owners do?

If your Ford F-150 is included in the recall and you’ve been experiencing braking issues, it will need to be serviced. No start date for the repairs has been announced yet, but it will probably be in the near future. Ford has stated that it will replace both the brake master cylinder and the leaking brake booster if needed.

You can also call Ford’s customer service line or visit the recall page to locate a service station near you. If your truck is running properly, just keep an eye out for any dashboard warnings. You can also usually see a trail of yellow or brown liquid under your Ford F-150 if there’s a leak.