2013-2014 Ford F-150 recalled to fix brake fluid leak: 271,000 trucks affected

Back in March, we told you that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had launched an investigation of the 2013-2014 Ford F-150 pickup. On Wednesday, Ford issued a recall for those vehicles, affecting roughly 271,000 trucks in North America.

Back in March, we told you that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had launched an investigation of the 2013-2014 Ford F-150 pickup. On Wednesday, Ford issued a recall for those vehicles, affecting roughly 271,000 trucks in North America.

NHTSA's probe began after some F-150 owners complained that they'd experienced complete loss of braking power, with brake pedals traveling all the way to the pickup's floorboard. Other owners said that their brake warning lamps were illuminated and that there was a shortage of fluid in the master cylinder reservoir, even though there were usually no signs of leakage.

NHTSA's investigation has now concluded, and today Ford announced plans to replace the F-150's brake master cylinder. According to the automaker:

"In some vehicles, it is possible brake effectiveness could be reduced due to brake fluid leaking from the brake master cylinder into the brake booster, increasing the risk of a crash. The brake fluid leak affects brakes to the front wheels only and does not affect rear wheel braking."

To date, Ford has received nine reports of accidents that may be linked to the problem, though none of the nine involved injuries. There was, however, one injury reported that was not linked to an accident.

The recall is limited to 2013-2014 Ford F-150 vehicles equipped with 3.5-liter GTDI engines built at specific plants during specific windows of time:

• Trucks built at Dearborn Truck Plant between August 1, 2013 and August 22, 2014
• Trucks built at Kansas City Assembly Plant between August 1, 2013 and August 31, 2014

All told, the recall affects 270,873 vehicles, including 225,012 registered in the U.S., 43,682 in Canada, and 402 in Mexico.

Ford will mail recall notices to owners, instructing them to take their trucks to dealerships for service. Dealers will replace the F-150's brake master cylinder free of charge. They'll also replace the brake booster there's evidence of leakage from the brake master cylinder.

If you own one of these vehicles and have further questions, you're encouraged to contact Ford Customer Service at 800-392-3673.

This article first appeared at The Car Connection.