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Ford launched its 3.5-liter turbocharged EcoBoost V6 for the 2007 model year, then designed a second-generation engine in 2017. Over the past fifteen years, the 3.5-liter EcoBoost has proven itself to be both powerful and efficient. It converted many V8 fans and became a popular choice in the F-150. But a truck reviewer who drove an F-150 PowerBoost hybrid with a 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine encountered the check engine light three times—always due to a misfire.
Driving the PowerBoost for fourteen months
Andre Smirnov, editor at The Fast Lane Truck, admits that he loves new technology. So when Ford introduced its first hybrid pickup truck, the 2021 F-150 PowerBoost, he went out and bought one. After 14 months, he completed one of the most comprehensive new powertrain tests around.
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The Ford F-150 PowerBoost drivetrain places a powerful electric motor/generator between a regular 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 and its 10-speed transmission. When you tap the brakes, this unit helps slow the truck down and charges its 1.5 kWh Li-ion battery. When you accelerate, it can launch the car, so the V6 doesn’t need to fire until you reach higher speeds.
In Smirnov’s experience, his new pickup truck threw the check engine light three times. All three times were on very cold days: once each in October, November, and December. He only filled the gas tank three times. He read the code three times, and it reported that the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine had misfired. And the light went out three times when he restarted the pickup truck.
The misfiring problem was just one of Smirnov’s points against the PowerBoost. But interestingly this is an issue that F-150 owners have already reported with the non-hybrid EcoBoost that the new PowerBoost is based on.
Another EcoBoost owner had to troubleshoot misfires
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In 2019, TFL Truck actually interviewed three Ford F-150 EcoBoost owners about how reliable their engines are. One of them has owned a 2014 F-150 EcoBoost for two years, putting the truck through 70,000 miles. He reported that his F-150 didn’t fire – bad.
To troubleshoot the misfiring cylinder, the owner replaced his spark plugs. This seemed to fix the issue, but just to be safe he also upgraded the truck’s oxygen sensor.
Neither of the other two owners reported any misfiring. Perhaps Smirnov will replace his spark plugs, then report the results in his two-year review.
Is the F-150’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost reliable?
JD Power ranks the F-150–in all its powertrains–as one of the most reliable pickup trucks around. While a small number of owners have reported their V6 misfiring, these problems seem to be few and far between.
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Obviously, the stories above represent a very limited sample of 3.5-liter EcoBoost-equipped F-150 pickup trucks. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) also reports that “Some 2021-2022 F-150 vehicles equipped with the 3.5L EcoBoost engine may exhibit engine misfire concerns.”
Administration recommends replacing the ignition coil from a known good cylinder to diagnose the problem. But it didn’t receive enough reports to issue a recall.
Furthermore, JD Power actually gave the 2023 Ford F-150 an 86/100 for predicted reliability. This is one of the highest scores of any full-size pickup truck. The score includes all of the truck’s available engines, including the 3.5-liter EcoBoost and EcoBoost-based PowerBoost hybrid.
Next, check out reliable alternatives to a used Ford F-150 or watch Smirnov’s 14-month Ford PowerBoost review for yourself in the video below:
You can see TFL Truck’s interview with F-150 EcoBoost owners in this video:
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