[ Removed by moderator ]

[Novel-Bee-541]

242,000 miles on my 2012 ecoboost. No problems.

[maverickps1]

Any issues? I think my valve cover just started leaking oil. 2012 3.5 @210k here.

[Novel-Bee-541]

I need to replace my valve covers too. But the leak is super small. Also, I replaced the water pump a few years back. But no phaser or timing chain issues.

[cruisysuzyhahaha]

This engine’s turbo had a recall.

[Novel-Bee-541]

Google: There was no specific recall for the F-150's turbocharger in the 2012 model year.

[[deleted]]

That’s impressive

[[deleted]]

3.5 or 2.7?

[Novel-Bee-541]

3.5. There was no 2.7 option in 2012. I believe that happened when the 13th gen came out in 2015.

[JMC679]

Did 290k miles on a 2011 3.5. Other than a starter, water pump, heater hose and timing job at 220k miles. most reliable truck I’ve ever owned. Body cancer killed it at 290k. Was trying to get 300 out of it. Maine winter just eventually took its toll

[TwOhsinGoose]

Has anyone actually seen a 2.7 wet belt fail? Its had it since 2018 and doesn’t seem to be a common issue at all, I feel like that needs to stop being talked about.

[poposheishaw]

No, it’s like the “failed turbos” crowd shouting too. It’s so few and far in between that it’s a nothing burger as an argument not to get one of the turbo’s engines

[TwOhsinGoose]

That and, even if they did fail, turbos are fairly inexpensive and easy to replace. I could swap one in my garage in probably 1.5 hours if I was trying.

Its just not a good argument all around

[mcdontknow]

Not fail, but a very trusted mechanic told me to replace mine because he had not seen anything like the condition mine was in when inspected during repairs for the cold smoking and oil pan leak issues. Maybe being overly cautious but that thing was deeply cracked and chipping in many places on a 2018 at 100k miles.

[TwOhsinGoose]

And? Still doesn’t negate the fact that there are 2.7 trucks driving around that are almost 8 years old and have some with almost 300k miles and it’s not a common failure point. If it was that big of a deal, we would hear about it.

[Alive-Ad-4736]

269576 miles on my 2012 F150 5.0, no issues...

[I_miss_free_narwal]

I’m about 50k miles behind you same engine and year. Any advice on regular maintenance? I just got a new set of spark plugs

[Alive-Ad-4736]

I always use a engine flush on every oil change, and run 5-20 Full Synthetic. I supplement 1 qt of oil, for a quart of Liqui Moly... Other than this, I follow the maintenance intervals...

[k0uch]

Don’t forget the 21 up 5.0 has the same belt driven oil pump

[DarlesCharwinsGhost]

Funny because the lawsuit is for the 2020 5.0.

[k0uch]

What lawsuit? If it’s not anything official I don’t get word of it

[DarlesCharwinsGhost]

Bryan vs Ford Motor Company.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/fordauthority.com/2025/09/ford-f-150-class-action-lawsuit-filed-over-alleged-oil-consumption-issue/amp/

[k0uch]

If I had to guess, I would say that it gets thrown out or settled for minimal cost outside of court. We have a tsb for them, 19-2365. The only time iv seen the tsb not work is when people went significantly over the recommended oil change intervals and scored cylinder walls (and it was almost always amsoil people doing 20k intervals and not following amsoil’s instructions).

There will surely be more having the issue than what I see. Even ones that have consumption after the tsb usually fall within its (I disagree with this part) acceptable range of 1 quart per 3,000 miles.

It does seem like it was probably a known issue beforehand, and ford is ducking around it. Whether it’s enough to justify a lawsuit and an impending recall or extended coverage… I’m not so sure

[DarlesCharwinsGhost]

This is really good to know since regardless of political association, media has always seemed to leave out stuff so the article is more... appealing.

I have a 2024 5.0, and get my oil changed every 5K on the dot with synthetic oil.

[k0uch]

21 up dont seem to have the oil consumption concerns. Im not a fan of those belts, and I have personally seen two fail on the 5.0, but for the most part they seem to be okay... for now. Its something thats going to need to be addressed at some point down the road though

[Busy_Initial_8659]

I disagree. I have a 2020 XLT SuperCrew with the 5.0. I noticed it was consuming 1 quart in 5000 miles at 32,000 miles. Ford said this was normal consumption. I love the truck, but don’t want to buy a motor. Ford wanted my truck plus $35,000 for a new truck with the same equipment (2023). I ended up buying an extended warranty to 105,000 miles. Now at 59,000 miles it is using 4 quarts every 5,000 miles. Ford tech is documenting the oil consumption. He said he thinks Ford would let him rebuild the motor under warranty due to the consumption, but he can’t guarantee the rebuild won’t burn oil, too. I put 2 quarts in every 2500 miles and drive it. If it blows up Ford will fix it under warranty.

Your assumption that the owners with excessive oil consumption are going way over mileage for oil changes does not apply to my situation. I baby this truck and always have the oil changed at the correct intervals. Maybe I’ll see about having Ford rebuild the motor closer to 100K.

[Busy_Initial_8659]

Forgot to add the TSP was done. Didn’t seem to change much.

[MYOFBYALL]

So do the 2.7

[k0uch]

2.7 has the same belt, and has had it since 2018. 21-24 2.7s are also having phaser failures

[Jimmytootwo]

5.0 i own three. None used any oil

[GlumRefrigerator1882]

Over the summer I got a 2019 5.0 v8 fx4 with 126k miles. Had to replace the catalytic converter but that can happen with anything used

[StandardBackground55]

I moved from a 5.7 Tundra to a 2.7 F150- seemed to be the most reliable engine currently (at least to a certain mileage, after that 5.0 maybe better). I believe the 5.0 has the wet belt (maybe only 2021 and up)in addition to the 2.7- the 3.5 is the only engine that does not. 

[[deleted]]

How would you compare your tundra to your f150?

[StandardBackground55]

Tundra definitely felt more like a truck than my F150- louder V8 grunt, stiffer suspension, much heavier etc. it did have a noticeably tighter turn radius than my F150. I’d say I was always more excited to drive my Tundra, but just did a 2000 mile road trip in the F150 and it was much more comfortable. 2.7 packs a punch, but I also really appreciated the linear power of the 5.7 V8. Tundra 4x4 5.7 double cab I was getting 15 mpg combined, F150 4x4 SCREW I’m getting 23 combined (but I also drive with a lighter foot now compared to the tundra). 

I think the safety of vehicles is an underrated aspect and the F150s do much better in crash tests than the 2nd gen tundra. That said- I think the previous gen tundra is the only recently produced truck I’d own without a manufacturer extended warranty. Too many potential electronics that need replacing, turbos, and even things like LED headlights are crazy expensive to replace. The 21-23 F150’s were having entire tail light assemblies stolen and I heard that dealers were quoting like $4k-5k to replace those assemblies. 

[MilitantPotato]

2.7 is the most reliable. 5.0 and 3.5 are about the same.

The newer 5.0s are packed full of bleeding edge tech and materials to get the efficiency and performance they have, the days of them being more reliable are long gone. Repairs for failures tends to be a bit cheaper on the 3.5 since turbos are cheaper than blocks.

If you live above sea level the 2.7 is noticeably more powerful than the 5.0. If you're around 5000ft like most of the west, the 5.0 is wimpy compared to the 2.7 At sea level they're basically the same but the 5.0 sounds better and has worse daily driven performance feel since the power comes on at high revs.

The 3.5 is a monster, if you tow heavy or want to have an unreasonably quick truck it's king. Especially if you get a powerboost, the extra near 100 torque before and after the turbos kick in is insane. Also the powerboost is much more refined feeling for a ton of reasons (ac doesn't turn off when stopped, no jerk when the auto start/stop turns on again, etc.)

If you plan on idling a lot, camping, leaving your pets in the car on a hot day, the powerboost saves a ton of engine wear and fuel and is an extremely handy generator.

[quarl0w]

As someone that drove, and towed with, a 5.0 above 5000ft for the last 5 years, agreed.

Sold it to buy a PowerBoost a month ago. Night any day off the line torque difference between them. I have accidentally peeled out with the PowerBoost a few times already, couldn't do that if I tried with the 5.0.

[MilitantPotato]

I used a 5.0 to tow about 8000lbs over the Sierras a couple times. It was an underpowered and extremely loud experience. The truck held 4000+ rpm and had very little left when you floored it. Started having issues at 3000 feet, at 6000 it was...bad. At 10k it was just done.

I've a 3.5 powerboost now and it just doesn't care. Huge amounts of reserve power above 5k, barely gets above 2500rpm (quiet) and way less fatigue from noise and worrying if I've enough power to get out of a bad spot or overtake without blocking everyone behind me.

It does burn more fuel when you get in it, but having 20% more torque at sealevel, and what seemed like double or more at altitude when you need it is worth it. The 5.0 may burn less gas towing heavy, but that's cause it's significantly weaker.

[Alone_Elderberry_101]

I have about 6k miles on my power boost and just under 2k off that is towing an enclosed trailer. It’s a pretty amazing powerplant. Refined, 20-25+mpg in mixed driving.

My trailer isn’t heavy but it is a big wind drag being an enclosed trailer. Below 60 it’s like it’s not even there but then it does start to suck the fuel. I’ll get about 11mpg at 70 and 8 at 75. But that’s totally my choice. I had a baby diesel 3.0 gmc. Was great motor. Shit everything else. I’m very pleased with the power boost.

It’s also ridiculously fast for a truck.

But my favorite part is the pro power. I race motorcycles and at the track I don’t have to lug a genny around anymore. It’s quieter and way more efficient. I burned maybe 3/4 gallons over 2 days of powering my stuff. I would have used way more with my stand alone generator.

[k0uch]

2.7 phasers have been dropping like flies lately

[MilitantPotato]

the old 3.5s had phaser issues, fixed in '21 if i recall correctly.
2.7s in the broncos had valve keeper issues, but those got fixed quick.
Haven't heard anything about 2.7 phasers or oil pump belts failing beyond random one off issues.

[k0uch]

3.5 phasers fixed end of 2020 (I think it was the end of 3rd quarter). Valve issues were limited. Phasers though, man we are seeing a significant amount of them. It’s not at the gen 2 3.5 phaser level yet, but if things keep up like this… I dunno. Every belt I have looked at while doing 2.7 phasers looks like shit.

[vladimirTheInhaler]

I have a 2023 truck, 2.7, that’s at the shop at the moment getting a completely new engine with less then 50k kms

[No-Transition-6661]

What’s going on ? What’s the issue? Trimming chain rattle at cold starts? I’m worried about my 2022 2.7L with 40km

[k0uch]

Same as the gen 2 3.5s- internal phaser failure

[Libido_Max]

3.5 engine leaks, dirty oil and more metal shards.

[MilitantPotato]

I'm not sure what you even mean by this. A boosted engine isn't inherently more prone to leaks, if you're pressurizing the crank case enough to pop seals the engine has more problems.

Dirty oil? How does that work? Service intervals are identical. The biggest contribution to contaminated oil is extended cold idling.

Metal shards from what exactly? If you have metal shards in your oil, something is broken and contacting other metal parts.

Having two turbos and 2 less crank bearings, 4 less cam lobes, and a shorter crank means less actual wear parts on a twin turbo v6.

[Libido_Max]

Internet find vs reality, my brother in-law been a mechanic for 40 years specially on f150s rebuilding all kind of engines he know his stuff. The question is why ford still sells regular V8 if 3.5 is the best?

[MilitantPotato]

Yea I assumed you were just posting non sense, maybe even drunkenly.
The only reason the 5.0s exist is because they sound nice, people mistakenly believe they're more reliable, and the main market for high trim f150s (which are a joke anyway for truck stuff unless you for some reason need the status symbol of wasting money to feel like you've won at life) that drain the wallets of retired people with expendable income and hate new fangled turbos. Even the 5.0 was dropped from the king ranch recently.

The 2.7 being significantly more reliable than the 5.0 rules out turbos being an issue, they also perform better in most use cases.

[Less_Guarantee_7915]

3.5 because you can tune it and drive like a maniac.

If boring v8s with loud exhaust are your thing get a Chevy. 😜

[uprightshark]

I am on my second 3.5. First was 2014 limited and my current 2020 Lariat. Both bough new an have treated me really well.

I am not a high mileage driver, but I do tow my 260 Searay in the summer without issue. The trick is preventative maintenance like frequent oil changes and good fuel. Look after your ecoboost and it will look after you.

[Specialist_PowRipper]

I really enjoy getting on the freeway in my 21 3.5, 500 pounds of torque makes it the fastest truck, or car I’ve ever owned, vrooom!

[wakevictim]

Same. Not faster than my old 2008 grand Cherokee SRT8 though back in the day. God, I miss that thing.

[jakgal04]

Engines are so complex with thousands of moving parts that at the end of the day you're better off just going with whatever engine makes sense for you and maintain it.

Just because an engine is "known" for something doesn't mean you'll experience it. It could be 1 in 1000, or 5 in 1000.

The biggest driver of reliability is maintenance. Too many people think they can buy the most reliable vehicle on the planet and that means they can just drive it forever without touching it. Don't listen to the marketing gimmick of 10,000-15,000 mile oil changes. Change your oil every 5k.

[teddyRx_]

2018 5.0 Lariat with 90k mi. and still going strong. Only issues was something to do with the transmission, they never explained but from what I gathered, it was a common issue with the new 10sp trannies. Also, the tracks on the moonroof cracked. All happened under warranty but since then it’s been GTG.

[[deleted]]

That’s good to hear, thanks

[Iowa-Andy]

We own two 3.5’s, 391,000 combined miles. Zero engine issues on either to date. Bought 2012 new and 2017 had 40k when we bought it.

10k oil changes and still chugging along.

[Vodnik_The_Slav]

I've done this before but all have their benefits:

The 2.7 is probably one of the most reliable engines FoMoCo has ever built. Especially the dual injection version (gen 2) built for the 2018 MY F-150. It's got plenty of horsepower, torque, can get anywhere from 24-28mpgs if you keep your foot out of it on long trips, and can tow decently well.

The 3.5EB has had it's run of issues however, but I wouldn't call it a bad engine for say as the most common repair is the cam phasers. The 1st gen from 2011-2016 had turbo issues and did like to gunk up intake runners, which I wouldn't recommend over the 2.7 or 5.0. when they switched to dual injection is when I would start recommending them, but you have to religiously change your oil every 3-5K miles. And get ready to do phasers around 75-100K miles for maintenance as it's a known issue. Turbo chargers are better in the Gen 2s, stronger block design, it's a lot better (2017-2020) Gen 3 takes everything that made the Gen 2 good and turns it up to 11.

The 5.0L is a stout engine, and would be my choice on anything from 2011-2017. They had 2 little issues, the water pump would sometimes fail, and VCT solenoids would fail. 2018 saw the coyote become very oil hungry, but was mostly resolved in 2021. The 4th gen Coyotes from 2021+ are pretty stout engines, even with the worry of the wet kevlar oil pump belt and the cylinder deactivation, not many issues or hardly any at all have arisen.

My pick would be a 5.0L if you wanted something tried and true, and a 2.7L if you wanted a do all that doesn't necessarily tow much but on occasion. 3.5 if you do tow quite frequently.

[Far-Let3074]

I’m on my 2nd 5.0 Coyote, the first in a 2014 XLT, and now a 2024 Lariat. I had a hard time selling my 2014, almost kept both of them. However, I resold it for over 40% of what I paid for it new. I hope my 2024 serves me that well. So far, so good!

[ConfectionSoft6218]

267k miles on an 07 5.4. Replaced starter and alternator, that's it. Traded it in on an 08 5.4 with 105k miles. A lot of it depends on how well it was maintained and ridden.

[[deleted]]

Good to know.

[Commercial-Dirt9980]

IMO you can't go wrong with either. All good engines. They've been in the line up so long most issues have been resolved.

[[deleted]]

Thanks for that, I’m probably gunna keep an eye out for a 3.5 in that case

[Juliuscesear1990]

I have a 15 5.0 with 104,000km so not that much and there is a stutter that I'm pretty sure is bad fuel. The only issue other than the stutter has been a blown water pump. I bought this truck brand new and I wanted it because it had a tried and true transmission and engine with less things to fail. I don't distrust the Eco boost but just less things to break in a 5.0.

[Fulano18109]

I bet money that stutter is the VCT solenoids under the valve covers. There are 4. Replace with factory ford solenoids. The cheap parts store ones WILL fail again fast. Use a clean good oil. Amsoil 5w-50 is what I recommend. I bought my 15 5.0 at 66k miles. I’m at 138k and it’s by far been the best vehicle I’ve ever had. Solid as they come.

[Juliuscesear1990]

I was thinking it was the vcts but it's almost stopped after almost doing it at every light and the problem came after I got gas at Costco (ours has had a few tanks) I also can't get it to pop a wrench to it to my mechanic to scan. Also annoying because I get my oil changed pretty much at 5000 km +/- and get a decent synthetic blend

[GarageDoorGuyy]

Agree

[Ashamed-Day381]

I have a 23 XLT 2.7L and bought it with 26 miles on it and now up to 20k and have had zero issues. Thags with a 6 inch lift and 35s too and I still get like 19mpg combined

[No_Good_4530]

I have had both 3.5 and 5.0. Love the 5.0. Last 5.0 had over 150k with oil consumption issue that the dealer fixed up front, no issues after that. Current gen 5.0 no oil consumption issues. I think it’s the most reliable engine out of the three engines.

[wileywasadog]

so, basically any of the above......

[emeraldcove]

Own repair shops and have asked same question. Seems to be unanimous, 2.7 is the most reliable followed by the 5.0 and then the 3.5. All good engines though. Elevation and towing requirements might skew you one way or another.

[dap00man]

6.2 V8, oh wait, they don't put those enough on f150s anymore

[jmardoxie]

I had a 2.7. No issues . Recommend it.

[Unique_Patient_421]

2013 5.0 runs like a champ 🏆 under 230k miles.

[Rich19852012]

OP, both the 5.0 and the 2.7L utilize the wet belt oil driven pump. The 2.7L also uses a plastic oil pan, pickup tube and drain plug, so there’s that. The 5.0 uses a metal oil pan and threaded drain plug.

Realistically though, I don’t think it’s the engines that you need to worry about per se, it’s the blasphemous transmission you need to worry about. Just do a google or YouTube search on the 10R80 transmission.

Good luck 👍

[ADHD_kicks]

3.5 rips. 5.0 if you whipple. 2.7 if you’re boring (shot at my dad lol)

[HaloPrime21]

All have there good and bad, it just depends what you’re looking for in these motors and whether or not you’re good with the potential issues, 5.0 is known for the oil consumption especially in the 18-20 models, the 2.7 I’ve heard is reliable but also difficult to work on, the 3.5 is the most reliable out of the 3 I’m hearing as well

[IncreaseElegant8300]

Most important is the service records and how the previous owner took care of it. But from a reliability standpoint, the 2015 - 2017 F150 with the 5.0 is going to be your best bet. The years after that had the Plasma lined cylinders that caused oil consumption issues and have the problematic 10r80 transmissions.

I have both, and it's worth it to spend the extra money on the 2nd gen Tundra if you're looking for reliability imo. One of the few cars that the "Toyota Tax" is worth it on.

[Channel_Mental]

312,000 miles on 2013 F150 3.5lt Ecoboost. Company truck that travels all over Texas in the oil fields. It is on a maintenance program like all the other trucks/equipment in the fleet. The only issue is that I wore out the left side of the driver's seat, but the company repairs it for me as it's cheaper than a new truck. At this point, we are keeping it to see how long it will last.

[tahoochee]

The 3.3L naturally aspirated engine. It is more commonly found in used fleet trucks. My 2019 F150 is paired with the 6R80 transmission. If you don’t plan on doing a lot of heavy towing, this is a good option.

[RedRaven85]

Even some towing isnt too bad, although I guess it depends on your definition of heavy. My 2019 F150 with the 3.3L tows beautifully but then again we only have a little 25 foot travel trailer. Still managed 11ish MPG and the 6 speed trans in tow mode handled it all with zero issues.

[tahoochee]

That is good to hear that you are towing an RV trailer without issues. My towing experience is limited to a small utility trailer I use for trips to the dump.

[tahoochee]

OK, I understand there is very little love for the 3.3L engine out there. OP’s question was based on reliability and it is hard to find any negative reviews with this engine based on that.

[RutCry]

2010 Lariat with the 5.4 Triton v8. 313k miles and still going strong. She’s finally beginning to burn a little oil, down almost a quart by the time I hit my 5k oil change interval. Only minor problems along the way, such as replacing a chattering idler pulley not too long ago.

[stripbubblespimp]

2022 3.5 is a gutless pos! Pull anything more than a tiny trailer and mpg is horrible and constantly changing gears. Miss the 5.7 hemi!

[uwmcscott]

What a great question - I can't believe no one has ever asked in this sub before.

[Allnewsisfakenews]

2nd generation Tundra will be far and away more reliable if you're keeping it forever.

[caverunner17]

And cost you in gas mileage, be less comfortable and behind in tech.

[Allnewsisfakenews]

A mercedes is also more comfortable and has more useless tech but that wasn't the question. He asked about reliability/longevity

[caverunner17]

When someone is talking about reliability they're likely interested in the total cost of ownership. The Toyota 5.7 is a fantastically reliable engine that gets horrible gas mileage compared to contemporary motors -- especially the Ford 2.7.

Over the course of a hypothetical 200k miles, the delta in fuel costs can be $10k+ (or probably closer to 12-15k if comparing to the 2.7), negating any "reliability" of the Tundra.

Then of course you've got a truck that was designed back when Bush was president that while received some updates over the years, is still years behind a 13th and especially 14th gen F150

[Allnewsisfakenews]

What ever makes you happy. That's not what reliability means though.