2018 ford f150 lariat 4x4, took it in for first oil change to local shop that I have trusted for a few years with previous trucks. Told me that on inspection the saw leaking from both front struts but more on right. No offroading, collisions or hard driving at all. Have not noted any driving issues. Need to travel for holidays next week and probably wont be Able to get to Ford by then. Is this even possible? Dangerous to drive on for highway trip? Shop wasnt trying to ding me since truck is brand new and under warranty.
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without even seeing it, the Ford dealer is probably going to say it’s “normal”
car manufacturer’s have established guidelines, as to what is considered bad enough to replace struts/shocks, and the leakage usually has to be as bad as a Niagara Falls sized leak, before they will replace it under warranty
do not be surprised if this exact scenario plays out
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Sure it’s possible.
Think of the millions of 2018 F150’s that were built.
Each one of them were equipped with struts supplied by a supplier.
Think of the millions of struts that supplier built not only for the F150’s, but for other vehicles
So, what are the odds of getting a couple of bad struts?
Also remember, the auto manufacturers don’t demand the highest quality parts from their suppliers.
Tester
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Thanks, I didnt know if there could be bad struts, seems like a pretty straight forward item
That would be disappointing.
Whether or not Ford replaces the struts under warranty, it’s important to tell them about it now. The leakage could get worse, and if you don’t take it in, they will have more reason to think you damaged the struts yourself.
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fair point
Did you actually look at these leaking struts yourself?
While it’s possible, it would be highly unusual for 2 of them to leak on a new vehicle.
While I’m not saying that it applies in this case. some shops have been known to squirt a little oil on a strut or shock and dishonestly claim the strut or shock is bad.
I remember decades ago when 60 Minutes did a segment on something like this involving gas stations in GA, etc. They were catching FL bound tourists by shooting a little oil on the shocks and then presenting a “you’re gonna die if.,…” scenario.
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I think the struts would be covered under warranty. If it was mine I would not worry about the road trip, But it is not mine, Dewey Cheatem & Howe made me say that.
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I didnt look at them myself. Not sure why the shop would lie about that on a new car under warranty which they wouldnt have a chance to fix, but who knows.
My dealer always say that I need a new car eventhough there is nothing wrong with it.They are in business to make money.
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A small amount of seepage during first miles is probably OK.
There’s no safety problem there. If you’re planning a trip, take before picture of the leaks then remove all the old fluid on the struts and go. Take after photos when you get home if you see anything more than a couple of drops.
Happy trails.
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I agree with db4690.
I had a new car where one of the struts began to leak while it was under warranty.
The dealer told me it was only “sweating” and was not covered, and that it needed to be “dripping” to be covered.
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dont trust anyone in the business to make money on you. go to Firestone and they will tell you you need a whole new truck. I know a law enforcement person he told me they took and older car replaced the entire parts under the car all steering ball joints struts you name it , when they caught a few scrupulous shops that said you need a whole new front end . Take photos of the leak send them to the manufacturer with the dealers name and address you may get them replaced free.
I hear what you’re saying
However . . . sometimes the vehicle legitimately needs all that stuff
Right now one of our fleet vehicles is in need of upper ball joints, lower ball joints, pitman arm, idler arm, inner tie rods and outer tie rods
The vehicle was NOT abused, no curb checks, normal usage
This vehicle came from the factory with zerks on all of those items I mentioned, and they get lubricated at every scheduled service, which is every 6 months, yet they still wore out
The mileage is approximately 45000
And I’ve worked on plenty of vehicles that had HALF of that mileage, yet needed upper and lower ball joints and tie rods, due to absolutely no fault of the vehicle operator
Just because the spindle hasn’t broken and the wheels haven’t fallen off, don’t assume everything is okay
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If they don’t make money how are they supposed to stay in business ?
Yes, franchise places like Firestone and Midas might not be the first choice but you can’t lump them all in the same bucket. Just recently someone posted about a Firestone shop that did good honest work .
One thing I do not agree with is that some slight oil misting around the top of the strut is normal. If it were normal then all vehicles would show this symptom after 5 to 10k miles.
At a Subaru service school once the instructor mentioned that oil misting on a Subaru strut is normal. I then asked if that is the case then how is it that we never see oil misting on them even with high miles cars. Does that make them all abnormal???
Pause…uh…change subject…
Another thing to consider?
If the strut is leaking hydraulic fluid, what happened to the gas charge?
Tester
What did the shop that found the leaking struts say? Safest way is to just rent a car for the upcoming trip, then deal w/the truck’s strut problem (if there is one) with the dealership when you get back.