2018 Ford F-150 Brakes Problems

While driving a chime rang with message “low brake fluid”. Immediately noticed brake pedal soft and braking dramatically reduced. Was able to stop the vehicle close by gas station. Purchased 2 16 ounce bottles brake fluid. The reservoir was almost empty and I put in 16 ounces. Brake warning message was gone. Proceeded home which was 5 miles away. As I neared home warning returned. Once home I checked the reservoir and it was empty. Put the other 16 ounces in and checked for leaked under the truck. Found no leaked. Did some research and saw there was a recall for the brakes. • The Defect: The master cylinder's piston cup seals can fail, causing brake fluid to leak into the brake booster, reducing hydraulic pressure, I tried to move my truck but when I pressed on the brakes the pedal went all the way to the floor. Was able to put in neutral and stop the truck safely. I had the truck towed to Honolulu Ford. Was informed my truck was not included in the recall. They replaced the brake master cylinder, brake booster, and vacuum tube. At a cost of $2490.85. I believe Ford should have fixed this at no cost because the exact issue has been addressed on 2 previous recalls . From the time I got the message of low brake fluid to not having any brakes was almost immediately. I believe this could have been much worse. Prior to this I did not have any issues with the brakes. I check fluid levels regularly and never had to add brake fluid.

Truck suffers problem associated with NHTSA 22V-150 but is not included in the recall. This occurs on highway driving while on cruise control. This can occur within just a few minutes of driving or extended period. Vehicle brake warning on dash occurs and says "Check Brake System", the brake pedal becomes very stiff and reduces braking of the vehicle. The brake light remains on until vehicle is shut off and restarted. This occurred most recently on a 3,000 mile trip through the Utah national parks and presents dangerous scenarios through mountain passes.

My truck has the same issue with the brake master cylinder bleeding back into the brake booster. Luckily I caught it before I left work. The reservoir was totally empty on the back half supplying the front brakes. At home pulled the vacuum hose and did the dip stick test and there was brake fluid in the brake booster . There is already a safety recall on the 2017-2018 f150 brake master cylinder but only with the 3.5motor. The 2.7 has the same brake master cylinder so I cannot see why only the 3.5 motor would have a recall??? Ford will not do anything about it and they don’t even have a part until sometime in March.

Master brake cylinder leaked into brake booster making my brakes not work and almost causing an accident. There is a similar recall on 2018 Ford F150 with eco boost. This appears to be a known issue with these Ford F150 models. Due to the issue I almost got in a serious accident.

The brake system on my 2018 Ford F-150 2.7L EcoBoost began failing around early 2025 with a brake warning light illuminating and the pedal feeling soft, signaling a problem. The brake fluid reservoir dropped low repeatedly despite topping it off multiple times with DOT 3 fluid, indicating a persistent leak. By 09:52 AM CDT today, September 10, 2025, the brake pedal lost all pressure, making the vehicle completely undrivable and posing a severe safety risk due to significantly increased stopping distances and potential brake failure. At 10:37 AM CDT, thick white smoke started billowing from the exhaust each time the vehicle was started, likely from brake fluid leaking into the engine via the brake booster, a symptom matching Ford recall 25S37 (NHTSA 25V236) for a defective brake master cylinder seal. This failure endangers the driver, passengers, and other road users, as the truck is a primary vehicle, with the smoke suggesting a fire hazard and possible engine damage like stalling or misfires. The issue is reproducible, with the warning light, fluid loss, and soft/no pedal persisting since early 2025, worsening today with the smoke appearing consistently on startup. It has not been confirmed by a dealer or service center yet, as the vehicle is undrivable, but I plan to tow it to a Ford dealership for inspection under the recall. No manufacturer, police, insurance, or other inspection has occurred, as the smoke issue escalated this morning; prior rear left electronic parking brake actuator replacements in 2025 due to fluid leaks were done at home. The brake master cylinder and possibly the brake booster are the failed components, with the actuator issue likely related, and the vehicle is available for inspection upon request or at a dealership. Symptoms first appeared with the warning light and soft pedal in early 2025, followed by fluid loss, complete pedal failure, and smoke today at 09:52 AM CDT.

Had a SUDDEN loss of braking ability. While starting to drive the truck home, the brake pad went flat. Checked the brake reservoir and it was empty. Refilled with brake fluid and drove 2 miles, brakes went out when arriving in the driveway. It went empty again within 15 minutes. No noticeable leak. No breaks on the truck to drive the vehicle. The vehicle had to be towed to the nearest dealer due to having NO brakes. Turns out the brake fluid was leaking into the booster. Noticed many other 2018 Ford F150 trucks were recalled for the same issue.

My truck has been regularly serviced by FORD and yesterday out of the blue the brake pedal went soft and i got a check engine light saying low fluid. Upon inspection we noticed all brake fluid had leaked with no visible exit. We refilled the fluid and the next day, the fluid was completely drained again with no visible exit. Upon expert inspection it was noted the brake master cylinder is leaking into the booster.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while reversing out of a parking space, the brake pedal extended to the floor while depressed, causing the braking distance to be extended. The contact discovered brake fluid was leaking from the vehicle, with the message "Low Brake Fluid" displayed. The vehicle was driven to the local mechanic, who diagnosed that the front passenger’s side brake line had failed and needed to be replaced. The brake line was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 140,000.

2018 Ford F-150 2.7 liter. Master cylinder and power brake booster failure. Confirmed by independent service center. Prior to failure there was a warning light indicating low brake fluid. I then lost all braking ability within 3 brake pedal depressions. My brake pedal touched the floorboard afterwards. Given right conditions I could have sustained major injury. Components were replaced by mechanic and unavailable for inspection. There is a recall on these components for 3.5 Ford truck but not 2.7 Ford truck, even though the components are identical. Again, confirmed by mechanic.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed with the service brakes and low brake fluid warning lights illuminated. The contact engaged the parking brake to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the brake master cylinder had allowed brake fluid to leak into the brake booster, causing the brake booster and the brake master cylinder to fail. The contact was informed that the brake booster and brake master cylinder needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the brake pedal depressed to the floorboard with the "Brake Fluid Level Low Service Now" message displayed. Upon inspection of the engine, the contact discovered that the brake fluid was low; brake fluid was added to the vehicle, and the contact drove to the nearest dealer. A mechanic inspected the vehicle and discovered that brake fluid had leaked into the brake booster due to a defective brake master cylinder. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V236000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) and linked the failure to the recall. The dealer then informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 119,650.

The electronic emergency break engages while on the highway crusing at normal highway speed. It has engaged randomly for a few months. Yesterday it engaged 15 times almost making me crash the 1st time. I had to pull over, shut off the truck to reset the brake to make it home.

Just got off the Interstate on to a frontage road when I received a low brake fluid light warning. Instantly lost braking power. Was traveling approximately 40mph downhill toward a traffic light where cross traffic was going full speed. I had to activate my emergency brake to stop from running into the cross traffic. Got the truck into a gas station, checked the brake fluid reservoir & it was below the minimum fill line. Purchased brake fluid at the gas station, filled it up & drove and the parking lot. The brakes partially worked, but the reservoir drained quickly again. I was lucky that there was a brake service repair shop within a quarter of a mile, so I refilled the brake fluid to the max & drove slowly with hazards on to the shop & left it there. Today they told me it was a brake master cylinder internal failure that caused brake fluid to leak into brake booster resulting in loss of braking power. While my truck is not covered under an existing recall, there is a recall for this exact issue for the same make & model of my vehicle (but with a different motor). That is NHTSA recall # 25V-236. I believe this recall should apply to my truck.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake fluid warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, added brake fluid, and continued driving. The contact stated that upon depressing the brake pedal, the brake pedal went down to the floorboard, and the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and added brake fluid to the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The contact was able to drive to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the brake master cylinder had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V236000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the VIN was not included. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the "Brake Fluid Level Low Service Now" message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, the brake pedal went to the floorboard. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic and brake fluid was added to the brake fluid reservoir; however, the failure returned within minutes. The dealer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V236000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.

ABS block leaking

Break light and warning came on. “Low Breakfluid” Next got off ramp put my foot on break and no breaks. Was able to stop using down shift and did not plow into anyone. thank goodness. There is a recall on other non diesel f150s fyu

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that on several occasions after adding brake fluid to the brake fluid reservoir, and test driving the vehicle around the neighborhood, the brake warning light illuminated. The contact stated that each time the brake fluid reservoir was checked and was empty. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and depressing the brake pedal, the brake pedal went to the floorboard. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed, and it was confirmed that brake fluid was leaking from the vehicle and further diagnostic test was needed to determine how to repair the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V236000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC); as a possible cause for the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 43,250.

Master Brake Cylinder leaked brake fluid into brake booster resulting in complete loss of brakes. Warning light displayed low break fluid moments before complete loss of braking power, +/- 60 seconds before all breaking power was lost. Certain 2018 Ford F-150's currently qualify for this recall but my specific model does not. Reports online show many other's experience same issue with this 2018 model.