F-150 no longer America’s best selling vehicle

[fuzzymoomoo]

https://wgxa.tv/news/offbeat/ford-f-150-dethroned-americas-top-selling-vehicle-after-nearly-50-years-cincinnati-consumer-shifts-suvs-pickup-trucks-heavy-duty-workload-american-culture-hard-work-chevy-chevrolet-toyota-f-series-history-1948-sales-decline-popularity-brand-blue-oval

[Joe771476]

Not if you include F150 thru F750!!!  Why should the weight class matter?

[Flying68]

Wonder how much of that was due to the strike?  Although inventory numbers would have suggested they could have sold more.  Pricing may have also crept up too far.

[akirby]

This is only F150 not F series.

[Rick73]

Comment about Camry in 2009 is odd, and appears wrong.  A quick search shows in 2009 Camry was best selling “car” in US, but F-Series outsold it by considerable margin.

[akirby]

7 hours ago, Rick73 said:

Comment about Camry in 2009 is odd, and appears wrong.  A quick search shows in 2009 Camry was best selling “car” in US, but F-Series outsold it by considerable margin.

Theyre only counting F150 not super duty.

Edited February 13 by akirby

[tbone]

Honestly, this list is just sad.  Clearly, buying American brands and supporting your neighbor is not high on many Americans list. I understand a number of these foreign brands are manufactured in the United States, so at least there’s that.  My in-laws have a hybrid RAV4 and there is nothing special about it, but for whatever reason it captivates the American public.  You can say what you want, but our 23 Escape is nicer than their RAV4.  

[akirby]

8 hours ago, tbone said:

Honestly, this list is just sad.  Clearly, buying American brands and supporting your neighbor is not high on many Americans list. I understand a number of these foreign brands are manufactured in the United States, so at least there’s that.  My in-laws have a hybrid RAV4 and there is nothing special about it, but for whatever reason it captivates the American public.  You can say what you want, but our 23 Escape is nicer than their RAV4.  

It’s the new Corolla.  Toyota buyers are still pretty brand loyal.

[ANTAUS]

I know someone who just bought a RAV4, and I went around the vehicle pointing out my dislikes.  Doors shut with a tinny sound, headliner was a joke. Door seals could be better...You need the help of Hellen Keller to feel around for buttons at night because barely anything is lite up. Cheap plastics abound.  After I was done he's like "Wow, you really made me feel like I bought a POS". I'm like "No I just want to understand with so many options out there, you went with this"....His prior vehicle was an '17 Edge, with 120K miles, only one minor issue in all those year (TPS)

[mackinaw]

12 hours ago, tbone said:

....My in-laws have a hybrid RAV4 and there is nothing special about it, but for whatever reason it captivates the American public.....

 

A friend of mine was shopping for a new (used) vehicle last fall, and the RAV4 was the only model she was looking for.  She couldn't find one in my small town, so ended up buying (reluctantly) a Honda CRV.  Toyota and brand loyalty go hand in hand.    

[jpd80]

I don’t think it’s as much as Ford  losing significant F150 sales in the past year as combined 

F Series sales were similar between 2023 and 2024 and F150 being roughly 60% of those sales.
 

Looking at RAV4 sales, Toyota managed to lift sales from 434,493 in 2023 to 475,195 last year

more to the point, I think RAV4 won because Ford and GM are not competing strongly enough

against the RAV4 but instead want only the high value customers which opens the door to Toyota 

Edited February 14 by jpd80

[Rick73]

4 hours ago, mackinaw said:

 

A friend of mine was shopping for a new (used) vehicle last fall, and the RAV4 was the only model she was looking for.  She couldn't find one in my small town, so ended up buying (reluctantly) a Honda CRV.  Toyota and brand loyalty go hand in hand.    

Sometimes decisions are made hard for us; it’s not always simple.  I went from being a loyal Ford customer to buying three Hondas, and the vehicles were not the main reason, but rather the Ford people I had to deal with in person and by phone.  Honda dealership at that time was more professional, courteous and respectful.  I expect Toyota was/is culturally similar to Honda.  Professionalism carried a lot of weight, and still does.

 

When there are other options, a man (or any person) is only going to take so much crap before going elsewhere.  As it turned out, the three Hondas were some of the best vehicles I’ve ever owned.  And more importantly, I did not get aggravated with them even once.  It’s hard to say if subsequent service was more expensive, but peace of mind was worth every penny.  With Ford I literally dreaded going to dealer.  Fortunately Ford has since improved but I still don’t trust them as much.

 

People may forgive but won’t forget, which is why it is so important to protect a brand by never crossing lines.  A reputation is difficult to restore. 

[CKNSLS]

I purchase a slightly used 2020 F-150-still under factory warranty.  Was happy to do so. After a little over a year of ownership-and experiencing the ten speed acting every which way but normal-it was traded in with 43,000 miles on a 2023 Silverado. Yes-the ten speeds are "cousins" but the behavior could not be further apart.

 

I loved the 3.5-but even with the  supposed  "fix" after August of 2021-I will never buy another Ford vehicle.

[akirby]

9 hours ago, CKNSLS said:

I purchase a slightly used 2020 F-150-still under factory warranty.  Was happy to do so. After a little over a year of ownership-and experiencing the ten speed acting every which way but normal-it was traded in with 43,000 miles on a 2023 Silverado. Yes-the ten speeds are "cousins" but the behavior could not be further apart.

 

I loved the 3.5-but even with the  supposed  "fix" after August of 2021-I will never buy another Ford vehicle.

I’ve heard the horror stories about the 10r80 but mine has literally been perfect for 6 years now.

[rmc523]

16 hours ago, Rick73 said:

Sometimes decisions are made hard for us; it’s not always simple.  I went from being a loyal Ford customer to buying three Hondas, and the vehicles were not the main reason, but rather the Ford people I had to deal with in person and by phone.  Honda dealership at that time was more professional, courteous and respectful.  I expect Toyota was/is culturally similar to Honda.  Professionalism carried a lot of weight, and still does.

 

When there are other options, a man (or any person) is only going to take so much crap before going elsewhere.  As it turned out, the three Hondas were some of the best vehicles I’ve ever owned.  And more importantly, I did not get aggravated with them even once.  It’s hard to say if subsequent service was more expensive, but peace of mind was worth every penny.  With Ford I literally dreaded going to dealer.  Fortunately Ford has since improved but I still don’t trust them as much.

 

People may forgive but won’t forget, which is why it is so important to protect a brand by never crossing lines.  A reputation is difficult to restore. 

could’ve tried a different ford dealer?

[92merc]

12 hours ago, CKNSLS said:

I purchase a slightly used 2020 F-150-still under factory warranty.  Was happy to do so. After a little over a year of ownership-and experiencing the ten speed acting every which way but normal-it was traded in with 43,000 miles on a 2023 Silverado. Yes-the ten speeds are "cousins" but the behavior could not be further apart.

 

I loved the 3.5-but even with the  supposed  "fix" after August of 2021-I will never buy another Ford vehicle.

 The reason the 2 feel different is both companies make their own transmission control modules.  But the physical transmission is the same.

 

The issue with the 10 speed is a bushing and the shift drum.  Meaning if your Silverado has the 10 speed of the same years as the Ford, it'll have the same problem.  If it is newer, a new Ford would have fixed this issue too.

[Rick73]

2 hours ago, rmc523 said:

could’ve tried a different ford dealer?

Sorry, proper context requires long explanation.

 

I did, but didn’t help.  Went to next closest dealer for 2nd opinion and quickly found there really was no such thing when it comes to warranty disputes, at least in my case.  Once first dealer decides to deny a warranty, even if legitimate and valid, and enters in computer, other dealers can’t or won’t override decision.  That was my take anyway.

 

The amount of money was truly trivial, less than I’d spend on a nice lunch with my wife, but it was the principle of it all because I felt Ford had screwed me before just because they could.  Previous to that I had an engine failure that left us stranded far from home, and to repair engine, they had to remove transmission.  Most of the repair cost was covered under warranty, but dealer decided to charge me a small amount for miscellaneous parts and labor they said was not covered by the warranty.  When I questioned and refused to accept their ridiculous distinction, they said they would hold the car until I worked it out with Ford.  Yeah, right.  They knew they had me by the balls since I had just flown to Dallas to pick up the car and it was late in the day, so I begrudgingly paid what I considered extortion and moved on.  I was definitely not a happy camper at this point; not because of the cost, but because of their treatment.

 

Back to second problem, when local dealer refused a very clear black-and-white warranty coverage for a problem unrelated to engine failure, this time I was at home and could drive another car, so I contacted Ford and it did not help.  I could tell the young lady on phone just read off a screen regurgitating what the dealer’s service guy entered.  I then saw an attorney who told me that yes, the warranty was valid, and I could take it to small claims court and easily win, but that the amount was clearly not worth even an hour of my time, so why bother.  He’s the one who suggested writing off the minor cost and start buying cars from other manufacturers, which I did.  Attorney told me that in his opinion businesses know you’re unlikely to sue for small amounts, so they often profit by overcharging or denying claims, unless they value repeat customers which partly depends on how badly they need the extra profit at that time.

 

It was around ten years before I went back into the Ford dealership for a safety recall on a different Ford, and the entire staff was new.  Dealer’s name had changed, but don’t know about ownership.  The service department was being run by a very professional woman, and the repairs were done quickly and without controversy or hassles.  The overall experience was much closer to what by then I expected from local Honda dealer.  Additional interaction with dealer in Florida for out-of-pocket repairs were also much improved.

 

My take was that competition works because if you take advantage of customers, you may lose them, and it may be a long time before they come back, if ever.

[fuzzymoomoo]

10 hours ago, rmc523 said:

could’ve tried a different ford dealer?

Ford dealers are VERY hit and miss when it comes to customer service, particularly in the service department. I refuse to use the service department at the dealer I buy all my vehicles from because the service advisors are in my opinion… hell I’ll be blunt about it, total assholes. They never answer when I call them and when they do they’re very standoff-ish. They never follow up on anything, there’s never been a time I’ve dropped a car off for service where they’ve called me and told me it was done. I’ve always had to call and check in then they get indignant with me when I ask. There’s another one that charges a ridiculous amount in labor but I was desperate at the time and have never been back since. I switched to a different service department recently and it’s been so much more pleasant plus as an added bonus it’s within walking distance of my house. 
 

I’ve never had an experience with a ford sales department where I felt good about any of the experience, regardless of the dealer and I’ve dealt with 4-5 over the years both new and used. 

[twintornados]

13 hours ago, fuzzymoomoo said:

Ford dealers are VERY hit and miss when it comes to customer service, particularly in the service department. I refuse to use the service department at the dealer I buy all my vehicles from because the service advisors are in my opinion… hell I’ll be blunt about it, total assholes. They never answer when I call them and when they do they’re very standoff-ish. They never follow up on anything, there’s never been a time I’ve dropped a car off for service where they’ve called me and told me it was done. I’ve always had to call and check in then they get indignant with me when I ask. There’s another one that charges a ridiculous amount in labor but I was desperate at the time and have never been back since. I switched to a different service department recently and it’s been so much more pleasant plus as an added bonus it’s within walking distance of my house. 
 

I’ve never had an experience with a ford sales department where I felt good about any of the experience, regardless of the dealer and I’ve dealt with 4-5 over the years both new and used. 

 

I bought my Explorer from the giant Ford store with the large multi-outlet out of state owners and regretted it. The salesman was honest, straight forward and no pressure at all but their service department absolutely blows...show them the issue only to be told "our service tech could not recreate the issue" ...go back down to service department to show them again..."oh, that's the issue?" or, drop the vehicle off the night before and when I call them at 12:30PM for an update, they tell me, "Oh, the tech just brought it in." ?!?!?...why TF did I drop it off the night before so that your tech gets around to it at 12:30???

 

Needless to say, I am trading the Explorer in for a hybrid AWD Maverick Lariat at the locally owned Ford store in the area and am not looking back.

Edited February 16 by twintornados

[Motorpsychology]

2 hours ago, twintornados said:

 

I bought my Explorer from the giant Ford store with the large multi-outlet out of state owners and regretted it. The salesman was honest, straight forward and no pressure at all but their service department absolutely blows...show them the issue only to be told "our service tech could not recreate the issue" ...go back down to service department to show them again..."oh, that's the issue?" or, drop the vehicle off the night before and when I call them at 12:30PM for an update, they tell me, "Oh, the tech just brought it in." ?!?!?...why TF did I drop it off the night before so that your tech gets around to it at 12:30???

 

Needless to say, I am trading the Explorer in for a hybrid AWD Maverick Lariat at the locally owned Ford store in the area and am not looking back.

I hope that works out for you, TT. Independent dealers of any brand are becoming rare and can be hit'n'miss. I quit dealing with the closest dealer, a small independent, over a botched brake job on my '00 Focus Wagon that they couldn't resolve. My current go-to was independent until two years ago, then first Carousel Auto Group bought them, then last year Lithia Motors bought Carousel's nine rooftops.😳 So far, so good. The customer facing part of the operation hasn't changed; same service writers and supervisor, mostly same sales and F&I.

 

I have purchased or leased four new Fords from them, and just bought (ordered) an Explorer and have done virtually all repairs and maintenance there over the last eleven years. Service on my 2009 Mariner and 2021 Ranger has been excellent, and they have bee good to deal with in sales. This was a critical factor in going ahead with ordering the Explorer, the Mazda CX-90 was a very close second choice; inline six and a sunroof within a few hundred of the Explorer, but the relationship I've had with Hudson Ford, Hudson WI. sealed the deal.

Edited February 16 by Chrisgb
"...and 2021 Ranger has beeNgood..." the n shows on the edit page but not on the final draft. Edit the edit, I decreased the page size and the n in "been" is back in the word.

[CKNSLS]

On 2/15/2025 at 9:41 AM, 92merc said:

 The reason the 2 feel different is both companies make their own transmission control modules.  But the physical transmission is the same.

 

The issue with the 10 speed is a bushing and the shift drum.  Meaning if your Silverado has the 10 speed of the same years as the Ford, it'll have the same problem.  If it is newer, a new Ford would have fixed this issue too.

 

There is a current "ask me anything" thread  over on Reddit by a Ford Tech that says he is still getting them in even after the "fix" that took place in  the 2021 model year or when ever the fix was made.

BTW-whatever the differences may or may not be-there are not widespread issues reported. 

And since it's a CPO-powertrain goes out to 100,000  miles

Edited February 17 by CKNSLS

[CKNSLS]

Just now, CKNSLS said:

 

There is a current "ask me anything" thread  over on Reddit by a Ford Tech that says he is still getting them in even after the "fix" that took place in  the 2021 model year or when ever the fix was made.

BTW-with that being said-whatever the differences may or may not be-widespread issues are not being reported.

Just now, CKNSLS said:

 

 

[DeluxeStang]

On 2/15/2025 at 7:13 AM, akirby said:

I’ve heard the horror stories about the 10r80 but mine has literally been perfect for 6 years now.

As is the case with a lot of issues on cars, just due to the staggering amount of them Ford makes, even if a fraction of a percent of Ford's cars have issues, that's still thousands of horror stories out there. Not ideal, but it doesn't change the fact that most owners won't have issues. 

 

I used to be losing sleep over my maverick hybrid worrying about this issue or that. I've since accepted that for now, it's working fine, if it had issues, so be it, but until then, there's no point in worrying about it. 

[rmc523]

It's a shame that dealers can suck so badly.

[akirby]

9 minutes ago, rmc523 said:

It's a shame that dealers can suck so badly.

It’s a real problem for legacy U.S. mfrs because their franchises are 50-60 yrs old or even older and thanks to stupid state auto franchise laws the mfrs are handcuffed from doing anything about the bad ones.