Intermittent brakes on a hydroboost system definitely make me suspicious of the power steering side of things. If the steering still feels normal, it doesn't completely rule out the pump because the hydroboost can be more sensitive to pressure issues than the steering gear. I'd also take a hard look at the master cylinder. It's possible for a master cylinder to bypass internally without showing obvious leaks or air in the system, which can cause exactly the kind of random brake performance you're describing.

You might be looking for the wrong part. On a lot of the newer Ford bumpers, the visible chrome ring isn't actually part of the sensor retainer itself—the retainer behind the bumper is usually black plastic. The chrome appearance comes from the bumper bezel or trim around the sensor opening. I'd try checking the exploded parts diagrams for the bumper assembly and see if Ford lists a separate bezel rather than a chrome retainer. A dealer parts department can usually pull up the exact diagram pretty quickly.

Sounds like the update may have reset the learned fuel economy and DEF consumption calculations. I've seen similar things happen after PCM or module updates where the range estimates suddenly become wildly inaccurate until the truck has a few drive cycles to rebuild its averages. I'd drive it for a few days and monitor actual fuel economy before worrying too much. If the truck is running normally and the fuel gauge itself is reading correctly, there's a good chance the range estimator is just starting from scratch again.

Perhaps it’s the percentage of carryover parts vs all new tophat but I suspect that has  something to do with financing approval - Perhaps something like that can be confirmed without betraying NDA  re actual changes    Thinking how D3 was reused and extended under Mulally, CD6 getting the same treatment…..

Looks like something Kia or Toyota would do.

I actually really like both of these. Remove the “concept” elements and I think these would do quite well. This is the size they should have originally been.

I feel your pain. I bought a 2024 F350 XLT Premium and had nothing but problems. Highway vibrations, shift flares and clunky downshifts, failed climate control buttons, and clunky steering.  I had it back to the dealer 9 times in the first few months. Finally I gave up and traded that turd after 11 months. And yes, I WILL NEVER BUY A FORD AGAIN. 

I do understand what you’re saying.  I was hopeful when they were splitting Bronco Sport as boxy and Escape as more rounded.  But they made Escape look like a clown smile, and the refresh fixed it but was too little too late. i just have a hard time believing they’ll get the “sexy” level right, so a “sleek box” look like Explorer would be more likely to succeed.

The Explorer was supposed to get a total redesign on CD6 for MY30 but that appears to have been paused or canceled. Now the current U625 Explorer is getting another major MCA for MY30 instead.   Not sure what changed or if the developing 3row EREV is expected to be the next Explorer. Ford changes course by the week and it’s getting old. Let’s just be glad the next gen F-Series trucks are moving full steam ahead without issue.

To each their own. But again, I think that comes back to blob vs. curvy. Yes, blob crossovers have some curves, but they look like a potato on wheels. There's really no strong, emotional shapes or curves, it's just a lump. I agree, those designs aren't ideal. But I see blob designs completely differently than I do curved designs.   Like a mach-e is swoopy, but every surface is muscular and sculpted which is why it works imo. The hood, fenders, roofline all have character, and for that reason, the mach-e is one of the most easily identifiable utilities on the roads. That's the sort of thing I'm talking about.    It's kinda like with boxy styling, you have some designs that look really good, and some that look awful. The cyber truck and sante fe for instance are both flatter vehicles with basic surfacing that look terrible. But look at a 4 door bronco or Rivian and notice how good they look. It's because the surfaces are intentional, they're stylized. A bronco body side surface is actually pretty layered instead of just being perfectly flat, that's why it works.    It's all about execution, there's a way to make boxy and curvy designs look good, or horrible depending on how good the designers are.