Used 2016 Ford F150

Buying a used 2016 Ford F-150 pickup will get you the country’s best-selling full-size truck that year, along with the best-in-class towing, payload and, supposedly, fuel economy. While a 2016 Toyota Tundra holds better resale and reliability ratings, it can’t touch the F-150’s numerous engine, configuration and trim options. Two trucks that can are the Ram 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado, although neither of these can beat the F-150 for overall performance and capability.

The F-150’s aluminum body makes it unique in this segment, lighter and therefore capable of towing and hauling more weight. Despite clever marketing by rivals, the F-150’s aluminum body doesn’t cost more to repair, but without a proper bedliner, the aluminum bed can be dented or pierced more easily than steel. Also, if you use any kind of magnetic cones or lights, they won’t stay put on the aluminum panels.

The 2016 F-150 also claims some rosy fuel-economy numbers from its 3.5-liter EcoBoost turbocharged V6, but many owners complain they’ve never seen them. Affordability might also be an issue. Even when used, the F-150 holds its value fairly well and some models, like the King Ranch, Platinum and Limited, can easily cost as much as some high-end luxury cars new.

How Does a Used 2016 Ford F-150 Compare to the Competition?
Ford knew what it was doing when it completely redesigned the F-150 and it didn’t leave anything to chance. When it comes to towing, a properly-equipped F-150 can pull up to 12,200 pounds vs. the Ram 1500 at 10,640 pounds, the Toyota Tundra at 10,500 pounds and the Chevy Silverado at 12,000 pounds. The F-150 can also carry the heaviest payload.

When it comes to engine choices, the 2016 Ford F-150 offers no less than five, including a base V6, a 2.7-liter EcoBoost turbocharged V6, a 3.5-liter EcoBoost turbocharged V6 and gas or CNG (compressed natural gas) versions of the 5.0-liter V8. However, if you want a diesel, you’ll have to look to either the Ram 1500 or Nissan Titan XD.

The most basic F-150 XL comes sparsely equipped and most likely will have been used as a work truck. Moving up to the XLT brings a few more creature comforts and engine options, while the Lariat, King Ranch, Platinum and Limited feel more like luxury sedans than heavy-duty work trucks.

On the technology front, the F-150 stands apart again, offering advanced infotainment and in-cabin connectivity alongside useful aids such as the Pro-Trailer Backup Assist that aids when parking with a trailer. You won’t find features like this on the Toyota Tundra or Chevy Silverado. Also missing from some competitors is Ford’s extensive suite of driver assists, including surround-view monitor, forward-collision warning (but not automatic braking) lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitor, rear cross-traffic alert and inflatable rear seatbelts.

What Do Owners Say About the 2016 Ford F-150?
For the most part, F-150 owners love their trucks. There is plenty of power for towing and hauling, the truck rides fairly smoothly over normal pavement, and the upper-end models have plenty of neat features to keep technophiles happy. Universally owners complained that fuel-economy numbers on the EcoBoost engine did not live up to what Ford advertised. The SuperCrew has plenty of room for grown adults and the big side mirrors help when parking. Owners love the numerous dealer add-on and aftermarket-equipment choices, as well as factory options like a larger fuel tank.

What Are the Known Issues with the 2016 Ford F-150?
As the F-150 is a big truck with lots of complicated moving parts, naturally there are going to be some issues. Many of these have accompanying TSB (Technical Service Bulletins) that tell dealers how to remedy the problem. But, if you buy a used 2016 F-150 that’s out of warranty, you’re going to have to pay for the repairs yourself. TSBs are not the same thing as a recall.

Among the prevalent complaints are issues with the door-lock and tailgate-lock actuators freezing up in cold conditions. Other areas of concern involve shifting and stumbling issues with the 6-speed automatic transmission, cooling seats that don’t cool, and stalling issues for the 5.0-liter and 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 related to a bad throttle body. Early-model 2016 F-150 owners had issues with a soft or mushy brake pedal, while others reported various electrical issues related to warning lights repeatedly indicating even after the dealer reset the codes.

What About Recalls and Safety for the 2016 Ford F-150?
To date, the 2016 Ford F-150 has a total of nine recalls. They include issues with a block heater and cable connector that may result in fire, a fire that may occur after the front seatbelt pretensioner deploys, and front-seat pivot bolts that may come loose. A recall was issued for front doors that may open while driving, a rear seatbelt that may detach, a door that may come open during a side-impact event, a driver-seatback frame that may fail and a restraint system that may misclassify the front-seat occupant.

In government crash tests, the Ford F-150 scored an overall rating of five out of five stars, with a 4-Star rating in the rollover test and 5-Star ratings for the front- and side-impact tests.

We thought for sure a small-displacement V6 has no place in a full-size pickup, but boy were we wrong. The lighter, stronger 2016 F-150 from Ford is perfectly matched to the 2.7-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6, which proved surprisingly willing. Unless you plan on towing more than 12,000 pounds, we’d say the larger 3.5-liter EcoBoost is unnecessary. The F-150 handles remarkably well considering its size, and whether we were towing, off-road adventuring or cruising long stretches of smooth highway, Ford’s full-size pickup felt right at home. While we were impressed with the F-150’s acceleration, ride and handling, we did find the brakes to be a bit touchy. Inside the cabin, the F-150 coddles its occupants with wide seats and a quiet cabin. The new Pro Trailer Backup Assist requires the driver only to turn a knob left or right to guide a trailer, as the F-150 does all the steering work.

Tough meets modern in the 2016 Ford F-150, where buyers can get cool features like a Wi-Fi hotspot, two 3-prong power outlets, smart cruise control, active park assist, and the ability to have the Sync 3 infotainment system read text messages to you while you drive. The SuperCrew (crew cab) is extremely roomy, with rear-seat legroom that would make some full-size sedans envious. The F-150’s floor is flat, making the middle rear seat comfortable, while also allowing more room for storage. Also making the cab comfortable are seats that have been carefully sculpted to reduce fatigue.

Ford’s full-size F-150 pickup for 2016 has the only truck body that’s made of aluminum, but that material doesn’t reduce the truck’s capability or strength. When it comes to the F-150’s exterior, the style is rugged and bold, but much of its appearance was inspired by function. Its LED headlights and taillights look good, but more important, they use less energy. LED spotlights come in handy in poorly lit areas like campgrounds. There are pop-out steps at the bed sides to make it easier to reach cargo. Even the seamless sliding rear window looks good, but is designed to reduce complexity.

PRO TRAILER BACKUP ASSIST
Using a knob on the dash while watching via the rearview camera, the driver need only input left or right commands and the F-150 will do all the steering and braking. Guiding a boat trailer down a ramp or camper into a tight spot has never been so easy.

360-DEGREE CAMERA
Although first offered on some luxury sedans, the 2016 Ford F-150’s 360-degree camera is perfectly suited to the needs of a full-size pickup truck owner. The camera is not only useful when parking, it gives a down-low view of the road, perfect when navigating rutted trails or boulder-strewn passes.

Every F-150 gets the same ultra-strong hydroformed, fully boxed frame, which uses significantly more high-strength steel than in previous-generation F-150s. Aside from the solid foundation, one of the most impressive things about the 2016 F-150 is that the equipment that comes standard makes it easy for an F-150 owner to get work done safely without breaking the bank. All F-150s also come with hill-start assist and Trailer Sway Control, both extremely handy when towing. Also standard are fail-safe cooling, and Curve Control, which works to keep the truck under control if the driver goes into a turn too fast.

For an additional fee, you can get running boards that deploy when a door is opened and retract when the door closes. Front passengers are offered heated and cooled seats and rear-seat passengers can get seat heaters too. On the safety front, the 2016 Ford F-150 is offered with inflatable rear seatbelts and a blind-spot information system. A voice-activated navigation system is available, which gives you real-time traffic updates. You can have text messages read to you as you drive. The ultimate options are the Platinum and King Ranch models, which deliver top-of-the-line equipment and model-specific style.

There are four engine choices for the 2016 Ford F-150: one regular V6, two twin-turbo V6s and a traditional V8. All four engines use a 6-speed automatic transmission. Ford doesn’t offer a diesel engine in the 2016 F-150, but it does have two excellent twin-turbocharged V6 engines that have plentiful torque and are ready for towing and hauling. And those who aren’t interested in a turbo V6 can look into the trusty 5.0-liter V8. Ford offers customers the option of 2-wheel or 4-wheel drive (2WD, 4WD).

3.5-liter V6
283 horsepower @ 6,250 rpm
255 lb-ft of torque @ 4,250 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 18/25 mpg (2WD), 17/23 mpg (4WD)

2.7-liter twin-turbocharged V6
325 horsepower @ 5,750 rpm
375 lb-ft of torque @ 3,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 19/26 mpg (2WD), 18/23 mpg (4WD)

3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6
365 horsepower @ 5,000 rpm
420 lb-ft of torque @ 2,500 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 17/24 mpg (2WD), 17/23 mpg (4WD)

5.0-liter V8
385 horsepower @ 5,750 rpm
387 lb-ft of torque @ 3,850
EPA city/high fuel economy: 15/22 mpg (2WD), 15/21 mpg (4WD)