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Count me in as a loyal Ford F150 fan since 1974. Previously I was all GM and Chevy trucks. Had several that the cams went flat in the first 5000 miles. GM refused warranty. I also had a Monza about the same time that the dealer had it more than I did in the 16 months of ownership. It had less than 5000 miles on it when it went to the Lincoln dealer where it got left while the wife drove out in a new Lincoln. The f150 is not faultless and there have been issues along the way. The 5.4 3V engine is a major disaster. It's never put 300HP on any dyno as a stock engine, more like 260. The cam phaser and 3 piece spark plugs that like to break off in the heads have been an issue. The 4.6 has been an anemic but extremely reliable and long life engine. Then came the 3.5 EcoBust that overheated, dropped #2 piston with far too much regularity and the engine going into failsafe mode at the wrong time due to condensation build up in the intercooler. Fortunately there were other engine options like the simple 6.2. The 3.7 V6 was a great little engine. It's basically the EcoBust without the blow job. Stellar performance from this little engine that can but it's not the best choice for trailer towing. The new 3.5 EcoBoost is a completely different engine and is the real deal. Unfortunately Ford decided it needed a smaller EcoBoost engine and they offer the 2.7. It's been a major fail with LOTS of issues. So you could say if you have a clue about what you're buying, make the right choices, it kinda hard not to get a good F150. But most folks have a hard time figuring out how to check the oil so they don't. It's these folks that are buying the not so good Ford engines.
FWIW, my brother is a Toyota fan. He rides ranches all day. His rancher drives the Tundras. He's buying a new one every year as that's about as long as one will last. He drives like he stole it, no doubt, but it should last longer than that. Bros ranch truck is a Chevy 4x4 extended cab. That POS can get stuck on dry asphalt. Can't tell you how many times I've had to pull him out of dry loose dirt. I go thru the same loose dirt to get in front of him and don't spin a tire with my 2 wheel drive Supercrew. He's had the front axle replaced 3 times now, the rear axle once, and the transmission once, all in 30,000 miles. One thing it does great, it gets fabulous gas mileage. He's getting around 26 hiway with the Flex 5.3. But there's just too much glitz on the inside for me to ever want one again. And with GM having major issues with vibrations in the driveline due mostly to out of round ring gears, I'll pass on anything GM.
Of the Ram folks I know, most don't have reliability issues when new. It starts to fall apart at about the 80,000 mile mark with transmission issues and electrical issues. Probably the biggest compliant I hear is about gas mileage. Most are low teens in town and 15-16 hiway. The next compliant would be the cheap plastic that self destructs and noise from the road and the truck needs a muffler the day you buy it........unless of course, you like a noisy truck that sounds like every other Ram out there. I like the quiet of the Ford cab. It's just as quiet as the Lincoln in the garage. No screaming needed to hold a conversation.
The Answer is "yes." All of the above have made some duds. Ford, Chevy, and Toyota have all made a lot of Great trucks.
My friend's F150 was one of the 5.4's with the bad cam phaser knock/ticks, eventually requiring a new motor, and the sparkplugs! The WORST...should be a diy job, it was so difficult he had shops quoting $1,000+
Silverado's have likewise had duds out there. I had one that was great, so do my Uncle and a few hunting buddies that put 200K miles on them no trouble.
The current crop of Tundra's has had some issues, but not all of them. The 2006 and older generation was known to be extremely good.
The Rams don't seem to have as good a track record till you get to the 2500 series trucks with diesels.
IMO the most durable trucks ever made were the Chevy/GMC trucks made from 1973 to 1987 (1991 for the K5 Blazer and Suburban). Still see LOTS of those trucks on the road, both as work trucks, show trucks and just someone's daily driver, and they haven't been made in 30 years. That, to me, says something about quality and durability.
Also, having worked in a car dealership and drove a plethora of trucks, ranging from fresh off the truck with the plastic still on it to 30 year old beaters, and everything in between. Always said you couldn't give me a brand new truck off that they made today, I'd rather have my good ol' 1976 Chevy K20! Driving these old trucks is like driving a tank compared to the tin can filled with plastic that trucks are today!
Based on your experience (not hearsay) which one is the truck the serves you best?
I prefer votes for newer models (last 5 years) since technology is changing.
Based on the number of older ,still in service, trucks in my area of the country (Ill.) it would have to be Chevrolet.
See few older used Ford's ( used Dodge/Ram truck's are rare) around here. Strange since Ford , and now , Ram's, sell well here, but , Chevy still outlast all of them buy a wide margin.
I'm not going to vote, but Ill tell you my experiences - Dodge Dakota - Headliner fell out, heater core ruptured, clutch, master cylinder all covered under warranty and it went bye bye at 32000 or so. 98 Chevy 1500 Z71 - hmmm, Oh I replaced the water pump at 34000, under warranty, and replaced the transmission (my choice) instead of repairing the one in it, don't recall the problem, but seems like it was something with a valve went bad, and was just as cheap to replace it as it was to repair it. That was at like 45000. Fuel pump was acting up, and I traded it off for an 01 F350 Superduty dually. New fuel pump twice, actually 3 times, torque converter, fuel filter housing, trans was on its way out at 82000, so I sold it, and got my 08 2500 Duramax. Oil pan wast leaking, but you could tell it seeping, warranty fix. Trans cooler oring leaked but there was actually a recall on that IIRC, since it could spray back on the exhaust, I think. Don't really remember but I didn't pay for it. HAd 45000 on it when I sold it and got my 13 1500 Z71 - Seat backs came off the front seats, well, dang I think that's it and I'm at 39000 on it now.
I'm not going to vote, but Ill tell you my experiences - Dodge Dakota - Headliner fell out, heater core ruptured, clutch, master cylinder all covered under warranty and it went bye bye at 32000 or so. 98 Chevy 1500 Z71 - hmmm, Oh I replaced the water pump at 34000, under warranty, and replaced the transmission (my choice) instead of repairing the one in it, don't recall the problem, but seems like it was something with a valve went bad, and was just as cheap to replace it as it was to repair it. That was at like 45000. Fuel pump was acting up, and I traded it off for an 01 F350 Superduty dually. New fuel pump twice, actually 3 times, torque converter, fuel filter housing, trans was on its way out at 82000, so I sold it, and got my 08 2500 Duramax. Oil pan wast leaking, but you could tell it seeping, warranty fix. Trans cooler oring leaked but there was actually a recall on that IIRC, since it could spray back on the exhaust, I think. Don't really remember but I didn't pay for it. HAd 45000 on it when I sold it and got my 13 1500 Z71 - Seat backs came off the front seats, well, dang I think that's it and I'm at 39000 on it now.
Your mention of the Dakota pickup got me to thinking about mine.
I know the op said newer vehicles, but just using my Dakota as a comparison to your's.
Most who have owned, or heard about the Dakota, don't have good things to say about them.
I bought my Dakota R/T new in 2002.
Presently it has 58,000 miles.
In the fifteen years I have had it, the only things I needed to replace was the starter, tires, and battery.
The tires were not that worn down, just old, and I didn't want to risk one blowing out due to dry rot.
It has been a good work vehicle, as well as a pleasure vehicle.
It looks and runs as good as when it was new.
I have no intentions of ever selling it.
It is no longer my daily driver as I have the Corvette for that.
Maybe I just got a good Dakota, because I don't understand all the negative comments I have seen about the Dakota pickups.
Picture taken about nine months ago.
Bob, my Dakota was a 93, and I wasn't knocking it at all. Just listing the problems it had. What was it a 3.9 or something V6, and 5 speed. It was pretty gutless really with my old pontoon hooked to it, but I didn't pull much with it, and it served me well.
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