Fair enough, and as far as it goes there's a reason I drive a 200k mile 4runner (although I own a 17 Escape that my wife drives). My personal take on things is that mechanically- engines, transmissions, driveline etc- they are overall extremely reliable. It's the interior quality and electronics that are the weak links.
A stripped down f150 is about as reliable as it gets.. the more gadgets you add the more there is to break. Unfortunately the way the electronics are integrated you can have a mechanically perfect vehicle that won't drive due to an electronics or wiring issue. If the internal network goes down the vehicle can immediately die while driving and have to be towed in.
As time goes on these things have become rolling computers. Electrical, network, and communications issues you almost need to have some IT background (or special dealer tools) to troubleshoot these things. Systems have become and are becoming increasingly more complex. Ill agree with you there, but it’s also why I still appreciate older cars.
We have had some mechanical problems with some of our Ford products… but the bulk is probably general interior, trim, noise, things rattling themselves apart. We had a blown head gasket in a Windstar, transmission issue on a 4th gen Mustang GT, windows keep falling into the doors on the 4th gen or stop working as well. They don’t age well, and all the noises (mechanical and trim) and they start to make, you end up fixing by putting on louder exhaust.
The F150 FX4 wouldn’t shift out of park, need to lift the center console and hit some kinda release switch for the parking actuator. Water in the stock fog light housing along with various trim related issues. My factory installed sub also cuts in/out randomly now. Oo yeah, and 4WD system stopped working when I actually needed it in the desert. There is more, I just don’t care to remember the pain lol.
Brother recently picked up a new Mustang PP2… tons of electronics and features, electronic valued exhaust and a bunch of other driving modes. Let’s see if it lasts, but I assume he will likely end up getting dumped before warranty is up.
Ford makes some cool stuff, but I don’t expect a lot in the quality department. There is a reason I didn’t buy a 1st gen Raptor even though I wanted one.
Either way, Toyota has been a money wise brand to me. As lack luster as it can be at times, I appreciate the reliability and general quality. I’ll be around here for a while.
