The auto start-stop feature on the Ford F-150 is designed to shut off the vehicle’s engine when idling, then automatically start it again when the driver’s foot leaves the brake pedal. It is designed to help save fuel while sitting in traffic. 

Ford F-150 customers with Model Years 2018 to 2021 with the auto start-stop feature report the vehicle fails to restart, and often when in dangerous traffic situations. Customers report the failure has caused accidents.  

Ford dealerships have told customers the issue is battery-related even though the vehicle mileage was under 12,000 miles. One Ford dealership reported seeing no system codes, but the dealer did not want the customer to drive the vehicle.

Further, the auto start stop feature is turned on by default. Customers must install an auto stop start eliminator in order to turn the feature off. Customers speculate that the truck was designed this way to meet the EPA’s mandated minimum mileage. 

One customer reported receiving an $8,000 Lemon Law settlement because the customer had video evidence of the vehicle codes when the incident occurred (NHTSA ID Number: 11460222): 

“The F150 will stall when auto start/stop activates. This is a critical safety issue due to the vehicle becoming inoperable at intersections while stopped. The issue was reviewed several times by the dealership and issue persisted. The issue is still not repaired and mitigated by deactivating the system. This resulted in a lemon law lawsuit from me to ford with me winning a settlement for 8K dollars. However, this dangerous issue must be properly repaired. I am able to demonstrate this issue upon request. I have also have video of the incident with warning lights that activate.”

Hagens Berman filed a similar class action against Audi for defects related to Audi’s stop start feature. The case alleged that the auto start/stop system in tens of thousands of 2017 – 2020 Audi vehicles can cause the power steering and brake assist to turn off while the vehicle is still moving, and delays acceleration, steering and braking.”