Greetings,
So I am looking at buying a half ton pickup used years 2015 and up. Whatever I get will have a V8 and 4x4. My question is which maker in those years has the best reliability? I have heard Scotty say fords but in doing research they have problems too. Which way should I lean? Ford, gm, Nissan, Toyota?
Thanks in advance.
T
Get a Toyota Tundra.
I'm with Yaser on this one, Tundra can be a very good truck but remember the 3 C's: Condition, condition, condition. Up to and including model year 2021, Tundra don't use a turbo, cylinder shutdown, or stop/start systems.
Be cautious of pickups having cylinder shutdown systems, like the GM Active Cylinder Management (shuts down 4 cylinders) and more recent Dynamic Fuel Management (2019 and newer, shuts 1 cylinder and increases shutdowns as it detects light-load conditions). Several issues with shutdown systems, especially when used in a turbo engine, can cause erratic engine operation and mid-term and long-term damage to fuel rails, injectors, and turbines/impellers/bearings within turbos. Damage to pistons, rings, and cylinder bores are also frequently encountered. In a used cylinder shutdown vehicle that has reached or exceed 45,000 miles, expect that some level of damage has already occurred, and that additional damage will continue on an ever increasing rate.
Also be cautious of vehicles equipped with Stop/Start systems. It's another "feature" that causes much more engine damage than can be justified by a 3%-5% increase in fuel economy. Starting an engine inherently cause slight damage, starting an engine repeatedly (a factor of 10 or more) in urban and suburban environments causes lots more engine damage. Such damage levels can be reduced by keeping engine coolant flowing when engine is shut down, and is further reduced if internal lubricant flow continues with engine shut down. Nonetheless, Fiat/Chrysler preliminary reports show a 26% increase in engine failures at 75,000 miles, GM PR staff states they "data is still being collected and evaluated", and Ford isn't talking.
Otherwise, realize that every vehicle ever made has problems and has things prone to failure. All a consumer can do is seek the best available, deal with issues as they occur, and try to enjoy the vehicle ...