2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R Owners Are Reporting Big Oil Leaks Already
At least nine owners have come forward this year claiming their brand-new, 700-horsepower trucks are leaking lots of oil.
There's been no shortage of buyers for the $110,000 Ford F-150 Raptor R since it was released late last year. Well-to-do drivers have clamored at the chance to own the V8 super truck, largely because of its supercharged 5.2-liter that makes 700 horsepower. However, at least nine owners have had to park their rigs due to oil leaks in the past month or so, leaving them without the pickup they anticipated for years.
One of the first F-150 Raptor Rs with the issue was towed to a dealer in late January. That's when I saw it posted to @theraptorconnection on Instagram, and in the time since, others have come forward to share their woes. The person behind that social media page says he's spoken with 12 owners about the issue, and they cite different diagnoses including a faulty crank seal, a leaky oil pan gasket, and even a problem with the supercharger.
I reached out to a handful of affected F-150 Raptor R owners and contacted Ford. A spokesperson from Ford said they were "aware of a limited number of F-150 Raptor Rs—nine customers—with the potential to leak oil at the front crankshaft seal caused by a supplier manufacturing defect. We are contacting affected customers to offer assistance."
That statement confirms the issue, and also confirms Ford is actively working on a solution for affected customers. The spokesperson informed me that new 5.2-liter Predator engines are now rolling off the assembly line with a properly working front crank seal.
Ryan Cassidy, whose F-150 Raptor R was shown in that video from Jan. 29, said he's still without his truck, which has stayed parked at a local dealer near Scottsdale, Arizona, for 30 days now. He says he's had some communication with Ford, but it hasn't been entirely clear or consistent.
"Pretty serious leak. I had it towed to the dealer on Jan. 28 and it's been there ever since with no end in sight, unfortunately," Cassidy said. "I've talked to quite a few people from, like, the plant managers to several others. They've informed me of what's going on, the whole process—they have front crank seal leaks."
Cassidy says he was told by a Ford manufacturing employee that they had a new front crankshaft seal that will be ready to go soon. They were allegedly dyno-testing it for seven days straight to ensure durability; meanwhile, Cassidy's truck sprung its oil leak after one day of ownership. He claims he's still waiting to hear back on the results of those tests, but it seems likely that Ford will soon implement the same tweak it made to new engines that are now being built.
"I filed for buyback on the truck three weeks ago and they denied me because my truck hadn't sat for 30 days at the dealer," Cassidy explained. "I thought if I filed a buyback the part would mysteriously show up, you know what I mean? Unfortunately, that didn't happen. I don't know that I necessarily want my truck bought back but I was trying to stir up some action with Ford."
At present, it looks like Ford has found a fix and is working to deploy it so owners can get their trucks back. It has to be frustrating, but this isn't the first time a new performance model has ever had problems, especially in its first year of production. What matters now is how Ford handles the situation from here so more F-150 Raptor Rs can return to the road—and the dunes.
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