# Ford F-150 2009–2014 Maintenance Schedule & Cost to Maintain

Canonical: https://carcasefile.com/vehicles/ford-f-150-2009-2014/cost-to-maintain/

> What routine maintenance costs on the 2009–2014 Ford F-150, by mileage interval: what's due, why, independent-shop cost ranges, and which jobs are realistic DIY.

Case file · FORD-F-150-2009-2014 · Cost ledger

# Ford F-150 2009–2014 · Maintenance schedule & cost to maintain

CarCaseFile editorial · filed 07-03-2026 · updated 09-16-2026

Scheduled service only, not the documented problems (those are on the [case file's problem list](https://carcasefile.com/vehicles/ford-f-150-2009-2014/#own), with their own cost calculator). Every interval and cost range below is sourced, not estimated.

Where the manufacturer publishes separate normal and severe-condition schedules, this ledger defaults to the **severe** interval and says so. That's not us padding the numbers: a manufacturer's own severe-duty list usually describes ordinary driving, things like short trips, stop-and-go traffic, extended idling, dust or road salt. But the list is written per manufacturer and sometimes per model year, and some are far narrower than others, so each item's "why" text names what *this* manufacturer actually wrote and gives the normal-schedule number alongside it. Read the item, not this paragraph.

[← Full case file](https://carcasefile.com/vehicles/ford-f-150-2009-2014/)

Track Ford F-150 2009–2014

## What's due on MY 2009–2014 Ford F-150 right now?

Enter your mileage. We'll check it against this car's full schedule below.

Get a reminder before the next thing comes due. No account. Reply to the email anytime with your new mileage to keep it accurate.

Cumulative cost

## What routine maintenance adds up to, by mileage

Running total of the independent-shop cost ranges below. Each bar is everything due by that point, added to everything before it.

Solid bar = low estimate, tint = high estimate. This is a routine-maintenance floor, not a total cost of ownership. Fuel, insurance, tires, and any of the documented problems above are separate. Items that recur more than once per interval under a severe-duty schedule (an air filter due every 5k, say) are counted here at one occurrence, not the full repeat total. The real cumulative spend for a high-mileage severe-duty driver runs higher than this chart shows.

Parts below link to Amazon, and to eBay for tires. Those are affiliate
links, so we may earn a commission if you buy. Your price is the same
either way, and a commission never changes what this page says.

## 5,000-7,500 mi

### Engine oil and filter, 2009-2010 4.6L and 5.4L plus 2011-2014 6.2L (severe-schedule default)

$80–$160 DIY-realistic

These engines run a fixed clock, not an oil-life monitor. Ford's normal schedule is 7,500 miles or six months. The severe schedule cuts that to 5,000 miles, six months, or 200 hours of engine operation, and towing, dust or stop-and-go puts most trucks there. All of them take SAE 5W-20: 6.0 quarts on the 4.6L, 7.0 on the 5.4L, 7.0 on the 6.2L.

On this generation

- Ford's severe clause has a third trigger owners never read: 200 hours of engine operation. Ford's own conversion in the same book counts one idling hour as about 33 miles, so a truck that idles on job sites is due long before the odometer says so.
- The 2009-2010 V8s and the 6.2L all use the Motorcraft FL-820-S filter, not the FL-500-S that the 3.7L, 5.0L and EcoBoost take. Ford prints the split engine by engine in its own part-number table, and the two are not interchangeable.

### Engine oil and filter, 2011-2014 3.5L EcoBoost, 3.7L and 5.0L (oil-life monitor)

$85–$175 DIY-realistic

No fixed interval here. Ford's Intelligent Oil-Life Monitor calls the change, and the manual publishes what to expect: 7,500 to 10,000 miles on normal use, 5,000 to 7,499 on severe, 3,000 to 4,999 on extreme, never past one year or 10,000 miles. The EcoBoost takes 5W-30 (6.0 quarts), the 3.7L 5W-20 (6.0) and the 5.0L 5W-20 (7.7).

On this generation

- Resetting the monitor: press SETUP until the display reads OIL LIFE with HOLD RESET = NEW, then hold RESET for two seconds. Keep pressing past that and you land in Ford's start-value screen, which drops the starting figure by 10% per press. A truck that suddenly asks for oil early has usually been left there.
- Every engine in this generation is chain driven, so there is no timing belt to budget for. That is not a free pass on the EcoBoost: the chain stretch this file documents tracks oil neglect, so treat the monitor's number as a ceiling rather than a target on a truck you plan to keep.
- Ford's manual sets the oil grade by engine, not by year: 5W-30 for the EcoBoost, 5W-20 for the 3.7L, 5.0L and 6.2L. A shop that runs one grade across the whole lineup is wrong on at least one of your trucks.

Parts for this job: Engine oil filter.

Parts for this job

Engine oil filter

[★ Recommended Wix 57502 →](https://carcasefile.com/go?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fk%3DWix%2B57502) [OEM Motorcraft FL-500S →](https://carcasefile.com/go?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB01BZGXPCW)

[All options on the parts desk →](https://carcasefile.com/vehicles/ford-f-150-2009-2014/#part-engine-oil-filter)

Sources: [Ford (2009 guide)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/09frdmg2e.pdf), [Ford (2010 guide)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/10frdmg2e.pdf), [Ford (2013 manual)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/13f12om3e.pdf), [Ford (2014 manual)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/Catalog/owner_information/2014-F-150-Owner-Manual-version-2_OM_EN-US_01_2014.pdf), [Ford (2010 owner)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/10f12og2e.pdf), [RepairPal](https://repairpal.com/estimator/ford/f-150/2013/oil-change-cost)

## 30,000 mi

### Engine air filter

$30–$85 DIY-realistic

Ford's normal schedule replaces it every 30,000 miles on every engine and every year of this generation, and one Motorcraft FA-1883 panel filter covers the lot. On a severe schedule Ford stops giving a mileage at all: dusty roads, off-road use and heavy idling each read inspect frequently, service as required.

On this generation

- This truck has no factory cabin air filter. Ford's 2011 and 2012 books carry a cabin filter row, but it reads Replace cabin air filter (if equipped), and the 2013 and 2014 F-150 manuals drop the row entirely. A shop line for one on a 2009-2014 F-150 is a part the truck was never built with.
- Ford's fuel filter is not a maintenance item on this truck either. The 2013 manual states the vehicle is equipped with a lifetime fuel filter integrated with the fuel tank and that regular maintenance or replacement is not needed, and the 2009 and 2010 schedules exclude F-Series non Super Duty from every fuel filter row.

Parts for this job: Engine air filter.

Parts for this job

Engine air filter

[★ Recommended Wix 49883 →](https://carcasefile.com/go?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fk%3DWix%2B49883) [OEM Motorcraft FA-1883 →](https://carcasefile.com/go?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB000V53VR8)

[All options on the parts desk →](https://carcasefile.com/vehicles/ford-f-150-2009-2014/#part-engine-air-filter)

### Wheel alignment (event-triggered, plus an annual check)

$100–$250 Shop job

Not a Ford mileage item. Get one after new tires, after any steering or suspension work, and roughly once a year or every 12,000 to 15,000 miles otherwise. Skipping it after tires wastes the tire money, and an alignment done on worn control-arm bushings will not hold, so check the bushings before you pay for the rack time.

On this generation

- This generation has a specific reason to budget alignment twice. The electric power steering failure documented elsewhere in this file is fixed by replacing the whole rack, and an alignment is part of that job, so an EPAS repair quote without alignment in it is incomplete.

Sources: [Ford (2013 manual)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/13f12om3e.pdf), [Ford (2011 manual)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/11f12og3e.pdf), [Ford (2012 manual)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/12f12og1e.pdf), [Ford (2009 guide)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/09frdmg2e.pdf), [RepairPal (air filter)](https://repairpal.com/estimator/ford/f-150/2013/air-filter-replacement-cost), [RepairPal (alignment)](https://repairpal.com/estimator/ford/f-150/2013/wheel-alignment-cost)

## 60,000 mi

### Transfer case fluid, 4WD only (severe-schedule default)

$100–$200 DIY-realistic

Ford's normal schedule leaves this until 150,000 miles. Every severe condition it lists, towing included, pulls it forward to 60,000, and that holds across all six years of the generation. If you tow, work the truck off pavement or drive dusty roads, 60,000 is your number. No estimator publishes an F-150-specific transfer case figure, so the range below is priced as a single-unit drain and fill, which is the same job.

On this generation

- There are two transfer cases in this generation and they take different fluids. The 2H/4H/4L electric shift case takes Motorcraft XL-12 transfer case fluid. The 4A torque-on-demand case takes MERCON LV automatic transmission fluid instead. Both hold about 1.5 quarts, so the quantity will not tell you which one you have.
- Ford's own tire warning names this part. The 2013 manual says use of non-recommended tires and wheels could cause steering, suspension, axle, transfer case or power transfer unit failure, and requires replacements of the same size, load index, speed rating and type. On a truck four matched tires are a driveline part, not a style choice.
- The 4H position is mechanically locked four-wheel drive with no centre differential. Ford's instruction is not to use 4H on dry, hard surfaced roads because it produces excessive noise and increased tire wear. That is the opposite of a full-time AWD system, so do not treat this truck like one.

### Front brake pads (wear-based, no factory interval)

$260–$420 DIY-realistic

Ford inspects the brakes at every oil change and every 15,000 miles but never sets a replacement mileage, because pad life is duty, not distance. A half-ton that tows or lives in traffic can want fronts by 40,000 miles where a highway truck goes past 70,000. Budget per axle and expect the fronts first.

On this generation

- On a 4WD truck check the CV boots while the wheels are off. A split boot slings grease straight onto the rotor and pad face, and contaminated pads cannot be cleaned, so a torn boot you ignore turns a boot job into a boot job plus a brake job.

### CV axle boots, 4WD only (inspect, replace the axle if a boot has torn)

$880–$970 Shop job

Only 4WD trucks have front half-shafts, which is why Ford's inspection row reads Inspect half-shaft boots (if equipped). Start looking at 60,000 miles or five years, whichever comes first. Boots typically last 70,000 to 130,000 miles. The cost below is a full axle replacement, which is what a torn boot usually becomes. Catching it early enough to reboot instead is cheaper.

Sources: [Ford (2013 manual)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/13f12om3e.pdf), [Ford (2009 guide)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/09frdmg2e.pdf), [Ford (2010 guide)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/10frdmg2e.pdf), [Ford (2014 manual)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/Catalog/owner_information/2014-F-150-Owner-Manual-version-2_OM_EN-US_01_2014.pdf), [RepairPal (brake pads)](https://repairpal.com/estimator/ford/f-150/2013/brake-pad-replacement-cost), [RepairPal (CV joint)](https://repairpal.com/estimator/ford/f-150/2013/cv-joint-replacement-cost), [thecostguys.com](https://thecostguys.com/auto/differential-fluid-change)

## 90,000 mi (2009-2010 4.6L and 5.4L)

### Spark plugs, 2009-2010 4.6L and 5.4L

$260–$350 DIY-realistic

Ford's 2009 and 2010 truck schedules both replace plugs at 90,000 miles and inspect the accessory drive belts at the same service. Eight coil-on-plug units come off either way, so do the boots at the same time if they are cracked. This generation uses conventional one-piece plugs, so the 2004-2008 break-off job does not apply here.

On this generation

- Ford shortens this interval for exactly one severe condition, and it is not the one most owners assume. Extensive idling or heavy commercial duty drops plugs to 60,000 miles. Towing does not shorten them, and neither does dust or off-road use.
- Do it on a cold engine. These are aluminium heads, and the plug wells sit deep enough that debris falls in when you pull the coils, so blow the wells out with compressed air before anything comes loose.

Sources: [Ford (2009 guide)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/09frdmg2e.pdf), [Ford (2010 guide)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/10frdmg2e.pdf), [RepairPal](https://repairpal.com/estimator/ford/f-150/2013/spark-plug-replacement-cost)

## 97,500-100,000 mi (2011-2014)

### Spark plugs, 2011-2014 (interval splits by engine and by year)

$260–$350 DIY-realistic

Ford puts the 3.5L EcoBoost, 3.7L and 5.0L on 100,000 miles in every 2011 through 2014 manual. The 6.2L is different and it changed inside the generation: 105,000 miles in the 2011 book, 97,500 in the 2012, 2013 and 2014 books. Under heavy idling or commercial duty Ford drops every engine to 60,000. RepairPal's 2013 estimate does not split by engine, and the EcoBoost end will run higher because its plugs sit under the intake.

On this generation

- The EcoBoost does not share a plug gap with the naturally aspirated engines. Ford specifies .033 to .037 inch for the 3.5L EcoBoost against .049 to .053 for the 3.7L and 5.0L, and .041 to .047 for the 6.2L. A plug gapped to the bigger number will blow out the spark under boost.
- Shorter EcoBoost plug intervals you will read online belong to later trucks. For a 2011-2014 F-150 Ford's own number is 100,000 miles, the same as the 3.7L and 5.0L. If you choose to go sooner because the engine is boosted, that is your call and not a Ford recommendation, so do not let a shop sell it as one.

### Engine coolant, 2011-2014 3.5L EcoBoost, 3.7L and 5.0L

$200–$420 DIY-realistic

Ford's first coolant change is at six years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first, then every three years or 50,000 miles after that. The fill is Motorcraft Orange prediluted antifreeze to Ford spec WSS-M97B44-D2. Capacity runs by engine: 16.0 quarts on the 3.7L, 17.0 on the 5.0L, 16.5 on the 3.5L EcoBoost.

On this generation

- Check the quotes on this one. YourMechanic puts the F-150 cooling system flush average at $222 and its own 2013 3.7L line at $383.67, while RepairPal's 2013 coolant change estimate runs $662 to $736 on a parts line near $504. Sixteen quarts of Motorcraft Orange does not cost $504, so ask what that parts line actually covers before you approve it.
- Ford's own footnote in the capacity table is one line: add the coolant type originally equipped in your vehicle. On a used truck that means finding out what is in it rather than assuming, because this generation shipped with two different coolants.

### Accessory drive belt inspection (Ford does set a number here)

$105–$170 DIY-realistic

This one is not purely wear-based. Ford inspects the belt at 100,000 miles on the 3.5L, 3.7L and 5.0L and at 105,000 on the 6.2L, then tells you to inspect every 15,000 miles from there until it is replaced, and to replace it at 150,000 if it has not been changed in the last 100,000. A belt failure on this truck takes the water pump drive and the charging system with it.

### Shocks and struts (wear-based, no factory interval)

$800–$1,060 Shop job

Ford sets no replacement mileage, only an inspection at every oil change. Typical replacement lands between 50,000 and 100,000 miles and sooner on a truck that carries loads. Worn dampers cup and scallop tires in a pattern an alignment will not fix, so if you are buying tires and the shocks are original, do them together or you will buy the tires twice.

### Motor mounts (wear-based, no factory interval)

$850–$1,115 Shop job

Rubber and hydraulic mounts soften with age and torque load, and typical replacement windows run 80,000 to 150,000 miles, sooner on the higher-torque engines and on stop-and-go duty. The symptoms an owner actually notices are a clunk shifting into drive or reverse, vibration at idle in gear, and the engine lurching under throttle.

On this generation

- A collapsed mount lets the engine move, and that movement works on everything bolted to it: exhaust connections and flex pipes, wiring harnesses, hoses, and the remaining mounts, which now carry load they were not designed for. Skipping one worn mount is how an owner ends up paying for two mounts and a flex pipe later.

Sources: [Ford (2011 manual)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/11f12og3e.pdf), [Ford (2012 manual)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/12f12og1e.pdf), [Ford (2013 manual)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/13f12om3e.pdf), [Ford (2014 manual)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/Catalog/owner_information/2014-F-150-Owner-Manual-version-2_OM_EN-US_01_2014.pdf), [RepairPal (spark plugs)](https://repairpal.com/estimator/ford/f-150/2013/spark-plug-replacement-cost), [RepairPal (coolant)](https://repairpal.com/estimator/ford/f-150/2013/coolant-change-cost), [RepairPal (drive belt)](https://repairpal.com/estimator/ford/f-150/2013/serpentine-belt-replacement-cost), [RepairPal (shocks)](https://repairpal.com/estimator/ford/f-150/2013/suspension-shock-or-strut-replacement-cost), [RepairPal (engine mounts)](https://repairpal.com/estimator/ford/f-150/2013/engine-mount-replacement-cost), [YourMechanic](https://www.yourmechanic.com/estimates/ford/f-150/cooling-system-flush)

## 105,000 mi (2009-2010 engines and the 2011-2014 6.2L)

### Engine coolant, 2009-2010 4.6L and 5.4L plus the 2011-2014 6.2L

$200–$460 DIY-realistic

These three land on the same clock: first change at six years or 105,000 miles, then every three years or 45,000 miles. That is a shorter repeat interval than the 3.7L, 5.0L and EcoBoost get, so the 6.2L in particular is back for coolant sooner. Capacity on the 6.2L is 19.5 quarts, the largest fill in the generation.

On this generation

- Identify what is actually in the system before you top it up, because the 2009 and 2010 books do not answer that the same way and neither one answers it by engine. The 2009 book is simple. Its capacities table gives all three engines one shared coolant cell, Motorcraft Premium Gold with bittering agent (yellow-colored), VC-7-B to spec WSS-M97B51-A1, and the cooling section tells you to add Gold and not to mix orange in. The 2010 book keeps the same three capacity rows and widens that one shared cell to three options: Premium Gold (VC-7-B, WSS-M97B51-A1), Specialty Orange US (VC-3-B), and Specialty Orange Canada (CVC-3-B), to spec WSS-M97B44-D. Its footnote 2 on that cell reads: add the coolant type originally equipped in your vehicle, check the coolant bottle labeling for the correct fluid type to use. On a 2010 the book is telling you to go look, not assigning a colour to your engine. This page used to say the 2010 book moved the 4.6L 3V and the 5.4L to Orange and left the 4.6L 2V on Gold. It does not. That reading came from lining the three product bullets up against the three engine rows they sit beside, when the product column is one merged cell spanning all three rows, the same way the engine-oil cell above it spans the 4.6L and 5.4L rows. Ford's own Motorcraft coolant usage chart agrees: it codes the F-150 as Gold for both 2009 and 2010, does not reach its orange-inclusive code until 2011, and states that the listed coolant applies to all engine types available for that vehicle.
- Ford spells out why it matters. The 2009 manual says not to add or mix an orange-coloured extended life coolant with the factory fill because it can result in degraded corrosion protection. On a truck this old the only safe move is to identify what is actually in the system before you top it up.
- Ford also prints the 2009-2010 capacities that owner forums argue about: 16.4 quarts on the 4.6L 2V, 15.8 on the 4.6L 3V, 16.9 on the 5.4L. Forum figures of 20 to 24 quarts for the 5.4L are wrong by several quarts.

Sources: [Ford 2010 F-150 Owner’s Guide, 1st Printing, Maintenance Product Specifications and Capacities (printed p394): the 4.6L 2V / 4.6L 3V / 5.4L engine coolant rows share ONE product cell listing Motorcraft Premium Gold (VC-7-B, WSS-M97B51-A1), Motorcraft Specialty Orange US (VC-3-B) and Motorcraft Specialty Orange Canada (CVC-3-B), spec WSS-M97B44-D. Footnote 2, printed p397: ‘Add the coolant type originally equipped in your vehicle. Check the coolant bottle labeling for the correct fluid type to use.’ Cell boundaries re-derived from the PDF by word coordinates. The capacities 16.4 / 15.8 / 16.9 quarts ARE per engine, that column is not merged.](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/10f12og2e.pdf), [Ford 2009 F-150 Owner’s Guide, 2nd Printing, same table (printed p393): all three engine coolant rows share one cell reading Motorcraft Premium Gold Engine Coolant with bittering agent (yellow-colored), VC-7-B / WSS-M97B51-A1. The cooling section adds: ‘Do not add/mix an orange-colored, extended life coolant such as Motorcraft Specialty Orange Engine Coolant, meeting Ford specification WSS-M97B44-D ... can result in degraded corrosion protection.’](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/09f12og2e.pdf), [Ford / Motorcraft Engine Antifreeze/Coolants Usage Chart, ‘Model Years prior to 2018’ page, revised 10/22/2025. Row ‘F-150 - F-550 (All other plants)’: 2009 = Y, 2010 = Y, 2011 = DY / O. Y = WSS-M97B51-A1 (Motorcraft Gold). The sheet states the listed coolant applies to all engine types available for a particular vehicle.](https://www.fcsdchemicalsandlubricants.com/quickref/coolantsEN.pdf), [Ford (2009 owner)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/09f12og2e.pdf), [Ford (2010 owner)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/10f12og2e.pdf), [Ford (2009 guide)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/09frdmg2e.pdf), [Ford (2013 manual)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/13f12om3e.pdf), [Ford (2014 manual)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/Catalog/owner_information/2014-F-150-Owner-Manual-version-2_OM_EN-US_01_2014.pdf), [YourMechanic](https://www.yourmechanic.com/estimates/ford/f-150/cooling-system-flush)

## 150,000 mi

### Automatic transmission fluid and filter

$170–$400 Shop job

Ford's normal schedule changes the fluid and filter at 150,000 miles across the whole generation, on the 4R75E and the 6R80 alike. This is not a lifetime fill and it is not a severe-only service. Fluid is Motorcraft MERCON LV. Total capacity is 13.9 quarts on the 4R75E and 12.1 to 13.1 on the 6R80 depending on engine, but a pan and filter service takes far less.

On this generation

- The severe tables look like they halve this and they do not. Ford's 2011 and 2012 severe rows read Change automatic transmission fluid (except 6R80 and TorqShift transmissions), and every 2011-2014 F-150 has the 6R80. The 30,000-mile severe change is real, but only for the 4R75E four-speed in base 2009-2010 4.6L 2V trucks.
- Check the quote against the fluid. RepairPal's 2013 transmission fluid change estimate is $928 to $1,047 on a parts line near $671, and thirteen quarts of MERCON LV is nowhere near that. A service-pricing tracker puts a 6R80 drain and fill at $130 to $240 with another $40 to $80 for the pan gasket and filter, which is the same work.
- Ford's own inspection row is written Inspect automatic transmission fluid level (if equipped with dipstick). Not every truck in this generation has one, and on the ones that do not, checking the level properly means a fill plug and a specified fluid temperature, which is why this is a poor driveway job.

### Front and rear axle fluid

$180–$400 DIY-realistic

Ford treats the axles as filled for life under normal use and then changes them at 150,000 miles anyway, front axle on 4WD trucks and rear axle on all of them. Front takes 3.5 pints of 80W-90 to Ford spec WSP-M2C197-A. Rear takes 5.5 pints of 75W-140 synthetic to WSL-M2C192-A.

On this generation

- There is a towing carve-out that overrides the lifetime fill entirely. Ford says that during long periods of trailer towing above 70F and at wide-open throttle for long periods above 45 mph, non-synthetic rear axle fluid should be changed every 3,000 miles or three months, and that this is waived if the axle is filled with 75W140 synthetic to WSL-M2C192-A. If you tow hard, run the synthetic and skip the 3,000-mile clock.
- Limited-slip axles need friction modifier or they chatter on turns, and the quantity is four ounces, not eight. Ford's wording is to add 4 oz. (118 ml) of Additive Friction Modifier XL-3 or equivalent meeting EST-M2C118-A for complete fill of 8.8 inch Traction-Lok axles. The electronic locking rear axle does not need it.

### Transfer case fluid, 4WD only (normal schedule)

$110–$220 DIY-realistic

If the truck has never towed, never left pavement and never idled for a living, this is where Ford puts the transfer case, at 150,000 miles. Most F-150s do at least one of those things, which is why the 60,000-mile severe number earlier in this ledger is the realistic one. Capacity is about 1.5 quarts either way.

### Accessory drive belt replacement

$105–$170 DIY-realistic

Ford replaces the belt at 150,000 miles if it has not already been changed within the last 100,000. A belt that has been inspected and passed twice is still a rubber part with fourteen years on it. This is cheap preventive work on a truck where a snapped belt means no water pump drive and no alternator, at the roadside.

### Control arm bushings (wear-based, no factory interval)

$480–$660 Shop job

Typical life runs 70,000 to 120,000 miles on normal roads and 50,000 to 80,000 on rough surfaces or in a harsh climate, and rubber ages out on a low-mileage truck too, so treat eight to ten years as a checkpoint regardless of the odometer. Worn bushings are the reason a fresh alignment drifts back out within weeks, so check them before paying for the alignment rather than after.

On this generation

- Price this one by year, not by model. RepairPal's all-years F-150 control arm estimate is $1,032 to $1,106, but its 2013-2014 figure is $478 to $653. The truck-wide average is being pulled up by the aluminium-body trucks that came later, and it is not your quote.

Sources: [Ford (2009 guide)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/09frdmg2e.pdf), [Ford (2011 manual)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/11f12og3e.pdf), [Ford (2012 manual)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/12f12og1e.pdf), [Ford (2013 manual)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/13f12om3e.pdf), [Ford (2010 owner)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/10f12og2e.pdf), [RepairPal (transmission fluid)](https://repairpal.com/estimator/ford/f-150/2013/transmission-fluid-change-cost), [RepairPal (control arm)](https://repairpal.com/estimator/ford/f-150/control-arm-replacement-cost), [transmissionfluidchangecost.com](https://transmissionfluidchangecost.com/ford-f150-transmission-fluid-change-cost/), [thecostguys.com](https://thecostguys.com/auto/differential-fluid-change)

## Brake fluid, no Ford interval published (any mileage)

### Brake fluid flush (Ford sets no mileage or time for this truck)

$120–$265 Shop job

Across six Ford documents covering 2009 through 2014, brake fluid appears only as a level check and a warning light. There is no replacement mileage and no replacement age for an F-150. Brake fluid still absorbs moisture with time, so a flush every few years is defensible maintenance, but nobody should sell it to you as a Ford requirement, because it is not one. YourMechanic puts the F-150 average at $158 and its 2013 3.7L line at $205.96, with shop prices of $222 to $263.

On this generation

- There is a change brake fluid every two years line in the 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 books, and it is not yours. It sits under the heading Class A Motorhome in the Exceptions section, Ford boilerplate carried into the F-150 book. The 2013 and 2014 manuals dropped it entirely.
- The fluid spec changed for 2014. Trucks through 2013 call for Motorcraft High Performance DOT 3 to WSS-M6C62-A or WSS-M6C65-A1. The 2014 manual calls for Motorcraft DOT 4 LV High Performance to WSS-M6C65-A2. Match your own year rather than what the last truck took.

Sources: [Ford (2009 guide)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/09frdmg2e.pdf), [Ford (2011 manual)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/11f12og3e.pdf), [Ford (2013 manual)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/13f12om3e.pdf), [Ford (2014 manual)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/Catalog/owner_information/2014-F-150-Owner-Manual-version-2_OM_EN-US_01_2014.pdf), [YourMechanic](https://www.yourmechanic.com/estimates/ford/f-150/brake-system-flush)

## 5 years (any mileage)

### Battery

$250–$390 DIY-realistic

This is a calendar item, not a mileage one. Average lifespan is three to five years. Have it load-tested from year three and replace it by year five whether or not the truck has covered any distance, for the same reason you change oil early: you replace it before it strands you, not after. Which battery you pick drives the bill, not the labor. RepairPal's F-150 estimate is $362 to $389, of which $313 to $317 is parts and only $49 to $72 is labor.

On this generation

- Ford prints the size in the manual, so there is no guesswork. The 2011, 2013 and 2014 F-150 manuals list BXT-65-750 for all four engines, which is BCI group 65 at 750 cold cranking amps. The 2009 and 2010 books list BXT-59 as standard with BXT-65-650 where the heavy-duty battery was fitted.
- Ignore the claim that big-box retailers get a lower-grade version of the same battery brand. It is contested and nobody has shown it either way. What does genuinely differ by retailer is the warranty: how long it runs, and whether the replacement is free or prorated. Read that before you compare prices.

Sources: [Ford (2013 manual)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/13f12om3e.pdf), [Ford (2011 manual)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/11f12og3e.pdf), [Ford (2010 owner)](https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/10f12og2e.pdf), [Ford (parts catalog)](https://www.ford.com/product/vehicle-battery-p4000109971), [RepairPal](https://repairpal.com/estimator/ford/f-150/battery-replacement-cost)

Parts links go to Amazon, and to eBay for tires. Affiliate links, we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Confirm fitment against your VIN before ordering, mid-generation changes exist.

CarCaseFile.com/vehicles/ford-f-150-2009-2014/cost-to-maintain/ · Independent case files on used cars · We buy our own parts. Nobody pays for a verdict.