I have a 2012 F-150 SuperCrew with 5.0L and standard manual AC controls. I have only 600 miles on the truck.

The AC on MAX is not able to cool the cab down in a 90 degree day on my 15-20 min drive home from work. I have 20% tint all the way around and has only helped a little to keep the cab from heating up as much.

I plan to make a trip to the dealer and see if there is something that can be done. I hope that it is an overcharged or undercharged AC system and not a design issue. I will hate to drive this thing in the next couple of months if there is nothing can be done about it.

I just stepped out of a 2009 Silverado about a month ago and the AC system in it is far better. I will have to admit I am a Chevy guy. The 2012 F-150 is a good driving truck but living in Texas the AC system MUST work.

I will post and findings with the dealer.

 

I had a 2010 F150, the only time I felt the AC was inadequate was whenever I parked at work in the sun. The AC wouldn't cool off until I had driven almost 7 miles down the road, even then there was a very large difference between the temperatures the AC would reach on the freeway, and the temps I would achieve on the street. Living in AZ, I had the fanspeed on the highest setting and MAX AC on all the time, If I parked under covered parking, the air would actually come out cooler as soon as I started the truck, but it still didn't reach colder temps for a few miles. In regards to fan speed, I think the F150 pushes plenty of air for the front seats, but unless you have the flow-thru your rear passengers are going to suffer.

I can safely say the Super Duty doesn't have these issues(except for cooling the rear of the cab).

 

On a hot day, the key is to open the windows for 2-3 minutes while driving to allow the heat soak to come down. By then, the a/c will be pumping at full capacity and you can roll the windows up...............

 

The first year I owned my 2010, the AC performance was pitiful and I complained far enough up the food chain that it was arranged for a field engineer to look it over. He compared pressure and temperature readings to a 2011 off the new car lot and recommended an upgraded PCM flash. It improved, but still, when it's real hot (111 today), it can't cut it. I know it will take substantial time to fully cool the hot cabin, but i don't think that it's expecting too much to have COLD air blowing out of the vents in the meantime. I have appointment to take it to the dealer on Monday. Service manager says tech has a couple of ideas that might improve performance. Hope it works because I'm rapidly closing in on 36K miles. When it's this hot, I avoid driving the truck if the wife's car is available.

 

Funny you started this thread....I was actually going to make one once I came home from work. The A/C in my 2012 totally sucks!! I live about 10 miles from work and it does not cool me off in the 20 minute drive. I thought I was just low on freon, but if everyone is having the problem obviously it's the system, not just me. It does really irritate me that I get a pickup with everything I want for once yet the A/C sucks. In my wife's 2006 Honda Pilot we can literally have the fan on LOW, yes LOW, and on a 100* day with the dial turned all the way to blue (cold) we get too cold and have to turn the dial a little bit to the warm side because there is no lower fan setting, otherwise it shuts everything completely off. However, with my BRAND NEW F-150, it can be 85 - 90* and it just can't keep up. If I'm too hot in the front I feel bad for people who have to ride in the back. It's going to suck when we go boating for the first time at the end of this month and once everyone piles in my brand new pickup it can't even cool everyone off...talk about embarrassing. Don't worry guys, I can tow the boat for you, but my A/C sucks so bad you're just going to have to suffer. Ugh it really pisses me off.

 

New member here. I joined so that I could share my absolute total disappointment with the HVAC system in my 2011 XLT Screw ecoboost.

I am in the HVAC industry, have been for 16 years now. The A/C system in our trucks is an absolute engineering failure. The worst performing A/C I have ever owned. EVER.

I have had it back to the dealer already back in May, about a month ago-before it got really hot. They re-claimed the refrigerant, and weighed in the SMALL charge of R-134a. I think it holds 1.6lbs.

The dealers feedback to me was, "We got her all fixed up and your getting 48 degrees at the vents. What he failed to mention, is that this is with the fan speed on 2 out of 4. At fan speed 4, the temps are closer to 60. This is not cold enough to even de-humidify the air inside the cabin. The coil needs to be AT LEAST 55 degrees for this simple function to occur.

The entire system is just flat out undersized. Not enough coil, not enough compressor, not enough refrigerant, and not even enough air velocity (even though with this system, more air would just equal warmer air). And I truly believe this is in an effort to improve fuel economy. I live in Texas, and this system is not designed for the worst case scenario. The A/C in my 2007 Silverado was like a freezer inside.

The truck will finally cool down after about 25 minutes of steady driving at speed. But will never get cold in the heat of the day, just barely tolerable. It will never ever cool down if you just start the truck and let it idle with the A/C on any speed. It just won't do it.

I use a sun shade religiously. I have tinted the windows. I go out to my truck an hour before I leave work and roll down EVERY window.

I will dump this thing next winter on the dealer. Nobody would dare buy it in the summer and I could not pass this thing along to another poor soul. It's the main reason I think the truck was still on the lot in January 2012 when I bought the truck. Pathetic.

 

Not sure if the AC system is similar on the 04-08 as in the new trucks, but maybe this will help with some of your problems, its worked for lots of the 04-08 folks:

https://www.f150online.com/forums/20...rformance.html

I have no experience with the new rigs, so I apologize if this is completely irrelevant.

 

Mine cools just fine.

 

I had the same complaint on my 2010. Had it in the shop to be checked out. They apparently discharged it, so they can weigh it..... and got it back with a " all is ok and normal". I let it be known on how unhappy i was.
Considering that it was holding 1 1/2 pounds of gas, compared to 3 pounds on my older trucks, explains somewhat why the ac performance is so poor.
My 2012, so far, seems much better then the 2010. Discharge temp is in the low 40's, and that's on normal, not max. No complaints.

 

Following up on my latest trip to the dealership; the mechanic found a PCM reflash, TSB 10-13-5, for "cooling fan strategy at vehicle idle speed." Anyway, driving it home from the dealer it was cooling as well as my son's 2011 F-150 (41˚ at center vent at 105˚ambient temp), so it is better--not great, but better.

 

You fellas aren't alone. My 1998 Crown Vic cools better than my F150 and it's got a completely refurbished AC system on it. My F250 also has better performing AC and it's got the factory refrigerant in it from Louisville 12 years and 130k ago.

I'm no mechanic, but I think the problem is with the electric cooling fans on these trucks. They just aren't moving enough air through the condenser. The speed that the compressor spins at doesn't make it cool any better, it just shortens the time the clutch is engaged.

On my Crown Vic the electric fan moves a TON of air and is loud enough to hear inside the car. My Powerstroke has a HUGE engine-driven fan that moves a large volume of air at idle and low speeds. When it gets hot the fan makes its presence known. Those two Electric fans on the F150 just aren't spinning fast enough, or they aren't agressive enough to keep the Condesner cool when the vehicle is stopped. This is why the AC works so much better for everybody when the truck is moving. You have air rushing through the grille at 40+ mph.

 

Well, a black truck in the Texas heat is bound to have problems. I have a black XLT and if Im sitting in traffic, I start sweating. But if Im on the highway it cools just fine.

 

My 98 will freeze you out in a heartbeat. Discharge temp of 38*F After 15 minutes, I have to turn the fan to speed 1, and increase the temp its so cold.

Our 2006 F-550 has sub-par performance with A/C. It cant keep the 4 door, non-tinted firetruck cool.

 

Here's what I found out. Had mine the dealer twice (2 different ones) and the first said he drove one off the lot and it had the same temps (45-47). Not except able. The second dealer evacuated the system and refilled it and said it was 5oz low. The temps are still the same. The second dealer did say that this is as good as it is going to get because the orifice is not a fixed one like the old days. There is now an expansion valve in its place. I don't know if that is a line of bull or not. I do know that my Suburbans and Fords from the 90's would freeze you out. I don't think the cooling fans at the radiator has any bearing because of the forward movement of the vehicle.

 

Wow, im glad im not alone here. Came from a 2007 extended cab Silverado and man do i miss that AC system. my 2011 super crew ecoboost lariat just does not keep up with the heat. Love everything else about the truck but its ac system is awful, anything over 110F outside and im sweating until i get to my destination.

Im starting to think ford does too much dyno room testing and not enough actual hot weather testing because there is no way they would have found this hot weather ac performance acceptable.