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10 Years Ago, The 2015 Ford F-150 Switched To An Aluminum Body

The Ford F-150 has represented one-half of the F-Series lineup for a long time now, a true American success story that has topped the sales charts for decades to this point. As such, it was a huge deal when The Blue Oval decided to switch to an aluminum body for the redesigned 2015 Ford F-150 – and not necessarily in a positive way. Rather, there were plenty of skeptics that worried such a change would impact the F-150’s reputation for toughness, though now, it’s been 10 years since Ford made that controversial move – and it worked out just fine in retrospect.

A front three quarters view of a 2015 Ford F-150.

The switch to high-strength aluminum alloy shaved a whopping 700 pounds off the 2015 Ford F-150 compared to its predecessor, which benefitted it both in terms of performance and fuel efficiency, along with corrosion and dent resistance, and it turned out to be an important enough innovation that the pickup took home North American Truck of the Year honors. That same material had been used in the aerospace and commercial transportation industries for some time, but Ford still subjected the new F-150 body to some rigorous testing to ensure it was ready for prime time.

Those efforts included conducting 10 million miles of testing, a disguised entry in the 2013 Baja 1000, plus two years and more than 300,000 miles of real-world fleet cargo bed testing conducted by customers in the mining, utility, and construction industries. However, the aluminum bodywork used on the 2015 Ford F-150 was merely one of over 100 new technology and feature patents and patent applications that also included LED spotlights on the side mirrors, a remote tailgate release, Trailer Hitch Assist, and a 360-degree camera, among others.

There were some hiccups that stemmed from the very first aluminum F-150 bodies – such as the fact that aluminum isn’t magnetic, which caused some issues with owners that wanted to stick magnetic signs on the sides – but it’s hard to imagine a world where the change didn’t take place at this point in time. The Ford F-150 then received a redesign for the 2021 model year, and was subsequently refreshed for 2024, but it still retains its aluminum body to this day.

Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.

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Comments

  1. I have a 2017 Lariat which has several spots that are aluminum where the paint and primer peeled off completely after 5 years. This was very surprising because my truck was not used for work. There’s nothing wrong with aluminum, but you need to know how to paint it.

    Reply
  2. I bought a $30 magnetic antenna. Stupid me. You would think they would include steel at some points so customers could attach magnetic items. I didn’t want to drill a hole in my truck.

    Also if Ford saved 700lbs, why isn’t the payload increased by 700lbs?

    Reply
    1. Maybe the suspension wouldn’t support 700 additional pounds of payload.

      Reply
  3. the only bad thing I’ve experienced about the aluminum bed is that the truck will become just slightly harder to control in crosswinds and also maybe in the snow people might have trouble with traction but I personally have not experienced that

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  4. Aluminum benefits also : Rust – resistant and tougher.

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  5. 303k miles. 2 sets of spark plugs. Several sets tires. No engine light. One set of coils all 6. Rolling!!

    Reply
  6. Aluminum is softer so easily penetrated by minor items it tears when hit by sharp items. And paint doesn’t stick as well so it scratches much easier.

    Reply
  7. I remember all the hate ford got but since them GM,Stellantis, Toyota have all Been using aluminum and other weight saving materials.

    Reply
  8. The funeral procession signs don’t work either I found this out when the girl at the funeral home tried to put one on my 2022 F150 I said to her aluminum body won’t stick

    Reply
  9. The funeral procession signs don’t stick either, I found this out when the girl at the funeral home tried to put one on my 2022 F150 I said to her Aluminum body won’t stick

    Reply
  10. Thanks for the information about the F150 i just bought a 2021 F 150 and was going to put my signs on it along with my radio antenna

    Reply
  11. You know what else is aluminum? Cans, & they crush easy too. I rubbed a bush w/ my front fender & it looked like I hit head on at 80mph.. I’m on a ranch, I need a real truck. They only make city-fag trucks now. Pure garbage.

    Reply
  12. O k first you bought a 30 dollar magnetic antenna holder. This is not even worth an answer.
    Aluminum is all good. 790 pound weight savings can be used throughout the chasie and other frame members to add strength buy using steel at points to make the truck that much stronger .
    I owned 2 mustangs 2016 and 2019 with aluminium front hood and front fender. Never had any issues with dents or discoloration. Cars looked like new threw combined 100,000 miles.my next new truck within a year or two will definitely be a f-150 crew cab,v8, 4×4. Heck yes Ford all the way.

    Reply
  13. Gotta replace the hood on my 2019 because of (nut damage) hickory nuts falling from a tree with a branch hanging over my driveway, dents look like hail damage.Never had this issue with my 1999 f150.

    Reply
  14. You can have the Trailer Hitch Assist, offers nothing the mirrors can’t doo. Just give me a garage door opener and lighted vanity mirrors. Fold in mirrors would.be nice too.

    Reply
  15. I’ve had two “ Beer Can” Ford pickups, and still don’t like the fact that I can’t stick my American Flag Magnet signs on my fender, but I have adjusted, however this weekend I found another disadvantage, my Grandson could not get out of our electric front gate so we manually opened it for him. This puzzled me and I realized his Aluminum Ford would not trip the magnetic sensor, but mine works fine! I have an aftermarket grill guard, headache rack, and heavy duty tool box, so my magnetic footprint will open the gate.
    I found that my Grandson can “Swingover” closer to the switch and it works. What about my guests that don’t know that?

    Reply

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