1998 FORD F-150 Complaints

THE WINDSHIELD ON MY 1998 F150 FORD PICKUP HAS LEAKED FOR YEARS AND NOW THE WATER HAS CORRODED THE GEM MODULE TO THE POINT WHERE I AM EXPERIENCING UNWANTED ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY WHEN THE CAR IS UNATTENDED AND WORRIED THAT IT COULD POSSIBLY CAUSE A FIRE OR CAUSE A DANGEROUS LIFE THREATENING SITUATION WHILE I AM DRIVING THE TRUCK. I HAVE CONTACTED THE LOCAL FORD DEALER AND THEY AT FIRST WOULDN'T EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM UNTIL I MENTIONED THE FORD BULLETIN ##15773. THEN THEY SAID THAT THE ONLY THING THEY WOULD DO IS REPAIR THE PROBLEM FOR $1,300 DOLLARS. I RESEARCHED THE ISSUE AND IT IS CLEAR THAT FORD MANUFACTURED A FAULTY WINDSHIELD AND THAT IT IS THE ROOT CAUSE OF THIS DANGEROUS SITUATION. *TR

1998 FORD F150 CAUGHT ON FIRE UNDER HOOD NEAR BRAKE FLUID RESERVOIR, BURNING WIRES, PLASTIC COMPONENTS, HOOD AND FENDER BEYOND REPAIR. VEHICLE HAD BEEN IN DRIVEWAY FOR OVER 20 MINUTES UNATTENDED, TURNED OFF, KEYS OUT OF IGNITION. FLAMES WERE 2 FEET HIGH AT TIME OF NOTICE; NEIGHBOR SAVED FURTHER DAMAGE TO TRUCK AND HOME. *TR

1998 F-150 5.4L TRITON I'VE OWNED THIS TRUCK FOR 2 YRS. AND PUT 30,000 MILES ON IT. CURRENTLY AT 124,000. OTHER THAN MAINTENANCE (NOT INCLUDING SPARK PLUGS) HAVE CHANGED BOTH CV SHAFTS AND BEARINGS IN THE FRONT. FEB. 3, 08 WITHOUT ANY WARNING OR PRECURSOR IT BLEW A SPARK PLUG FROM THE HEAD STRIPPING THE THREADS. IT OCCURRED VERY QUICKLY WHILE COASTING DOWN HILL AT 55 MPH. NOT HARDLY WORKING THE ENGINE. I KNEW WHAT IT WAS IMMEDIATELY, I HAD BEEN WITH A FRIEND WHEN HIS 2000 F 150 4.6L BLEW A SPARK PLUG FOR THE SECOND TIME IN 6 MONTHS. THIS ACTION ALMOST STALLED MY TRUCK OUT BEING AT LOW RPM TO BEGIN WITH IT RATTLED VIOLENTLY. I WAS AFRAID MY 10 YR OLD BROTHER AND I WOULD HAVE TO WALK FOR HELP. NOT FUN IN NY IN FEB. A PASSERBY CAME TO OUR AID. I HAD THE TRUCK TOWED HOME BY A FRIEND. STILL TRYING TO FIND A SUITABLE AND AFFORDABLE REPAIR. THOUSANDS OF THESE INCIDENTS HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO VARIOUS WEBSITES, DEALERS, AND EVEN TO FORD. SOME INSTANCES HAVE RESULTED IN FIRES DESTROYING THE WHOLE VEHICLE. IGNITED BY A STRAY SPARK PLUG AND FUEL MIST FROM THE CYLINDER. SOMETHING MUST BE DONE BY FORD. MOST REPAIRS RUN $2,000 - $4,000 EACH TIME A PLUG A SPIT. MANY VEHICLES HAVE UNDER 100,000 MILES. *TR

WIPERS WILL COME ON BY THEMSELVES AT HIGH SPEEDS DISTRACTING THE OPERATION ON THE VEHICLE. ATTEMPTS TO FIX PROBLEM WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. *TR

MY 1998 FORD F-150 ONLY HAD 76,000 MILES ON IT AND WAS WELL-MAINTAINED. ON 12/30/2007. IT HAD RUN A LITTLE ROUGH AT START UP FOR ABOUT TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO 12/30/2007. THEN ON THAT DAY A LOUD KNOCK IN THE ENGINE. I TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC WHO SAID THAT THERE WAS A HISTORY OF THE 4.2 ENGINES HAVING PROBLEMS. AND I WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE ENGINE. I HAVE NOT DONE ANYTHING WITH IT YET. I BELIEVE THAT FORD SHOULD STAND BEHIND THIS ENGINE. IF THEY KNOW IT WAS A DESIGN PROBLEM TO START WITH. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 FORD F-150. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE LEFT LOBE WOULD NOT FIRE AND CAUSED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 42,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 46,000.

I OWN A 1998 FORD F-150, WHICH HAS A 5.4L ENGINE. AT 100,000 MILES THE #3 SPARK PLUG BLEW. THEN ON A TRIP BACK FROM IDAHO FALLS IDAHO THIS MONTH TO MY HOME IN LINDON, UT THE #1 PLUG BLEW. BASED ON RESEARCH, I UNDERSTAND THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE. THE SECOND TIME MY PLUG BLEW, I WAS DRIVING ON A VERY ICE COVERED HIGHWAY (I-15 JUST NORTH OF BLACKFOOT, ID). WHEN #1 WENT THE ENGINE IMMEDIATELY BEGAN RUNNING EXTREMELY ROUGH AND MY SPEED DRASTICALLY DECREASED. THIS COMBINATION MADE ME LOSE CONTROL ON THE FREEWAY AND ALMOST SLID OFF THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY POSSIBLY ROLLING MY TRUCK. LUCK WOULD HAVE IT, THERE WERE NO OTHER VEHICLES NEAR ME. GIVEN THE SERIOUSNESS OF THIS ISSUE AND THE OVERWHELMING INCIDENTS, I THINK IT IS TIME SOMEONE TOOK ACTION AGAINST FORD. THIS COULD POTENTIALLY CAUSE A DEATH! IF NOTHING IS DONE, THEN THE GOVERNMENT IS AS MUCH TO BLAME FOR NOT DOING ANYTHING ABOUT A KNOWN SAFETY HAZARD. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 FORD F-150. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE CONTACT SUDDENLY HEARD A LOUD NOISE AS IF SOMETHING WAS SCRAPING ACROSS THE ROAD. WHEN HE PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER, HE REALIZED THAT THE GASOLINE STORAGE TANK FELL AND WAS DRAGGING ACROSS THE ROAD. HE TOWED THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, WHERE IT CURRENTLY REMAINS. FORD STATED THAT NOTHING COULD BE DONE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 74,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 FORD F150. WHILE IDLING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO ROLL UNTIL IT CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. NO WARNING LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED. AAA TOWED THE VEHICLE AND THE BRAKE LINES WERE REPLACED. HE HAS NOT NOTIFIED THE MANUFACTURER. THE CONTACT HAS PICTURES OF THE DEFECTIVE BRAKE LINES. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 68,700. UPDATED 01-11-08. *KB UPDATED 12/12/07 *TR

1998 FORD F-150 FUEL TANK FAILURE. CONSUMER STATES THAT THE FUEL TANK FELL FROM BENEATH THE VEHICLE WHILE BACKING OUT OF HIS GARAGE. HE STATED THAT BOTH THE STRUTS HOLDING THE FUEL TANK IN PLACE BROKE. *KB