1997 FORD F-150 Complaints

BACK WINDOW LEAKS, PLASTIC FRAME THAT HOLDS GLASS ONTO CAB BRAKES WITH TIME. VARIOUS GLASS COMPANIES HAVE TOLD ME THAT IT'S A COMMON THING WITH THE 97-2000 FORD F-150'S IT'S NOT THE RUBBER NOR A WEATHER STRIP IT'S THE PLASTIC FRAME THAT BRAKES WITH TIME. *TR

MY F-150 WAS RUNNING ROUGH AND HAD A "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT ILLUMINATED. I TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIR. THEY REPLACED THE SPARK PLUGS, PLUG WIRES, AND IGNITION COIL FOR A COST OF OVER $500. THEY STATED THAT THE #5 PLUG HAD BEEN FOULED WITH ANTIFREEZE. IT RAN FINE FOR ABOUT A MONTH, THEN UPON STARTING MY TRUCK, A LOUD BANGING OR RATTLING NOISE COULD BE HEARD AND THE ENGINE LOCKED UP. UPON DOING RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET, I FOUND NUMEROUS PEOPLE WHO CLAIM THAT A FAULTY GASKET DESIGN CAUSED WATER TO LEAK INTO ONE OF THE CYLINDERS INSPECTION OF THE CYLINDERS SHOWED COOLANT TO BE POOLED IN THE FRONT, PASSENGER-SIDE CYLINDER. CERTIFIED MECHANICS ATTRIBUTE COOLANT IN THE CYLINDER TO BE DUE TO A PREMATURE GASKET FAILURE. IF NOT CORRECTED, THE PROBLEM LEADS TO MAJOR ENGINE DESTRUCTION. DOCUMENTED EFFECTS OF THE COOLANT LEAK ARE WORN OUT BEARINGS AND SURFACES, AND BROKEN OR BENT CONNECTING RODS, NECESSITATING AN ENGINE REBUILD. FORD SENT A TSB TO SOME OWNERS OF THESE ENGINES TO REPLACE THE FAULTY GASKET BUT NOT TO OTHER OWNERS. THE KNOWLEDGE OF A FAULTY GASKET DESIGN WAS WITHHELD FROM SOME 1997 4.2L F150 OWNERS. I NEVER RECEIVED NOTIFICATION, AND LIKE MANY PEOPLE, HAVE SUFFERED CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. AVERAGE REPAIR COSTS ARE AROUND $4500 DOLLARS. FORD DID NOT NOTIFY OWNERS OF KNOWN DEFECTS AND FORD TECHNICIANS WHO SHOULD KNOW BETTER THAN ANYONE, DID NOT NOTIFY ME. *TR

I RECENTLY NOTICED A LOSS OF COOLANT AND FOAMY ENGINE OIL. I FOUND AN ONLINE FORUM EXPLAINING THIS AS A PROBLEM CALLED HYDROLOCKED.FORD HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM SINCE 1999 AN HAS ISSUED A TSB 99-20-7 AND ONP 99B29.WHY HAS FORD MOTOR COMPANY NOT BEEN HELD FINANCIALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS ? *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 FORD F150. WHEN THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL, IT MADE A CRACKING AND POPPING NOISE. IN ADDITION, THE STEERING WHEEL COULD BE LIFTED UP FROM THE ANCHORAGE AND TILTED TO THE LEFT AND THE RIGHT. HIS VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 03V196000 (STEERING:GEAR BOX:SHAFT SECTOR), ALTHOUGH HE RECEIVED A RECALL LETTER IN 2008. HE WAS INFORMED BY BOTH THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER (FORD OF AMERICA) THAT THERE WERE NO OPEN RECALLS FOR THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 160,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 170,000.

MY 1997 F-150 4.2L V6 WITH 128,000 MILES STARTED EXPERIENCING AN UNACCOUNTABLE FOR WATER LOSS THAT QUICKLY TURNED INTO A ROUGH IDLE ON COLD STARTS AND THEN VERY NOTICEABLE STEAM FROM THE EXHAUST AT WHAT TIME IT WAS TAKEN IN FOR REPAIR WITH A SUSPECTED BLOWN HEAD GASKET. DISMANTLING THE ENGINE, THERE WAS WATER IN THE TOP END BUT THERE IS NO INDICATION OF HEAD GASKET FAILURE AND THE HEADS HAVE BEEN PRESSURE TESTED FOR LEAKS AND TURNED OUT OK. IT APPEARS THAT THE INTAKE OR INTAKE GASKET IS THE PROBLEM AND UPON ONLINE RESEARCH IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT FORD HAS HAD PRIOR COMPLAINTS OF INTAKE AND GASKET FAILURES. *TR

WATER INTRUSION INTO GEM MODULE CAUSING FAILURE OF WIPERS, ELECTRIC WINDOWS, INTERIOR LIGHTS AND ENGAGEMENT OF ELECTRONIC 4WHEEL DRIVE TO WORK. USUALLY TRIGGERED AFTER RAIN AND LASTING FOR DAYS. SEE TSB 98231 NHTSA 603715. THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM. *TR

THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN SITTING IN THE DRIVEWAY AND HAD NOT BEEN DRIVEN IN OVER 24 HOURS PRIOR TO THE FIRE. WE WERE AWAKENED BY OUR LOCAL POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS, ALERTING US TO THE FACT THAT THE TRUCK HAD BEEN ON FIRE. THEY WERE ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY PUT OUT THE FIRE PRIOR TO IT SPREADING TO OUR HOME. THE FIRE ORIGINATED ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE, UNDER THE HOOD, AROUND THE WHEEL WELL. THIS WAS DOCUMENTED BY OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT. THE FRONT END OF THE TRUCK AND THE DRIVEWAY HAVE BEEN MELTED, AND THE TRUCK IS NO LONGER DRIVABLE OR FIXABLE. COINCIDENTALLY, WE RECEIVED A LETTER FROM FORD THIS WEEK STATING THAT THE RECALL ON THIS TRUCK HAD NOT BEEN DONE AND THAT IT COULD RESULT IN FIRE. WE PURCHASED THIS TRUCK FROM A PRIVATE PARTY ON MAY 11, 2008 AND THIS WAS OUR FIRST NOTIFICATION OF A RECALL. OF COURSE IMMEDIATELY AFTER PURCHASING THE TRUCK WE REGISTERED IT WITH THE STATE OF ILLINOIS TO OBTAIN PLATES IN OUR NAME, AND WE WERE ISSUED OUR REGISTRATION. WE OWNED THIS TRUCK EXACTLY 6 MONTHS TO THE DATE WHEN THE FIRE OCCURRED. IF WE HAD BEEN SENT A NOTIFICATION PRIOR TO THE FIRE, RATHER THAN AFTERWARDS, WE COULD HAVE HAD THIS CRUISE CONTROL RECALL ADDRESSED. AT THIS POINT THE VEHICLE IS SCRAP. WE ARE HOLDING ON TO THE TRUCK, UNTIL WE CAN REACH A DETERMINATION OF FORD'S RESPONSIBILITY IN THIS MATTER. *TR

FUEL TANK STRAP REPLACEMENT LEAD TO DISCOVERY OF BROKEN FUEL TANK AT FEED TUBE. RARE OCCURRENCE ACCORDING TO AUTO SHOP AND DEALER SAID NOTHING CAN BE DONE SINCE VEHICLE NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. VEHICLE IS 97' FORD F-150. *TR

THE FRAME ON MY 1997 FORD F150 HAS RUSTED THROUGH, CAUSING THE SHOCK AND SPRING MOUNTS TO BREAK. FORD WILL NOT ACKNOWLEDGE ANY PROBLEMS. *TR

MY 1997 FORD F150 4X4 ON THE RIGHT CYLINDER HEAD THE REAR SPARK PLUG CAME OUT WHILE DRIVING LOSS OF POWER NOW I CAN NOT DRIVE IT MAKES WEIRD NOISES IS THERE A RECALL ON THIS SPARK PLUG NO LONGER FITS IN THE HEAD WAS THIS A BAD FLAW TO THE 4.6 DUEL OVERHEAD CAM ENGINE .DO I HAVE A CLAIM WITH FORD MOTOR COMPANY THANK YOU! *TR