1998 FORD F-150 Complaints

DT: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE PUTTING VEHICLE IN FOUR WHEEL DRIVE IT ACCELERATED UNEXPECTEDLY. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR ON ITS OWN. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHUT OFF. THE CONTACT HAD BOTH FEET ON THE BRAKES, SHIFTED INTO LOW, AND ATTEMPTED TO SHUT OFF THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WENT OVER A PEDESTRIAN, A RAMP, AND KNOCKED THE TRAILER THROUGH THE TAILGATE. THERE WAS DAMAGE TO THE RAMP AND THE VEHICLE. THE PEDESTRIAN RECEIVED ONLY MINOR INJURIES, MOSTLY BRUISES TO HER SIDE. BECAUSE THE INCIDENT OCCURRED ON PRIVATE PROPERTY NO POLICE REPORT WAS TAKEN.*AK

ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO, I NOTICED THAT MY 1998 FORD F-150 HAD STEAMY WHITE EXHAUST UPON START AND IT WOULD LAST UNTIL SUFFICIENT WARM-UP. AT THAT POINT, I DID NOT THINK ABOUT IT MUCH. AT ANY RATE, I WENT OUT OF TOWN FOR TWO WEEKS AND UPON MY RETURN FROM MY TRIP, I GOT IN MY TRUCK AND TRIED TO START IT AND THE ENGINE WOULD NOT TURN OVER. INITIALLY, I THOUGHT IT WAS THE BATTERY SO, I TRIED TO JUMP START IT TO NO AVAIL. NEXT, I TRIED PUSH STARTING IT AND INITIALLY THE WHEELS LOCKED UP BUT EVENTUALLY IT STARTED. FROM THAT POINT IT WAS FINE HOWEVER, IT WASN'T UNTIL FRIDAY THAT I TRIED TO START IT AND AGAIN IT WAS HARD TO START. WHEN IT DID IT STARTED RATTLING INDICATING A POSSIBLE BENT PUSH ROD. UPON CALLING AN ENGINE MECHANIC, HE INFORMED ME THAT THERE HAD BEEN A RISE IN 4.2 LITER V-6 ENGINE FAILURES BECAUSE OF A KNOWN DEFECT. IT WAS AT THAT TIME THAT I STARTED DOING INTERNET RESEARCH AND CAME ACROSS TSB 99-20-7 AND ONP 99B29. AT THIS POINT, MY TRUCK IS IN THE SHOP BEING DIAGNOSED AND I'M SURE THE MECHANIC IS GOING TO TELL ME I NEED A NEW ENGINE. *JB

CONSUMER TURNED FORD F150 ON AND VEHICLE HESITATED THEN CRANKED AND BEGAN RATTLING. HEAD GASKET LEAD WATER INTO THE CYLINDER. *TS REFER TO RECALL CAMPAIGN# DP05005. *SC

MY HUSBAND AND I WERE ON I-95 THE REAR TIRE THREAD SEPARATED AND LOST COMPLETE CONTROL OF TRUCK WHICH CAUSE IT TO HIT THE WALL IN THE MEDIAN TWICE. AS A RESULT WE BOTH SUSTAINED INJURIES IN WHICH WE ARE CURRENTLY UNDER DOCTORS CARE ALONG WITH THERAPY. BOTTOM LINE WE ALMOST LOST OUR LIVES. THE TIRE HAD BEEN PURCHASE ALMOST 6 MONTHS PRIOR OF ACCIDENT TO REPLACE ANOTHER ONE WE TOLD WAS DEFECTIVE. IT WAS A P275/70R16 CONTINENTAL TIRE ON OUR 1998 F-150 TRUCK. *NM

DT: CONTACT OWNS A 1998 FORD F150 PICKUP. WHIILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE THE SPARK PLUG BLEW OUT. NO WARNING AT ALL. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, AND HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED 650 MILES BACK TO THE CONTACT'S HOME. *AK

DT: THE CALLER'S VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE WHILE SITTING STILL FOR ABOUT 3 HOURS. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME AND A REPORT WAS TAKEN'. THE FIRE STARTED ON THE DRIVERS SIDE, AND BURNED THROUGH THE DASHBOARD. NO OTHER PROPERTY WAS DAMAGED. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER HAVE NOT BEEN CONTACTED YET. *AK *NM

DT: THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE 1998 FORD F-150 CAUGHT ON FIRE AND BURNED. THIS HAPPENED ON SEPTEMBER 27, 2005. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE GARAGE AND HAD BEEN TURNED OFF FOR AROUND SIX HOURS. THE CRUISE CONTROL HAD NOT BEEN USED THE DAY OF THE FIRE. THERE WERE NO MALFUNCTIONS ON THE TRUCK. EVERYTHING WAS IN WORKING ORDER. THE CONSUMER WAS AWAKENED BY A NEIGHBOR WHO SPOTTED THAT THE GARAGE WAS ON FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED TO PUT OUT THE FIRE. THE FIRE CONSUMED THE GARAGE, THE TRUCK AND ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE GARAGE AND THE VEHICLE WERE COMPLETELY DESTROYED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO REPORT. THERE WAS A FIRE INVESTIGATOR ON HAND TO EXAMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE. THE INVESTIGATOR STATED THAT THE FIRE STARTED UNDER THE HOOD OF THE TRUCK. THIS WAS BEFORE THE CONSUMER RECEIVED NHTSA RECALL 05V170000 CONCERNING THE SCDS ON SEPTEMBER 30, 2005. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE INSURANCE COMPANY, AND THE INSURANCE COMPANY DEALT WITH FORD, WHO TOLD THE INSURANCE AGENT THAT SOMEONE WOULD COME AND EXAMINED THE REMAINS. THEY WOULD HAVE TO LEAVE THE SCENE UNDISTURBED, AND IT MAY BE A MONTH OR SO BEFORE THEY WOULD EVEN COME AND CHECK. FORD TOLD THE INSURANCE AGENT TO PAY THE CONSUMER, AND FORD WOULD DEAL WITH THE INSURANCE COMPANY LATER. THERE WAS AN INSURANCE AND A FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORT AVAILABLE TO ANY INVESTIGATOR.*AK UPDATED 12/07/05.*JB

I CHANGED MY SPARK PLUGS AT THE RECOMMENDED MILEAGE AND SINCE THAT TIME THEY DO NOT STAY TIGHT IN THE CYLINDERS. THEY LOOSEN UP AND I HAVE TO RE-TIGHTEN THEM EVERYDAY SO THAT THEY DO NOT BLOW OUT OF MY CYLINDER HEAD. *JB

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: I AM THE OWNER OF A 1998 FORD F-150 4.2L XLT. A FEW WEEKS AGO I NOTICED A SLIGHT HESITATION UPON STARTING MY ENGINE. ONCE THE ENGINE STARTED, IT STRUGGLED A LITTLE AND THEN SMOOTHED OUT ONCE I BEGAN TO DRIVE. THE TRUCK CONTINUED TO RUN FINE, ONCE STARTED, BUT CONTINUED WITH THE SLIGHT HESITATION WHEN STARTING THE ENGINE FOR ABOUT A WEEK. ON SEPTEMBER 1, 2005, I ATTEMPTED TO START MY TRUCK AND FOUND THAT IT WOULD NOT TURN OVER RIGHT AWAY. I LET THE TRUCK REST A MOMENT THEN AGAIN ATTEMPTED TO START THE ENGINE. THE TRUCK STARTED UP, THEN I HEARD THE SLIGHT HESITATION AND ALL OF SUDDEN I HEARD A LOUD BANG FOLLOWED BY A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. I HAD THE TRUCK TOWED TO MY MECHANIC WHEREUPON I WAS INFORMED THAT IT WAS A ROD KNOCK, WHICH SHOT DOWN THROUGH THE OIL PAN. HE FOUND COOLANT ON THE PLUGS AND WATER INTRUSION THROUGH THE INTAKE MANIFOLD INTO THE BLOCK. HE INFORMED ME THAT MY ENGINE HAD HYDRO-LOCKED. THROUGH RESEARCH I WAS ABLE TO DETERMINE THAT THIS IS AN APPARENTLY WIDESPREAD PROBLEM. I FOUND THAT FORD MOTOR COMPANY ISSUED A RECALL ON THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET IN 1999. I NEVER RECEIVED SUCH NOTIFICATION, ALTHOUGH I HAVE, IN FACT RECEIVED INFORMATION FOR OTHER RECALLS. I WAS NEVER SENT ANYTHING IN THE MAIL AND HAD NO IDEA OF THIS PROBLEM. IN ADDITION, I AM INFORMED THAT FORD MOTOR COMPANY IS NOT DOING ANYTHING TO RECTIFY THIS MATTER WITH CUSTOMERS. I CURRENTLY HAVE 117,000 MILES ON MY TRUCK AND HAD TO PAY OVER $4,000.00 TO REPLACE THE LONG BLOCK. I HAD TO PAY TO REPAIR A PROBLEM THAT FORD OBVIOUSLY KNEW EXISTED. SINCE FORD WAS AWARE OF THE POTENTIAL DANGER OF DAMAGING THE ENGINE AND DID LITTLE, IF NOTHING, TO INFORM ITS CUSTOMERS OF THIS POTENTIAL DANGER, I FEEL THAT FORD MOTOR COMPANY SHOULD BE HELD, AT LEAST IN PART, LIABLE FOR THE DAMAGE INCURRED TO MY TRUCK AND TO MANY OF THOSE, LIKE MYSELF, WHO HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE YOUR ASSISTANCE IN THIS MATTER. *JB

1998 FORD F-150 VIN # [XXX], PARKED AT 9:00 PM ON SEPTEMBER 27, 2005. AT 4:30 AM ON SEPTEMBER 28 NEIGHBOR NOTICED VEHICLE FULLY ENGULFED IN FLAMES. FIRE DEPT UNABLE TO SAVE THE VEHICLE, IT COMPLETELY BURNED UP. ALSO DAMAGE TO THE GARAGE IN FRONT OF WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND TO A 1990 FORD TAURUS PARKED BESIDE OF THE VEHICLE.*JB UPDATED 07/18/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)