1997 FORD F-150 Complaints

MY TRUCK WAS TAKEN IN FOR A BRAKE REPAIR THE WEEK OF MARCH 6- 10, 2006. WE GOT THE TRUCK BACK DROVE IT A 100 MILES ON THE WEEKEND WITH NO PROBLEMS. ON MONDAY, 3/13/06, I NOTICED IT MISSING AFTER 40 MILES AN HOUR. MY HUSBAND DROVE IT TO WORK THE NEXT DAY TO SEE WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT. HE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. I TOOK MY SON TO WORK ON THURSDAY AND IT WAS STILL MISSING. WHEN ON THE FREEWAY, I GOT IT UP TO 65/70 MPH WHEN IT JUST STARTED SLOWLY DOWN. I COULD NO LONGER GIVE IT ANY GAS. I WAS ABLE TO PULL ONTO A LARGE SHOULDER WHERE I HAD IT TOWED INTO A TRANSMISSION SHOP I TRUSTED. ON INSPECTION, THE TRANSMISSION WAS FLOODED WITH WATER AND COOLANT AS WELL AS THE ENGINE DUE TO A FAULTY RADIATOR. I HAD REPLACED THE RADIATOR APRIL 11, 2005. THIS WAS NOT THE FIRST RADIATOR REPLACED. THIS WAS THE 4TH RADIATOR. I HAD THE TRUCK TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP THAT INSTALLED THE RADIATOR AND WAS TOLD THAT MY ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION HAD FAILED. I'M WAITING FOR A CALL BACK WITH AN EXPLANATION AS TO WHY. I WAS TOLD THAT I WOULD HAVE TO HAVE AN ENGINE BREAKDOWN WHICH WOULD COST ME, TO FIND OUT WHY IT FAILED. WE HAVE HAD NUMEROUS PROBLEMS WITH THE WHOLE COOLING SYSTEM IN GENERAL SINCE 1999. RANGING FROM CHANGED HEAD GASKETS, HEATER CORES, RADIATORS, ETC. IT HAS BECOME APPARENT FROM READING ON THE FIGHT BACK SITE: [HTTP://FORUMS.TREEMEDIA.COM/FB/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?P=836&PAGE=2&PP=15] THAT THIS A COMMON UNRESOLVED ISSUE WITH THE FORD COMPANY. APPARENTLY THIS IS A COMMON COMPLAINT THAT HAS YET TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY. I COUNTED OUT 226 COMPLAINTS ON THE NHTSA SITE UNDER ENGINE AND ENGINE: COOLING THROUGH E/E:C:EXSYS:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAILPIPE. I'VE ALWAYS TRUSTED THE FORD COMPANY AS MY FATHER-IN-LAW RETIRED FROM THERE. WE ALWAYS HAD GREAT SERVICE UNTIL HIS PARTICULAR DEALERSHIP CLOSED. I AM NOT COMPLAINING ABOUT ANY ONE DEALER AS I'VE BEEN TO MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE TO SERVICE MY CAR WHEN THEY CLOSED. THIS SEEMS TO BE A MANUFACTURE RESPONSIBILITY *NM

OWN A 1997 F150 WITH 4.2 FOR ABOUT A YEAR NOW. NEVER SEEN THE SMOKE COMING. HYRDOLOCKED ON ME WITH 150,000 KMS WHICH I HAVE HEARD IS KINDA LOW KMS FOR THAT TO HAPPEN. LOOKING AT GETTING A REBUILT BUT WILL SEE WHAT HAPPENS WITH THIS. *NM

ENGINE FAILURE, FORD 4.2L V6 1997 WITH 102,000 MILES. STARTED ENGINE AND LOUD CLANGING NOISE FROM FRONT OF ENGINE ALSO LARGE PLUMES OF WHITE SMOKE FROM EXHAUST. BROUGHT MY TRUCK TO FORD DEALER FOR SERVICE AND WAS TOLD BEST SOLUTION WAS TO REPLACE ENGINE. TRUCK IS CURRENTLY AT DEALER. I WENT TO ON-LINE TO RESEARCH ENGINE PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS AND FOUND 21 PAGES OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS. THE SYMPTOMS WERE EXACTLY THE SAME FOR EACH ONE. ONLY THE MILEAGE VARIED. SOME CLAIMED A FORD RE-CALL WAS ISSUED FOR A GASKET PROBLEM TO CORRECT COOLANT LEAKING INTO ENGINE CAUSING INTERNAL FAILURES. I DID NOT RECEIVE THIS RECALL. PLEASE INVESTIGATE WHAT CAN BE DONE TO HAVE FORD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR MY (AND THE OTHERS) ENGINE FAILURE. IT IS VERY COSTLY. THANK YOU.*JB

MY FORD F-150 4.2 L ENGINE THREW A ROD ON MARCH 8 2006, WITH LESS THAN 61K MILES ON THE MOTOR. THE FAILURE WAS DUE TOO WATER SEEPING INTO THE CYLINDERS FROM A DEFECTIVE GASKET . I HAVE MAINTAINED THIS VEHICLE PER FORD'S PRINTED MANUAL AND HAVE THE RECORDS TO PROVE IT. THE RESULT OF THE PROBLEM HAS COST ME OVER 3,000 DOLLARS FOR AN ENGINE REPLACEMENT. I EXPECT FORD MOTOR CO. TO REIMBURSE ME FOR MY DAMAGES FINANCIALLY. I SPOKE WITH A SERVICE MANAGER AT A LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP AND HE SAID HE HAS NEVER KNOWN OF FORD TO REIMBURSE A CUSTOMER IN THIS TYPE OF SITUATION. THEREFORE I DECIDED TO FILE THIS COMPLAINT. MY TRUCK IS NOW BEING REPAIRED BY AN INDEPENDENT SERVICE GARAGE. *NM

SPARK PLUG BLEW OUT WHILE RUNNING. I HAVE ONLY HAD THE PLUGS CHANGED ONCE BY THE FORD DEALER. I HAVE READ ON THE FORD F150 FORUMS THAT THIS IS VERY COMMON ON THE 5.4 ENGINE AS THEY HAVE VERY FEW THREADS HOLDING THE PLUG IN. I AM TOLD FORD FIXED THE PROBLEM IN 2002 BUT HAS NOT RECALLED THE EARLIER TRUCKS. *JB

1997 F150 CAUGHT ON FIRE. *TS EIGHT MONTHS AFTER THE CONSUMER'S VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE HE RECEIVED A RECALL ON THE CRUISE CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH (05S28) WHICH INDICATED THAT EH DEACTIVATION SWITCH COULD OVERHEAT AND RESULT IN A FIRE. THE CONSUMER SUBMITTED PICTURES TO THE MANUFACTURER AND HAD THE VEHICLE INSPECTED AT THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER REFUSED TO PROVIDE AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE STATING THAT THE TRUCK WAS TOO BADLY DAMAGED TO DETERMINE WHAT ACTUALLY STARTED THE FIRE. *NM

I HAVE A 1997 FORD F-150 WITH 60,800 MILES ON IT AND THE MOTOR STARTED KNOCKING. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD ME I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE. THE COST WAS MORE THAN THE TRUCK WAS WORTH. I HAD THE TRUCK IN THE SHOP 3 YEARS AGO FOR A WATER LEAK THAT WAS COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE MOTOR. THE TRUCK HAD 36,000 MILES ON IT AND THE DEALERSHIP ASK ME IF THE MILEAGE WAS RIGHT ON THE TRUCK. I TOLD THEM WHEN I BOUGHT THE TRUCK AND THE COULDN'T BELIEVE I WAS HAVING THIS PROBLEM. *JB

97 FORD F-150 4.2, BLEW A ROD AND THEY TELL ME THAT IS GONE COST ME ABOUT $4000 TO REPLACE THE ENGINE. *JB

1997 FORD F150 4.2L V 6 ENGINE. ENGINE HYDROLOCKED. #4 CYLINDER FULL OF COOLANT BENDING CONNECTING ROD AND OTHER CATASTROPHIC FAILURE. POOR GASKET DESIGN BY MANUFACTURER ALLOWING COOLANT TO LEECH INTO COMBUSTION CHAMBERS. INFORMATION READILY AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET REGARDING MULTIPLE FAILURES OF THE SAME TYPE FOR THE SAME ENGINE TYPE. MANUFACTURER WILL NOT REMEDY PROBLEM. $4000 REPAIR COST TO AN ENGINE THAT HAS LESS THAN 75K MILES ON IT. *JB

1. LOSS OF ENGINE COOLANT 2.ENGINE DAMAGE KNOCKING COOLANT IN COMBUSTION CHAMBERS, ENGINE KNOCKING LOSS OF OIL PRESSURE FROM DEFECTIVE GASKETS, 3 .FORD WILL NOT FIX PROBLEM. *NM