1998 FORD F-150 Complaints

FORD REPLACED THE STRAPS ON GAS TANK BUT NOT THE TANK WHICH IS RUSTY FROM THE DEFECTIVE STRAPS. THE ONLY RUST ON THE TANK IS WHERE THE STRAPS ARE. IT STARTED SEEPING A VERY SMALL AMOUNT OF GAS AT THAT POINT AFTER THEY REPLACED THE STRAPS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 FORD F-150. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING, ACCOMPANIED BY A LOUD NOISE FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A MECHANIC FOR INSPECTION WHERE THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT THE SPARK PLUGS DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH THREAD AND SEPARATED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 152,000.

INCIDENT #1 INTERMITTENT ELECTRICAL CONTACTS IN ENGINE BAY AFFECTING CHARGING SYSTEM, EMISSIONS, AND DRIVE SYSTEMS. FORD DEALER DIAGNOSED AS "BAD ALTERNATOR" AND "BAD WIRING HARNESS". AFTER I BROUGHT IT BACK WITHOUT HAVING REPAIRS DONE, I CLEANED AND LUBED ALL CONNECTORS. ALL PROBLEMS WENT AWAY. I ENDED UP HAVING TO BUY A NEW BATTERY DUE TO DAMAGE DONE BY THE FAULTY CONNECTIONS. THE PROBLEMS HAD BEEN INTERMITTENT AND PROGRESSIVELY GOT WORSE BEFORE I CLEANED AND LUBED ALL CONNECTORS, THIS PROBLEM COST ME A BATTERY, AND ALMOST CAUSED ME TO WRECK AS THE BATTERY DIED AT NIGHT ON THE HIGHWAY. WITH NO BATTERY AND NO ALTERNATOR, THE VEHICLE STALLED, LIGHTING DIED, ETC. INCIDENT #2 LEAKING TIMING COVER GASKET AND LOWER INTAKE GASKETS. AT THIS MOMENT THE VEHICLE HAS 127K APPX MILES ON IT, AND IT IS CURRENTLY SITTING AS I WILL NOT DRIVE IT UNTIL IT IS REPAIRED, ALL MILES PUT ON VEHICLE HAVE BEEN "LIGHT" MILES (NO HEAVY TOWING, NO OVERLOADING OF VEHICLE, NO EXCESSIVE SPEED, ETC). FORD ISSUED A BULLETIN STATING THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH GASKETS UP UNTIL ROUGHLY 1/16/98. THEY THEN ISSUED A CUSTOMER SATISFACTION REMEDY THAT DID NOT COVER THE FULL GASKET SET OR ALL AFFECTED ENGINE MODEL YEARS. ACCORDING TO THE BULLETIN, MY ENGINE (MFG DATE PRIOR TO 9/97) IS AFFECTED, ACCORDING TO THEIR CUSTOMER SATISFACTION REMEDY IT IS NOT ELIGIBLE. IN MY BOOK, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE THE BASIS OF A RECALL. ENGINES HAVE DIED WITH AS LITTLE AS 50K MILES ON THEM, I HAVE NEVER HAD A VEHICLE THAT I WAS HONESTLY SCARED TO DRIVE UNTIL NOW. I WILL MOST LIKELY BE PERFORMING MY OWN REPAIRS ON THIS VEHICLE DUE TO FORD'S INCOMPETENCE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 FORD F-150. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT LEVER FAILED TO ENGAGE INTO PARK. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT TURN ON UNLESS THE SHIFT LEVER WAS IN NEUTRAL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE BUT DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 97V171000 (POWER TRAIN). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 250,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 255,000.

DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT A NORMAL SPEED I STARTED TO LOSE POWER AND THE TRUCK BEGAN TO MISFIRE.THE PROBLEM HAD BEEN KNOWN TO FORD, BECAUSE OUR MECHANIC RECEIVED AN E-MAIL BULLETIN FROM FORD DIRECTLY. WHICH STATED THE PROBLEMS WITH THE F-150. I HAVE COPIES OF THIS BULLETIN. NEEDLESS TO SAY I WAS FORTUNATE THAT THIS DID NOT OCCUR ON THE HIGHWAY BECAUSE MY SON AND I WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED. BECAUSE THE TRUCK JUST LOST TOTAL POWER.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 FORD F-150. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE INSPECTING THE VEHICLE, HE NOTICED THAT THE RETAINING CLIPS THAT SUPPORTED THE FRONT AND REAR LEAF SPRINGS WERE MISSING. THERE WAS A RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 98V161000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE, SUSPENSION). THE RECALL EXPIRED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,000.

I WAS DRIVING, AND THE TRUCK STARTED LOSING POWER, AND SPUTTERING, I FINALLY GOT IT TO A MECHANIC AND HE FOUND THAT THERE WERE 3 CRACKED COIL PACK ASSEMBLIES. THESE WERE REPLACED AND IT RUNS FINE. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A BAD DEAL IF I HAD BEEN IN A SITUATION PULLING INTO TRAFFIC, CROSSING A RR TRACK OR SOMETHING SIMILAR. THIS IDEA OF INDIVIDUAL COILS ON EACH SPARK PLUG IS NOT A GOOD IDEA, AND DANGEROUS. I REALIZE THERE ARE A LOT OF MILES ON MY TRUCK, BUT THIS COULD HAPPEN AT ANY TIME. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 FORD F-150. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE INDICATOR ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL DISPLAYED REVERSE. THERE WAS A RECALL UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 97V171000 (POWER TRAIN) THAT COULD HAVE BEEN RELATED TO THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 123,000. *TR

THE PRN12 SHIFT LEVER HAS BEEN SLOWLY LOOSENING OVER A PERIOD OF 6 MONTHS, AND HAS RESULTED IN NOT BEING ABLE TO START THE VEHICLE IN PARK. ALSO, WHEN SHIFTING INTO PARK, THE SHIFTER WILL NOT ENGAGE, AND WILL ALLOW THE VEHICLE TO ROLL FORWARD OR BACKWARD. NO ACCIDENTS HAVE BEEN CAUSED AS A RESULT OF THE EXCESS PLAY IN THE SHIFTER. I CHECKED THE INTERNET FOR POSSIBLE CAUSES AND FOUND MANY THREADS EXPLAINING THE CAUSE AS TWO STAR BOLTS THAT HAVE EITHER LOOSENED, OR COMPLETELY FALLEN OUT IN SOME CASES. I HAVE TIGHTENED THE BOLTS MYSELF, BUT I BELIEVE THIS IS A SITUATION THAT THE DEALERS SHOULD ADDRESS. *TR

THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THE HORN AND SPEED CONTROL HAVE GONE OUT ON THIS TRUCK AND I FEEL IT NEEDS TO BE RECALLED I AM TIRED OF REPLACING THE SAME PARTS IN 2 YEARS. *TR