1997 FORD F-150 Complaints

IN FEB./ 05 CRUISE CONTROL QUITE, MECHANIC COULDN'T FIND PROBLEM, AUG 15/05 ABS LIGHT COMES ON. THINKING BRAKE FLUID IS LOW, I POP THE HOOD AND NOTICE PLUG ON MASTER CYLINDER IS BURNED/MELTED. CAR WONT SHIFT OUT OF PARK, AND NO BRAKE LIGHTS. I GET A NEW PLUG AND HARNESS FROM DEALER AND REPLACE BLOWN FUSE. I STILL HAVE NO CRUISE LIGHT ON ON DASH BUT BRAKES AND CRUISE WORK. DEALER SAID NO RECALL BUT PLENTY OF SERVICE BULLETINS. $15.00 PART

ABS LIGHT STARTED FLASHING 16 TIMES WITH PAUSE THEN REPEATS. NOTICED #13 FUSE WAS BLOWN. REPLACED AND LOOKED UP IMMEDIATELY TO FIND WHITE SMOKE BILLOWING OUT OF HOOD. PULLED OUT FUSE TO FIND THAT IT WAS BLOWN (THANK GOODNESS). HEARD ON INTERNET FORUM THAT IT MAY BE THE CRUISE SWITCH ON MASTER CYLINDER. LOOKED THERE AND FOUND SWITCH PARTLY MELTED. DISCONNECTED SWITCH AND BATTERY, REPLACED FUSE AND HOOKED UP BATTERY, BUT NOT THE SWITCH. NO MORE BLINKING LIGHT, BUT NOW NO CRUISE CONTROL, OF COURSE. STILL HAVE YET TO CONTACT FORD ABOUT THE FAILURE.

MY SON TOLD ME HE DIDN'T HAVE ANY BRAKE LIGHTS ON HIS TRUCK, A 1997 FORD F150. I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE A FUSE SINCE HE SAID THAT HE REPLACED THE BULBS. WHEN I REPLACED THE FUSE THERE WAS A ABUNDANCE OF SMOKE COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE HOOD. TO LOCATE THE SOURCE OF SMOKE WITH THE HOOD OPEN WE REPLACED THE FUSE AGAIN. THE SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE CRUISE CONTROL MODULE ON THE MASTER CYLINDER. WE REPLACED THE PART AND I HAVE KEPT THE OLD PART. I CAN SUPPLY THE NUMBER ON THE PART OR SEND IT ANYWHERE YOU LIKE. *NM

DT: THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE 1997 FORD F 150 CAUGHT ON FIRE AND BURNT COMPLETELY. THE OWNER PARKED THE TRUCK AT 6 PM IN THE GARAGE AND AT 9 PM HEARD THE HORN. THE OWNER THEN WENT TO THE GARAGE TO CHECK ON THE TRUCK AND FOUND THE TRUCK BURNING. THE FIRE WAS COMING FROM THE DRIVER'S SIDE UNDER THE HOOD. THE OWNER SAID THE FIRE WAS FROM THE CRUISE CONTROL SWITCH. CLAIMED THAT HE WAS JUST SECONDS FROM LOSING HIS HOUSE. THE OWNER HAD NOT SEEN ANYTHING IN THE TV NEWS OR NEWS PAPERS ABOUT THE ONGOING INVESTIGATIONS WITH THE SWITCH. THE OWNER HAD NOT USED THE CRUISE CONTROL THAT DAY OR DID NOT NOTICE ANYTHING FUNNY ABOUT HOW THE TRUCK WAS DRIVING. A FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORT, AND AN INSURANCE REPORT WERE ISSUED. PICTURES WERE TAKEN. THE VEHICLE HAS ALREADY BEEN MOVED FROM THE FIRE LOCATION. THE VEHICLE WAS A TOTALED. LOSS AND THERE WAS DAMAGE TO THE OWNER'S HOUSE, SEVERE SMOKE DAMAGE THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE. THE INSURANCE TOOK CARE OF THE SMOKE DAMAGES. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. *AK

WHILE WATCHING CNN NEWS AUGUST 16 2005, A REPORT WAS ON WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL OF FORD VEHICLES THAT HAVE A FAULTY CRUISE CONTROL SWITCH. I WAS PARKED AND HAD BEEN SITTING FOR APPROXIMATELY THIRTY MINUTES WHEN I NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. AT THAT POINT, I OPENED THE HOOD AND SAW WHERE THE SMOKE WAS COMING FROM, THEN GRABBED THE WIRING WAY ABOVE THE HEAT SOURCE AND STARTED PULLING THE WIRES UNTIL THEY BROKE LOOSE. THE WIRING WAS ATTACHED TO A SWITCH AT THE END OF MY BRAKE CYLINDER, IT WAS THE CRUISE CONTROL FOR THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT CRANK AND I COULD NOT REMOVE IT FROM PARK, I HAD TO CALL FOR HELP. A DAY OR SO LATER, I SAW A REPORT ON CNN NEWS ABOUT THE PROBLEM FOR THIS SWITCH AND FORD WAS NOT DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN GOOD ,IF FORD WOULD HAVE NOTIFIED ME OF THIS PROBLEM. I HAD DRIVEN MY MOM TO VISIT SOMEONE IN A NURSING HOME, OTHERWISE MY TRUCK WOULD HAVE BEEN ON MY CARPORT. IS THERE MORE HIDDEN PROBLEMS THAT FORD IS HIDING THAT COULD, OR WOULD, HAVE DESTROYED MY HOUSE BY FIRE IF I HAD NOT BEEN IN THE VEHICLE AT THE TIME? IS IT SAFE TO PARK IN MY GARAGE NOW? I ASKED CHEROKEE FORD IN WOOKSTOCK, GEORGIA IF THEY KNEW OF A RECALL ON THIS SINCE IT WAS ON THE NEWS, AND THEY SAID SOME VEHICLES WERE, BUT NOT MINE, AND TO KEEP WATCHING THE NEWS AND IF, (BIG WORD)FORD DID HAVE A RECALL, COME BACK AND THEY COULD REIMBURSE FOR THE PART ONLY, SINCE MY REPAIRS WERE COMPLETE.*JB

I HAVE A 97 FORD F150. THEY ARE KNOWN TO HAVE GASKET FAILURE. I AM ON MY 3RD MOTOR IN IT. THEY DONT MAKE IT 100,000 MILE. YOU JUST START THEM @ THEY WILL BLOW. *NM

DT: THERE IS A RECALL FOR THE VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL FOR THE 2000 FORD F150, STATING IT CAN LEAD TO FIRES. VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN A PARKING LOT AND THE IGNITION WAS OFF. WENT OUT TO THE VEHICLE AND THERE WAS A BURNING SMELL. SOME WIRING MELTED. CONTACTED FORD, THEY SAID THE RECALL WAS FOR 2000 MODELS. THE CONSUMER HAD VEHICLE REPAIRED, THEY REPLACED THE SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH. THIS HAPPENED ON JUNE 23, 2005. THE CONSUMER DID NOT HAVE ANY PICTURES OF THE VEHICLE, BUT DID HAVE THE INVOICE FROM WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. *AK

THERE HAVE BEEN NO ACCIDENTS. THE THIRD DOOR HANDLE/LOCK GETS STUCK AND THE DOOR SOMETIMES DOES NOT OPEN OR IT IS HARD TO OPEN, AND OPENS AFTER TRYING REPEATEDLY. *NM

MY 1997 F-150 CAUGHT FIRE WHILE PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY. THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT DRIVEN IN 18 HOURS. MY TWELVE YEAR OLD DAUGHTER AND A NEIGHBOR PUT THE FIRE OUT. IN SPEAKING WITH FORD MOTOR COMPANY THEY HAVE A RECALL ON CRUISE CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCHES BUT UNTIL TODAY IT DID NOT GO BACK TO MY YEAR MODEL. DUE TO A TELEVISION BROADCAST ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2005 FORD HAS NOW INCLUDED VEHICLES UP TO 1995 HOWEVER WHEN I SPOKE WITH THEM TODAY THEY ADVISED IT ONLY INCLUDES VEHICLES MANUFACTURED AT PARTICULAR PLANTS WHICH DOES NOT INCLUDE MY VEHICLE. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A LOCAL FORD DEALER AND THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT MANAGER STATED "MORE THAN LIKELY THE FIRE WAS CAUSED BY THE CRUISE CONTROL SWITCH". MY FAMILY AND I WERE FORTUNATE THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT PARKED IN THE GARAGE WHERE THE DAMAGE COULD HAVE BEEN SUBSTANTIAL AND RESULTED IN A LOSS OF LIFE AS MY CHILDREN'S BEDROOMS ARE LOCATED ABOVE THE GARAGE. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE FORD EXTEND THIS RECALL TO EVERY VEHICLE REGARDLESS OF THE PLANT IT WAS MANUFACTURED AND AM SEEKING REIMBURSEMENT OF MY COSTS HOWEVER FORD IS DENYING ANY PROBLEMS WITH MY VEHICLE. ANY ASSISTANCE YOU COULD OFFER TO HELP MAKE THIS COMPANY ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR POOR MANUFACTURING PRACTICES WOULD BE APPRECIATED. *NM

EL CAJON FORD REPLACED PLUGS. NEVER WARNED ME ABOUT PLUG BLOWOUT. HEARD TICKING FOR 2 WEEKS BUT THOUGHT IT WAS MINOR EXHAUST LEAK. PLUG BLEW OUT DRIVING HOME AT 30 MPH. TOWED TRUCK TO EL CAJON FORD AND SERVICE WRITER SAID FORD WOULD ONLY REPLACE THE HEAD AT $3500 WITH THE SAME DEFECTIVE HEAD. I ASKED ABOUT THE DEPENDABILITY OF THE OTHER HEAD AND HE SAID THAT THIS PROBLEM WAS VERY RARE AND USUALLY ONLY HAPPENED WITH THE LIGHTNING AND ONLY 1 PLUG WAS EVER BAD IN EACH MOTOR. I REFUSED REPAIR AT FORD AND HAD THE TRUCK TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. *NM