1997 FORD F-150 Complaints

DT: THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE INSIDE OF THE GARAGE. THE CONSUMER SAW FLAMES COMING FROM THE ENGINE ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE AND SPREAD QUICKLY. FLAMES WERE COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THE INSURANCE COMPANY WAS IN THE PROCESS OF INSPECTING THE TRUCK, AND THERE WAS AN INVESTIGATOR FROM FORD CHECKING THE VEHICLE. *AK *JB

DT: 1997 FORD F150. THE CONSUMER STATES ON AUGUST 10, 2005 H VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN SITTING FOR APPROXIMATELY 7 HOURS BEFORE THIS OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE DID NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEMS PRIOR TO FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED AND THEY FILED A REPORT. FORD HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT YET BEEN INSPECTED TO SEE WHY THIS OCCURRED. THE CONSUMER SUSPECTED IT STARTED UNDER THE HOOD ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. IT WAS THE CRUISE CONTROL SWITCH. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. *AK

MY 97 FORD 4.2L, WHICH IS PAID FOR AND HAS 60,000 MILES HAS THROWN A ROD. ACCORDING TO RESEARCH, THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT FORD HAS BEEN AWARE OF AND HAS CHOSEN TO DO NOTHING ABOUT. I HAVE FAITHFULLY TAKEN THE TRUCK IN FOR REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND ALL FACTORY RECALLS. I HAVE A TRUCK THAT IS GOING TO COST ME $4,000 TO REPAIR BECAUSE OF FORD'S NEGLIGENT. FORD NEEDS TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND DO WHAT IS RIGHT FOR THEIR FAITHFUL CUSTOMERS. *JB

1.WELL FIRST THE CRUISE CONTROL ON MY 97 FORD F150 WENT OUT. THEN MY BRAKE LIGHTS WENT OUT TOO. REPLACECD BRAKE LIGHTS ,THEN FUSE WENT OUT IN INTERIOR FUSE BOX SO, TRUCK WOULD NOT GO INTO GEAR. REPLACED FUSE THEN IT BLEW IT AGAIN. REPLACED AGAIN TRUCK COULD NOW SHIFT INTO GEAR. I WENT HOME PARKED TRUCK THE TRUCK IN DRIVE WAY AND DID NOT MOVE IT FOR THE TRUCK FOR THE REST OF THE DAY. WAS WAKEN UP ABOUT 3 IN THE MORNING BY COPS TELLING ME MY TRUCK WAS ON FIRE. THE TRUCK ENDED UP BURNT EVERYWHERE BUT THE BED TOTAL LOSS PRETTY MUCH UN DRIVABLE. BURNED A 95 CARAVAN AND PART OF A 2002 FORD EXCURSION. I KNOW HAVE I VEHICLE TO MOVE MY KIDS THAT ARE IN SCHOOL AND MYSELF AND MY WIFE WHICH ALSO NOW HAS SOME SERIOUS NERVE DAMAGE SHE HAS NIGHTMARES OF OTHER VEHICLE BURNING AND CAN HARDLY SLEEP. TRIED CONTACTING FORD BUT C.S. DEPARTMENT PUTS ME ON HOLD ALL DAY. *JB

1997 F-150 PICKUP CAUGHT FIRE AFTER RETURNING FROM THE STORE, 10 MINUTES LATER WE HEAR A HORN BLOWING WE GO TO SEE WHAT IS WAS AND THE TRUCK WAS ON FIRE. IT IS AN OPEN CLAIM WITH MY INS. COMPANY RIGHT NOW. THIS HAPPENED ON 8-7-2005. *NM

DRIVING ALONG 26 MILE ROAD AND INDIAN TRAIL. DASH BOARD BEGAN TO SMOKE, I IMMEDIATELY PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND GOT OUT OF VEHICLE, AS I EXITED VEHICLE THE INSIDE OF VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE. I ATTEMPTED TO REACH IN TO RETRIEVE SOME PERSONAL BELONGS AND BURNED LEG (MINOR). VEHICLE WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES IN A MATTER OF SECONDS. FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CONTACTED AND A POLICY REPORT WAS FILED. *NM

DT: THE CALLER PARKED THE VEHICLE AND ONE AND A HALF HOURS LATER IT BURST INTO FLAMES. THE CALLER THOUGHT A REPORT WAS FILED BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. THE DEALER SAID THAT THE CALLER HAD INSURANCE AND NOT TO WORRY ABOUT IT. THE MANUFACTURER URGED THE CALLER TO CONTACT THE DEALER IF HE WANTED TO KNOW WHAT WAS BEING DONE. THE FIRE DAMAGE WAS DONE TO THE DRIVEWAY, AND A TREE WAS DESTROYED. *AK *SC

NHTSA: THIS IS IN RELATION TO AN UNDER HOOD FIRE IN A 1997 FORD F150 PERTAINING TO THE SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH, BRAKE PRESSURE SWITCH. ON JULY 23, 2005 A NEIGHBOR CAME BANGING ON MY DOOR YELLING YOUR TRUCK IS ON FIRE. THERE WAS A FIRE COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD WHERE THE BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER IS LOCATED. THE TRUCK WAS PARKED IN MY DRIVE UNDER MY CARPORT AND HAD BEEN IDLE FOR APPROXIMATELY 2.5 HOURS. I RAN TO GET MY FIRE EXTINGUISHER AND ATTEMPTED TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. MY NEIGHBOR CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND THEN CAME OUT WITH ANOTHER FIRE EXTINGUISHER. ANOTHER NEIGHBOR GRABBED HIS EXTINGUISHER AND GAVE IT TO ME AND THAT ALSO FAILED. I GRABBED MY HOSE TO TRY TO MINIMIZE THE FIRE UNTIL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED. I ONLY HAD ON SHORTS (NO SHOES). I RECEIVED SEVERAL BURNS ON THE BOTTOM OF MY FEET THE HOLE THAT WAS MELTED IN THE HOOD OF THE TRUCK CLEARLY SHOWS WHERE THE FIRE WAS LOCATED. THE DAY BEFORE THAT I HAD WENT TO A MECHANIC TO HAVE MY A/C LOOKED AT. THE MECHANIC POINTED OUT THAT BRAKE FLUID WAS LEAKING ONTO THE SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH. ON A FORD RECALL WEB SITE IT SAYS THE FOLLOWING SIGNS COULD INDICATE THAT YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH YOUR CRUISE-CONTROL SWITCH: CRUISE CONTROL IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY (MINE RECENTLY STOPPED WORKING); BRAKE FLUID LEAKING AROUND THE SWITCH (EXACTLY WHAT THE MECHANIC POINTED OUT); FUSES ARE BLOWN NEAR THE SWITCH, (THAT MORNING THE TRUCK WOULD NOT GO INTO GEAR AND A MOBILE MECHANIC CAME OUT AND HE REPLACED THE BRAKE PRESSURE SWITCH FUSE). EVERYTHING POINTS TO THIS PROBLEM WITH THE SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH RECALL PROBLEM FORD IS HAVING. I CONTACTED FORD TO SEE IF THEY WANTED TO INVESTIGATE THE SITUATION AND THEY SAID NO AND SHOWED LITTLE TO NO CONCERN. *JB

OUR '97 FORD F150 SPONTANEOUSLY CAUGHT FIRE AFTER MY HUSBAND RETURNED HOME FROM WORK. HE HAD BEEN HOME APPROXIMATELY 30 - 45 MINUTES WHEN THERE WAS A LOUD KNOCK ON OUR APARTMENT DOOR. WHEN I LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW, I SAW A HUGE FIRE AT THE BASE OF THE STAIRS. I TOLD MY HUSBAND AND HE GRABBED OUR DAUGHTER AND LEFT THE APARTMENT. I CALLED 911 TO REPORT THE FIRE AND I LEFT THE APARTMENT AS WELL. WHILE WAITING FOR THE FIRE DEPT., THERE WERE OTHER BURSTS OF FIRE WHILE THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WAS IN CONTINUOUS BLAZE. THE FIRE DEPT. DETERMINED THE FIRE WAS ELECTRICAL IN NATURE. *NM

DT: THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE WIRING HARNESS WAS TO OSHORT ON 1997 FORD F-150. THE WIRES WERE PULLING AND STRETCHING WHEN MOVING THE STEERING WHEEL COLUMN. THE CONSUMER THOUGHT IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM. THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM FOR CONSUMER FOR ABOUT YEAR AND A HALF. VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE TURN SIGNALS AND THE HAZARDS LIGHTS DID NOT WORK IN A CERTAIN POSITIONS ON THE STEERING COLUMN. BECAUSE OF THE WIRES ARE GETTING STRETCHED OUT OF THE MULTIFUNCTIONING SWITCH. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED FORD, BUT THEY SAID THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL. *AK