1998 FORD F-150 Complaints

ORIGINALLY NOTICED THAT THE DRIVER-SIDE POWER WINDOW WAS SLOWING DOWN, THEN NOTICED CRACKING ON THE DRIVER-SIDE DOOR. THIS IS CONSISTENT WITH FORD'S SPECIAL SERVICE MESSAGE #12071. DATE UNKNOWN, BUT WINDOW BEHAVIOR DATES TO FALL 2001. *NLM

AT 20 MPH TIE ROD BROKE AND TRUCK HIT A STREET CORNER. VEHICLE WAS TOWED FOR REPAIRS. A WEEK LATER AT 45 MPH TIRE ROD BROKE AGAIN AND CAUSED FRONT END TO FLIP AFTER HITTI NG STREET REFLECTOR. NO SERIOUS DAMAGE TO TRUCK, AND NO DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAG.*AK

WHILE DRIVING AT 40MPH AND NO WARNING THE DRIVERS SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK

THE HORN AND CRUISE CONTROL DO NOT WORK. ACCORDING TO MANY WEBSITE POSTINGS THE TWO ARE RELATED. EVIDENTLY THERE IS A SO CALLED "SPRING CLIP" IN THE STEERING COLUMN THAT NEEDS REPLACING- COST IS AROUND 300.00. THIS IS QUITE A COMMON PROBLEM ON THE F-SERIES PICKUPS. I CAN PUT A FUSE IN AND IT WILL SHORT WHEN I USE THE HORN.*AK

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND WITHOUT WARNING THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL AND IT BECAME DIFFICULT FOR THE CONSUMER TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. *NLM. *AK

LEAKING VALVE COVER GASKET AND GASKET AROUND SPARK PLUGS LEAKING ALLOWING OIL IN CYLINDER. REPAIRED LESS THAN ONE YEAR AGO AT 30,000 MILES. HAS REOCCURED AT 33000 MILES. DEFECTIVE PARTS? *TT

THE CONSUMER DETECTED AN UNUSUAL VIBRATION COMING FROM THE TRUCK. WHEN THE CONSUMER LOOKED UNDER THE HOOD HE NOTICED THAT THE HARMONIC BALANCER AND PULLEY ASSEMBLY WAS ROTATING ERRATICALLY. IT WAS LATER DETERMINED THAT A BOLT SHEARED OFF THE HARMONIC BALANCER. AS A RESULT THERE WAS DAMAGE TO THE HARMONIC BALANCER, WATER PUMP PULLEY, BELT TENSIONER PULLEY AND DRIVE BELT. *JB *SCC *NLM

ONE TIRE BECAME FLAT WHILE AWAITING FOR TWO OTHER TIRES TO BE REPLACED AND ALIGNED. MR WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH THE TREAD ON THE PASSENGER SIDE TIRE SEPARATED FROM THE OUTSIDE EDGE OF THE TIRE AND CAUSED IT TO BLOWOUT. ANOTHER TIRE ON THE FRONT EXPERIENCED A BLOWOUT ON AT THE SIDEWALL AND ONE WENT FLAT WHILE WAITING FOR REPLACEMENTS WHICH WERE ON BACKORDER. (MICHELIN CROSS TERRAIN). *SCC *NLM

I OWN A 1998 FORD F150 PICKUP AND HAVE NOTICED A CRACK IN THE SHEET METAL OF THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR JUST BEHIND THE LOWER PART OF THE WINDOW. AN ARTICLE I WAS READING SUGGESTED CALLING A FORD DEALER FOR REPAIR, THE FORD DEALER STATED THAT FORD ONLY REPAIRS THE VEHICLE FOR THE FIRST 36,000 MILES. THE ARTICLE I READ STATED THAT FORD UNDERSTANDS THE PROBLEM TO BE CAUSED BY OPENING AND CLOSING THE DOOR AND WINDOW, WHICH CAUSES THE SHEET METAL, IN THE LOCATION OF THE CRACK, TO FLEX, WHICH OVER TIME FAILS AND CRACKS. THE PROBLEM WILL ONLY GET WORSE WITH TIME AND SHOULD BE REPAIRED REGARDLESS OF THE MILEAGE. MY CONCERN IS THE LOCATION OF THE CRACK AT A CORNER RADIUS AND COULD PROPAGATE TOWARD THE REAR OF THE DOOR. THE CRACK THAT HAS DEVELOPED, CAUSES TWO PROBLEMS, IT CREATES AN OPENING FOR WATER AND SALT TO CORRODE THE UNPROTECTED SHEET METAL ON THE INSIDE OF THE DOOR AND THE CRACK CREATES A PROBLEM, WERE THE VEHICLE TO BE IN AN ACCIDENT AND HIT ON THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR. SINCE THE CRACK HAS ALREADY DEVELOPED, IT WOULD TAKE LITTLE IMPACT FOR THE CRACK TO PROPAGATE ALLOWING THE DOOR PANEL TO BE SEVERED, REMOVING ITS STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY. THE ARTICLE I READ STATED THAT FORD HAS FOUND THAT WELDING THE DOOR DOES NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THE CORRECTION CAN ONLY BE MADE BY REPLACING THE DOOR. AS THESE CRACKS HAVE DEVELOPED AND CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ON FORD F150 TRUCKS AFTER 36,000 MILES, HOW ARE THEY BEING REPAIRED? MY GUESS WOULD BE THAT IF THEY ARE BEING REPAIRED IN ANY MANNER, THEY ARE MOST LIKELY BEING WELDED TOGETHER AND REPAINTED, WHICH FORD HAS FOUND TO BE A INSUFFICIENT REPAIR. THE ONLY "REPAIR" IS TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE DOOR, WHICH WOULD BE COSTLY FOR THE CONSUMER. THIS PROBLEM WILL MOST LIKELY ONLY GET WORSE AS TIME GOES ON. FORD IS NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR DEFECTS, AS THIS CLEARLY IS A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT. I ASKED THE NHTSA TO LOOK AT THIS MATTER MORE CLOSELY TO UNDERSTAND THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE CRACK THAT DEVELOPS OVER TIME ON THE FORD F150 TRUCK DOORS. *NLM

FUEL LINE THAT RUNS FROM FIREWALL TO THROTTLE BODY SEEMS TO BE DETERIORATING NEAR DRIVER SIDE MANIFOLD. UNKNOWN CAUSE POSSIBLE HEAT. *JB