1998 FORD F-150 Complaints

WHILE TRAVELING 65MPH VEHICLE STARTED TO SHIMMY. WAS MOVING TO SHOULDER TO CHECK TIRES AND HEARD A LOUD BANG. TREAD HAD UNRAVELED COMPLETELY ON RIGHT REAR TIRE, AND DAMAGED THE BOTTOM OF TRUCK. REPLACED DAMAGED TIRE WITH SPARE. FIRESTONE, WILDERNESS HT, LT235/70R16, ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT.*AK

WHILE TRAVELING AT 55 MPH ANOTHER VEHICLE PULLED OUT IN FRONT OF CONSUMER'S VEHICLE, CONSUMR DEPRESSED BRAKE PEDAL WITH FORCE, CAUSING WHEELS TO LOCK UP. CONSUMER LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE, AND RAN INTO OTHER VEHICLE. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

THERE IS A BLIND SPOT LOCATED ON PASSENGER'S SIDE OF VEHICLE, WHICH ASSISTS OCCUPANTS TO ENTER VEHICLE, AND WHICH IS ATTACHED TO MIRROR , HAS CAUSED A BLIND SPOT, RESULTING ALMOST IN A CRASH. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK

LOST #1&2 CYL DUE TO WARPPED HEAD. ENGINE NEVER OVERHEATED. ENGINE PINGING AT LIGHT LOADS EVEN WITH 92 OCTANE GAS. RESEARCH SHOWS THIS TO BE MORE THAN A CHANCE OCCURANCE WITH THE TRITON ENGINE.*AK

THERE'S A CRACK ON DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR FRAME JUST ABOVE HANDLE NEAR WINDOW FRAME AREA. CRACK IS JUST STARTING. HAVE TAKEN TO DEALER , AND MECHANIC INDICATED PROBLEM WAS STRESS. THERE IS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN IN PLACE ON THIS PROCEDURE. MANUFACTURER KNOWS OF PROBLEM , AND HAD CHANGED DOOR DESIGN IN NEWER VEHICLES. *AK *SLC

AROUND 1 AUGUST 2001 I WAS TALKING WITH SOME FRIENDS AT WORK, DURING THE CONVERSATION DEFECTS IN THE DOOR DESIGN OF THE NEW FORD F-150 PICKUP TRUCK CAME UP. I HAD PURCHASED AN F-150 SUPER CAB IN APRIL 2001 AND HADNT HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT THIS DEFECT. MY FRIENDS STATED THAT THE DOOR ON THE NEW F-150S WERENT DESIGNED PROPERLY FOR THE WEIGHT OF THE DOOR AND WOULD START TO DEVELOP CRACKS. THEY SAID THAT IF I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER FORD WOULD PAY TO REPAIR THE CRACKS. I CHECKED MY TRUCK AND I NOTICED A CRACK AT THE LOWER RIGHT CORNER OF MY DRIVERS DOOR NEAR THE BOTTOM OF THE WINDOW. I WENT TO CROWNE FORD IN WARRENSBURG, MO 660-747-7111, ON 6 AUG 01 AND SPOKE WITH MR. CHRIS MARTEN HE INFORMED THAT I NEEDED TO CONTACT FORD DIRECTLY BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN APRIL 2001 THE WARRANTY ON MY TRUCK EXPIRED IN FEBRUARY 2001. AFTER ARRIVING AT HOME I CALLED FORD ON 6 AUG 01 AT 11:45AM AT 800-392-3673 AND SPOKE WITH MARK, EMPLOYEE # 2547. MARK INFORMED ME THAT FORD WOULD NOT REPAIR THE DEFECT SINCE THE 3/36-WARRANTY PERIOD HAD EXPIRED. (NOTE) WHAT I HAVE SINCE DISCOVERED IS THAT FORD HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS DEFECT SINCE 1997. THE DEFECT WAS CORRECTED IN THE 2000-YEAR MODELS BUT MANY CUSTOMERS WHO DISCOVERED CRACKS AND BROUGHT THEIR TRUCKS IN FOR REPAIR PRIOR TO 2000 HAD NEW DOORS INSTALLED WITH THE SAME DEFECT IN THEM. FORD HAS EVEN SENT OUT A TECHNICAL BULLETIN TO THEIR DEALERS, ARTICLE # 01-2-6 BUT FAILED TO INFORM THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE DEFECT. FORD WOULD PAY FOR THE REPAIRS ONLY IF THE CUSTOMER BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALERS ATTENTION WITHIN THE WARRANTY PERIOD. THERE SEEMS TO BE A CONTINUING PROBLEM WITH FORD NOT INFORMING THE PUBLIC ABOUT KNOWN DEFECTS WITH THEIR VEHICLES UNTIL AFTER SOMEONE GETS KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED. I HOPE THAT THE NHTSB CAN HELP RESOLVE THIS DEFECT FOR ALL FORD F-150 OWNERS AND MYSELF. *AK

REAR LEAF SPRING: ON THE F-150, EXTEND CAB, LONG BED, THE LEFT REAR LEAF SPRING IS OVER-LOADED BECAUSE THE FUEL TANK ( AND THE DRIVER ) ARE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THIS CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO LEAN AND BECOME UNSTABLE. WHEN CARRING A LOAD, THE MAJORITY OF THE WEIGHT SHIFTS TO THE LEFT SIDE AND THIS CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO BE MORE UNSTABLE. THE DEALER REPLACED THE SPRING ONCE BUT THE PROBLEM STILL EXIST. / LEFT POWER WINDOW: THE WINDOW STICKS ALL THE TIME. THE ONLY TIME IT WORKS PROPERLY IS WHEN IT RAINS AND THE TRACK GETS WET.*AK

WHILE TRAVELING AT 35-40 MPH ANOTHER VEHICLE PULLED OUT IN FRONT OF CONSUMER'S VEHICLE, CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. UPON IMPACT, AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AT ANY TIME. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

I WAS DRIVING ON A LOCAL HIGHWAY AT 70 MPH AND LUCKILY MY SISTER WAS DRIVING BEHIND ME AND NOTICED MY PASSENGER SIDE REAR TIRE GOING LOW. I BEGAN TO MERGE MY TRUCK OVER TO THE EMERGENCY LANE WHEN THE TIRE COMPLETELY FAILED AND THE REAR OF THE TRUCK BEGAN TO SWERVE. ONCE I PULLED OVER AND LOOKED AT THE TIRE I SAW A SIX INCH GASH ROUGHLY ONE INCH FROM THE RAISED FIRESTONE LETERING RUNNING HORIZONTAL WITH THE SEAM OF THE TREAD. ANOTHER GASH WAS OBSERVED IN THE SAME LOCATION SMALLER IN SIZE BUT ON THE SAME SEAM ROUGHLY TWELVE INCHES FROM THE SIX INCH GASH. ALTHOUGH MY TIRE IS NOT ON RECALL I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE MY TIRE INSPECTED BY THE NHTSA SO THAT IF THERE IS A DEFECT IN THIS PARTICULAR TIRE A WARNING CAN BE SUBMITTED BEFORE OTHER ACCIDENTS OR INJURIES OCCUR.THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONCERN, JASON KOMINOTH. *AK (DOT NUMBER: W2081PT238 TIRESIZE: P235/70R16)

SPARE TIRE RUBBING ON CROSS MEMBER AND CUTTING THROUGH SIDEWALL MAKING TIRE UNUSABLE. *AK