2003 FORD F-250 Complaints

THE GAS GAUGE REGISTERS FALSE READING OF GASOLINE CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO RAN OUT OF GAS. CONSUMER DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE FUEL GAUGE SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO A WORN OUT SENSOR. *AK

WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE CONSUMER NOTICED THE STEERING WHEEL BEING OUT OF LINE. AFTER TEN MINUTES OF DRIVING. ALL THE POWER STEERING WAS LOST. THIS CAUSED THE CONSUMER TO RUN HEAD ON INTO A WALL. THIS WAS CAUSED BY THE CENTER LINK FALLING APART. *JB

ALL 4 TIRES HAD VERY POOR TRACTION WHICH RESULTED IN THE TRUCK SKIDDING ON WET ROADS. A TIRE SHOP INDICATED THE PROBLEM OCCURRED BECAUSE THE OUTSIDE RIBS OF THE TIRES HAD NO GROOVES IN THEM, SO THE RAIN, ETC., COULD DRAIN. THE LIQUID WAS TRAPPED, WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO HYDRO-PLANE. THE DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE BUT IS NOT PROVIDING ANY ASSISTANCE. THESE ARE LOAD RANGE E TIRES. *JB *NM

PURCHASED 2003 F-250 SD WITH 6.0L DIESEL ENGINE IN JUNE 2003. TO DATE, VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO FORD SERVICE SIX (6) TIMES -- ALL RELATED TO THE ENGINE. THE FIRST TIME, WE WERE TRAVELLING DOWN INTERSTATE AT 70 MPH WHEN TRUCK HESITATED AND DIED. WE WERE UNABLE TO RESTART THE TRUCK AND HAD TO COAST TO NEXT EXIT AND INTO A SERVICE STATION. WE WERE TOLD THE PCM (POWER CONTROL MODULE - BRAINS OF THE ENGINE) FAILED. SINCE THEN, THE TRUCK'S SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT HAS COME ON AND EACH TIME FORD SERVICE ATTRIBUTES THE PROBLEM TO DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE ENGINE - GO FIGURE. THIS HAS ALL TAKEN PLACE BEFORE EVEN HAVING THE TRUCK FOR ONE YEAR!!

VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (VIN): 1FTNF1L33ED16623. I HAVE BEEN CONCERNED WITH THE INABILITY TO NAVIGATE SAFELY THROUGH LANE CHANGES WITH THIS TRUCKS NARROW FIELD OF VIEW AND THE SMALL WIDE ANGLE MIRROR IS DISTRACTING AND USELESS. THE BLIND SPOT CREATED BY THE BED BOX IS NOT UNLIKE MY 1996 F250 SUPPER CAB TRUCK AND CAMPER, A TRUCK WITH VIRTUALLY THE SAME VISUAL IMPARITY AS THIS WORK TRUCK WITH THE STAHL SENTINEL COVERALL. I HAVE NO SUCH CONCERNS WITH MY OWN TRUCK IT HAS A SINGLE WIDE ANGLE MIRROR (CONVEX) THAT I HAVE HAD ON TWO FORD TRUCKS SENSE 1980. THE REASON THIS 2003 TRUCK CONCERNS ME IS THAT THE BLIND SPOT FROM THE STAHL SENTINEL COVERALL IS COMPOUNDED 80% MORE BY FORDS 2003 EXTENDABLE MIRROR WITH SUCH A NARROW FIELD OF VIEW ON THE UPPER MIRROR AND A HARD TO FOCUS DISTRACTING LOWER MIRROR. I FIND THIS MIRROR ON THE PASSENGER SIDE VERY DISAPPOINTING, DISTRACTING, A LIMITED VIEW AND EVEN CONFUSING ESPECIALLY WHEN MAKING LANE CHANGES. WHEN THE MIRROR IS ADJUSTED OUT TO SEE THE ADJACENT LANE YOU FIND THAT IT IS VERY DISORIENTING BECAUSE YOU CAN'T SEE THE RIGHT EDGE OF YOUR TRUCK SO IT IS HARD TO TRUST WHAT THE MIRROR IS SHOWING YOU! HELL YOU COULD BE SEEING TWO LANES OVER! AGAIN I THINK THE SOLUTION IS: FORD SHOULD OFFER AN OPTION OR REPLACEMENT OF THE TOP MIRROR WITH A WIDE ANGLE MIRROR (CONVEX). I WOULD THINK THAT FORD WOULD WANT TO INVESTIGATE THIS SAFETY ISSUE FURTHER. AFTER ALL 20 YEARS AGO THE CONVEX PASSENGER SIDE MIRROR WAS INTRODUCED FOR THAT REASON AND THE COMPLAINTS WERENT ABOUT COVERAGE BUT ABOUT JUDGING DISTANCES. SO WHEN INNOCENT FAMILIES GET SIDE SWIPED GOING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED YOU GOING TO BLAME THE DRIVER EVEN THOUGH FORD HAS INTRODUCED A FAULTY MIRROR DESIGN JUST TO MAKE THE RANCHERS HAPPY PULLING AND BACKING UP THERE HAY WAGONS!! AND NOT GIVE THE CAMPER HAULERS AND WORK TRUCK BED BOXS A DECENT PASSENGER MIRROR REPLACEMENT.*AK

WHILE DRIVING CONSUMER SMELLED GAS FUMES COMING FROM INSIDE THE VEHICLE. DEALERSHIP TRIED TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE IT. *AK

I OWN A 2003 FORD F250 7.3L DIESEL. SINCE JAN. 2004 THE VEHICLE BEGAN "HICCUPING" OR "MISSING" JUST FOR A SPLIT SECOND WHILE DRIVING. I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN FOR SERVICE IN FEB. & THE DEALER SAID THERE WERE "NO CODES, NO FAILURES". TRUCK CONTINUES TO MISS & THEN THE CONDITION WORSENED BY STALLING WHILE DRIVING & I HAVE NO POWER STEERING. I AM ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE & GO ABOUT MY WAY, ALL THE WHILE WORRYING WHEN & WHERE I WILL BE WHEN IT HAPPENS AGAIN. I HAVE STARTED TO LOG ALL OF THE "MISSES" & "STALLS" SINCE THE 2ND VISIT TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP WHEN THEY TOLD ME THE "COMPUTER SAYS NOTHING IS WRONG & UNLESS IT HAPPENS TO THE DEALERSHIP WHEN THEY TEST DRIVE IT, THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO FOR ME." MY BROTHER-IN-LAW HAS A FRIEND THAT OWNS THE SAME TRUCK & APPARENTLY HAS HAD THE SAME PROBLEM, BUT HE EVENTUALLY ENDED-UP BREAKING DOWN. HE TELLS ME THAT HIS PROBLEM WAS THE CAM TIMING CENSOR. I PHONED THE DEALER & ASKED HIM ABOUT THIS, BUT HE STILL SAID THERE IS NOTHING HE CAN DO FOR ME SINCE THE VEHICLE STILL PASSES ALL OF THEIR TESTS. I AM FRUSTRATED TO KNOW THAT I COULD BE IN AN ACCIDENT DEPENDING ON WHEN & WHERE I AM WHEN MY VEHICLE STALLS. IT STILL STALLS ALMOST ONCE A DAY. *NM

EXTREMELY POOR FUEL ECONOMY ON FORD 7.3 L DIESEL ENGINE. BOUGHT VEHICLE NEW APPROX 1 YEAR AGO, VEHICLE WAS GETTING 18 MILES PER GALLON UNTIL DEC. 2003. AS OF JAN. 2004 THE VEHICLE MILEAGE HAS BEEN 9 MILES BE GALLON. VEHICLE HAS LOSS OF POWER AND HAS BEEN IN THE DEALER REPAIR SHOP FOR THIS PROBLEM. FORD DIAGNOSTIC SAY THERE IS NOT A PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINE. IF ANYTHING, A DIESEL ENGINE SHOULD GET BETTER MILEAGE AS IT IS BROKEN IN. CURRENT VEHICLE MILEAGE IS APPROX. 25500 MILES. THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN REGULARLY SERVICED, OIL CHANGE, FILTER, AIR FILTER, FUEL FILTER EVERY 3000 TO 4000 MILES AND HAS BEEN TO THE SAME DEALERSHIP FOR THE SAME COMPLAINT TWO TIMES BEFORE WITHOUT CORRECTION. *NM

WHEN THE OWNER PARKED THE VEHICLE AND SHUTS THE ENGINE OFF, THE VEHICLE ROLLED. THE CONSUMER HAS TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS BUT THE PROBLEM STILL EXIST. *NM VEHICLE WAS IN PARK WHEN IT ROLLED BACK. *LA

IN JUNE 2003, I PURCHASED A NEW 2003 FORD F250. IT HAD FIRESTONE STEELTEX R4S LT 265/75 R16 TIRES ON IT. ON MARCH 16, 2004, THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE WENT COMPLETELY FLAT AS I WAS SITTING AT A RED LIGHT. I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND FOUND THAT THE TIRE HAD A RIP ACROSS THE SIDE WALL APPROXIMATELY 5 INCHES LONG. THE TIRES (AND TRUCK) HAVE LESS THAN 12,000 MILES ON THEM. I CALLED FORD, AND THEY REFERRED ME TO A LOCAL FIRESTONE DEALER. AT THE FIRESTONE DEALER, ONE OF THE MECHANICS LOOKED AT THE TIRE AND SAID THERE WAS NO APPARENT REASON FOR THE TIRE TO SPLIT, BUT A MANAGER WOULD HAVE TO LOOK AT IT BEFORE IT COULD BE REPLACED. THE MANAGER LOOKED AT IT AND SAID I MUST HAVE HIT A LARGE ROCK OR SOMETHING. I EXPLAINED THAT I WAS SITTING AT A SIGNAL LIGHT WHEN IT HAPPENED AND THAT THE TRUCK HAD NEVER BEEN OFF THE PAVEMENT. HE SAID MAYBE SOMEBODY CAME BY AND CUT IT OR STUCK AN ICE PICK IN IT (AS IF I WOULDN'T HAVE NOTICED THAT IN MY REAR VIEW MIRROR). THEN HE TOLD ME IT WAS FORD'S FAULT BECAUSE THEY WERE USING THE WRONG KIND OF TIRE FOR SUCH A BIG VEHICLE, BUT HE WOULD SELL ME A NEW ONE AT A DISCOUNT. THE FIRESTONE WEBSITE HAS SPECS FOR THIS TIRE, AND SPECIFICALLY STATES THEY ARE FOR FORD F250/F350. I REFUSED HIS OFFER, AND CALLED FORD AGAIN. THIS TIME THEY REFERRED ME TO FIRESTONE CUSTOMER CARE. I CALLED AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL ON THESE TIRES, BUT THAT THEY WOULD NOTE MY COMPLAINT IN THEIR SYSTEM. THEY ALSO TOLD ME SEVERAL TIMES TO MAKE SURE I SAFELY BUCKLE MY CHILDREN WHEN THEY ARE IN THE VEHICLE. I'VE FOUND A NUMBER OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ABOUT THESE TIRES ON THE INTERNET. AT THIS POINT, FOR THE SAFETY OF MY FAMILY, I'M HAVING ALL FOUR TIRES REPLACED WITH SOMETHING OTHER THAN FIRESTONE/BRIDGESTONE TIRES. I'M KEEPING THE TIRE THAT BLEW OUT AND THE RECEIPT FROM THE NEW TIRES TO SUBMIT TO FIRESTONE IN THE FUTURE IF A RECALL IS PUT IN PLACE.*AK