1999 FORD F-250 Complaints

ON 7-28-02 I WAS DRIVING WESTBOUND WITH MY 26' FIFTH-WHEEL TRAILER ON U.S.90 EAST OF SYRACUSE, N.Y. WHEN I FELT A SLIGHT SHIMMY IN MY STEERING. THE SHIMMY SOON BECAME A SEVERE WOBBLING SO I SLOWED DOWN AND PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY AT THE FIRST EXIT I CAME TO IN SYRACUSE. ON EXAMINING THE TIRE I SAW THAT THE STEEL CORE HAD SEPARATED FROM THE TIRE. I PUT ON MY SPARE TIRE AND THE NEXT DAY CONTINUED BY TRIP. ON 8-7-02 I WAS NORTHBOUND ON NORTH DAKOTA 281 SOUTH OF JAMESTOWN WHEN I FELT ANOTHER SHIMMY IN THE TRUCK NEAR HIGHWAY 34. THIS TIME I DISCOVERED THAT THE STEEL CORE OF THE LEFT REAR TIRE HAD SEPARATED THE SAME AS THE FIRST. IN THE FIRST INSTANCE I CONTACTED LOCAL FORD AND FIRESTONE DEALERSHIPS AND WAS TOLD BY BOTH THAT THESE TIRES ARE NO LONGER WARRANTED AND THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO TO REPLACE THEM.*AK

AFTER THE FIRESTONE PROBLEM, I NEEDED NEW TIRES ~40K. I WENT TO GOODYEAR, THEY DIDN'T HAVE AN "E" RANGE TIRE IN THIS SIZE SO THEY PUT "D" LOAD RNAGE TIRES ON. AFTER 5000 MILES, FIRST ROTATION, THERE WERE BUBBLES ON ALL FOUR TIRES. THEY REPLACED THEM UNDER WARRANTY. AT THAT TIME THEY START TO OFFER "E" SO I SWITCHED TO "E" RANGE. AFTER 5000 MILES THEY STARTED TO DEVELOP A VIBRATION, LIKE AN OUT OF BALANCE PROBLEM. I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO TAKE THEM IN BEFORE THE NEXT ROTATION WAS DUE. THE RIGHT REAR TIRE BLEW OUT WHILE PULLING MY BOAT DOWN THE INTERSTATE IN NEW YORK. I LOST CONTROL WHEN IT GOT DOWN ON THE RIM AND THE BOAT JACKKNIFED. IT SPUN OUT OF CONTROL INTO THE MEDIAN. POLICE WERE CALLED. VEHICLE WAS DRIVEABLE. I CHANGED TIRE AND DROVE HOME. NO PUNCTURES WERE NOTED AFTER INSPECTION BY TIRE DEALER AND INSURANCE INVESTIGATOR.. SWITCHED BACK TO FIRESTONE STEELTEX. AWAITING GOODYEARS RESPONSE. OTHER PROBLEMS NOTED AS HAVING OCCURRED IMMEDIATELY PRIOR, UNKNOWN IF CAUSAL, FOR COMPLETENESS ONLY.*AK

THE RIGHT AND LEFT BALL JOINTS BEGAN FREEZING LAST SUMMER. THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO WANDER AND IT BECAME INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO KEEP IT IN MY LANE OF TRAFFIC. THE PROBLEM CAME ON SLOWLY BUT WAS FIRST NOTED BY ME LAST SUMMER. THIS SUMMER IT GOT TO THE POINT THAT IT WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE BECAUSE ATTEMPTING TO GET THE WHEELS TO MOVE SLIGHTLY RESULTED IN TOO MUCH MOVEMENT LEADING TO CONSTANT ATTEMPTS TO CORRECT THE OVER-CORRECTION. THE DEALER READILY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS FROZEN BALL JOINTS AND REQUIRED THAT I PAY FOR THE REPAIRS DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE PROBLEM BEGAN WELL BEFORE THE WARRANTY EXPIRED. A DEALERSHIP EMPLOYEE INFORMED ME THAT THEY WERE REPLACING MANY OF THESE PARTS UNDER WARRANTY DUE TO PREMATURE FAILURE. THE ORIGINAL PART DID NOT HAVE ANY PROVISION TO LUBRICATE THE JOINT. THE REPLACEMENT PART HAS A FITTING TO LUBRICATE IT. OBVIOUSLY FORD MADE A DESIGN CHANGE IN THIS PART AND ARE NOT TELLING OWNERS ABOUT THE PROBLEM. AT NEARLY $1000.00 TO REPAIR IT, SOME OWNERS MAY CHOOSE TO DELAY OR FORGO REPLACEMENT AND CONTINUE TO DRIVE THE TRUCK WHEN IT IS UNSAFE TO DO SO. AS A RULE, BALL JOINTS SHOULD BE EXPECTED TO GO DOUBLE THE MILEAGE AT WHICH MINE REQUIRED REPLACEMENT. MY CALLS TO FORD RESULTED IN NO ADMISSION OF FAULT ON THEIR PART. THE STEERING ON THE TRUCK WAS SO BAD THAT NEITHER MY WIFE OR I FELT THAT IT WAS SAFE TO DRIVE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS.*AK

CONSUMER WOULD PUSH CLUTCH IN, AND THEN HE COULD NOT PUT VEHICLE IN GEAR. AFTER TAKING VEHICLE TO MECHANIC , HE FOUND OUT THAT TRANSMISSION BEARING WAS GONE/ ALL BURNED. *AK

CONSUMER SHIFTED TO REVERSE AND VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND SHOT BACKWARDS 30 FEET,HITTING ANOTHER VEHICLE. NO INJURIES, DAMAGE TO VEHICLE UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME.*AK

WHEN CHANGING A TIRE CONSUMER NOTICED SPARE TIRE HAD 8 GROOVES IN THE SIDEWALL, 3 INCHES LONG AND 1/4 INCH DEEP. THIS WAS CAUSED BY TIRE RUBBING UNDERNEATH VEHICLE.*AK

THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED AT FULL THROTTLE SUDDENLY WHILE THE CONSUMER WAS MAKING A RIGHT TURN AND WAS TRAVELLING AT 15 MPH, THIS LETTER WAS WRITTEN BY JAMES LITWIN, TRANSPORTATION OPERATIONS SPECIALIST (9FBF), 415-228-2878. *YH

CONSUMER STATES WHILE DRIVING THE ABS LIGHT STAYS ON AND COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. CAUSE UNKNOWN DEALER NOTIFIED.*JB

WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH CONSUMER HEARD A LOUD BANG UNDER THE HOOD. ONE OF THE SPARK PLUGS HAD BLOWNOUT, CAUSING 2000 DOLLARS DAMAGE TO VEHICLE.*AK JLG

WHILE AT A STOP TRANSMISSION MADE A LOUD NOISE. VEHICLE MADE IT ACROSS THE INTERSECTION, THEN ,VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. DEALER NOT CONTACTED YET.*AK