2000 FORD F-250 Complaints

POWER STEERING HAD SEIZED UP WHEN BRAKES WERE APPLIED. WOULD HAVE NO CONTROL OF VEHICLE WHEN IT HAPPENED. PROBLEM BEEN HAPPENING OVER A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, BUT NOT GETTING WORSE. *AK THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. *YH

THE LEFT FRONT GENERAL GRABBER A.W. (*LT 235/85R/16/E) TIRE BULGED OUT ON THE INSIDE OF THE TIRE, THE TIRE WAS REPLACED THE NEXT DAY, UPON RETURNING FROM A 2000 MILE TRIP THE OTHER THREE TIRES HAD AT LEAST ONE BUBBLE AND SOME HAD TWO. NLM

WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED WITH FORCE, TRUCK WILL NOT STEER. THIS IS A MAJOR CONCERN AND ALL 1999, 2000, 2001 250 AND 350 TRUCKS HAVE SAME PROBLEM. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. FORD TECH NOTES STATE (11/13/00: "...THIS IS A NORMAL CONDITION AND FORD ISN'T GOING TO REENGINEER THE VEHICLE TO SOLVE IT. THE CONDITION COMES FROM A NEW WIDER STANCE, TIE ROD ANGLE AND THE FACT THAT THERE IS MORE WEIGHT IN THE FRONT END THAN ON THE 97 OLD BODY STYLE VEHICLE. THE TRUCK CANNOT BE REENGINEERED TO SOLVE THE CUSTOMERS DESIGN ISSUE UNLESS THE ENTIRE PLATFORM IS REDESIGNED. FORD IS NOT GOING TO INCORPORATE A DESIGN CHANGE AT THIS TIME AND HAS NOT PLANS ON THE DRAWING BOARD THAT THE THE HOTLINE KNOWS ABOUT." THERE WILL BE FATALITIES BECAUSE OF THIS BRAKE/STEERING PROBLEM! . *AK

WHEN HOLDING THE BRAKES ON LEVEL GROUND OR A STEEP HILL WHLE STANDING STILL, IT IS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL UNTIL THE BRAKES ARE RELEASED. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION ESPECIALLY ON STEEP INCLINES. FORD DEALER SAYS IT'S DUE TO STEERING GEOMETRY BUT YET IT IS WORSE WHEN ENGINE COMES OFF FAST IDLE AND POWER STEERING PUMP IS TURNING SLOWER DUE TO LOWER ENGINE SPEED. ON A RECENT TRIP I WAS IN A FRIENDS RATHER STEEP DRIVEWAY IN THE SMOKEY MOUNTAINS AND IT WAS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO BACK OUT OF DRIVEWAY AS I COULDN'T HOLD THE BRAKES AND TURN THE STEERING WHEEL AT THE SAME TIME TO STEER OUT ON TO THE MAIN DRIVE. HAD I RELEASED THE BRAKES I WOULD HAVE CRASHED THROUGH A RETAINING FENCE AND WENT DOWN THE THE SIDE OF THE MOUNTIAN. IT IS OFTEN NECESSARY TO TO POSITION THE WHEELS WHILE HOLDING THE BRAKE AT A STANDSTILL, ESPECIALLY IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. FORD NEEDS TO RECTIFY THIS SITUATION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. MY FORD DEALER HAS RECEIVED NUMEROUS OTHER COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS CONDITION AND IT IS A TOPIC OF CONVERSATION ON MANY ONLINE BULLETIN BOARDS SO IT IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT PECULIAR TO MY TRUCK ONLY. *AK

WAS TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 40MPH WHEN ANOTHER VEHICLE GOT "T"-BONED. UPON IMPACT WITH OTHER VEHICLE, AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. OTHER VEHICLE'S AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. PROR TO ACCIDENT, AIR BAG LIGHT WOULD COME ON & THEN FAILED TO GO OFF. HAD TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP 4 OR 5 TIMES FOR REPAIRS. *AK

ON NEARLY EVERY F250/350 SUPER DUTY I HAVE SEEN IN WY, THERE DEVELOPES A CRACK IN THE WINDSHIELD SIDE TO SIDE ABOUT 5 INCHES UP FROM THE BOTTOM, WHERE THE DEFROSTER HITS. AS MANY AS I HAVE SEEN, THIS SEEMS TO BE A ENGINEERING OR WINDSHIELD DEFECT. ARE THERE OTHER REPORTS OF THIS?

THIS TRUCK HAS GOODYEAR TIRES, SIZE P23585R16 WRANGLER/AP. WHILE DRIVING TIRES SUDDENLY WENT LOW. CONSUMER PULLED OVER, AND NOTICED SIDEWALL SEPARATING. FORD HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK

WHEN AT A STOP NOT ABLE TO TURN WHEELS WHILE BRAKES ARE APPLIED. FORD COMPANY INDICATED THAT THIS WAS THE WAY VEHICLE WAS DESIGNED. *AK THE DESIGN FLAW IS THE CAUSE FOR STEERING PROBLEM THAT OCCURS WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED. A NEW WIDER STANCE, TIE ROD ANGLE AND THE FACT THAT THERE IS MORE WEIGHT IN THE FRONT END THAN ON THE 97 OLDER BODY STYLE VEHICLE. *YH

WHILE DRIVING, VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE, CONSUMER STATED THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER OVERHEATED AND CAUSED THE FIRE. *SLC

THE OEM SHOCK ABSORBERS WERE DEFECTIVE CAUSING THE VEHICLE REBOUND 2-3 CYCLES AFTER HITTING A BUMP AND CAUSED THE TIRES TO DEVELOP MODERATE CUPPING, THE POSITION OF THE DRIVERS SIDE OEM SHOCK ABSORBER TOP BOLT HAD A SHARP EDGE AND WAS RUBBING A HOLE IN THE OUTER JACKET OF THE HYDRAULIC HOSE EXPOSING THE INNER BRAID, CONSUMER EXPLORED THE POSSIBILITY OF REPOSITIONING THE HOSE BUT A HOSE SUPPORT CLAMP WOULD NOT ALLOW SUCH POSITIONING. NLM