2001 FORD F-250 SD Complaints

AFTER NOTICING DIFFERENT ELECTRICAL ITEMS REMAINING ENERGIZED AFTER THE IGNITION WAS TURNED OFF I BEGAN DOING SOME RESEARCH. WHAT I HAVE LEARNED THROUGH THE LOCAL FORD DEALER IS THAT THE WINDSHIELD SEALANT COMPOUND USED WAS OF POOR QUALITY FROM THE MANUFACTURER. OVERTIME THIS ALLOWS WATER TO SEEP IN AROUND THE FRONT WINDSHIELD AND DRAINS INTO THE DRIVERS SIDE DASH AREA. THIS LOCATION HOUSES THE FUSE PANEL AND GEM (GENERIC ELECTRONIC MODULE). THE WATER THAT ENTERS THE FUSE PANEL AND GEM CAUSES BOTH UNITS TO SHORT OUT, AND COULD POTENTIALLY CAUSE A FIRE. THE EARLY SIGNS OF A PROBLEM ARE THE AC FAN RUNNING WITH THE IGNITION OFF, THE CLOCK ON THE RADIO FLASHING WHEN IT SHOULD BE OFF (IGNITION OFF), AND THE ELECTRIC WINDOWS, DOOR LOCKS, AND POWER MIRRORS TO WORK INTERMITTENTLY. FORD DEALERS ARE VERY AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND STATE THAT THOUGH FORD MOTOR COMPANY ADMITS USING POOR QUALITY SEALANT, THEY REFUSE TO FIX ANY OF THE FUSE BOXES OR GEMS. WHILE INSPECTING THE UNDERSIDE OF MY DASH I HAVE ALSO NOTED THAT THE LINKAGE FOR THE BRAKES, PASSING THROUGH THE FIREWALL, IS EXTREMELY RUSTY. EVENTUALLY THIS RUST COULD CAUSE AN OWNER TO EXPERIENCE BRAKE FAILURE CAUSED BY A BROKEN LINKAGE. *AK

VEHICLE WAS PARKED FOR 75 MINUTES AND A PASSERBY NOTICED SMOKE AND ALERTED CONSUMER, WHO SAW FLAMES FROM LEFT FRONT WHEEL WELL. FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED QUICKLY BY CONSUMER. DAMAGE LIMITED TO AREA WITHIN APPROXIMATELY 12 INCHES OF BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER. ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR BURNED OFF ON MASTER CYLINDER. CONSUMER STATED THAT CRUISE CONTROL STOPPED WORKING SEVERAL MONTHS PRIOR TO THE FIRE. #13 FUSE FOUND OPERATING. *AK

WHILES DRIVING AT 55 MPH, THE CONSUMER HEARD AND BIG BANG NOISE, AND WITHOUT ANY OTHER WARNING, THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE FLOOR MANAGER STATED IT WOULD COST $3,400. THE CONSUMER SEARCHED THE NHTSA WEB SIDE, AND FOUND MANY COMPLAINTS ON THIS ISSUE. *JB

THE TRANSMISSION WAS DOWN SHIFTING HARD AND MAKING A BANG NOISE,WHILE SLOWING DOWN.ON 7-18-04 WHEN RETURNING FROM THE SOCCER FIELDS WITH MY 2 KIDS IN THE F-250 PICK-UP ,THE TRANS TRIED TO LOCKUP A COUPLE OF TIMES.PROCEDING THOUGH INTERSETION INSTEAD OF UP SHIFTING. IT TRIED TO DOWNSHIFT AND STOP.EVERY STOP SIGN OR LIGHT THIS HAPPENED.3 TIMES I HAD TO PULL OVER AND PUT IN NEUTRAL.MY DAUGHTER WAS SO SCARED SHE KEPT ASKING TO JUST WALK HOME.NOW THE TRUCK WILL NOT SHIFT GEARS,UNLESS MANUALLY SHIFTED AND STILL SLIPS BADLY.THE F-250 HAS ONLY 52960 MILES 90% HIGHWAY MILES,ONLY TOWED A COUPLE OF SNOWMOBLES TWICE.*AK

WHILE DRIVING AT 30 MPH DOWN A MOUNTAIN, THE CONSUMER'S VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST ACCELERATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER, WHO INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK THERE WAS NO FORWARD, NO REVERSE AND NO WARNING. *SC *JB

ON OR ABOUT AUGUST 3RD, 2004, I HAD MY ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT TIRES, ON MY 2001 FORD F250 TRUCK ROTATED AND BALANCED AT A REPUTABLE FRONT END SERVICE FACILITY IN REDDING, CALIFORNIA, IN PREPARATION FOR A TRIP TO SAN DIEGO. THE TIRES WERE FIRESTONE STEELTEX RADIAL TRUCK TIRES TIRES. ALL FOUR TIRES WERE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT AND HAD LESS THAN 35,000 MILES. ON INTERSTATE 5, 5 MILES SOUTH OF REDDING, MY SON WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND THE RIGHT REAR TIRE EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION APPROXIMATELY 60 MILES PER HOUR. THE SEPARATION CAUSED DAMAGE TO MY FENDER AND PAINT. WE PUT THE SPARE TIRE ON AND CONTINUED THE TRIP. WHEN WE REACHED ELSINORE, ON INTERSTATE 15, THE LEFT FRONT TIRE EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION, AGAIN AT FREEWAY SPEED. THIS TIME THE EXPLODING TREADS CAUSED MORE SEVERE DAMAGE (ESTIMATED AT $4,500 EXCLUDING TIRE REPLACEMENT). TWO ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT FIRESTONE TRUCK TIRES, WITH LESS THAN 35,000 MILES, EXPERIENCING VIOLENT AND DANGEROUS TREAD SEPARATION WITHIN LESS THAN 500 MILES, UNDER EXACTLY THE SAME CONDITIONS, UNDER CIRCUMSTANCES THAT MIGHT HAVE PRODUCED FATAL RESULTS. FORTUNATELY THE TIRES RETAINED AIR, PREVENTING THE VEHICLE FROM ROLLING, FIRESTONE'S WARRANTY DOES NOT COVER ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT TIRES. FORD'S WARRANTY IS GOOD FOR THREE YEARS OR 36,000 MILES, WHICH EVER COMES FIRST. MY THREE YEARS WAS UP IN MAY OF THIS YEAR. I WAS FORCED TO BUY $700 WORTH OF TIRES PREMATURELY AND I NOW HAVE $4,500 DAMAGE TO MY VEHICLE. FIRESTONE HAS A DARK HISTORY OF PRODUCING DANGEROUS TIRES SUBJECT TO EXACTLY THE SAME KIND OF FAILURE I EXPERIENCED. WHY HASN'T SOMETHING BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THESE FAILURES? IS THERE SOME COMPENSATION AVAILABLE FROM FORD OR FIRESTONE WHEN THESE FAILURES ARE CLEARLY DUE TO MANUFACTURING DEFECTS AND FORD CONTINUES TO CONTRACT FOR THESE DEFECTIVE TIRES?

FIRESTONE STEELTEX 265 75 R16 TIRE TREAD SEPERATED AT HIGHWAY SPEED. TREAD LEFT THE TIRE BODY INTACT AS AN APPROXIMATELY 6 FOOT LONG PIECE. THE REMAINING TIRE PLY AND BODY STILL HELD AIR THOUGH ROLLED RATHER OUT OF CONTROL. THE TIRE TREAD DAMAGED THE REAR FENDER, TAILPIPE, SPASH GUARD AND BED OF MY TRUCK (APPROX $1400 DAMAGE). I STILL HAVE THE FAILED TIRE TREAD THOUGH THE TIRE BODY WAS DISPOSED OF BY THE REPLACEMENT TIRE DEALER. *JB

I WAS DRIVING MY FORD 2001 F-250 UNDER NORMAL OPERATING CONDITIONS WHEN THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTED VERY HARD SHAKING THE ENTIRE VEHICLE AND STARTED MAKING A GRINDING NOISE THEN IT BEGAN TO SHIFT ERRATICALLY. THIS VEHICLE DID GO OUT OF WARRANTY ON APRIL OF 2004 BUT IT ONLY HAS 32,600 MILES ON IT(AS OF 8-10-04) THE TWO FORD DEALERSHIPS IN OUR AREA PALM SPRINGS FORD AND FIESTA FORD BOTH TOLD US IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND WOULD CHARGE US TO FIX THE TRUCK. PALM SPRINGS FORD COULDN'T START FOR TWO WEEKS AND FIESTA FORD WANTED AT LEAST $2400 TO FIX THE TRANSMISSION. WE WERE RECOMMENDED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP THAT COULD FIX IT IMMEDIATELY FOR $1795 AND HE WOULD GUARANTEE HIS WORK FOR 36000 MILES. WE HAD THE WORK DONE AND IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED THE FORD SERVICE CENTER TO SEE IF WE COULD GET REIMBURSED FOR THE COST OF REPAIRING THE TRANSMISSION SINCE IT WAS ONLY 4 MONTHS OUT OF WARRANTY AND STILL UNDER 36,000 MILES. WE WERE TURNED DOWN FOR ANY HELP FROM FIESTA FORD AND THEIR FORD FACTORY REP. WE CALLED THE FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER AND WERE TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO AND THEY REFUSED TO GIVE US ANY NAMES OR ADDRESSES OF OTHER PEOPLE TO CONTACT. *JB

I WAS DRIVING MID DAY IN AZ IN MY F-250 XLT CREW CAB TRUCK WHEN I NOTICED A SLIGHT VIBRATION. I CHANGED LANES AND IT DID NOT GO AWAY. I STARTED TO SLOW DOWN WHEN BAM THE TIRE BLEW. I GOT OVER TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD AND INSPECTED THE TIRE. IT DID NOT LOSE AIR AT ALL ONLY THE TREAD HAD DELAMINATED FROM IT. HOWEVER THE TREAD HAD TORN UP THE SIDE OF MY VEHICLE AS WELL AS THE CHROME NERF BARS AND THE WHEEL WELLS THEMELF. I THEN MADE THE DECISION TO DRIVE ON THE TIRE TO THE NEXT STOP THATWAS ONLY 4-5 MILES AHEAD TO CHANGE THE TIRE IN THE SHADE AND WELL AWAY FROM HEAVY TRAFFIC. ONCE IN TUCSON I DID NOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE AGAIN UNTIL THE RETURN TRIP HOME. AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MILES FROM TUCSON ANOTHER VIBRATION OCCURED. I SLOWED DOWN AND EXITED THE INTERSTATE AND INSPECTED ALL FOUR TIRES. THEY APPEARED NORMAL AND CONTINUED ON MY WAY WHEN THE RIGHT REAR TIRE BLEW 2-3 MILES LATER. THE TIRE LOST THE TREAD TOO BUT ALSO SHREDDED IT SELF AND LOST ALL AIR. I HAD TO CALL A TOW TRUCK TO BE TOWED TO PHOENIX. AT THIS TIME THERE HAVE BEEN NO REPAIRS OR CORRECTIONS. THE TRUCK IS UNDER ASSESSMENT BY LEGAL COUNSEL AND DEALERSHIP ESTIMATES.*AK

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION STARTED TO SLIP OUT OF GEAR WHILE IN DRIVE. WOULD DRIVE IN 2ND GEAR ONLY. WHILE ON A DEALER TEST DRIVE IT LOST REVERSE AND WAS SO BOUND UP IT COULDN'T BE PUSHED IN NEUTRAL. NEEDS NEW TRANNY $3,100.00. TOLD THAT THE SPRAG AND TORQUE CONVERTER ARE THE WEAK LINKS. *JB