This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
When I first bought the truck in 2001, the engine had approximately 82K miles. I was having a hard time starting and sometimes it would not start. At first the dealer thought it was the starter and they replaced it. They told me to take it to pepboys to get the starter replaced. When they started the car a mass of gray smoke come out of the tail pipe. Two days later the engine froze. Since I had a warranty agreement I took the truck to a local Ford dealer, they stated it had hydrolocked and the engine needed to be replaced. The warranty company sent out a short block and Ford completed the rest of the repairs. At the beginning of April, my daughter was using my truck and she drove it to my house and parked it out front. It sat for 2 weeks, when I went to start it, it would not turn over. Replace the battery and it still would not turn over. At that time the starter smoked and took the truck to a mechanic who replaced the starter. He tried to turn it over and it would not turn. He stated they tried using a torque wrench and still could not turn the motor. The mechanic recommended that the engine be replaced. I had the truck towed to my home. After reading the info about another truck hydrolocking, I decided to check to see if my truck had the same problem. When I pulled the plugs, I had coolant drain from the #3 cylinder and a small amount of coolant leak from #5 cylinder. Preparing to replace the lower and upper intake manifold gaskets.
I have a 1997 Ford F-250 with with 87,000 miles on a 5.4 liter engine. One of the spark plugs was ejected from the engine, threads and all, which also damaged the ignition coil.
- the contact owns a 1997 Ford F250. He received a recall notice for the crankshaft position sensor. He took the vehicle to the dealer and they ran a diagnostic that showed a problem with 3 sensors. The contact is a mechanic so he remedied the recall himself. When he contacted the manufacturer for reimbursement of the parts and labor he was advised that they would only reimburse him for the crankshaft position sensor and that they would not reimburse him for the other parts or labor. The current mileage was 86000 and the failure mileage was 83000.
- Hillsborough, NC, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
4.2 engine problem, the 1997 Ford F150 has 90,000 miles on it, as of this date the engine main bearing wore out. This vehicle has all ways been serviced, and with oil changes every three months or 3000 miles since I purchased it with 6 miles on it. And this was a one owner vehicle. I think the bearing were worn because of defective engine parts from the factor due to the leaking of lower intake gasket that Ford Motor Company recalled these vehicles. They replaced this gasket, but still some of these vehicle have had coolant problems. Before the engines went bad it had to be replaced, and the cost of that engine I was approximately $4,000. I took the vehicle to Ford dealership, and the engine was checked for compression, and the compression was low due to the bearings failure. Your attention to this matter would be greatly appreciated.
: the contact stated while parked and off, the vehicle caught on fire. There were no warnings prior to the incident. The insurance Agency could not find the cause of the fire.
Attempting to pass on a two line highway when spark plug blew out of engine. Vehicle is a 1997 Ford F250 4WD 80K miles. Repairs involve removing head. Cost is $2800. Vehicle worthless since don't know when another plug will blow!
Upon starting my truck, a loud banging or rattling noise could be heard. The noise was not present prior to that day. I shut it down and upon doing research on the internet, found numerous people who claim that a faulty gasket design caused water to leak into one of the cylinders inspection of the cylinders showed coolant to be pooled in the front, passenger-side cylinder. Certified mechanics attribute coolant in the cylinder to be due to a premature gasket failure. If not corrected, the problem leads to major engine destruction. Documented effects of the coolant leak are worn out bearings and surfaces, and broken or bent connecting rods, necessitating an engine rebuild. Ford sent a tsb to some owners of these engines to replace the faulty gasket but not to other owners. The knowledge of a faulty gasket design was withheld from some 1997 4.2L F150 owners. The distinction between those who received the tsb and those who did not (based on my research so far) seems to be made based on where the truck was assembled, not on where the engine was assembled. Ergo, some people have suffered catastrophic engine failure, with average repair costs of around $4500 dollars, due to Ford not notifying owners of known defects.
Lights stay on continuously - have to remove fuses - back up lights and dome light won't go out. Daytime running lights stay on when vehicle is off. Both tie rod ends have fallen off (at different times) engine is gone. Inferior gaskets leaked coolant into the engine and destroyed main bearings. June 2001 front eengine seal leaked antifreeze onto ground. Two letters to Ford Motor Co (addressed to william clay Ford) have been answered by different people in the executive offices: Duncan alderson and D kulla. Both have advised that Ford will do nothing about these problems even though I advised them I knew of their tsb's to their dealers advising that these trucks were assembled with defective gaskets in the engines. I now have a truck that I cannot drive and no assist in getting it fixed,
The brake pedal had to be pumped in order to get the vehicle to stop. The front and rear rotors have been replaced 5 times. The parking brake cable failed and was replaced. The radiator failed 3 times and the heater core failed.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Tucson, AZ, USA