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.
Aluminum wheel split down in the middle while going 40-45mph on straight smooth road. Suddenly ther ewas a noise, and the passenger front end fell to the ground. Ford was notified.
Bearings in front of vehicle have been coming apart when consumer was driving. Consumer lost control. Contacted Ford Motor Company, and they were not willing to do anything.*akthe original and replacement parts have both failed. The wheel was on the verge of falling off.
Front suspension is a "sealed ball/socket system" supposedly needing no grease. The tie rod driver's side/inner just popped off at low speed. It was determined that the socket was dry causing excessive wear/corrosion on the joint. Was also told that the pittman arm is also dry and in need of grease - actually, replacement, now. I am continually assured by Ford service dept., that the truck does not need to have grease added as it has a "sealed ball and socket joint system" these parts should be mandated to have grease fittings for preventative maintenance capabilities. ****hubs**** design flaw with the diameter of the hubs in relation to the wheel/rotors, etc., on the 1997 trucks, the diameter of the hubs did not allow for even a minor amount of normal corrosion. This results in the mechanic's inability to remove the hub for service without damaging the hub assy. (there is no "lip" or difference of diameter to tap he edge of the hub assy to remove it from the wheel assy. This happened on the truck when it was less than 1 year old and had not been exposed to salt water/air.
Was getting front end aligned due to vehicle drifting to the right. Mechanic noticed that tire tread was separating on all 4 tires. Firestone, wilderness ht, P235/70R16 with 52,000 miles. Dot#W2081pt296.
Truck continues to handle poorly at highway speeds dealer checked several times and found nothing mechanicly wrong excluding the fiorst time when they replaced a section of the steering collumn they rotated and rebalanced the tires to no avail warranty expireed due to time with problem still evident our second car with 104,000 miles handles much better at any speed. We have had 4 other trucks so were familiar with how a truck should handle through all speed ranges. Thank you.( dot number: Tire size: P235/7516R )
Steel reinforcement plys delaminate causing out of round condition and removes tread from the rolling and sidewall surfaces. When the tread departs the tire an extreme unbalanced condition causes severe vibration in the truck frame until the vehicle is stopped.( dot number: Tire size: 235/70R16 )
I noticed the tire rubbing the inside of truck when I would turn to the right. I check the front tire and saw that it was loosing its tread. I took the truck into burnsworth zollars and told them about the problem, I also told them that if you let go of the steering wheel the truck would automatical go the right side of the road. I also asked them to check the tie rods and ball socket joints to see if the were causing the problem. A day later I called them to find out what was wrong with the truck, they said the had to weld the truck in order to bring the tire back in. This does not sound good to me. I dont think welding the front of the truck is going to fix the problem. I also called Ford Motor Co. About it. I asked them if weld does not hold up and it caused an accident what they would do then, the guy I talked to said the insurance adjuster would tell me who was at fault. And Ford said safety comes first. I thought I should report this because I dont know what caused the tire to tow in, or if it was the frame or axel that is the defect of the truck. All I know is that I dont want to drive my children arould in a truck that is having this kind of problem.
When traveling at 45-50 mph consumer noticed vibration and loud noise coming from the floorboard and from front driver's side seat. Consumer has contacted the dealer. Dealer unable to determine the cause of the problem; vehicle has been in for repairs four times.
There are 8 points on the front end that have moving parts, however there are only 2 grease points. Consumer feels this will shorten the life of the vehicle due to a lack of proper lubrication.
On highway driver needs two hands to steer the vehicle. Steering is hard to handle, sometimes oversteering occurs, dealer contacted three times. Dealer has aligned the front end and adjusted the toe, camber and caster, however consumer still complains of steering wheel stiffness, dealer can not remedy. Check engine light illuminated.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Richmond, MO, USA