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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 5
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
90,352 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

1998 Ford F-150 engine problems

engine problem

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1998 Ford F-150 Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #55

Jan 132014

F-150

  • 77,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 1998 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle leaked anti freeze into the number two cylinder as a result the engine blew apart. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 77,000.

- Marne, MI, USA

problem #54

Jan 042012

F-150

  • 203,000 miles
While driving 25 mph the #2 spark plug striped its threads and blew out of the head. The plug remained in the wiring harness cap and continued to spark. The repair cost $220. I am told this is an ongoing defect in the design of some of Ford engines.

- Mt. Washington, KY, USA

problem #53

Jan 032012

F-150

  • 150,000 miles
The contact owns a 1998 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 mph, a strong odor of fuel emitted inside of the vehicle. There was also a loud ticking noise coming from the engine. The contact was able to maneuver to the shoulder of the road. The vehicle was then towed to the contact's residence. The contact stated that a spark plug dislodged from the cylinder head and he planned to take the vehicle to an independent mechanic for repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

- Missoula, MT, USA

problem #52

Jan 032012

F-150 8-cyl

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Had the 7 cylinder spark plug shoot out of the head and strip the threads.

- Missoula, MT, USA

problem #51

Dec 162011

F-150 8-cyl

  • 193,442 miles
Spark plug blew out of the head with such force that it cracked the coil and was sparking on the fuel line with fuel vapors coming out of the head at the same time. This could have caused a fire/explosion if the vehicle could not have been shut off quickly enough. I was idle in my driveway and not on the highway where it would have taken longer to shut the vehicle off. Internet research returned astonishing amount of complaints for the same issue.

- Adrian, MI, USA

problem #50

Dec 012009

F-150

  • 90,000 miles
The contact owns a 1998 Ford F150. The contact stated that the manifold bolts were rotted, causing the exhaust to leak into the cabin. The dealer had not been notified. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint. No repairs were performed. The current mileage was 110,000 and the approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

- Fair Haven , MA, USA

problem #49

Nov 152011

F-150

  • 188,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 1998 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the engine caught on fire while the vehicle was parked and turned off. There were no injuries. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but the vehicle was not repaired. The exact cause of the fire was not determined. The failure and the current mileage was 188,000.

- Franklyn, IN, USA

problem #48

May 262010

F-150

  • 177,489 miles
# 5 spark plug blew out of my 1998 Ford F-150 5.4 ltr engine. Returning home from Alabama. I had just gotten through charlotte, nc when I heard the sound of a very bad exhaust leak. When I stopped and lifted the hood I could see the coil pack bouncing up and down. I had to pay a tow truck operator $420 to tow me home. Took my truck to the local Ford dealer for repairs just to find out that this problem is very common with the 5.4. it will cost about $300 or more to repair with a heli coil. (that's if it is repairable with a heli coil). Have not gotten the final bill yet. Also, forgot to mention that the plugs where replaced in November 2009 by the carlot garage which I purchased the truck from.

- Randleman, NC, USA

problem #47

May 242010

F-150 6-cyl

  • 125,000 miles
I am the unhappy owner of a 1998 Ford F150 with a 4.2L V6 engine. It slung a rod this morning as soon as I started it. I did some research an found out that there was a recall on the 98 4.2L's due to faulty gasket. I've read alot of story's about the same trucks with the same engines. There is a countless number of people getting ready to spend 3 or 4 grand for Ford to replace the engines. Isn't Ford responsible for the defects that there trucks had coming off the production line.

- Eclectic, AL, USA

problem #46

Apr 172010

F-150

  • 169,000 miles
04/17/2010 at approximately 4:00 am our Ford F-150 XLT was parked and turned off in our driveway of a single dwelling home. We and neighbors heard multiple explosions that shook our house. The entire front end of the truck was already engulfed in flames shooting up 12+ feet. Fire department was called and responded immediately. When the fire was out the entire front half of the truck was gone, burnt into the fiberglass topper, blew out all but two back windows and melted all wiring back to the rear shell window. The only thing that remains is the back half of the truck and back tires.

- Independence, MO, USA

problem #45

Dec 042008

F-150

  • 151,571 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Blown head gaskets, drove truck in town and parked in driveway, then would not turn over next day, radiator coolant in cylinders, no warning lights came on, engine oil ok, coolant level ok. Truck was running fine then this happened.

- Vacaville, CA, USA

problem #44

Aug 182007

F-150

  • 94,000 miles
I have a 1998 F150 pickup with a 5.4 engine that is known to have a defect in getting the #4 spark plug removed. This is a $1200 to $2200 repair that should be taken care by Ford not the consumer. This plug has is suppose to be good for a 100K miles, I have 97K. All mechanics know this is a problem and they have to buy a special tool to try to remove this plug. Problem is if it doesn't work then they have take the engine apart to do this. This is were the problem lies. Ford is acting like it is not a problem and/or I should get over it because it is a 1998 out of warranty. A lot of people won't know this until they reach 100K miles and want to replace this plug. In all my years I have never seen or heard of a problem like this on any vehicle. The government needs to make this a mandatory recall so the consumer doesn't keep getting screwed for such a huge repair.

- Dearborn, MI, USA

problem #43

Mar 032009

F-150

  • 113,000 miles
I have a 1998 Ford pickup with a 5.4L engine and just today as I was driving it the spark plug blew out. As soon as I heard the popping sound I immediately shut the truck down. I opened the hood and there was the plug dangling there. I was able to install the plug back on but got 3 turns on it and it was tight. No way should a spark plug only have a few turns on it and no way should a plug fly out of an engine that is spewing gasoline and the plug still sparking. If there is a class action lawsuit against this company sign me up. Never again will I buy a Ford product. All their vehicles catch fire( remember the cruise control). This is a prime example why the us auto industry sucks and they still want us to bail them out. I have half a mind to go to detroit and beat the crap out of an engineer there. I am all for an attorney to call me if it is a class action lawsuit. If you make faulty dangerous products such as this you should be put in jail! people can die from this! I hope Ford goes the way of all the rest of the old american auto makers. We should not have to bail them out so they can make more dangerous products and snowball the public!!

- Stewart, MN, USA

problem #42

May 292008

F-150

  • 86,000 miles
What isn't wrong with this truck? with less than 80,000 miles on it...spare tire fell off while being driven, interior lights randomly stay on, both doors are rusting out from the bottom, knob to regulate temperature fell off and assembly needed replacement, front brakes calipers stuck and caught on fire, exhaust system has rusted off twice, transmission went up and was replaced under warranty at less than 20,000 miles, radiator rusted through, and the headliner is falling down off the ceiling. I've probably missed something but can tell you that I will never own another Ford.

- Stewartstown, PA, USA

problem #41

May 162008

F-150

  • 125,000 miles
Ford issued tsb 99-20-7 covering coolant leaks in 1999. I had not experienced this problem until may of 2008. The problem is that Ford recognized this problem years ago failed to recall or inform the owners. The result with the vehicle out of warranty is a lower head gasket replacement costing $1500-2300 if the engine has not seized if the engine has experience hydrolock (engine seizure) replacement costs are more than $4000. There are literally hundreds of persons experiencing this problem. I'm including weblinks to review. forums.treemedia.com/fb/showthread.php?T=224&page=1&pp=15.

- Westerville, OH, USA

problem #40

May 092008

F-150 8-cyl

  • 121,111 miles
When I woke up this morning at 7am, my 1998 Ford F-150 was on fire in my driveway. It had been parked since approximately 10pm on the previous evening.

- Hiram, GA, USA

problem #39

Mar 152008

F-150 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 95,000 miles
My 1998 Ford F150 truck ejected a spark plug while driving at low RPM's. numerous websites have stated the head design is flawed and only allows 3 threads to catch. Upon ejection of the spark plug the threads on the engine head are removed. Ford has a new designed aluminum head to omit the problem. Why hasn't it been made available through a recall? not only is a safety issue, driving down the highway and suddenly losing power, but a bad design.

- Omaha, NE, USA

problem #38

Feb 252008

F-150 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 75,000 miles
Spark plug blew out of cylinder head.

- Wasilla, AK, USA

problem #37

Oct 272007

F-150 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 89,250 miles
The contact owns a 1998 Ford F150. While driving 50 mph, the engine failed without warning. When the vehicle was restarted, the check engine light illuminated. The dealer diagnosed the cause of the failure as the fifth and sixth cylinders. The repair has not yet been made. The purchase date was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 89,250.

- Spokane, WA, USA

problem #36

Jul 312007

F-150 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 142,000 miles
I left my 1998 Ford F150 pick-up truck in parking lot at work while I was away on business. I left on Monday July 30. I was called Tuesday night around 9:00pm and notified that my vehicle had caught on fire. Fire dept. Put out fire. Fire report suspected equipment failure in engine compartment causing electrical short and subsequent fire. Fire was put out, but vehicle was total loss and towed from property.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

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