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.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford F-150. The contact's sister smelled smoke coming their bedroom window. The contact went outside and noticed that the vehicle caught on fire. The fire started from the driver side. The contact extinguished the fire with their water hose. No police report was filed and there were no injuries reported. The vehicle was not totaled however the front hood and passenger side was melted. The vehicle was not drivable. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised to take the vehicle to henson Ford (581 1-45, madisonville, tx 77864). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 200,020.
After a rainstorm and while driving, my windshield wipers stopped working, my radio/cd player started turning off and on, my panel light dimmed, and I heard a clicking noise under my driver side dash board. There was also a clicking noise coming from the engine. While stationary and key out of the ignition, I noticed water on the driver side floor, and when I looked under I could see drops of water sliding off I believe my emergency bake and brake pedal, and an ongoing clicking sound under the steering wheel. I left my truck in driveway overnight, and the next morning my battery was dead. I had aaa tow come and replace battery that afternoon. The next morning the battery was dead again. Aaa came and checked the starter and alternator, all were fine. As they recharged battery there was a weird noise heard in the engine area. I drove it to a mechanic with Ford truck experience. He stated the GEM and fuse box were wet and attributed it to water leakage coming from the windshield weather stripping trim which was common in Ford vehicles. He recommended replacing GEM, fuse box, and windshield trim. This water/electrical problem happens every year after a rainstorm. I never thought a vehicle in good condition could have outside water leaks getting inside and onto the fuse box and GEM module. The mechanic told me it can become very dangerous for the GEM and fuse box to fail because it controls everything in the truck. The GEM and fuse box should be protected from outside elements. When water is introduced to these modules, it makes the whole system go wacky and can cause serious and possibly dangerous situations. Ford needs to acknowledge that this is a manufacture defect and fix and/or reimburse us consumers on the cost of fixing
Trans went out a month after intake crack had to be replace almost $1,650 together also ball joints and tierod ends no good shock no good brake are falling and rear end is grinding this truck should have never been sold help and there's "more".
The contact owns a 2003 Ford F-150. While driving various speeds, the wiring harness burned. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was determined that there were un-remedied recalls on the vehicle, and the wiring harness failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 145,000.
The contact owned a 2003 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and there was an abnormal odor of smoke. The contact stated that suddenly the vehicle engulfed into flames. The fire department was notified and was able to extinguish the fire. A fire report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.
- Hope, RI, USA
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The contact owns a 2003 Ford F-150. While driving during rainy weather conditions, the instrument panel failed intermittently. In addition, the four wheel drive and the windshield wipers activated independently. The contact stated that the battery needed to be disconnected and then reconnected in order for the vehicle to resume normal operation. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the battery and the keys were replaced, but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.
My 2003 F-150 V8, 4.6L 2wd truck received water damage to the GEM (generic electronic module) causing the windshield wipers to stop working while driving to work on a foggy/dew morning after a rainstorm. The water damage was due to a leak on the loose windshield that caused water to run directly to the fusebox & GEM that controls all electronics in the vehicle. After looking seeking an answer for this problem, I found that at lease a hundred others have had the same windshield leak in the '97-'03 F series vehicles. The GEM could and has caused vehicles to shut off and on and have lights go off and on at a random time if it received water damage. It is very dangerous and needs to be fixed immediately. The windshield is a common problem and many others have suffered from the same problem as me. Thank you for your time.
Vehicle lost all power (in dry climate), including steering, and brakes at approximately 50mph. Came to a stop using the emergency brake. Had two near misses while attempting to come to a stop. Vehicle had to be towed as the ECM (engine control module) was no good. Had prior misfires in engine, which Ford had diagnosed as a bad head valve. After rebuilding the heads, the problem continued (while under use in dry climate). Incident occurred, at which point the vehicle had become disabled. 2nd Ford dealership diagnosed as "electrical problems" which had allegedly caused the vehicle's ECM (engine control module) to short out. No more than 500 miles and/or 3 days after replacement of the ECM and fixing of unspecified "electrical problems" (and in moist climate), vehicle would have periodic misfires which would on occasion be so severe so as to drop all gauges on dash to their "off" positions, but with the engine still running (under stress from supposed misfire which would shake the entire truck). On two later occasions, while idling at a stop light the vehicle would repeat the same condition as with the initial incident, where the vehicle would completely shut-off, with exception that on the repeat occasions, the ECM was still functional and I was able to restart the vehicle. A 3rd Ford dealership was unable to diagnose exact problem but suggested replacement of coils followed by wiring as a possible fix to the misfire. I removed the vehicle to a dry climate and replaced all plugs, coils, and boots for testing. Vehicle successfully functioned under dry, moist, and snowy climates afterwards. Continues in operation and is currently at +/- 155,000 miles.
The fuse # 29 in the inside cab fuse box has blown twice. The first time is unknown the second time within 10 days of replacing the second fuse. This fuse controls the transmission overdrive, the auto-lamp and belt minder functions of the truck. I have seen on other web pages the same problem we are experiencing.
Was heavy rain outside then my truck started blowing the horn, heater was turning on and off, lights going on and off by them selves. Figured its part of the issue with the windshield issue Ford knows about since 2002. The notice was *Ford special message #15773 which covered a few vehicles but has expanded to cover other vehicles. Last year, I was on the highway during heavy rain and all the sudden, all power went off, windshield wipers stopped working, radio was going funny, heat was turning on and off, it was difficult to drive. That only lasted for a few seconds but made it where I got off the highway, made it back to my house then brought it to Ford to find out the issue. I opted not to have the work done at that time for the mechanic said its okay for the time being. But corrosion was starting and I needed to have the windshield fixed before the issue at hand could be fixed, because if I didn't, it just would cause the issues a few years down the road again. Looking through, I see you have a lot of "electrical issues" being brought up, and all of them from what I have seen look to be caused by the same issue, mind you that this issue is known from vehicles 1998 - 2003, possibly into the 2004.
I have a Ford F150 and within the last 4 months I have had 3 ignition coils/spark plugs go up in it. I called Ford and they told me it has been a problem and to hold onto my receipts in case there is a recall in the future. While I was at our local Ford dealership getting my truck worked on they also told me they have had a lot of fl50S coming in with the same problem do you know if there will be a recall on the F150 ignition coils/spark plugs ?
I have a Ford F150 and within the last 4 months I have had 3 ignition coils go up in it I called Ford and they told me it has been a problem and to hold onto my receipts incase there is a recall in the future while I was at our local Ford dealership getting my truck worked on they also told me they have had a lot of fl50S coming in with the same problem do you know if there will be a recall on the F150 ignition coils ? thank you for your time.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford F150. While the vehicle was parked the contact stated the horn began to blow on its own and black smoke began to escape from the windows. The fire also began near the fuse box. The contact extinguished the fire with a fire extinguisher. A fire report was filed. The insurance company had not concluded there investigation regarding the cause of the fire. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 62,000.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford F-150. The contact stated that all of the interior lights would continue to illuminate even when the vehicle was shut off. The failure began to recur intermittently. The contact also stated the vehicle would also intermittently stall while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where the contact was told there was a leak within the door panels and windshield. Due to the leak, water was getting inside of the vehicle and causing a short circuit in the wiring system. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 60,000 and the current mileage was 150,000. Updated 05/13/11
Left dealership after lo-jack installation. Entered traffic lane and began lightly braking for approaching signal. I felt two forward surges and then increasingly rapid acceleration. I checked rear view mirror and then pressed on brakes with the sound of the racing turbo charged engine filling the cab. I then moved the gear out of drive and in my haste saw I had it between reverse and park. I brought it back to neutral and then the sound subsided. The entire acceleration incident lasted less than 10 seconds. The truck was immediately returned to dealership and then reported incident to the manufacturer.
My Ford F150 super crew has a recurring problem in that it continuously blows a certain 5 amp fuse. This fuse disables the automatic lights, the automatic door locks and the overdrive system. I took the truck to the local Ford dealership. They replaced the fuse and charged me $52.50. They did not fix anything. I found an identical complaint on your website from Nov 30, 2008.
Coming home to va from Ohio we were going through the mountains and had to keep flooring the truck. The spark plugs acted like they were fouling and the truck sputtered home. We came home and our mechanic said we blew out or ejected two spark plugs on our Triton 4.6L 2003 pick up truck. He said it would have to be repaired by Ford and it would probably cost about $900. We found out this is a recurring problem on the new non-plug wires trucks using a series of coil, over plug coil connectors specifically on the Triton Ford truck motors. Why hasn't NHTSA contacted Ford. We smelled gas the whole way home; about 500 miles after it happened. If the gas fumes ignited it would have burned my truck up but could have hurt my wife and three grandchildren riding with us. [xxx] I bought the mechanic eight sparkplugs *$6.99 each, then eight coiled/sleeves $52 each and a new coil unit $163, he is having a company heliarc-coils to repair the sparkplug seats. This is a very poor design, and had I known this when we bought the truck, we wouldn't have. I sent Ford motor a customer service complaint as well. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
My 2003 Ford F150 truck has a recurring problem in that it continuously blows a certain 5 amp fuse. I was told by a technician at the Ford authorized service where I have my service work done that he has seen about 10 of these cases. The problem is a cowl leak that allows water on an electronic module located under the dash. The fuse will blow predictably 2 to 3 days after a rain or wash. The safety consequences are: 1. the blown fuse disables the feature that automatically turns on the headlights & taillights thereby becoming an accident risk particularly when the driver has become accustomed to the automatic control of the lights; 2. the blown fuse disables the feature that automatically locks all of the vehicles doors when the transmission is shifted into drive thereby exposing the occupants to carjacking and other personal dangers; 3. the blown fuse disables the pushbutton control for shifting the transmission into and out of overdrive which could pose a hazard in snow and ice conditions or driving in mountainous terrain. Based on these indisputable safety hazards the manufacturer should be required to recall all vehicles subject to this condition and repair/replace as necessary to eliminate the possibility of these hazards.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Madisonville, TX, USA