The fuel tank straps failed on my truck causing the fuel tank to detach and make contact with the ground while the vehicle was in motion. I had the tank and related parts replaced at a local shop. However, the mechanic informed me that the mounting points for the vehicle's gas tank straps were also rusted and new straps could not be installed in the normal manner. When the recall was issued I took the vehicle to a local Ford dealer that attempted an official repair of the straps but concluded the mounting brackets were too damaged to install new straps. Whether the defect was all corrosion or a combination of corrosion and the effects of the tank being ripped from the remaining mounts when the straps failed was not determined. The dealer and I called a Ford company representative who initially agreed to have Ford cover the repair of the vehicle but this was later rescinded by a superior and I left with an unsafe, incomplete repair. I would like the national highway traffic safety association to examine the incidence of structural and mounting bracket failures due to premature corrosion not limited to the straps themselves. Several local mechanics have commented that they see this very, very frequently on Ford trucks of that vintage. My truck will not pass inspection with the brackets rusted as they are. Given the seriousness of the issue, I believe this bears very close examination. Ford says it has not process to follow up on this concern. I continue to receive recall notices but they are useless since Ford will not acknowledge related damage, damaged caused by the defective straps and/or additional issues that very likely exist with the corrosion resistance of some Ford truck frames. This truck's frame has continued to experience significant frame based rust deterioration while other parts of the vehicle seem to follow a much more normal aging pattern.

- Norwich, VT, USA

Driving the vehicle at a slow speed over a gravel road, the straps and/or their attachment points to the frame failed, allowing the tank to drop and make contact with the road. This was prior to Ford's recall regarding the straps and a repair was made at the local shop. Repairs consisted of a new tank, sending unit and straps. The shop indicated that the straps had failed but new straps could not be fitted because, either because of the mechanical action of tearing away the tank or because of deterioration, the mounting points were not in sufficiently good shape to reattach the straps. The shop fashioned an attachment consisting of chains suspending the tank from the frame. Subsequently, on receiving Ford's recall notice regarding the straps, I took the vehicle to a Ford dealer who, after an attempt to repair, indicated the vehicle needed more work to implement the correction. The dealer (and I) spoke to a Ford representative who initially authorized the repair but, when the extend of the required repair was somewhat greater than anticipated, was overruled by someone else at Ford and Ford denied the repair. The truck effectively could not be inspected in the future because of this defect and it use was lost other than occasional use on the property. Follow-ups with Ford resulted in their claim that Ford was only liable for the straps and not any consequential or related damage and no other recourse was available. I would like the national highway traffic safety association to look into the ramifications of limiting a safety recall of this nature to the defective straps only and not the consequences of the defect.I am also requesting and examination of Ford's willingness to send a vehicle back onto the streets with an uncorrected know safety issue.

- Norwich, VT, USA

November,2005 woke up to heavy odor of gas coming from my attached garage found my 1997 F-250 truck had lost gallons overnite took to local Ford dealer told me tank rusty, under skid plate& spare tire. Cost me $734.27 I said is there a problem with these tanks, was asked about recall was told no recall-went home called Ford Motor Co.told them my situation &costs for a garage kept, rarely saw snow & meticulously kept up inside & out truck, they were no help at all. Sold this truck approx 2006 to my friend who owns a local harley davidson business, it is still running and looking great. Then bought 1997 F-150 at local Ford dealer 5/14/12 that I got a recall on for the same problem, had work done for thefuel tank/strap asy took it in done at no cost, I believe I am owed a refund & interest on the $734.27 on the 1997 F250 in my garage also were 2 harleys one being a collectible I feel Ford chose to keep this matter hushed and I could have lost everything. I believe I am due a refund asap I should not have had to pay for Ford Motor Company's mistakes and attempted cover up. Thank you for your time & attention to my long overdue matter, any help to right this wrong would be greatly appreciated.

- Rockford, IL, USA

Rear gas tank leaking gas.straps appear to have rubbed hole in tank.

- St. Louis, MO, USA

The contact owns a 1997 Ford F-250. While the vehicle was parked and turned off, the contact noticed an overpowering gasoline smell coming from the rear of the vehicle. After examining the vehicle, the contact noticed that the fuel tank was leaking next to the fuel tank straps. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that NHTSA campaign id number:11V385000 applied to his vehicle and that the fuel tank needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The current and failure mileages were 180,000.

- Dadham, MA, USA

Recall correction turns to explosion danger! Ford issued recall #11 S 21 on the replacement of the fuel tank straps. Best Ford of nashua performed the service to install new straps on October 7, 2011. In conjunction with the recall work, a vehicle report on best Ford letterhead was provided showing all systems were in good working order. On October 21, 2011, during a regular oil change the service person advised me that my fuel tank was leaking. I immediately reported it to best Ford on October 21, 2011 to which they refused to correct the leak. They insisted that Ford would not cover any other repairs. I informed the best Ford service manager that fault was theirs and did file a written complaint. I have returned to best Ford on three additional occasions and sent not less than five emails to request a face to face meeting. They have in each case refused to fix the leak caused as a result of the recall work performed in their service department. Complaints have also been sent to Ford Motor Co (customer service and the CEO) and they have likewise refused to assist with corrective action. The possibility of a fuel tank strap may have been corrected, however, my very maintained F150 is now a present danger of explosion.

- Amherst, NH, USA

The contact owns a 1997 Ford F-250. The contact stated that the vehicle was included in the recall associated with NHTSA campaign id number: 11V385000 (fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly:mounting). The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the contact was informed that the vehicle could not be repaired because the fuel tank was also rusted. The manufacturer denied any assistance with repairs. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 142,000.

- St. Paul, MN, USA

Upon reading about a Ford recalls 2.7 million F150-250 trucks I found that mine was included in that recall by calling the dealership in scarsdale, NY. Made an appointment for Sept 20, 2011 and after an hour in service they tell me they cannot replace straps because the straps have made a hole in tank (rusted through). I was sent out of the dealership with notice that Ford was not going to pay for replacement tank and they could not do the strap recall because of the tank. No temporary strap was placed around my tank to keep it from falling onto roadway. So I had been driving the truck ready to drop the bomb at anytime. On Sept 27, 2011 I went to another dealership smith cairns in yonkers and after a day was told the same thing. I have and will not remove my truck from this dealership until Ford makes it safe to drive at their expense.

- New Rochelle, NY, USA

The contact owns a 1997 Ford F-250 hd. While driving approximately 40 mph, the contact heard a loud noise coming from outside of the vehicle and also smelled a slight burning odor. Upon reaching the destination the contact noticed both fuel tank straps were fractured which were supporting the front fuel tank. The vehicle was equipped with a dual fuel tank. As a result of the dragging of the front fuel tank, there was damage which caused a large fuel leak. The failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.

- Butler , PA, USA

The contact owns a 1997 Ford F-250. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked when she smelled a fuel odor. Upon examining the vehicle, the contact noticed that the fuel tank was leaking. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the straps which held the fuel tank in place corroded through the fuel tank. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with NHTSA campaign id number 11V385000 (fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly:mounting). The failure mileage was 71,506.

- Carlisle, PA, USA

After hearing about the Ford recall on August 1, 2011 concerning the metal mounting straps holding up the gas tank(s) on 1997-1999 Ford F-250 trucks, I checked underneath my truck and found that one of the mounting straps on the front gas tank was completely rusted and hanging. The other front strap as well as the two straps on the rear gas tank are also severely rusted and compromised. I contacted my local Ford dealer as well as Ford Motor Company to let them know about the problem but they refused to do anything about it. It is just a matter of time before these straps will fail causing my gas tanks to hit the ground.

- Troy, ME, USA

The contact owns a 1997 Ford F-250. While driving 5 mph, the fuel tank strap fractured and only one strap was left that to keep the fuel tank attached to the vehicle. The dealer advised the contact of NHTSA campaign id number: 11V385000 ( fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly:mounting) but stated that the contacts VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was repaired by a private mechanic who replaced both fuel tank straps. The current mileage was 92,500 and the approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

- Silver Lake, NH, USA

Just filled the truck with gas. Was driving on a washboard dirt road. The front of the gas tank dropped onto the road and dragged. Tank was punctured and several gallons of gas leaked out slowly. I used a wratchet strap to lift the tank off the road and secure it. Patched the tank with a sealer from the auto parts store but by next morning it was leaking again. Purchased a used tank and straps from a junkyard for $150. The original tank is in my junkpile if you'd like it. Glad to see this problem is being corrected. If I had been driving on an asphalt road I'd probably be in heaven right now.

- Darby, MT, USA

Our mechanic noticed that one of the straps at the rear of the gas tank was missing, and when filling up our 1997 Ford F150, the tank was getting close to being filled, gas started spewing out of the fill tube. We looked under the truck and noticed that the fill tube had shifted due to the rear strap being broken.

- Livonia, MI, USA

After filling up the gas tank, pulled out on to the road, small bump in the intersection. Rusted straps broke and gas tank fell off. Lucky it was raining and road was wet or could of caused fire.

- Fenton, MI, USA

1997 Ford F-150. The gas tank straps have begun to rot and have chaffed the gas tank to the point there are some gas vapors escaping. Not a full blown leak at this point. I will begin the process of repairing to avoid fire/explosion.

- Danvers, MA, USA

After filling gas tank and parking the vehicle at home, a strong smell of gas was noted with a large amount of gas coming from the in area of the gas tank. Upon inspection of the gas tank, it was noted that gas was leaking in several areas. 20 gallons of fuel was lost over a three day period while the truck was parked, and after driving only 20 miles on an approx. 24 gallon tank of fuel, the truck was empty of fuel. I replacement fuel tank and straps were bought from a local parts store, after contacting a local Ford dealership and was told Ford no longer produced fuel tanks for the make and model of the vehicle. Upon removing the original fuel tank and straps, significant amounts of rust and corrosion noted on both support straps and to the under side of the fuel tank also with several small holes in the tank in the area of the fuel tank support straps.

- Butler, PA, USA

Was fortunate to notice gas tank hanging down from under carriage... was preparing to drive 50 mile in on interstate... was able to drive to local dealer...not where purchased... and they installed a new gas tank strap..which with labor was 93 dollars... well worth it when considering what could have easily happened at 70 miles per hour. Am amazed that even noticed until too late...thought it was an isolated event until starting to look up other numerous problems that have had with this vehicle.

- Point Pleasant, WV, USA

One gas tank strap broke on my 97 Ford F150 a few months later the other one broke. I dropped and dragged the gas tank which began to leak. I don't drive that vehicle too much. I was very lucky there was no fire or explosion.

- Rush, NY, USA

Walking to my truck I notice the rear fuel tank strap broken and hanging and the fuel tank hanging from the front strap only. The rear strap was totally rusted through. The rust also rusted the tank I and I had to replace the tank as well on 10/3/2010.

- South Portland, ME, USA