Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 1997 record →
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE AN WET/SLIPPERY PAVEMENT ABS BRAKES WOULD GET WET AND LOCK UP WHEN BRAKES APPLIED, HAPPENED ONLY ON WET PAVEMENT, NOT DRY; VEHICLE AT DEALER'S BEING REPAIRED. *AK
WAS IN A HEAD-ON ACCIDENT AND AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. HAD NOT YET TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS. *AK
WHEN APPLYING THE ABS BRAKES THE FRONT WHEELS LOCKED UP AND THE VEHICLE WENT TO THE LEFT AND HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE PAVEMENT WAS A LITTLE WET. TAKEN TO DEALER AND COULD NOT FIND PROBLEM. *AK
TRANSMISSION GEARS STICKS IN NEUTRAL.
DRIVER HAD TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY STOP AND THE AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT DIDN'T RESTRAIN, CONSUMER HAD KIDS IN VEHICLE. PLEASE DESCRIBE .
WRONG TYPE OF TIRES INSTALLED ON VEHICLE, CAUSING VEHICLE TO SHIFT FROM SIDE TO SIDE.
DRIVING ALONG APPROXIMATELY 60MPH AND STARTED TO TURN TO GET OFF AN EXIT. THE WHEELS JUST WENT AS FAR RIGHT AS THEY WOULD GO , THEY DID NOT RESPOND TO THE VEHICLE, LOST CONTROL AND HAD A CRASH. *AK
FAILURE OF THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG, CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN A HEAD-ON COLLISION AND THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY AND THE SEAT BELTS DID NOT HOLD, CAUSING INJURIES TO THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER. *AK
ANTILOCK BRAKES FAILED 3 TIMES.
DRIVING ALONG STREET, ANOTHER VEHICLE PULLED OUT IN FRONT, VEHICLE GOING ABOUT 35 MPH, HIT THE OTHER VEHICLE BROADSIDE, NEITHER DRIVER'S/PASSENGER'S AIR BAGS DEPLOYED.*AK
WHEN PULLING OFF FROM A DEAD STOP, WHENEVER THE GEARS GO TO CHANGE, THERE IS A RATTLING NOISE LIKE A TICKING. *AK
DESIGN OF THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER AND SHIELD ALLOWS FOR ACCUMULATION OF GRASS AND OTHER DEBRIS, FIRE RESULTED FROM GRASS BURNING.
WHILE DRIVING NOTICED RATTLE IN FRONT SUSPENSION, HIT BUMPS IN ROAD, VEHICLE VIBRATES AND STEERING COLUMN SHIMMIES, DLR INDICATES MFR'S AWARE OF PROBLEM BUT HAS NOT FIXED THE PROBLEM AT THIS TIME. *AK *JB
STEERING WHEEL VIBRATES/NOISY.
WHILE DRIVING WITH CRUISE CONTROL ON, GOING (55) MPH, VEHICLE REARENDED ANOTHER CAR AND THERE WAS NO DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIR BAGS. *AK
DURING IMPACT THE DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *AK
POOR ACCELERATION WITH AIR CONDITIONER ON.
WHILE TURNING FRONT AXLE SHEARED OFF WITH ENTIRE AXLE MOVING INTO WHEEL HUBS, DRIVER UNABLE TO KEEP TRUCK FROM HAVING AN IMPACT.
WHILE DRIVING THE STEERING COLUMN MAKES AN VERY LOUD NOISE. MANUFACTURER SAID THAT THIS WAS UNDER INVESTIGATION. *AK
POTENTIAL ELECTRICAL SHORT HAZARD IN THE WIRE BUNDLE LOCATED ADJACENT TO THE PARKING BRAKE RELEASE MECHANISM.
TIRES HAVE VERY POOR TRACTION, HYDROPLANE EASILY ON WET PAVEMENT, EVEN AT LOW SPEEDS. *AK
WHEEL LUGS BREAK WHEN ANTI-THEFT LOCKING LUG NUT IS TORQUED TO 100 FOOT POUNDS SPECIFICATION. *AK
WHEN DRIVING AND TRYING TO TURN THE STEERING OVERREACTS, HARD TO STEER . PLEASE DESCRIBE .*AK
RIGHT REAR AXLE SHIFTED, CAUSING REAR END OF TRUCK TO SWAY OUT OF CONTROL.
INTERMITTENT STALLING.
STEERING SHAKES AND MAKES NOISE WHEN TURNING OR WHEN VEHICLE HITS A BUMP.*AK
THERE IS PLAY IN THE STEERING WHEEL, YOU HAVE TO MOVE IT BACK AND FORTH BEFORE IT TAKES AFFECT.*AK
LOOSE STEERING SHAFT; THE STEERING COLUMN FEELS LOOSE WHEN TURNING . *AK *SLC
WHEN DRIVING THROUGH TALL GRASS, THE GRASS GETS CUT OFF/FALLS ON THE TRANSMISSION CROSS MEMBER, WHERE IT IS IGNITED BY THE HEAT FROM THE EXHAUST PIPE, WHICH IS ROUTED RIGHT BEHIND THE CROSS MEMBER.
STEERING COLUMN MAKES A KNOCKING NOISE WHEN DRIVING. *AK
ABS BRAKE FAILURE, WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED THEY LOST EFFECTIVENESS , AFTER FEW SECONDS BRAKES WILL STOP THE VEHCILE. *AK CONSUMER COULD HEAR A CLANGING NOISE, WAS COMING FROM DRIVE SHAFT, DEALER REMOVED DRIVE SHAFT ASSEMBLY AND PACKED SHIFT YOKE WITH GREASE. *SLC
THE PICKUP TRUCK MISFIRES CONSTANTLY WHICH OSAGE FORD KEPT FOR SEVERAL WEEKS. NOT ABLE TO CORRECT PROBLEM, OSAGE FORD REQUESTED THAT DRIVER PURCHASE ANOTHER NEW TRUCK. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS.*AK
FAILURE OF THE STEERING WHEEL, WHEN DRIVING THE STEERING WHEEL MAKES A KNOCKING/GRINDING SOUND, CAUSING THE CONSUMER TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE.*AK
WHILE DRIVING, THE STEERING WHEEL VIBRATES AND THERE IS A NOISE COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN.*AK CONSUMER FEELS SOMETING WAS LEFT OUT AROUND THE STEERING COLUMN. *SLC
POOR SEAT BELT PERFORMANCE, THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT DOES NOT STAY LOCKED IN PLACE.*AK
SPARE TIRE NOT OF THE SAME TYPE AS THE OTHER TIRES.
THE REAR TAIL PIPE CAME OUT BY THE RIGHT REAR TIRE . PLEASE DESCRIBE .*AK
WHEN DRIVING OR ACCELERATING YOU CAN FEEL VIBRATIONS COMING THROUGH THE STEERING COLUMN. WHEN AT A DEAD STOP AND TURNING, STEEING WHEEL FROM LEFT TO RIGHT THERE IS A DEAD FEELING.*AK
THE DRIVER'S SIDE SHOULDER BELT WHEN USING IT GETS TIGHT AND HARD TO LOOSEN . PLEASE DESCRIBE .
FAILURE ON THE STEERING WHEEL GEAR BOX, CONSUMER ALLEGED PLAY IN THE STEERING WHEEL.*AK *SLC
TRUCK WILL CLUNK WHEN BRAKING. FORD HAS ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN ON THIS PROBLEM. AREA DEALERSHIP GREASED THE FRONT BUT THIS DIDN'T CHANGE CONDITION. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS.*AK
WROUGHT ALUMINUM WHEELS HOLD WATER/ICE IN FREEZING WEATHER, CAUSING WHEELS TO BE UNBALANCED.
LIGHT RATTLING IN STEERING SECTOR.
STEERING VEERS TO THE RIGHT.
TIRES USED ON THIS MODEL TRUCK RESULTED IN TRUCK FLOATING AND WANDERING ONCE DRIVEN THROUGH WATER. THE TIRES OUTER EDGE DON'T ALLOW WATER TO ESCAPE, WITH EDGE CLOSED. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS.*AK
BRAKES FAILED, CAUSING ACCIDENT/INJURY.
WHEN DRIVING AT 40 MPH THE TRUCK SWAYS. *AK STEERING IS VERY SENSITIVE VEHICLE WANDERS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS CAN NOT TOW WITH VEHICLE OR CAN NOT CONTROL AT ALL.*JB
EXTREME PLAYNESS IN THE STEERING WHEEL. *AK
BACK-END SHIFTS AND THE BACK WHEEL LEANS IN ANGLE. *AK
SEVERE PORTION OF CENTER TIRE TREAD SEPERATED WHILE DRIVING. *AK
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 1997 Ford F-150 → · Every F-150 year → · How the figures are calculated →