1997 Ford Pickup

Routine

Owners filed 15 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the engine and engine cooling › engine › gasoline. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline3
000
Tires2
000
Structure › Body › Door2
000
Wheels › Rim1
000
Visibility › Defroster/Defogger/Hvac System1
001
Unknown or Other1
000
Tires › Tread/Belt1
101
Suspension1
101
Steering › Rack and Pinion1
000
Steering › Column1
000

What owners reported

Newest filings
Engine and Engine Cooling › Exhaust System › Emission Control
Filed Jan 2, 2006NY

PICK UP WONT PASS N.Y.S. INSPECTION ,DUE TO A FALSE READING ON COMPUTER THAT YOUR STATIONS USE ITS COST ME $350.00 SO FAR EVERYTHING SAFETY WISE WORKS PASSES EXCEPT A EMISSION READING , ALL SAFETY THING S PASS . THE TRUCK DON'T SMOKE RUNS GOOD EXCEPT THIS STUPID EMISSION THING THAT READS NOT READY. IT SAYS GO 60 MPH LET COST, THEN SPEED IT UP , NOW YOU KNOW 60 MPH IS PRETTY FAST FOR A TRUCK. I'M A CDL LICENSE HOLDER , AND I'M SRY I'M NOT GOING TO SPEED ON THE RDS IN MY AREA. I'M CERTIFIED TRUCK DRIVER BY THE NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION , WHO EVER CAME UP WITH THIS SHOULD USE THERE OWN CAR FOR WORK AND SEE THE PRICE WE HAVE TO PAY AS A MAINTENANCE WORKER FOR NEW YORK, NEW YORK MADE THIS LAW NOW TELL ME WHAT TO DO IT S BEEN TO SERVICE STATIONS ,DEALERS , AND THEY CANT FIND THE PROBLEM, PLEASE HELP ME WITH THIS SINCE YOU MADE THE LAW. *NM

Steering › Rack and Pinion
Filed Jan 12, 2004126,000 milesNY

WHILE TURNING STEERING WHEEL WOULD BE TOO LOOSE, CAUSING A DISTRACTION TO THE CONSUMER. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM.*AK

Steering › Column
Filed Feb 12, 2003124,000 milesOK

THE STEERING WHEEL COLUMN JOINT BROKE, WHICH CAUSED THE TIRES NOT TO TURN WITH THE STEERING WHEEL.*JB

SuspensionCrash1 injured
Filed Oct 24, 200275,000 milesNY

CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING AND NO WARNING THE REAR END WILL SWAY TO THE LEFT AND IT WILL BE HARD FOR THE CONSUMER TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. DEALER NOTIFIED TS

Tires › Tread/BeltCrash1 injured
Filed May 29, 2002FL

WHILE DRIVING 45-50 MPH AND WITHOUT WARNING LEFT REAR TIRE TREAD SEPARATED, RESULTING IN VEHICLE T FLIPPING OVER ABOUT 4 TIMES. DRIVER SUSTAINED MAJOR INJURIES, AND VEHICLE WAS TOTALED.*AK *MJ

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline
Filed May 15, 200200

CONSUMER STATES VEHICLE IS EXPERIENCING STALLING PROBLEMS, DEALER CAN NOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM. *SLC

Wheels › Rim
Filed Feb 4, 2002VA

CONSUMER'S HUSBAND WAS DRIVING HOME AND HEARD SOMETHING THAT SOUNDED LIKE A FLAT TIRE. HE ATTEMPTED TO PULL TO SHOULDER TO CHECK. WHILE DOING THIS TIRE CAME OFF TRUCK AND CONTINUED TO ROLL DOWN THE STREET. HUSBAND WAS ABLE TO STOP, BUT AFTER TIRE WAS OFF. HE WAS NOT INJURED. *AK

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline
Filed Oct 1, 2001FL

VEHICLE WOULD SKIP, MISS, BACKFIRE, AND HAD VERY LITTLE POWER, CONSUMER WOULD HAVE TO TURN THE AC OFF, PUT THE TRANSMISSION IN NEUTRAL, AND REV THE ENGINE, DEALER REPLACED THE MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR DUE TO A RECALL AND STATED THIS SHOULD TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEM, HOWEVER IT HAS NOT, POSSIBLE ENGINE PROBLEM. *SLC

Structure › Body › Door
Filed Sep 17, 2001IL

THE DRIVER DOOR AND PASSANGER DOOR HAVE SIMMILAR CRACKS BY THE MIDDLE DOOR THE DEALEAR KNOWS ABOUT THE DEFECT AND WON'T DO ANY THING ABOUT IT, IF THIS TRUCK IS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT THE DOORS WILL BUCKLE AT THAT CRACK IT IS A DEFECT FROM FORD THE CRACK IS LOCATED ON THE MIDDLE DOOR BY THE LOCK IN OTHER WORDS WHEN YOU OPEN THE WINDOW AND YOU PUT YOUR ARM ON THE WINDOW EDGE RIGHT BEHINDYOUR ELBOE THATS WHERE IT IS LOCATED. *AK

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline
Filed Jun 20, 2001CA

WHEN TRAVELING 10 TO 15 MPH VEHICLE STALLS WHEN SHIFTING GEARS.VEHICLE LOSES ALL POWER. WHEN SITTING AT A STAND STILL VEHICLE STALLS. CONTACTED DEALER. PLEASE PROVIDE VIN. *AK

Structure › Body › Door
Filed Mar 2, 2001OH

DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR IS CRACKING, WILL WINDOW GO ACROSS TO OPENING.*AK

Tires
Filed Sep 7, 2000FL

WHILE TRAVELING AND WITHOUT ANY INDICATION FRONT END OF VEHICLE BECAME UNSTABLE DUE TO TIRE BLOWOUT. *AK THIS HAPPENED ON LEFT FRONT TIRE. ALSO THE ENTIRE TREAD PEELED OFF OF THE RIGHT REAR TIRE. *YH

Tires
Filed Aug 31, 2000AR

TIRE BUBBLE AND CHUNKED OUT/SEPERATED CAN SEE STEEL BELT( DOT NUMBER: W208 TIRE SIZE: P235/70R16 )

Visibility › Defroster/Defogger/Hvac System1 injured
Filed May 26, 1998NY

VENTILATION SYSTEM DRAWS EXHAUST FUMES INTO THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT WHEN VEHICLE IS AT IDLE.

Unknown or Other
Filed Jan 12, 1998TX

CENTER ARM REST LOCKS IN THE UP POSITION BUT NOT IN THE DOWN POSITON.

15 of 15 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 1997
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20006010Routine
199911000Routine
19987000Routine
1997 — this page15000Routine
19947020Routine
19936000Routine
19923010Routine
19911000Routine
19904000Routine

Compare every Pickup year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.