Ford Motor Company: Fuel System, Gasoline › Storage › Tank Assembly
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Jul 15, 1998 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 202,000. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: LIGHT DUTY 4-WHEEL DRIVE PICKUP TRUCKS. IF THE VEHICLE IS OVERLOADED, THE REAR LEAF SPRINGS CAN BE OVERSTRESSED. A FATIGUE FRACTURE OF THE SPRING CAN OCCUR. THE CENTER LEAF OF THE SPRING CAN FRACTURE AT THE FORWARD EDGE OF THE SPRING SEAT AND, IN SOME CASES, CONTACT THE FUEL TANK.
The risk
FUEL TANK CONTACT CAN DAMAGE THE TANK AND RESULT IN FUEL LEAKAGE. FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE CAN RESULT IN A FIRE.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE REAR SPRINGS AND INSTALL AN ADDITIONAL CLIP ON THE FORWARD END OF THE REAR SPRINGS TO PREVENT FUEL TANK CONTACT IN THE EVENT OF A LEAF FRACTURE. ANY FRACTURED SPRINGS WILL BE REPLACED.
2 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 Ford F-150 | 1,381 | 18 | 91 | 83 |
| 1997 Ford F-150 | 2,758 | 26 | 262 | 165 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 98V161000.
Full record for the 1998 Ford F-150 → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →