RoadVitals

1981 Ford F-150 Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
2
Latest Jan 24, 2011
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
2
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1981 Ford F-150, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Reports by component

Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category

  • Fuel system150.0%
  • Tires & wheels150.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Each component in detail

What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words

Fuel system

Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

THERE IS A HOLE IN THE GAS TANK. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK

NHTSA ID 848872 · filed Sep 28, 1999

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Tires & wheels

Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

I PURCHASED FOUR USED SX 5000 STARFIRE (COOPER) 255/70-15 TIRES FOR MY 1981 FORD F-150 IN MARCH OF 2010. THE TIRES WERE MOUNTED TO WHAT I BELIEVE ARE 15X8 STEEL WHEELS BY THE INDEPENDENT TIRE SHOP THAT I PURCHASED THE TIRES FROM. I THEN DROVE FROM SAINT PETERSBURG, FL TO AUSTIN, TX ON THE TIRES WITH NO PROBLEMS. OVER THE NEXT TWO OR THREE MONTHS, I DROVE ABOUT 500 MILES ON THE TIRES WITH NO ISSUES, UNTIL ONE DAY ONE OF THE FRONT TIRES WAS FLAT IN MY DRIVEWAY, WITH THE TREAD SEPARATED IN ONE AREA. I REPLACED BOTH FRONT WHEELS WITH SPARE WHEELS AND TIRES (UNKNOWN EXACT SPECIFICATIONS, BUT SMALLER), AND WITHIN A COUPLE OF WEEKS, ONE OF THE REAR TIRES (AGAIN, IN MY DRIVEWAY) WAS FLAT, WITH THE TREAD SEPARATED. I PLACED TWO OTHER SPARE WHEELS/TIRES ON THE REAR AND PLACED THE SX 5000S IN MY GARAGE. WITHIN A WEEK, THE TWO SX5000S THAT HAD AIR IN THEM HAD BLOWN, AGAIN WITH THE TREAD SEPARATED. THE FAILURES OCCURRED WHEN THE WEATHER OUTSIDE TURNED HOT (SUMMER). TIRE PRESSURES WERE MAINTAINED NEAR (UNDER) THE MAXIMUM SIDEWALL SPECIFICATIONS, AND THE F-150 WAS NEVER OVERLOADED. THE TRUCK IS PRIMARILY USED FOR FAMILY TRANSPORTATION. I CALLED COOPER AT 1-800-854-6288 BECAUSE RECALL # 147 CLOSELY MATCHED THE PROBLEMS I EXPERIENCED, BUT I WAS TOLD MY TIRES WERE MANUFACTURED IN 2003 AND WERE NOT COVERED BY THE RECALL. THE TIRE INFORMATION IS: DOT 3DM2 B7W3903 C14R. I WAS ADMONISHED BY THE COOPER REPRESENTATIVE ABOUT PURCHASING AND USING USED TIRES, BUT GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF ALL FOUR TIRES ESSENTIALLY BLOWING OUT WITH TREAD SEPARATION IN UNEXPECTED FASHION WITHIN A FEW WEEKS (OF SUMMER TEMPERATURES), I FEEL THAT THE UNDERLYING PROBLEM IS THE DESIGN OF THE TIRES, AND NOT THAT THE TIRES WERE ABUSED. UNTIL THE FAILURES, THE AIR PRESSURE IN THE TIRES DID NOT FALL OR RISE EXCEPT DUE TO AIR TEMPERATURES AND DRIVING FORCES, AND THE TREAD LIFE WAS AT LEAST 50%. *TR

NHTSA ID 10378457 · filed Jan 24, 2011

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .