1997 Ford F-150

IN JULY 1998, FORD SUBMITTED A PART 573 NOTIFICATION TO NHTSA CONCERNING BROKEN REAR SPRINGS ON CERTAIN 1997-98 FORD F150 TRUCKS, WITH FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE.FORD STATED THAT FATIGUE FRACTURE OF THE REAR SPRINGS MAY OCCUR IF THE SPRING ARE OVER STRESSES(SIC) BY VEHICLE OVERLOADING.THE BROKEN PIECE OF THE SPRING LEAF MAY SPLAY INWARD, DAMAGING THE FUEL TANK AND CAUSING FUEL LEAKAGE.FORD ALSO STATED THAT A BROKEN SPRING WOULD CAUSE VEHICLE SAG AND LOSS IN LOAD CARRING CAPABILITY.FORD HAD 43 REPORTS OF FUEL TANK DAMAGE.FORD WILL INSTALL A CLIP ON THE FORWARD END (ONLY) OF THE REAR SPRINGS TO PREVENT FUEL TANK CONTACT IN THE EVENT OF A LEAF FRACTURE.ONLY BROKEN SPRINGS WILL BE REPLACED.ODI HAS RECEIVED THREE REPORTS OF BROKEN REAR SPRINGS ON 1997-98 F150 TRUCKS;TWO OF THEM HAVE TWO-WHEEL DRIVE.A TIRE PUNCTURE OCCURRED ON A FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE TRUCK IN WHICH THE BROKEN MIDDLE SPRING LEAF SPLAYED OUTWARD AT THE REAR OF THE SPRING ASSEMBLY.EIGHT OTHER REPORTS DESCRIBE REAR SPRINGS THAT HAVE MOVED OUT OF POSITION OR BECAME LOOSE; THREE OF THESE REPORTED SOME LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL.CLOSING NOTE: WHILE THERE ISN'T ANY STRONG EVIDENCE THAT THE REAR SPRINGS ARE ONLY BREAKING UNDER CONDITIONS OF OVERLOAD AND SEVERE USE, THE RECALL REMEDY TO PREVENT FUEL TANK DAMAGE MAY BE ADEQUATE AND THERE IS NOT A SIGNIFICANT SPRING FAILURE RATE OUTSIDE THE RECALL POPULATION.THI RQ SHOULD BE CLOSED, SUBJECT TO FUTURE FAILURE OCCURANCES.

One or both of the steel straps holding up the fuel tank and attaching it to the truck frame can corrode and fail (break or separate).If one strap fails, the tank may tilt and drop and possibly contact the road surface.If both straps break, the entire tank may drop to the road.If either failure occurs while the vehicle is being driven, contact with the road can abrade the tank and create a hole from which gasoline can spill.When the tank drops, it remains attached to the vehicle only by the fuel filler hose and/or supply lines, or in rare instances, by the skid plate, if present.In some cases the weight of the tank sufficiently strained the hoses and fittings and caused separation and subsequent fuel leaks from those connections.The fire hazard created by leaking gasoline is increased by the possible presence of sparks created by the metal tank being dragged along the road.Corrosion of the straps appears to be caused by prolonged exposure to road deicers, frequently road salt, used to treat snow or ice covered roads.States in which large quantities of deicers are applied to roads during the winter season (salt belt states) account for the predominant portion of strap failures.Vehicles in these salt belt states are prone to experience corrosion related failures more frequently and earlier in a vehicle?s life cycle.Ford reports approximately 97 percent of reports it received relating to strap failure involve vehicles that were operated in these high corrosion areas, and 95 percent of the reports to NHTSA involved such vehicles.Approximately one-third of F-150 U.S. production was sold in salt belt states.ODI has included in the above counts reports it has received from consumers and reports it has received from Ford in which either the complaint involved confirmed strap corrosion or ODI's assessment of available information suggests corrosion caused the reported problem.Among the incidents reported to NHTSA, 441 involved one or both straps failing due to corrosion, 353 involved the fuel tank dropping and/or dragging on the ground, and 180 involved fuel leakage.ODI has received four reports of strap failure in which the leaking fuel ignited but self-extinguished, and one incident in which fire destroyed the vehicle and injured its driver.Ford reported the same injury incident and three other unique fire incidents, including two in which the leaking fuel ignited and fire destroyed the vehicle.There were no injuries associated with the three unique Ford incidents.Ford has agreed to conduct a recall to repair the subject vehicles.The recall will cover vehicles that were originally sold or are currently registered in salt belt states (regardless of vehicle age).The vehiclesincluded in the recall are those subject vehicles that are, or have ever been, registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, or the District of Columbia.Ford's recall action appears to adequately address the problem at this time.The above vehicle population (1,340,349) includes subject vehicles originally delivered or sold in salt belt states.ODI does not know the current or historical locations of all subject vehicles.According to Ford approximately 73% of the recall population is currently registered (a 27% attrition rate).Ford is also recalling certain MY 1997-1999 F-250 vehicles (under 8,500 GVWR), and MY2002-2003 Lincoln Blackwood vehicles for the same condition, resulting in an estimated 1.1 million total vehicles

One or both of the steel straps holding up the fuel tank and attaching it to the truck frame can corrode and break.If one strap breaks, the tank may tilt and drop and possibly contact the road surface.If both straps break, the entire tank may drop to the road.If either failure occurs while the vehicle is being driven, contact with the road can abrade the tank and create a hole from which gasoline can spill.When the tank drops, it remains attached to the vehicle only by the fuel filler hose and/or supply lines, or in rare instances, by the skid plate, if present.This raises the possibility that the weight of the dropped tank could sufficiently strain the hoses and fittings to cause separation and fuel leaks between those components.The fire hazard created by the leaking gasoline is increased by the possible presence of sparks created by the metal tank being dragged along the road.The sparks could ignite the escaped fuel.ODI has included in its incident counts reports it has received from consumers and reports provided by Ford in which either the complaint involved confirmed strap corrosion or ODI's investigation yielded information that strongly suggests the subject defect as the cause of the reported problem.Among the incidents reported to NHTSA or Ford, 243 involved the fuel tank dropping below the vehicle and/or dragging on the ground, 95 involved fuel leakage, and nine included reports of sparks from the tank being dragged on the road.ODI has received one report of strap failure in which the leaking fuel ignited but self-extinguished.Ford reported another incident in which the leaking fuel ignited and the resultant fire destroyed the vehicle.There have been no injuries associated with these incidents.ODI has received reports of corrosion induced tank strap failures with other model year F-150 vehicles.ODI is upgrading this investigation to further investigate the frequency, severity and scope of this problem.

ON SEPTEMBER 6, 2005, ODI RECEIVED A PETITION REQUESTING THAT THE AGENCY INVESTIGATE ALLEGATIONS OF ENGINE SPARK PLUG EJECTION IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 1997 THROUGH 2004 FORD VEHICLES WITH TRITON V-8 AND V-10 ENGINES.ODI RECEIVED A TOTAL OF 474 NON-DUPLICATIVE COMPLAINTS ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLES WHERE THE COMPLAINANT, OR THE DEALER REPAIRING THE VEHICLE, REPORTED THAT A SPARK PLUG DETACHED FROM THE CYLINDER AND/OR EJECTED FROM THE ENGINE.AS OF DECEMBER 8, 2005, ODI IS NOT AWARE OF ANY ALLEGATIONS WHERE THE ALLEGED DEFECT RESULTED IN A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL, A CRASH, AN INJURY, OR A FATALITY IN ANY OF THE 10,319,810 SUBJECT VEHICLES.IN ADDITION, ODI IS AWARE OF ONLY TWO INCIDENTS WHERE THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT RESTART.INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE ODI CONSUMER COMPLAINTS AND OBTAINED FROM 72 TELEPHONE INTERVIEWS WITH COMPLAINANTS SHOWED THE FOLLOWING:(1) 99% OF THE COMPLAINTS WERE ON MY 1997 TO 2002 SUBJECT VEHICLES.(2) MOST THE COMPLAINANTS REPORTED HEARING A LOUD POP WHILE DRIVING OR UPON STARTING UP THE VEHICLE FOLLOWED BY A LOUD, REPETITIVE CLICKING OR POPPING SOUND.(3) MANY OF THE COMPLAINANTS REPORTED THAT THE POPPING SOUND WAS ACCOMPANIED BY SOME LOSS OF VEHICLE POWER; HOWEVER, IN 99% OF THE INCIDENTS REPORTED, THE VEHICLE DID NOT STALL.IN THE VERY FEW INCIDENTS WHERE THE VEHICLE DID STALL, MOST VEHICLES COULD BE RESTARTED.(4) ONLY A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE COMPLAINANTS CITED THAT THEY SMELLED GAS OR A SLIGHT BURNING SMELL WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED.(5) IN ALL BUT A VERY FEW INCIDENTS, VEHICLE DAMAGE WAS LIMITED TO THE ENGINE.IN ONE INCIDENT, THE COMPLAINT REPORTED THAT THE FUEL RAIL WAS DAMAGED AND REPLACED AFTER ONE OF THE SPARK PLUGS EJECTED FROM THE ENGINE; HOWEVER, THE COMPLAINANT REPORTED THAT THE DAMAGE DID NOT RESULT IN ANY TYPE OF FUEL LEAK OR FIRE.IN ANOTHER INCIDENT, THE ONLY INCIDENT WHERE A FIRE WAS ALLEGED, THE COMPLAINANT REPORTED THAT NO FLUID LEAK WAS OBSERVED, BUT THAT A FIRE RESULTED AFTER THE SPARK PLUG HAD EJECTED FROM THE ENGINE AND HE HAD RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND DRIVEN TO ANOTHER LOCATION.NONE OF THE COMPLAINANTS REPORTED ANY DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE HOOD.(6) ONLY TWO COMPLAINANTS REPORTED THAT THEY OBSERVED WHAT APPEARED TO BE SOME DROPS OF FUEL COMING FROM THE CYLINDER WHERE THE SPARK PLUG HAD FAILED OR ON THE SPARK PLUG ITSELF; HOWEVER, EACH OF THESE COMPLAINANTS REPORTED THAT THERE WAS NO SMOKE OR FLAMES AS A RESULT OF HIS INCIDENT.AS THE PETITIONER NOTED, AND ODI?S ANALYSIS SHOWED, IT IS POSSIBLE FOR A SPARK PLUG TO DETACH FROM THE ENGINE CYLINDER THREADS IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.HOWEVER, ODI?S ANALYSIS OF 474 COMPLAINTS DESCRIBING SUCH INCIDENTS FOUND ONLY A VERY FEW ALLEGED ANY SAFETY-RELATED CONSEQUENCES.NONE OF THESE SHOWED ANY EVIDENCE OF A SERIOUS SAFETY CONSEQUENCE.GIVEN THE LARGE POPULATION AND RELATIVELY LONG EXPOSURE TIME OF THE SUBJECT VEHICLES, THE COMPLAINT ANALYSIS INDICATES THAT THE RISK TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY FROM THE ALLEGED DEFECT IS VERY LOW.IN VIEW OF THE FOREGOING, IT IS UNLIKELY THAT NHTSA WOULD ISSUE AN ORDER FOR THE NOTIFICATION AND REMEDY OF THE ALLEGED DEFECT AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE INVESTIGATION REQUESTED IN THE PETITION.THEREFORE, IN VIEW OF THE NEED TO ALLOCATE AND PRIORITIZE NHTSA?S LIMITED RESOURCES TO BEST ACCOMPLISH THE AGENCY?S SAFETY MISSION, THE PETITION IS DENIED.

The contact owns a 1997 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the transmission hesitated while shifting gears. The contact stated that when the gear changed, the vehicle would jerk. The contact replaced the control sensor however, the failure recurred. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 245,000.

NHTSA ID

11582405

Incident

Nov 1, 2023

Mileage

245,000 mi

on two occasions now while traversing a slight downgrade (approx 8-10mph) applied brake (per pedal) and vehicle failed to stop! (felt as though it was sliding) which it wasn't. continued to roll! after re-gaining composer and control of the vehicle (avoiding any collision) brake system returned to normal !!!!!!!!! different circumstances could have resulted in collision damage,injury perhaps loss of life!! would appreciate any feedback your engineers have to offer in the matter!! i purchased the vehicle in 1998 and currently displays 87!!! k miles.

NHTSA ID

11552635

Incident

Oct 28, 2023

The contact owns a 1997 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while attempting to park the vehicle, the vehicle failed to shift into park(P). The contact stated that when he attempted to shift the vehicle into reverse(R), the vehicle shifted instead shifted into drive(D) and vice versa. Additionally, the contact stated that he had to turn the vehicle off and turn the steering wheel towards the direction of the curb in case the vehicle rolled away, increasing the risk of a crash or an injury. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the shifter cable assembly had detached from the bracket and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 97V171000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall and advised the contact to call the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

NHTSA ID

11541608

Incident

Aug 23, 2023

Mileage

40,000 mi

1997 Ford F150, had recall 25527072 05S28 performed in March of 2006. The switch installed as part of the recall has failed and brake fluid has leaked from the switched and the harness. It is not apparent that the switch is leaking until the harness connector is removed from the switch. The integrity of the brake system is compromised and the previous recall was for fires because of brake fluid in the wire harness. UPDATE 5/11/23 BRAKE SWITCH HARMESS RECALL 05S28 WAS REPLACED WITH A MITORCRAFT PART SW6350 AND CONSUMER IS REQUESTUING REFUND FOR PARTS FROM FORD.

NHTSA ID

11517479

Incident

Apr 1, 2023

I filled the fuel tank and let the vehicle set in my drive over night. In the morning as I was approaching the vehicle in preparation to drive to work, I smelled a strong odor of gasoline. I looked under the vehicle and saw a wet spot about 3 feet in diameter. The wet spot was gasoline. As i was investigating the leak, I noticed the front fuel tank retaining band rusted in two and fuel tank hanging low. Further investigation revealed there was a leak from the fuel pump access seal and hose connecting the filler neck to the tank. I had just driven the vehicle 130 miles the day before filling the fuel tank. If it hadn't been for the leaking fuel, I would have not have discovered that the tank was only secured by one badly rusted retaining band and would have continued to operate the vehicle normally and probably ultimately the second band would have broken allowing the fuel tank to fall from the vehicle. Ford informed there was a recall and the vehicle had been repaired in 2011. I purchased the vehicle in Jan. 30, 2012 and drive it daily.

NHTSA ID

11512219

Incident

Mar 13, 2023

Mileage

205,383 mi

The contact owned a 1997 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked at the residence, the contact noticed smoke coming from the driver's side from the bottom of the front tire. The vehicle then caught on fire. The fire department came to extinguish the fire. A fire report was filed. The cause of the fire was an electrical engine component. There were no injuries and no medical attention needed. The vehicle remained at the residence and was not repaired. The vehicle was deemed a total loss. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.

NHTSA ID

11467315

Incident

May 31, 2022

Mileage

200,000 mi

The contact owns a 1997 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the rear passenger’s side subframe near the axle of the vehicle was severely corroded. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 134,788.

NHTSA ID

11435115

Incident

Oct 1, 2019

Mileage

134,788 mi

MY INTERIOR AND BACK EXTERIOR LIGHTS COME ON AND GO OFF RANDOMLY SOMETIMES WHILE DRIVING ON THE ROADS. THE LIGHT IN THE BACK ABOVE THE TRUCK BED IS BOTHERSOME BECAUSE IT COULD CAUSE ATTENTION OF ANOTHER DRIVER CAUSING A ACCIDENT. MY MOTHER ALSO HAS A FORD F150 THAT DOES THE SAME, HOWEVER HER TRUCK ISN'T THE SAME YEAR.

NHTSA ID

11389085

Incident

Jan 10, 2021

Mileage

84,980 mi

Safety recall 11S21 - Fuel tank strap fracture - requests for recall service action

For 1997-2003 F-150, 2004 F-150 Heritage, 1997-1999 F-250 Light Duty, or 2002-2003 Blackwood vehicles Safety Recall 11S21 has been issued for vehicles that are operated in high corrosion areas for an extended period, where one or both fuel tank straps could potentially fracture. Strap fracture may result in the fuel tank contacting the ground. If the fuel tank contacts the ground and develops a leak while driving, there is a potential for fire.

FORD/LINCOLN: SAFETY RECALL REGARDING HIGH CORROSION AREAS FOR OPERATING, FOR AN EXTENDED TIME, VEHICLES WHERE BOTH OR ONE STRAP OF FUEL TANK CAN FRACTURE, AFTER CONTACTING GROUND. MODEL 1997-99 F250 LD, 1997-03 F150, 2004 F150 HERITAGE, 2002-03 BLACKWOOD. *PE

FORD/LINCOLN: SAFETY RECALL ISSUED DUE TO ONE OR BOTH FUEL TANK STRAPS FRACTURING DUE TO BEING IN HIGH CORROSION AREAS FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD AND DISLODGING FUEL TANK. MODEL 1997-99 F250, 1997-03 F150, 2004 F150 HERITAGE, 2002-2003 BLACKWOOD. *PE

SOME 1997-2008 VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A 4.6L 2V, 5.4L 2V, OR 6.8L 2V ENGINE--SPARK PLUG THREAD REPAIR PROCEDURE--NOT COVERED UNDER NEW VEHICLE LIMITED WARRANTY. *NJ THIS INCLUDES F-53 MOTORHOME CHASSIS. UPDATED 2/23/10. *PE

WDS COP KIT DIAGNOSTIC TIP - COIL ON PLUG (COP) IGNITION SYSTEMS - ENGINE MISFIRE OR ROUGH RUNNING. *TT