Owner-reported complaints naming the brake system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1997 Ford F-250 submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 31 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 31, in the owner's own words
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED AFTER MULTIPLE USES, THE BRAKES WENT TO THE FLOOR WHEN PULLING AN RV IN TOWN. THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THE BRAKE FLUID IS BOILING AND THE SYSTEM SHOULD BE FLUSHED, THEN A DIFFERENT TYPE OF BRAKE FLUID PUT IN TO HANDLE THE WEIGHT OF THE RV.
WHIEL THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED FOR A FEW DAYS, A MECHANIC NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE TRUCK. HE OPENED THE HOOD AND THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE FLAMES WERE COMING FROM THE MASTER CYLINDER. AS THE BRAKE FLUID RESEVOIR MELTED BRAKE FLUID IT MADE THE FIRE BIGGER. NO PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE PRIOR TO THE FIRE. NO AFTER MARKET EQUIPMENT. PHOTOS AND INVESTIGATION REPORT MAILED TO BRUCE YORK. *JB
THE BRAKE PEDAL HAD TO BE PUMPED IN ORDER TO GET THE VEHICLE TO STOP. THE FRONT AND REAR ROTORS HAVE BEEN REPLACED 5 TIMES. THE PARKING BRAKE CABLE FAILED AND WAS REPLACED. THE RADIATOR FAILED 3 TIMES AND THE HEATER CORE FAILED. *TS *NLM
MILEAGE IS 113,086. HAVE ABS. BRAKE LINES TO BOTH REAR WHEEL HAVE RUBBED AGAINST MOVING PART OF SHOCK ABSORBERS. THE RUBBER COVERING OF BRAKE LINES IS WORN OFF COMPLETELY AND PART OF METAL IS WORN. FORD DOUBLE INSULATED THE BRAKE LINES SO IT IS CLEAR THEY KNOW THE LINES WERE RUBBING AGAINS THE SHOCK ABSORBERS. IF THESE LINES WERE TO WEAR THROUGH AND FLUID SPRAYED OUT, I DREAD TO THINK WHAT WOULD HAPPEN. TO REPEAT: REAR BRAKE LINES ARE RUBBING AGAINS PART OF SHOCK ABSORBERS, THUS WEARING AWAY ALL THE INSULATION ON LINE.*AK
BOTH REAR BRAKES LINE CONTACT WITH REAR SHOCK ABSORBER, CAUSE BRAK LINES TO WEAR AND LEAK.*AK
THE BRAKE LINE BROKE WHERE IT IS RETAINED BY A CLIP. NO PREVIOUS ROUGH DRIVING OR ABUSE.*AK
VERY INTERMITTENT INCIDENTS OF FALSE ABS CYCLES WHEN BRAKING TO A STOP FROM A LOW SPEED. THIS SEVERELY EXTENDS THE STOPPING DISTANCE WHICH COULD RESULT IN A COLLISION INTO STOPPED VEHICLES. MOST OF THE INCIDENTS HAVE OCCURRED ON DRY PAVEMENT. THE ABS WARNING LIGHT DOES NOT COME ON DURING THE INCIDENTS. THIS SAME PROBLEM IS DESCRIBED IN NHTSA ITEM NUMBERS SB604767 AND SB606515. WILL BE TAKING TO FORD DEALER, BUT IT WILL BE HIGHLY UNLIKELY THAT THEY WILL BE ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK
WHEN APPLYING BRAKES THE BRAKE PEDAL CHATTERS AND DOES NOT STOP TRUCK , ONLY WHEN I LIFT MY FOOT AND APPLY THE BRAKE IT WORKS. *AK
WHEN APPLYING BRAKES REAR END VIBRATES. *AK PARKING BRAKES ARE STICKS ON CAUSING VIBRATION AND INADEQUATE BRAKING. *YH
FRONT BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS ARE PREMATURELY WEARING OUT, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
WHEN TRAVELING AND UPON DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL TO MAKE A NORMAL STOP THE REAR BRAKES LOCK UP, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO GO INTO A SKID, RESULTING IN EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER, PARTS REPLACED. *AK
INTERMITTENTLY ABS LIGHT WILL ILLUMINATE WHILE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. DEALER HAS INSPECTED VEHICLE AND HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, THUS THE PROBLEM CANNOT BE CONFIRMED OR CORRECTED. THE MANUFACTURER WILL BE NOTIFIED. *AK
REAR BRAKES LOCK UP; ABS NOT WORKING PROPERLY; EMERGENY CABLE NOT WORKING PROPERLY.
WHILE GETTING NEW TIRES PUT ON VEHICLE DEALER NOTICED THAT FRONT BRAKE ROTORS WERE CRACKED. DEALER REFUSED TO FIX PROBLEM, EVEN THOUGH CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY.
LEFT REAR DRUM IS OVERHEATING . THE DEALER WAS CONTATCED, AND REPLACED VARIOUS PARTS. OTHERWISE, DEALER INSISTED THAT CAN FIND NOTHING WRONG . *AK
BOTH FRONT ROTOR ASSEMBLIES CRACKED. NLM
WHILE DRIVING ON WET PAVEMENT AT ANY SPEED AND APPLYING BRAKES, THE BRAKE'S FELT LIKE THEY WERE NOT WORKING AND WOULD LOCK UP. ALSO, THE REAR END OF THE VEHICLE WOULD COME OUT FROM BEHIND. *AK
REAR BRAKES WORN OUT. YH
REAR BRAKE FAILURE ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. FINALLY RESULTED IN CRASH. DEALER COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEM. SELF DIAGNOSIS OF RAISING REAR OF VEHICLE WHILE IDLING IN DRIVE WITH REAR WHEELS SPINNING REAR WHEELS COULD NOT BE STOPPED WITH FULL BRAKE PRESSED. NO BRAKING ON REAR WHEELS. DISCONNECTING WIRE TO PROPORTIONING VALVE RESULTS IN NORMAL REAR BRAKE OPERATION. POSSIBLE CAUSE IS EBCM OR PROPORTIONING VALVE.
BRAKES CONTINUALLY FAIL, UNABLE TO FIND PROBLEM.
ONGOING PROBLEM WITH VEHICLE EMERGENCY PARKING BRAKE STICKING IN COLD WEATHER. DEALER NOTIFIED AND HAD REPAIRED AND REPLACED SOME PARTS, AND PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. *AK
BRAKES LOCK UP OCCASIONALLY.
TIRES ARE RUBBING AGAINST THE RIMS, AND THERE IS A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE TIRES WHERE THE BRAKES PADS ARE. AK
WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY REAR ABS BRAKES FAILED, VEHICLE LOST CONTROL, RESULTING IN A CRASH.
BRAKE SYSTEM OVERHEATS AND FAILS.
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .