Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Our database contains 25 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1998 Ford Ford Truck, most frequently naming the tires & wheels, engine and body & structure categories. 4 manufacturer communications are on file.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
When owners filed reports about this model year
| Month | Complaints filed | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 1998 | 1 | 1 |
| Feb 1999 | 2 | 3 |
| Oct 1999 | 1 | 4 |
| Jan 2000 | 1 | 5 |
| Aug 2000 | 2 | 7 |
| Sep 2000 | 2 | 9 |
| May 2001 | 2 | 11 |
| Jun 2001 | 1 | 12 |
| Aug 2001 | 1 | 13 |
| Sep 2001 | 1 | 14 |
| Mar 2002 | 1 | 15 |
| Apr 2002 | 1 | 16 |
| Oct 2002 | 1 | 17 |
| Nov 2002 | 1 | 18 |
| Dec 2003 | 1 | 19 |
| Mar 2005 | 1 | 20 |
| Aug 2005 | 1 | 21 |
| Nov 2007 | 1 | 22 |
| Jan 2008 | 1 | 23 |
| Apr 2010 | 1 | 24 |
| Dec 2016 | 1 | 25 |
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
No recalls in our database for this model year
That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
FRAME RUST REAR. SPRING MOUNT BROKE OFF. REAR OF TRUCK LOOSE. REPAIR DONE. DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS TRUCK. LARGE RUST HOLES IN FRAME. ONLY 90000. MILES. *TR
WHILE RIDING BACK HOME FROM WALMART, I HEARD AN EXTREMELY LOUD BOOM THEN IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY A CONSISTENT ROARING LOUD NOISE. FRIGHTENED I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND GOT THE GIRL OUT AND AWAY FROM THE TRUCK BEFORE IT CAUGHT FIRE , BECAUSE OF THE SMOKE. CAUGHT A RIDE HOME AND HAD A FRIEND DRIVE IT TO MY HOME. I TOOK MY CAR TO A FEW SHOPS TO GET AN IDEA OF WHAT WAS WRONG . THERE WASN'T ANY LEAKS PRIOR TO THIS HAPPENING, AND THERE WAS PLENTY OF OIL IN IT TOO. THREE MONTHS BEFORE I HAD OIL CHANGE AND TUNE UP DONE FOR THE TRUCK. THIS TRUCK HAD HARDLY BEEN DRIVEN BECAUSE I HAVE TWO OTHER CAR GOES ON GAS. THE BOSS WHO CHECK THE MOTOR SAID REASON THE MOTOR WENT BAD WAS BECAUSE THE SPARK PLUG DETACHED FROM ITS COMPONENT, WHICH CAUSED THE MOTOR TO THROW A ROD. I WENT TO AUTO ZONE FOR THE BEST GASKETS AND PARTS SO MY TRUCK COULD BE BACK THE SAME AGAIN LIKE BEFORE. I HAD PREVIOUSLY HAD EXHAUST WORK DONE BEFORE THE MOTOR , BY ANOTHER SHOP FOR EXHAUST BECAUSE NOT EVERYONE DOES IT,SO WHEN THE JOB WAS DONE I WOULDN'T HAVE TO STILL WAIT. I JUST WANTED IT LIKE IT WAS BEFORE THE ROD BROKE. THE PROBLEM WASN'T SOLVED RIGHT AWAY BECAUSE I HAD TO FIND A MOTOR FIRST. I MADE SURE I STARTED IT UP DAILY SO BATTERY WOULDN'T DIE. MY TRUCK WAS IN GREAT CONDITION. UNTIL THE SPARK PLUGS RUINED IT. AT THAT POINT THE OIL SUDDENLY WAS BLACK AND BURNT LOOKING. ALSO ONE OTHER TIME I WAS DRIVING FROM OUT OF STATE FAR AWAY WITH MY CRUISE CONTROL WENT OUT AS I WAS DRIVING SEVENTY FIVE . THE CAR SMOKED, BUT I CONTINUED GOING I DIDN'T WANT TO GET STUCK ON THE HIGHWAY. I HAD TO BUY A MOTOR AND PAY FOR LABOR AND PARTS NEEDED. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE I ALMOST CAUSED ACCIDENT WHEN TRYING TO STOP THE TRUCK AND GET OUT WITH THE KIDS. *TR
TRUCK OVER HEATED THE ENGINE COOLANT RESERVOIR IS LEAKING WATER THAT IS THICK AND OILY. OIL IS PASSING INTO RADIATOR A HEAD GASKET REPAIR WAS DONE AND THE RADIATOR WAS FLUSHED. A LOUD CRANK NOISE IS HEARD FROM THE REAR BOTTOM AXLES WHEN I STOP. CONSTANTLY NEEDING JUMP START ENGINE WOULD TURN OFF UNEXPECTATLY WHILE DRIVING NEW BATTERY BUT IT WAS STILL TURNING OFF A RELAY FROM THE DISTRIBUTION BOX WAS REPLACED NEW. *TR
1998 FORD EXPEDITION CAUGHT ON FIRE. ENTIRE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WAS CONSUMED BY FIRE. RECALL WAS COMPLETED ONE YEAR PRIOR TO THE FIRE. *TR
PROBLEM WAS SPEEDOMETER, CRUISE CONTROL, POWER WINDOWS WOULD WORK INTERMITTENTLY. IDIOT LIGHTS ON DASH WOULD COME ON AND OFF. TOOK TO FORD DEALERSHIP. THEY FOUND THAT THE SEAL AROUND THE WINDSHIELD WAS LEAKING AND DAMAGED THE GEM MODULE AND FUSE BOX. DEALER COULD NOT REMOVE WINDSHIELD WITHOUT DOING DAMAGE TO IT. HAD TO REPLACE WINDSHIELD AND MODULES AT A COST OF $1,040. LIVE NEAR MORRO BAY, CA WHERE CLIMATE RANGES FROM 35 TO 85 DEGREES (NO EXTREMES) AND TRUCK HAS ALWAYS BEEN GARAGED WHEN NOT IN USE. NO EXCUSE FOR SEAL TO FAIL. OLD WINDSHIELD WAS FINE. WOULD LOVE TO SUE BUT OBVIOUSLY WOULD BE A HUGE WASTE OF TIME. NEXT TIME, WILL PURCHASE A JAPANESE BUILT TRUCK. *JB
ON FEBRUARY 25, 2005, I WAS TRAVELING 55 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY IN TRAFFIC WHEN MY 1998 FORD WINDSTAR BEGAN TO LEAK OIL AND SLOW DOWN. AFTER SEVERAL NEAR COLLISIONS, I WAS ABLE TO GET TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. I INSTRUCTED EVERYONE TO GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE BECAUSE OF THE SMOKEY SMELL. I THEN CALLED KEYSTONE AAA MID-ATLANTIC MY EMERGENCY ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE SERVICE. NEXT, THE KEYSTONE AAA MID-ATLANTIC TECHNICIAN ARRIVED AND HE COMMENTED ON THE NUMBER OF FORD WINDSTARS THAT HE PICKS UP ON A DAILY BASIS. AFTER OBSERVING MY VEHICLE, HE STATED THAT IT IS PROBABLY A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. I EXPLAINED TO HIM THAT IT COULD NOT BE THE TRANSMISSION BECAUSE I JUST GOT A BRAND ?NEW TRANSMISSION? TWO YEARS AGO. HE THEN TOWED MY VEHICLE TO SPRINGFIELD FORD IN SPRINGFIELD, PENNSYLVANIA (6 MILES AWAY). ON WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2005, I RECEIVED A CALL FROM SOMEONE IN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT OF SPRINGFIELD FORD AND I WAS TOLD THAT I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION AND I WAS LUCKY THAT THE VEHICLE DID NOT CATCH FIRE BECAUSE OF THE LEAKING OIL. INDEED, IF SPRINGFIELD FORD INSTALLED A ?NEW TRANSMISSION? TWO- YEARS AGO AND I NOW NEED ANOTHER ?NEW TRANSMISSION?, IT IS CLEAR THAT THE TRANSMISSIONS FOR THE 1998 FORD WINDSTARS ARE DEFECTIVE. MOREOVER, I WAS ON A BUSY HIGHWAY TRAVELING 55 MPH WHEN THIS SECOND MALFUNCTION OCCURRED. *AK
BOTH REAR TIRES ON VEHICLE CAME OFF WHILE DRIVING. *MR *SC THE CONSUMER STATED HE FELT THE VEHICLE VIBRATE AND MANAGED TO PULL OVER, THE TIRES WERE NOT FOUND. *JB
UNDERSTAND TIRE VALVES ARE BEING LOOKED AT, FORD DEALER IN FT. MYERS REPORTED THEY COULD NOT HELP ME. *DT *TS *NLM **DIMSII IVOQ ENTRY POSTED AFTER 12-12-02 CUT OVER TO ARTEMIS**770146
A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.
PROVIDING QUICKER SERVICE FIX INFORMATION. *YC
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
THE 1998 SBTS CAR VERSION 12.0 CD AND THE 1998 SBTS TRUCK VERSION 10.0 CD BOTH HAVE THE WRONG MONTH PRINTED ON THE LABEL. *YC
WHEELS
THIS BULLETIN MENTIONS HOW SOME HUB O-RINGS MAY BE CUT DURING THE INSTALLATION OF THE WHEELS. *TT
FOR AVAILABILITY OF MAJOR ASSEMBLIES, PLEASE REFER TO THE EXCHANGE PROGRAM GUIDE. *TT
Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Investigations | Issue Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 40.4 |
| 2002 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 36.7 |
| 2001 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 36.0 |
| 2000 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 40.6 |
| 1999 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 41.0 |
| 1998Viewing | 25 | 0 | 0 | 38.8 |
| 1997 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 41.2 |
| 1996 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 36.3 |
| 1995 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 34.7 |
| 1994 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 41.5 |
| 1993 | 7 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1992 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 42.1 |
| 1991 | 9 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1990 | 8 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 1989 | 6 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 1988 | 7 | 0 | 2 | — |
| 1987 | 2 | 0 | 3 | — |
| 1986 | 2 | 0 | 3 | — |
| 1985 | 2 | 0 | 2 | — |
| 1984 | 1 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 1983 | 1 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 1982 | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 1981 | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 1980 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1979 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1978 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1977 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1976 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1975 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1974 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1973 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1972 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — |
| 1971 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 1970 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 1969 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 1968 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 1967 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.