RoadVitals

1997 Ford Motor Home

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

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.
13
Latest Feb 20, 2008
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
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InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
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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.
1

Overview

Our database contains 13 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1997 Ford Motor Home, most frequently naming the tires & wheels, driver assistance and electrical categories. 1 manufacturer communication is on file.

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

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Tires & wheels646.2%
  • Driver assistance215.4%
  • Electrical215.4%
  • Engine215.4%
  • Brakes17.7%

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

Safety recalls

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.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Driver assistance
Filed Feb 20, 2008

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 FORD MOTOR HOME. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR THE VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: CRUISE CONTROL. HE IS DISSATISFIED THAT THE REPLACEMENT PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE. FORD STATED THAT THE PARTS WOULD BE READY IN DECEMBER OF 2007, BUT THE CONTACT HAS YET TO RECEIVE ANYTHING. THERE HAD BEEN NO FAILURE TO DATE. THE RECALL NUMBER AND ENGINE SIZE WERE UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 24,561.

NHTSA ID
10218621
Incident
Sep 3, 2007
Driver assistanceElectrical
Filed Feb 5, 2008

WE RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE ON OUR 1997 FORD RV FOR A WIRING HARNESS IN SEPT. 2007. WE CALLED THE AUTHORIZED DEALER IMMEDIATELY AND WAS TOLD THE PARTS WERE "ON BACK ORDER." WE HAVE STILL NOT RECEIVED REPAIRS. FIVE (5) MONTHS IS AMPLE TIME TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. IN THE MEANTIME WE ARE UNABLE TO USE THE CRUISE ON AN RV. *TR

NHTSA ID
10217025
Incident
Sep 1, 2007
Mileage
50,000 mi
Engine
Filed May 25, 2004

ON MAY 5TH AT A ROUTINE OIL CHANGE THE MECHANIC NOTICED A SMALL AMOUNT (APX. 2 TEASPOON) OF ANTIFREEZE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE OIL PAN. PREVIOUS TO THIS THE OIL HAD BEEN CHECKED & THE LEVEL & COLOR WAS NORMAL. ANTIFREEZE LEVEL WAS NORMAL. DRIVEN 1 MILE HOME TO BE CHECKED OUT COMPLETELY NEXT DAY. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED ENGINE WAS NORMAL & OK. 2.MAY 6, 2004: STARTED ENGINE - TERRIBLE CLUNKING & KNOCKING NOISE. WHITE SMOKING OUT OF TAIL PIPE. DETERMINED BY FORD MECHANIC: ROD WAS BENT & THE CYLINDER SCORED. THE HEAD WAS EXAMINED: HEAD GASKET & INTAKE GASKET NORMAL. NO CRACKS IN HEAD - IT WAS SENT OUT FOR INSPECTION; NO VISUAL OR NON-VISUAL CRACKS IN THE HEAD. MECHANICAL REASON COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. 3B. WE HAD TO HAVE A REMANUFACTURED ENGINE PUT IN. WE WERE UNABLE TO KEEP THE ENGINE. *NM

NHTSA ID
10073122
Incident
May 6, 2004
Mileage
48,523 mi
Tires & wheels
Filed Jul 15, 2002

WHILE DRIVING FRONT LEFT TIRE SEPARATED AND THE LEFT REAR TIRE BLEW OUT. SIZE LT2252/R75, R16 M/S STEELTEX R4S ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT.*AK THIS IS A MOTORHOME ON A 1997 FORD E SUPER DUTY CHASSIS.*JB

NHTSA ID
8013941
Incident
Jan 1, 2002
Engine
Filed Jun 19, 2002
Fire reported

1997 FORD V-10. VEHICLE EXPERIENCED FIRE WHICH STARTED UNDER THE HOOD, POSSIBLY ENGINE RELATED. *TT

NHTSA ID
566280
Incident
Apr 21, 2001
Tires & wheels
Filed Sep 7, 2001

ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT ON A 1997, FORD, SUPER DUTY, LT225/75R16 SIZE, DOT#: VDILIXA386. REAR OUTSIDE DUEL TIRE TREAD SEPARATED FROM INSIDE WHILE DRIVING 45MPH, CAUSING MINOR DAMAGE TO VEHICLE. FIRESTONE WILL BE NOTIFIED.*AK *SLC

NHTSA ID
895951
Incident
Sep 3, 2001
Tires & wheels
Filed Oct 17, 2000

TRAVELING 55MPH WHEN FRONT END BEGAN TO BOUNCE & SHAKE. PULLED OVER & CHECKED. NOTICED THE LEFT FRONT TIRE HAD A WIDE TREAD SEPARATION IN TIRE. IT WAS NOT FLAT. TOOK VEHICLE TO TIRE RETAILER & HAD ALL SIX TIRES CHANGED ON THE MOTORHOME. DO NOT HAVE THE TIRES. FIRESTONE, STEEL TEX, RADIAL LT22575R16 WITH 35,000 MILES ON A 1997 FORD CHASSIS.*AK

NHTSA ID
873218
Tires & wheels
Filed Sep 28, 2000

FIRESTONE STEELTEX RADIAL P225 75 R16 EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION AND CRACKING, CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE LP GAS LINE ON MOTORHOME. *SLC

NHTSA ID
555237
Incident
May 25, 2000

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

16683

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

FALSE FAILURE OF THE VAPOR MANAGEMENT VALVE (VMV). *TT *JB

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.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Ford Motor Home by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2003600
2002100035.4
2001800
2000260034.6
1999260032.0
1998700
1997Viewing130033.7
1996110034.2
1995700
1994900
1993100
1991100
1988200

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.