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.
15
Latest Jan 2, 2006
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.
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.
2
3 injuries, 0 deaths reported
Overview
Our database contains 15 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1997 Ford Pickup, most frequently naming the engine, tires & wheels and steering categories. 1 NHTSA investigation names it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Complaint activity over time
When owners filed reports about this model year
Monthly complaints peaked at 2 in May 2002. Most recent month: 1.View as table
Monthly owner complaints for the 1997 Ford Pickup
Month
Complaints filed
Cumulative
Jan 1998
1
1
May 1998
1
2
Aug 2000
1
3
Sep 2000
1
4
Mar 2001
1
5
Jun 2001
1
6
Sep 2001
1
7
Oct 2001
1
8
Feb 2002
1
9
May 2002
2
11
Oct 2002
1
12
Feb 2003
1
13
Jan 2004
1
14
Jan 2006
1
15
What owners report
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
Engine428.6%
Tires & wheels321.4%
Steering214.3%
Body & structure214.3%
Suspension17.1%
Other / unspecified17.1%
Visibility17.1%
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.
Safety investigations
NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.
THE SECOND-STAGE VEHICLE MANUFACTURER, DURING THE CONVERSION PROCESS, INSTALLS THE PROPANE FUEL TANK ON THE LEFT-OUTBOARD SIDE OF THE VEHICLE CARGO BED IN AN EXPOSED POSITION.THIS LOCATION APPEARS TO BE CONTRARY TO THE NFPA #152 GUIDELINES AND FORD'S BODY BUILDER LAYOUT BOOK - ALTERNATIVE FUELS GUIDELINES.IN A SIDE-SWIPE TYPE OF COLLISION, BETWEEN ONE OF THE SUBJECT CONVERSIONS AND A 1988 INTERNATION TRUCK, THE PROPANE TANK WAS IMPACTED AND THE PROPANE WAS RELEASED.THE RELEASED PROPANE REPORTEDLY IGNITED IMMEDIATELY AFTER IMPACT AND THE DRIVERS OF BOTHE VEHICLES INVOLVED WERE SERIOUSLY BURNED.ONE DRIVER DIED ALMOST INSTANTLY IN THE CAB OF HIS TRUCK AND THE SECOND DIED
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGES
Recent owner complaints
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
PICK UP WONT PASS N.Y.S. INSPECTION ,DUE TO A FALSE READING ON COMPUTER THAT YOUR STATIONS USE ITS COST ME $350.00 SO FAR EVERYTHING SAFETY WISE WORKS PASSES EXCEPT A EMISSION READING , ALL SAFETY THING S PASS . THE TRUCK DON'T SMOKE RUNS GOOD EXCEPT THIS STUPID EMISSION THING THAT READS NOT READY. IT SAYS GO 60 MPH LET COST, THEN SPEED IT UP , NOW YOU KNOW 60 MPH IS PRETTY FAST FOR A TRUCK. I'M A CDL LICENSE HOLDER , AND I'M SRY I'M NOT GOING TO SPEED ON THE RDS IN MY AREA. I'M CERTIFIED TRUCK DRIVER BY THE NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION , WHO EVER CAME UP WITH THIS SHOULD USE THERE OWN CAR FOR WORK AND SEE THE PRICE WE HAVE TO PAY AS A MAINTENANCE WORKER FOR NEW YORK, NEW YORK MADE THIS LAW NOW TELL ME WHAT TO DO IT S BEEN TO SERVICE STATIONS ,DEALERS , AND THEY CANT FIND THE PROBLEM, PLEASE HELP ME WITH THIS SINCE YOU MADE THE LAW. *NM
NHTSA ID
10146684
Incident
Mar 1, 2004
Steering
Filed Jan 12, 2004
WHILE TURNING STEERING WHEEL WOULD BE TOO LOOSE, CAUSING A DISTRACTION TO THE CONSUMER. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM.*AK
NHTSA ID
10053820
Incident
Jan 2, 2004
Mileage
126,000 mi
Steering
Filed Feb 12, 2003
THE STEERING WHEEL COLUMN JOINT BROKE, WHICH CAUSED THE TIRES NOT TO TURN WITH THE STEERING WHEEL.*JB
NHTSA ID
10007126
Incident
Feb 11, 2003
Mileage
124,000 mi
Suspension
Filed Oct 24, 2002
Crash reported1 injury reported
CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING AND NO WARNING THE REAR END WILL SWAY TO THE LEFT AND IT WILL BE HARD FOR THE CONSUMER TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. DEALER NOTIFIED TS
NHTSA ID
8021543
Incident
Oct 10, 2002
Mileage
75,000 mi
Tires & wheels
Filed May 29, 2002
Crash reported1 injury reported
WHILE DRIVING 45-50 MPH AND WITHOUT WARNING LEFT REAR TIRE TREAD SEPARATED, RESULTING IN VEHICLE T FLIPPING OVER ABOUT 4 TIMES. DRIVER SUSTAINED MAJOR INJURIES, AND VEHICLE WAS TOTALED.*AK *MJ
NHTSA ID
8010667
Incident
Apr 23, 2002
Engine
Filed May 15, 2002
CONSUMER STATES VEHICLE IS EXPERIENCING STALLING PROBLEMS, DEALER CAN NOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM. *SLC
NHTSA ID
565775
Incident
Jul 20, 2001
Other / unspecified
Filed Feb 4, 2002
CONSUMER'S HUSBAND WAS DRIVING HOME AND HEARD SOMETHING THAT SOUNDED LIKE A FLAT TIRE. HE ATTEMPTED TO PULL TO SHOULDER TO CHECK. WHILE DOING THIS TIRE CAME OFF TRUCK AND CONTINUED TO ROLL DOWN THE STREET. HUSBAND WAS ABLE TO STOP, BUT AFTER TIRE WAS OFF. HE WAS NOT INJURED. *AK
NHTSA ID
8003492
Incident
Jan 29, 2002
Engine
Filed Oct 1, 2001
VEHICLE WOULD SKIP, MISS, BACKFIRE, AND HAD VERY LITTLE POWER, CONSUMER WOULD HAVE TO TURN THE AC OFF, PUT THE TRANSMISSION IN NEUTRAL, AND REV THE ENGINE, DEALER REPLACED THE MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR DUE TO A RECALL AND STATED THIS SHOULD TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEM, HOWEVER IT HAS NOT, POSSIBLE ENGINE PROBLEM. *SLC
NHTSA ID
563542
Incident
Oct 21, 1999
Compare model years
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
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.