RoadVitals

1998 Ford Xl

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.
6
Latest Jul 26, 2014
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.
0
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.
0
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
1 injuries, 0 deaths reported

Overview

Our database contains 6 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1998 Ford Xl, most frequently naming the suspension, brakes and driver assistance categories.

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

  • Suspension333.3%
  • Brakes222.2%
  • Driver assistance111.1%
  • Electrical111.1%
  • Steering111.1%
  • Transmission111.1%

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.

Recent owner complaints

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

SteeringSuspension
Filed Jul 26, 2014

THE TRUCK SQUEAKS SO LOUD AT 0 MPH, JUST SHAKE TRUCK SIDE TO SIDE AND IT SOUNDS TERRIBLE. ITS THE FRONT AND REAR END BUSHINGS DUE WITH SOME STEERING PROBLEMS. THIS IS A MANUFACTURE DEFEAT AND NOT WEAR AND TEAR ON THIS VEHICLE. NOT SURE ABOUT THE SUSPENSION BUT IT PLAYS A ROLE IN THIS WHOLE PROBLEM.. AS I RESEARCHED RECALLS ON THIS TRUCK ABOUT THESE PROBLEMS IT WAS INFACT A RECALL. I HOPE YOU HONOR YOUR RECALL AND FIX THIS PROBLEM EVEN THOUGH ITS A 1998 MODEL. EVERY FORD FROM THAT YEAR I COME ACROSS HAS THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. I KNOW I'M NOT THE ORIGINAL OWNER, BUT MY DAUGHTER-IN-LAW SOLD ME THIS TRUCK WHO WAS THE LAST OWNER AND EXPLAINED TO ME THAT IT WAS A RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM. PLEASE DO THE HONORABLE THING AND FIX THE MANUFACTURE DEFECT. I ASK FOR NO MORE THAN WHAT YALL ACKNOWLEDGE AS A RECALL ON THIS MAKE MODEL AND YEAR. THANK YOU AND HOPE TO HEAR FROM THE MANUFACTURE TO FIX THIS LONG TIME PROBLEM. I'VE INFORMED (PURSUANT TO 49 U.S.C. 30118 (D) OR 30120 (H). ...I'VE SPOKE WITH RECALL MANAGEMENT DIVISION (NVS-215). THIS NOTICE IS SENT TO YOU IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE NATIONAL TRAFFIC AND MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY ACT. *TR

NHTSA ID
10616451
Incident
Jun 20, 2006
Mileage
100,387 mi
Suspension
Filed Sep 29, 2007

AIR COMPRESSOR THAT KEEPS THE AUTOMATIC SELF LEVELING KEEPS GOING ON ,AND SOUNDING VERY LOUD . MY TRUCK IS GOING DOWN IN THE REAR END, NOW IT DOES NOT WANT TO WORK, I CHECKED THE FUSES AND THEY WERE OK . NOW I HAVE NO POWER GOING TO THE AIR COMPRESSOR OR ANY POWER TO THE AIR BAG SOLENOIDS ,SO NOW I'M RIDING ON THE REAR END AND ITS NOT SAFE!! *TR

NHTSA ID
10204455
Incident
Nov 26, 2006
BrakesSuspensionTransmission
Filed Sep 3, 2005

ON 5/25/2003 I PURCHASED A 1998 FORD XLT [XXX] AT THE TIME I COULD NOT AFFORD A EXTENDED WARRANTY BUT THE DEALER STATED THAT IT HAD A WARRANTY LEFT OF EITHER 1 MONTH OR 1000 MILES LEFT ON IT. THIS SUV TURNED OUT TO BE A NIGHTMARE BY JULY 2ND 2003 I HAD TO PUT NEW BRAKES ON IT WHICH IN TURN SET ME BACK $600.00 ALSO MY SUSPENSION LIGHT KEPT GOING ON I ALSO WAS STARTING TO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH TRANSMISSION ON 8-15-03 I TOOK MY SUV TO AAMCO AND PAID $2712.85 FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION I CALLED STEVENS CREEK NISSAN TO SEE IF THEY COULD HELP ME AT LEAST PAY HALF BUT TO NO AVAIL THEY SAID NO TOO BAD. FURTHER MORE BY PAYING ALL THIS MONEY OUT I GOT BEHIND ON MY CAR PAYMENTS AND TO NO AVAIL IN NOVEMBER 2004 MY SUV GOT REPO . PLEASE HELP I FEEL THAT STEVENS CREEK NISSAN SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST PAID HALF. I HAD ONLY HAD THE VEHICLE FOR 8 WEEKS BEFORE I STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH IT. NOW MY CREDIT IS EVEN BLEMISHED MORE THAT WHAT IT SHOULD BE. DISAPPOINTED IN SAN JOSE. *JB UPDATED 07/19/2012 INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID
10135247
Incident
Jul 2, 2003
Mileage
5,200 mi
Brakes
Filed Aug 8, 2005
Crash reported1 injury reported

MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING OUR 1998 WINDSTAR IN EARLY JUNE 2005.. SHE STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, STARTED UP AND DROVE 1/4 MILE OR SO AND THEN STARTED TO BRAKE AGAIN TO AVOID HITTING STOPPED CARS IN FRONT OF HER. THE ENGINE LIGHT FLASHED FOR A MOMENT, AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. SHE EXPERIENCED TOTAL SYSTEM FAILURE. SHE COULD NOT AVOID HITTING THE CAR IN FRONT OF HER. THAT CAR HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF IT. THE CAR WAS TOTALED! THIS IS THE SECOND TIME TOTAL FAILURE OCCURRED. THE BRAKES HAD BEEN REPAIRED IN JANUARY 2005. IN APRIL 2004, THE ABS SYSTEM FAILED AND I NARROWLY AVOIDED AN ACCIDENT AT A STOP SIGN. BOTH THE MASTER CYLINDER AND THE MODULE WERE REPLACED. THIS COST A SMALL FORTUNE. BRAKE PADS HAD TO BE REPLACED ONCE A YEAR OR MORE DURING THE ENTIRE TIME WE OWNED THIS VEHICLE. THERE IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM WHEN BRAKES ARE NOT NEGLECTED AND STILL FAIL COMPLETELY. THIS ACCIDENT LEFT MY DAUGHTER, WHO WAS EXPECTING A BABY, BRUISED AND BATTERED. SHE ALSO EXPERIENCED AIR BAG BURNS THAT HAVE LEFT HER ARMS SCARRED. *JB

NHTSA ID
10131953
Incident
Jun 9, 2005
Mileage
20 mi
Driver assistance
Filed Jun 4, 2004

WHILE DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IT DESCENDED TO THE FLOORBOARD. THIS CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO SLOW DOWN. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE ,AND PULLED OVER. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK

NHTSA ID
10075719
Incident
May 25, 2004
Electrical
Filed Oct 4, 2002

HORN OPERATES INTERMITTENTLY. DEALER NOTIFIED. *MR

NHTSA ID
8020202
Incident
Sep 26, 2002

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Ford Xl by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
1998Viewing600—
1968010—

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.