1998 Gulf Stream Ultra Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1998 Gulf Stream Ultra, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Tires & wheels266.7%
- Engine133.3%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
2 INCIDENTS SUNDAY JULY 2ND. I355 NORTHBOUND. RIGHT OUTER TIRE BLEW. PULLED OFF AT KIRCHOFF. CHECKED TIRE SECURED VEHICLE AND DROVE TO WOODFIELD MALL TO SEARS AND PURCHASED NEW TIRE. CALLED INSURANCE COMPANY DAMAGE FROM THE EXPLODING TIRE $2800.00 PLUS. 2 PEOPLE IN RV AND 4 DOGS. NO INJURIES. FRIDAY JULY 14TH. I88 WESTBOUND. LEFT INNER TIRE BLEW. PULLED OVER SECURED VEHICLE. WE WERE AT THE PEACE ROAD EXIT. TOOK SAME DROVE TO TIRE STORE THEY DID NOT HAVE A TIRE PROCEEDED ANOTHER 2 MILES TO FARM AND FLEET. PURCHASED 2 NEW TIRES. NOW HAVE ALL 4 NEW TIRES ON RV. CALLED INSURANCE COMPANY ESTIMATE PENDING AT THIS TIME. 3 PEOPLE IN RV AND 5 DOGS. NO INJURIES. THE TIRES THAT EXPLODED ARE FIRESTONE STEELTEX RADIAL R4S, DOT #VD1L1XD367, SIZE 225-75R16, MILES ON TIRES 33,300. WE HAVE THE DAMAGED TIRES. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE TREAD OF THESE TIRES SEPARATED LEAVING THE STEEL BELT EXPOSED. BOTH SERVICE FACILITIES, SEARS AND FARM AND FLEET INDICATED THAT THIS WAS AN UNUSUAL WAY FOR A TIRE TO COME APART. THE VEHICLE IS A 1998 FORD GULFSTREAM ULTRA [XXX]. THE TIRES WERE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT WITH THE RV. IT SHOULD ALSO BE NOTED THAT WE STILL HAVE 2 OF THESE ORIGINAL TIRES ON THE RV (FRONT TIRES) WE ARE OBVIOUSLY CONCERNED THAT THESE 2 WILL ALSO EXPLODE. CURRENTLY WE ARE NOT DRIVING THE RV AS IT IS IN THE SHOP AWAITING THE 2ND ESTIMATE. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO SEND AN INSPECTOR OUT AND VIEW THE RV AND THE DAMAGED TIRES. *NM UPDATED 07/12/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
WHILE DRIVING THREE REAR TIRES BLEWOUT, CAUSING MAJOR DAMAGE TO VEHICLE. SIZE LTR22575R16, MODEL LTXM-S. ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT. *AK DOT # VDIL 1XD O58 DA 1080 F DO6 AND VDIL 1XD 058 DA 180 F 201L. *YH
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
WENT OUT TO START THE MOTOR HOME ONE DAY AND THERE WAS A CLANKING SOUND FROM THE ENGINE. CALLED THE SHOP AND THEY TOWED THE VEHICLE IN. THEY REMOVED THE ENGINE AND FOUND THAT COOLANT OR FUEL HAD ENTERED THE CYLINDER AND CAUSED THE ROD TO BEND, THE PISTON TO BREAK, AND SCORED THE CYLINDER BLOCK. THE WHOLE ENGINE HAD TO BE REPLACED. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .