The engine developed a severe knock when started one morning. The problem was a complete failure at the main crankshaft, severe wear at valve assembly, and corrosion throughout cooling chambers. Ford did a recall on the head gasket the year before, changing head gasket, hoses, & coolant. The truck is uses by house wife driving the children to school. Even though others have reported of same engine failure on 4.2l, ford denies any problem. 5 months later while the truck while the truck was sitting in the driveway, the engine wiring caught on fire, melting the plastic master cylinder, fueling the flames to melt all circuities and plastic. The ABS lamp had lit earlier in the week, added brake fluid to reservoir, and the lamp went out. Independent fire investigator says evidence points to a defect in the ABS/master cylinder wiring in the engine compartment. *ts *jb ***dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12-12-02 cut over to artemis***762417
1997 Ford F-150 brakes complaints
Page 4 of 9: complaints 71 to 100 of 231, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Gas and brake pedals are too close together, when stepping on brakes, the brakes go below the gas pedal, making it difficult to stop vehicle.*ak consumer states it has been this way since purchase.
Steering column broke while consumer was driving, consumedr lost control of vehicle which ran into a dirt bank. Contacted dealer who was not willing to do anything. *ak consumer stated that while driving at 26 MPH on a dirt road, a deer ran out of the woods, he hit his brakes and heard a popping sound and had no control of the truck, also the steering was not responding with the turn of the wheel. Consumer was injured.
Consumer states that every few days the brakes will fail, when the brake pedal is depressed, the pedal stops midway and can only be depressed further by applying extreme pressure, therefore causing no braking action, consumer feels the problem is with the ABS.
Sudden, total brake failure.
I have replaced the speed sensor on the driver side. I now have a leak from the ABS unit where the lines leave going to the brakes. I am trying to find out if there have been any other reported problems with other 1997 f150 trucks.
Stress cracks inside of frame of driver's side door and passenger's side door. Also, ABS braking system isn't operable, and brake pedal goes all the way down to the floor. Dealership is aware of problem.
Consumer was traveling 50mph, just came though a four way stop, entered intersection, and rear in came apart/ brakes went to the floor , and ABS braking system malfunctioned. Vehicle started sliding ,and brake pedal went all the way to the floor.
Brakes lock up and make truck skid out of control when the truck is cold and the weather is wet.
Intermittently when brakes are applied pedal is normal, but there is extended stopping distance. However, problem still exists. Please provide additional information.
Under wet conditions consumer applied brakes and braking system locked up, causing vehicle to slide. Also, it seemed that brakes would not immediately release when brake pedal was released. Dealership has not examined vehicle, and a local jiffy lube could not find anything wrong with brake system. Please provide any additional information/attachments.
The brakes wore out prematurely and the repair shop said that the original equipment rotor discs were already under (less than) specification when manufactured (ie. The incorrect spec. Was installed). Also, the rear anti-lock brakes do not work. Independently or combined, these conditions have resulted in poor braking resulting in numerous running of stop signs and near rear end collisions with vehicles or collisions with curbs, signs, etc.
Abs light stays on, ever since wiring replacement, however during a road trip in dec 2000 lights went out.
While driving would step on brakes and left rear tires locked. Consumer was told that defect on vehicle had been rear axle seal that when raining could lock up. *ak consumer states that affected brakes were saturated with lubricant and would do nothing when activated.
I have had to replace the multiswitch twice now. I am now on the third one already. As far as the front wheel hubs, the clearance is insufficient to allow for normal corrosion. Any front brake job requires that the hubs also be replaced as they are damaged when removed. All of my work was done at a ford dealership.
Recall 96v184000; while traveling 35-40mph vehicle went through a stop sign and struck another vehicle. Brakes have failed on several occasions before and after incident.
Brakes started to squeak and vehicle was taken to dealer. Was told that rotors for front brakes failed due to rust. 2. Front seatbelts did not latch into buckle intermittently, causing loss of protection. *ak
When driving at 30 MPH, right side brake rotor which is attached on hub has separated, causing vehicle to sway to one side, and almost resulting in a near accident. Consumer has contacted dealer. *ak
I was driving 25 MPH and tried to stop. I pushed my brakes the brake pedal went clear to the floor and did nothing, I pushed them a second time and the same thing happened. The third time I pushed the brakes they worked. But it was to late. I ran right into another vehicle. I had my breaks looked at three times and each time they said that they checked out okay. If it was really okay how come my brakes didn't work?
Brake pedal is very inconsistant, and pedal will go almost to the floor, also the brake pedal never feels like a good pedal. The brakes give a very unsafe feel at all speeds, the dealer was informed of my problem, they looked at them and informed me that it was a known problem and that the brakes in the expeditions were the same way, however they said there was nothing they could. After speaking with ford's cutomer service they informed me that if I felt safety was a problem to take it back the the dealer. No success again, I then had a brake safety inspection completed at a local maintence facility and they could not find anything that appeared wrong however agreed that the brakes were insufficient for safe stopping. I then wrote ford customer service informing them of my complete dissatisfaction in the brakes and asked for any options that may be available to fix the problem and have not received a response as of 10 months later. I truely hope that your offices can be of assistance, I honestly feel that my safety and my family's safety is at risk each time I drive the vehicle.
Consumer was traveling 45mph & hit a bump while braking and anti-lock braking system shut down. Consumer coasted 600feet before bringing it to a stop. This has happened before & after . Was somewhat warned, but could determine cause. *ak the switch on the rear end is a possible cause of the problem. When the vehicle has a load, the problem goes away.
Driver side rear brake line experienced leakage which caused momentary brake loss. Dealer notified, and made repairs under warranty. Please feel free to provide any further details on this matter.
I had experienced a loss of brakes on three or four different occasions. I brought vehicle to manufactures service represenative. I explained I loss my brakes for a short momment and then they return. With the most recent occurance the ABS light came on. This did not happen in previous incidences. They checked the ABS system found no errors, they checked the brakes no problems. They couldn't find anything, I had to speek with the service tech directly giving more of a detail of what happens. They came back and found the master brake cylinder was leaking causing the intermittent (extremely random) failure. They charged me for the repair (no problem). I called ford motor direct and asked to be refunded my repair cost because I did'nt think a master brake cyclinder should be failing @ 38k. They were very professional and had no objections, they agreed totally (they paid me for the repair). A week later, this morning I almost crashed into a semi. The end of my road has a stop sign conecting to a major highway. When I proceeded to use my brakes to stop the vehicle did not stop! The brake problem was back. This incident was the worst of the brake failures, I literally almost got crushed by the semidid. I called the manufactures service rep. They told me they thought they had the fix with master cycliner, obviously it was not the fix. I asked what they thought it could be they had no clue! I have an appointment this monday with the shop to see if they can find the cause one more time. I stress, this problem is extremely dangerous. When one losses his brakes you loss total control. I hope this information can help save a life some where. Thank you
When braking vehicle will bounce. Dealer has attempted to fix defect 3 times by replacing drums/ rotors. But defect kept reoccurring. Dealer stated that it was common that rear drums gets hot and become out of round. Please provide further information.
Driving at 30-35 MPH when left brake calipier locked up causing rim and rotor to get red hot. Consumer stated that if he was driving at a higher rate of speed tire would have blown out.
Defective front rotors, causing vehicle to vibrate when brakes are applied. Dealer notified, and informed consumer that rotors needed to be turned. Consumer refused, would like replacement instead. Please feel free to provide any further details.
This pickup truck does not brake properly. The brake pedal must be depressed very hard and even then, the braking time and distance is very poor. This problem is even worse and more dangerous when hauling a boat or other trailor. On numerous occasions I have almost hit someone and have ran through stop signs because of the poor braking. I don't believe that the anti-lock brakes work at all. I recently had my brake pads replaced and the dealer told me that he has seen similar problems, however, when the rotors are replaced the braking is much better. The specs. On the original rotors are different than the replacements. I believe that the original rotors are not the correct thickness and therefore the braking is very poor. I have to believe that ford f150s with these braking problems are getting into accidents, some resulting in injury and death. Something needs to be done now. I don't trust that ford would volunteer this information and have a voluntary recall. Please advise.
The original rear sliding glass window leaked and was replaced under warranty (less than 36000 mi.). The replacement window eventually leaked too, so it was defective also. The front brake pads wore out and scored the rotors. The repair shop indicated that they could not turn/repair the rotors because they were under specification. Further investigation indicated that the replacement rotors for this vehicle have a different thickness specification. The original rotors are either not the correct thickness or have an incorrect specification. The brakes have never seemed to perform properly. Brakes must be applied very hard and even then the vehicle does not stop very quickly.
No summary listed for above vehicle.
The emergency / parking brake cable has broken for the second time (previous break reported to the federal safety agency in 1997 / 1998) break was aprox 7" from pedal end of cable (same place as before). Replacement part # f65z-2853ba $32.78. Suspect cable is not the problem but the pedal assembly could be designed / manufactured incorrectly causing cable to be pinched / chaffed. I was just lucky that the cable snapped when I was on the flat and not in my inclined driveway! Still have cable if you wish to inspect it, will gladly send it to your engineers just give me an address.
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