Truck was parked in the parking lot of my place of business for about 2 hours, then caught on fire. It appeared that the fire started in the fuse box under the hood. It melted everything on the left side of the engine. The plastic brake fluid reservoir melted adding brake fluid to the fire. The short caused the battery to get so hot that the plastic casing melted. There was no indication of a problem while driving the vehicle to work.
1997 Ford F-150 electrical complaints
Page 7 of 8: complaints 161 to 190 of 198, newest first, as owners wrote them.
While decelerating or coming to a stop vehicle stalls unexpectedly which causes a loss of power steering/brakes , etc. Please provide further information.
This piece cause stall outs very poor gas milage,enigine too over heat 5 times aday while driving ,makes rough idle and has no power when needed could cause serious reck if you get in a bind on road ,stall outs when taking off from red lights ,personel safety of me and my family is at risk
Battery failed.
Ignition lock cylinder stuck in on position. Unable to start vehicle or shut off ignition. Had to disconnect battery to prevent drain. The plastic slide that activates the ignition switch broke while the ignition was in the "on" position, and the steering wheel lock does not work.
Engine shakes and is not performing on all cylinders due to spark plug failures/rusting that is caused by uninsulated A/C pipe dripping water on to spark plug. Yh
The truck was sitting in the driveway at 5:10 a. M. And was not running .it had not been used for at least 8 hours . Somehow an electrical arch occurred around the starter which caused the truck to start( note: the truck is a manual transmission and was in 1st gear so it wouldn't move.) when the arch ocurred , it affected the starter which caused the truck to crash through the garage . It also toasted the starter .
While driving on the highway, smelled a burning wire odor. Went to start up in the morning and vehicle had no headlights.
Going down the road while it was raining windshield wipers would not work. Then, all at once windshield wipers came on by themselves. Also, while standing outside of the truck horn started to blow on its on. Then, while on the road, horn once again started to blow on its own.
While driving on highway smelled a burning wire odor. Went to start up vehicle in the morning, and no headlights. Circuit breaker was never thrown. Contacted dealer, and he repaired and replaced headlight switch.
A fire started under the hood near the right front wheel well. Just prior I thought I heard the starter but looked outside and saw no one in the truck. Shortly after the fire started. The truck had not been used for 24 hours.
The bad door switch causes the dome light and bed light to stay on until the vehicle reaches about 20 MPH, making it difficult to see when backing up at night. I have talked to other owners of similar trucks who have the same problem.
Starting on 01-09-98 and continuing only in the winter months, my vehicle has failed to start. In all instances the vehicle has been parked overnight in an enclosed garage. In all incidents the battery was completely drained. After the first incident, gordie boucher installed a new battery. On 01-14-98 the vehicle again failed to start as the result of a dead battery. On both occasions the battery was completely drained, to a point where the power door locks would not function. I had no further problems in 1998. On 01-17-99 and 01-18-99 the vehicle again had a dead battery. The vehicle was checked again by gordie boucher however they were unable (again) to find a problem. On 02-16-99 and 02-21-99 and 03-25-99 the vehicle again had a dead battery. On all the above listed dates, all power points (lights (interior/exterior), radio, wipers, fans, etc were turned off. There is no obvious reason for why the battery is being drained, except that something in the system must be failing to shut completely off. My warranty on my truck is up in 05-99 and I need something done to my truck. I contacted the federal safety agency 03-03-99 and filled out the questionaire, but never received a reply. Please help.
Electrical system was defective. When consumer opened the door, the headlights didn't work.
This truck burned down a shop building on 1-6-00.
The ignition key can be removed when the vehicle is in motion. When shutting down the vehicle, the engine stops (of course), however sometime you can restart the vehicle without the key. In other words, I can not be sure that the vehicle is secure all the time, since there are times when it will start and run without the key in the ingnition.
The generic electronic module will cause the power windows/interior lights, and the entie winshield wiper system to fail. The webb ford dealership was contacted, and would not replace this module free of charge because the truck was a few thousand miles over warranty, even though it was only 2 and a half years old. I feel that this is not a wear and tear item and should be replaced as a matter of safety . As a matter of fact, they charged and extra hour (2 total) of diagnostic labor than other dealerships that were contacted. The customer assistance hotline was contacted, and they did not know of any problems with this module. However, I did find out from the nhtsta that there was a service bulletin. I feel that there should be some responsibility accepted by either the dealership or the manufacturer, ford.
Water is leaking into the dashboard, causing windshield wipers/interior lights, and electrical windows not to work. Also, air bag light remains illuminated and other malfunctions occur. The point from where the water is leaking has not been determined.
No summary
While driving at 35 MPH noticed smoke coming out of defroster. Pulled over and the vehicle was on fire.fire department came out and put of the fire.
Initial failure- engine cranks, but wouldn't start. Local dealershjip replaced PCM twice, replaced spark plugs, throttle position sensor, trans shift solenoid, timing cover gasket, radiator.. When vehicle return to customer, it still was not running prope
Driver seat belt does not retract properly, factory wiring harness for trailer has no running lights. 4 wheel drive failure have had in the shop 6 times. Center console does not lock in down position.
Vehicle been experiencing intermittent problem wth cruise control engaging without turning it on. Also, horn would intermittently operate. Dealer/manufacturer notified, and informed consumer that vehicle was not under any recall concerning speed control . Can the federal safety agency provide any additional information.
One week after repair were done same problem arose. No safety defect indicated.
When it rains/misty or foggy the electrical wiring is causing the vehicle to misfire/ backfire and almost stall, which could cause an accident.
Windshield wipers will operate intermittently on their own. Also, starter will make noise as if starting car when already running. Dealer contacted ,and cannot remedy the problems. Problems still exist.
Consumer states the battery drainage continues to occur. Battery was replaced and incident has occurred approximately four times. Dealer contacted and cannot remedy the problem. Problem still exist. Provide further information...
Starter failed.
Came in from the pasture around 7-8:00 p.m. Parked truck under carport. Woke up around 5:00 a. M. And fire was coming out from under both front fender wells and the cab was full of smoke and fire. By the time the fire department got to the house, it was engulfed in flames which resutled in total loss of home and truck. A fire investigator feels the cause of the vehicle fire was caused by a short in the electrical system.
Consumer had taken the vehicle to dealer for repairs of the lugs: nuts:bolts, but dealer did not had the parts to repair vehicle for the first time, and now the vehicle has the same problem. Dealer has been contacted. *ak consumer has became aware of recall 98s14, regarding the lugs/nuts/bolts. Steering not operating properly, it locks up when it rains. Transmission does not operate properly, consumer was informed of recall 97s86, however dealer stated that consumer would have to work with their schedule for repairs. Windshield wipers start by themselves. Turn signals worked too fast, dealer found a loose wire. Brakes did not work efficiently, takes a longer distance to stop. A/c was not cold enough. Serpentine belt was replaced. Door was out of adjustment, making it hard to open from the inside.
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