While driving down the road at 35 MPH with no load and nothing in tow the sub-frame cracked on both the driver and passenger side. On the driver side it cracked behind the rear tire. On the passenger side it cracked in front of the rear tire. The vehicle bowed and smashed the top of the bed into the back of the cab. Mechanic advised the frame deteriorated and cost of frame replacement would exceed the replacement of the vehicle.
1997 Ford F-150 suspension problems
203 complaints (7% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 86,335. 2 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 203
- of this car's complaints
- 7%
- typical mileage
- 86,335
- crashes
- 2
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Front: springs: torsion bar42
- Front35
- Rear: springs: leaf spring assembly31
- Rear21
- Rear: springs: leaf spring assembly: leaf12
- Front: control arm: lower ball joint8
- Front: control arm7
- Front: stabilizer bar5
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Ford F-150 suspension problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 1997 Ford F-150 suspension
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Rear suspension spring breakage
In july 1998, ford submitted a part 573 notification to the federal safety agency concerning broken rear springs on certain 1997-98 ford f150 trucks, with four-wheel drive.ford stated that fatigue fracture of the rear springs may occur if the spring are over stresses(sic) by vehicle overloading.the broken piece of the spring leaf may splay inward, damaging the fuel tank and causing fuel leakage.ford also stated that a broken spring would cause vehicle sag and loss in load carring capability.ford had 43 reports of fuel tank damage.ford will install a clip on the forward end (only) of the rear springs to prevent fuel tank contact in the event of a leaf fracture.only broken springs will be replaced.odi has received three reports of broken rear springs on 1997-98 f150 trucks;two of them have two-wheel drive.a tire puncture occurred on a four-wheel drive truck in which the broken middle spring leaf splayed outward at the rear of the spring assembly.eight other reports describe rear springs that have moved out of position or became loose; three of these reported some loss of vehicle control.closing note: while there isn't any strong evidence that the rear springs are only breaking under conditions of overload and severe use, the recall remedy to prevent fuel tank damage may be adequate and there is not a significant spring failure rate outside the recall population.thi rq should be closed, subject to future failure occurances.
RQ98022
Independent front suspension torsion bar
Three consumers have reported failure of one of the two front suspension torsion bars in the subject vehicles.in one case the failure occurred while the vehicle was in operation, and the vehicles were parked when the other two failures occurred.no crashes have been reported.torsion bar failures are considered to be fairly uncommon and in each of the reported cases, the failures occurred at relatively low mileages.the failures are also reported to have occurred in a common location, approximately six inches from the control arm.a preliminary evaluation has been opened to evaluate the scope and potential safety related consequences of these failures.
PE98009
What 1997 Ford F-150 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Rear shock mount connected to frame rusted and broke off.
I noticed extreme rust that has eaten away parts of frame and suspension.
I was driving home from town when all the ball bearings fell out of the steering column and the steering wheel became loose and the truck began to sway from right to left, it was controllable at the low speed I was going but thank god I wasn't on an interstate or highway at a higher speed I could have run off the road or worse had a head on collision ! The truck has not left my property since but I still have to keep full coverage insurance and tagged for insurance purposes and a lien from my bank on it,I have also replaced the starter on it eight (8) times the parts are very cheap but it has an airbag and my local ford dealer gave me an estimate of 200.00 two hundred dollars to replace two six and seven dollar bearings. When the incident happened I had no idea what happened since the ball bearings are very tiny and are hard to see and it took a long time to figure out what happened my truck just sits there all this time because im afraid of someone getting hurt seriously or killed because im afraid of losing control on the steering. I have been driving since I was sixteen and was a big truck driver from 1979 to 1996 till I became ill but I would never drive a vehicle with steering problems, thank you
Rear springs, rear buckle rear springs were completely rusted through. Garage that repaired the items indicated that they have fixed a very large amount of ford trucks with the same issues. This seems to be an issue that warrants some investigation. Note that the truck gasoline tanks also rusted through, failed and resulted in the tank falling out of the truck while underway. This was fixed, albiet after 3 years, by a ford recall that was initiated this year.
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 ford f-150. While driving over a bump at 30 MPH, the contact heard a loud noise and noticed that the rear driver's side coil spring failed and was striking against the tire. The manufacturer stated that his VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign id number 98v161000 (suspension: rear: springs: leaf spring assembly). If the contact repairs the vehicle, the manufacturer will offer a two month warranty for the rear spring. The vehicle has not been repaired. The failure mileage was 100,000 and current mileage was 126,000. Updated 06/12/09 *bf updated 06/16/09
1) driving low speed residential 2) middle leaf spring rear driver side broke, moved forward over time and swung into tire side wall destroying tire. Recall the federal safety agency # 98v161000 had been performed in 1998 to correct this potential failure. Further inspection revealed the opposite side leaf spring is broken and could do the same thing or puncture the fuel tank. 3) both rear leaf spring sets need replacement and left rear tire needs replacement.
Dt:the contact stated the middle leaf spring broke in the rear of her vehicle. The first time it broke was on the left side, it punctured a tire. The tire went flat while the truck was sitting. The leaf spring was repaired at this time by a certified mechanic. The second time was the right side leaf spring; while driving she heard a clunking sound, stopped the vehicle to inspect the noise, and noticed the leaf spring h broke. It was repaired by certified mechanic. Contacted ford , there was a recall on the leaf springs, but did not include this vehicle due to VIN.
Dt: the rear end is making a whining noise. The tires on the vehicle are starting to separate. The tires are brand new put on march 21, 2003. The tires are ameritrac general, p255/70r16. The consumer can not locate the number for the tire company. Therefore, he cannot contact them. The dealership states that he will have to pay for the diagnostic to find out what is wrong with the rear end. The consumer's mechanic states that the bearings on the rear end are bad due to bad casing; it will not align itself up with the transmission. Also, cruise control stopped working at the same time that the whining started. The mechanic states it will not ground in order to make it activate the switch. Consumer has contacted ford, and was advised to take the vehicle in. When he called to take the vehicle in he was told he will have to pay for a service that should have been done before he purchased the vehicle. Consumer states that the vehicle has been sitting in driveway for six months, because it is unsafe to drive. When stepping on the brakes there is a mushy feeling, and the front end shakes and shimmies.
1997 ford f150 tie rods are extremely loose.***no answer required***. *mr it was demonstrated to the consumer that the ball end could be pulled out of the socket with bare hands. The socket was made of rubber.
Questions about the 1997 Ford F-150 suspension
Does the 1997 Ford F-150 have suspension problems?
Owners have filed 203 complaints about the suspension of the 1997 Ford F-150, 7% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 1997 Ford F-150 suspension problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 86,335 miles.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Ford F-150 suspension?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Ford F-150 have bad suspension?
The Ford F-150 model years with the most suspension complaints are 1997 (203 complaints), 1998 (132 complaints) and 2004 (118 complaints).
Other 1997 Ford F-150 problems
Engine 544Tires 303Fuel system 246Brakes 231Body 224Acceleration 221Steering 202Electrical 198Transmission 150Visibility 148Wheels 112Airbags 99Lights 56Seat belts 38Locks 14Seats 7Driver assistance 2
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