1997 Ford F-150 wheels problems

112 complaints (4% of all complaints for this car). 7 crashes reported.

owner complaints: 112
of this car's complaints: 4%
crashes: 7
recalls: 1

Which part fails

Lugs/nuts/bolts/studs
84
Rim
7
Hub
4
Multi piece
3
Hubcap/cover
1

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 wheels problems in other years

Related recalls

Wheels: lugs/nuts/bolts/studsReported May 13, 1998 · 1,520,000 vehicles affected

What is wrong: Vehicle description: multi-purpose vehicles and light duty pickup trucks. The lug nuts on these vehicles may not create sufficient clamp load allowing wheel movement in relation to the hub/rotor mounting surface.
Risk: This can result in the loosening of lug nuts, stud fatigue failure, and the potential for a wheel separation from the vehicle, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Remedy: Owners of these vehicles will be receiving two notifications. The first notification, which began in may 1998, will provide an interim repair procedure until parts become available. This interim procedure can be completed by owners or their dealers. It specifies that the lug nut torque must be verified to be 100 lbs. Then the lug nuts need to be tightened an additional 1/8 to 1/4 turn more. There will be a second owner notification, which is expected to begin july 20, 1998, under which dealers will inspect the wheel studs and replace the wheel lug nuts.

Recall number 98V095000 · Recall details

Related investigations

Wheel separationOpened December 24, 1997, closed May 29, 1998

By letter dated may 6, 1998, the manufacturer advised the federal safety agency of its decision to initiate a safety recall of approximately 1,520,000 of the subject vehicles, including f-250 light duty trucks, and navigator vehicles built at the norfolk, michigan truck, kansas city, and ontario truck assembly plants between december 1, 1995 and mid-april 1998.the federal safety agency has designated this recall action as campaign number 98v‑095.

EA97027

Wheel separation from vehicleOpened July 14, 1997, closed December 24, 1997

In addition to the a failure report tabulations given above, the manufacturer reported that an additional 33 owner and field reports have been filed which refer to problems (lug not torque loss, lug bolt fracture) that did not involve actual wheel separation, but which may be potentially relevant events.the manufacturer also reported that a total of 815 warranty claims have been filed for repairs potentially related to the matter by purchasing the vehicles back from owners as a goodwill measure.the wheel separations cited in this pe include many which occurred with the vehicle being driven; in these cases some property damage to the vehicle itself almost always resulted from collapse of the suspension .the crash incidents cited in the tabulations above are limited to those incidents in which damage was also sustained by a second vehicle or a fixed object.there are indications that problems of lug not torque retention had been experienced during vehicle final assembly, and failure analyses indicate that lug nut torque loss could result in fatigue failure of the lug bolts. There are also indications that under certain conditions, the lug nuts may be unusually susceptible to over-torquing, resulting in plastic deformation of the lug bolts which in turn, could lead to fatigue failure.due to the open issues and question raised by the pe, this matter has been upgraded to an engineering analysis.

PE97033

What 1997 Ford F-150 owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Apr 12, 2005 · Wheels · 45,000 miles · NH

I have a 1997 f-150 in which I had two wheels rust through so that the tires leaked air. The other two whheels were ex essively rusted as well. The only solution was to replace the 4 wheels. I saw no recalls, so I suspect this is a regional issue ( salt in winter) as I've seen other 1997 f-150s with similar rusted wheels. Please look into this. This should be a manufacturer recall.

Filed Mar 10, 2005 · Wheels · MI

Lugs:nuts came loose on back rear tire.........hub came loose and ruined the wheel pulled in driveway and hub was just hanging there with the loosened lugnuts.had a recall on this problem years ago and had it supposedly fixed....took to ford dealer and was charges $500.00.

Filed Sep 29, 2003 · Wheels · LA

Vehicle's metal wheel rims hold water after it rains.*mr the rims were designed in a way that allowed them to retain water after it rained or came in contact with standing water. This problem caused the rims to corrode and resulted in separation of the rim. The manufacturer was contacted but told the consumer that they were not responsible for the problem.

Filed Jun 3, 2003 · Wheels · IL

While tightening by hand, the lugs: nuts on the front driver and passenger wheels broke off at the studs.

Filed Apr 16, 2003 · Wheels · GA

My right side wheel/the lug/nuts are rusted off and the lug cap completely melted off from where the exhaust comes out from in front of the wheel. The lugs will not tighten on the wheel. I purchased the f-150 truck used and never was notified of a recall on the lug/nuts. The owner before me purchased the truck from john megal dealership in dahlonega georgia.

Filed Mar 17, 2003 · Engine, Tires · MI

Goodyear tire had low pressure, causing them to blowout. In addition, consumer replaced wheels:cap/cover/hub, and exhaust system.

Filed Dec 26, 2002 · Wheels · 35,000 miles · MI

I own a ford f150 truck bopought new in march of 1997. I recently experienced a low tire and the service person said that the wheel was leaking air and showed me the problem. The area around the valve stem was very rusty and was leaking air through the steel material of the wheel. I've never had this happen to any of the many vehicles owned by me in the past. A question to the local dealer indicated no recalls or service bulletins from ford regarding this matter. I consider this to some degree a safety issue since low tire pressure contributes to the possibility of accidents. I have three other wheels that may well be affected. I have yet to contact the company due to the nature of business during the holidays. I will appreciate your consideration of this problem and perhaps investigating whether it is widespread of not. Thanks much for your time.

Filed Aug 9, 2002 · Wheels · WA

Passenger's side rear rim cracked at weld while consumer was driving. Consumer noticed the tire went flat, when pulling the vehicle over. Contacted dealer, and the dealer was not willing to do anything.*ak jlg

Filed Jun 28, 2002 · Suspension, Wheels · TN

Aluminum wheel split down in the middle while going 40-45mph on straight smooth road. Suddenly ther ewas a noise, and the passenger front end fell to the ground. Ford was notified. Please provide more information.

Filed Apr 8, 2002 · Wheels · NY

Insides of the rims are peeling, also sign of cracking are appearing around base of rims. Dealer was notified. Feel free to provide any further information.

Questions about the 1997 Ford F-150 wheels

Does the 1997 Ford F-150 have wheels problems?

Owners have filed 112 complaints about the wheels of the 1997 Ford F-150, 4% of all its complaints.

At what mileage do 1997 Ford F-150 wheels problems start?

Not enough complaints include the mileage to tell.

Was there a recall on the 1997 Ford F-150 wheels?

Yes, 1 recall: 98V095000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.

What year does the Ford F-150 have bad wheels?

The Ford F-150 model years with the most wheels complaints are 1997 (112 complaints), 2016 (53 complaints) and 1998 (44 complaints).