1998 Ford F-150 engine problems

187 complaints (14% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 95,000. 1 crash reported.

owner complaints: 187
of this car's complaints: 14%
typical mileage: 95,000
crashes: 1
recalls: 0

Which part fails

Engine
59
Engine: gasoline
40
Cooling system
11
Exhaust system: manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
10
Exhaust system
4
Exhaust system: emission control: catalytic convertor
2
Engine: gasoline: belts and associated pulleys
2
Exhaust system: emission control: gas recirculation valve (EGR valve)
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 engine problems in other years

Specific symptoms reported on the 1998 Ford F-150 engine

Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.

Engine failure 39 Knocking 26 Overheating 20 Won't start 16 Stalling 14 Check engine light 8 Loss of power 8 Misfire 5

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

Related investigations

Spark plug ejection from cylinder headOpened September 22, 2005, closed January 4, 2006

On september 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or ejected from the engine.as of december 8, 2005, odi is not aware of any allegations where the alleged defect resulted in a loss of vehicle control, a crash, an injury, or a fatality in any of the 10,319,810 subject vehicles.in addition, odi is aware of only two incidents where the vehicle stalled without restart.information contained in the odi consumer complaints and obtained from 72 telephone interviews with complainants showed the following:(1) 99% of the complaints were on my 1997 to 2002 subject vehicles.(2) most the complainants reported hearing a loud pop while driving or upon starting up the vehicle followed by a loud, repetitive clicking or popping sound.(3) many of the complainants reported that the popping sound was accompanied by some loss of vehicle power; however, in 99% of the incidents reported, the vehicle did not stall.in the very few incidents where the vehicle did stall, most vehicles could be restarted.(4) only a small percentage of the complainants cited that they smelled gas or a slight burning smell when the incident occurred.(5) in all but a very few incidents, vehicle damage was limited to the engine.in one incident, the complaint reported that the fuel rail was damaged and replaced after one of the spark plugs ejected from the engine; however, the complainant reported that the damage did not result in any type of fuel leak or fire.in another incident, the only incident where a fire was alleged, the complainant reported that no fluid leak was observed, but that a fire resulted after the spark plug had ejected from the engine and he had restarted the vehicle and driven to another location.none of the complainants reported any damage to the vehicle hood.(6) only two complainants reported that they observed what appeared to be some drops of fuel coming from the cylinder where the spark plug had failed or on the spark plug itself; however, each of these complainants reported that there was no smoke or flames as a result of his incident.as the petitioner noted, and odi?s analysis showed, it is possible for a spark plug to detach from the engine cylinder threads in the subject vehicles.however, odi?s analysis of 474 complaints describing such incidents found only a very few alleged any safety-related consequences.none of these showed any evidence of a serious safety consequence.given the large population and relatively long exposure time of the subject vehicles, the complaint analysis indicates that the risk to motor vehicle safety from the alleged defect is very low.in view of the foregoing, it is unlikely that the federal safety agency would issue an order for the notification and remedy of the alleged defect at the conclusion of the investigation requested in the petition.therefore, in view of the need to allocate and prioritize the federal safety agency?s limited resources to best accomplish the agency?s safety mission, the petition is denied.

DP05005

What 1998 Ford F-150 owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Jun 3, 2019 · Engine · 95,000 miles · LA

Faulty intake manifold gasket leaking coolant in piston bore hydrolocked motor over night

Filed Apr 2, 2016 · Body, Engine · KY · fire

Was parking truck and before I even knew it the whole truck was on fire ! No not know what cause it.

Filed Feb 4, 2016 · Engine · 60,000 miles · TX

Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford f-150. While driving 30 MPH, the vehicle lost power and the check engine warning light illuminated. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the passenger side cylinder head needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 60,000.

Filed Mar 12, 2015 · Engine · 92,435 miles · NV

I have a 1998 ford f-150 v6 4.2 liter with 92435 original miles. I woke up this morning and started my truck up and there was a loud knocking coming from the motor. My anti-freeze was low. I now have the same problem as earlier posts of a bent rod and need a new motor. I believe ford motor company should have had this motor recalled and properly fix the problem. Glad they have the job because I am about to losing mine. Walking 6 miles to work today.

Filed Aug 1, 2014 · Engine · 77,000 miles · MI

Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford f-150. The contact stated that the vehicle leaked anti freeze into the number two cylinder as a result the engine blew apart. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 77,000.

Filed Jul 24, 2014 · Engine · 150,000 miles · AL

Traveling home towing my boat and another spark plug blows out. Tried to fix on the side of the road for 3 hours in 90 degree heat. Had to wait to get my truck towed and then another for my boat.

Filed Jul 24, 2014 · Engine · 90,000 miles · AL

I was driving down the road and my spark plug blows out. It left me stranded on the side of the road.stranded. Then you have a cost of towing the vehicle somewhere. Then the repair cost.

Filed May 13, 2014 · Engine · 145,555 miles · TN

I have now had 3 spark plugs eject themselves from the motor. To me there is a risk of fire being that the plug is exposed as well as fuel/fuel vapors since the plug is out of the head. There is also a manifold exhaust leak due to the studs breaking off in the motor. These heads are of poor quality and should have been recalled.

Filed Oct 18, 2013 · Engine · 100,000 miles · KY

Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford f-150. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled without warning, accompanied by a loud noise from under the hood. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic for inspection where the contact was advised that the spark plugs did not have enough thread and separated. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 152,000.

Filed Sep 12, 2013 · Electrical, Engine · TX

Incident #1 intermittent electrical contacts in engine bay affecting charging system, emissions, and drive systems. Ford dealer diagnosed as "bad alternator" and "bad wiring harness". After I brought it back without having repairs done, I cleaned and lubed all connectors. All problems went away. I ended up having to buy a new battery due to damage done by the faulty connections. The problems had been intermittent and progressively got worse before I cleaned and lubed all connectors, this problem cost me a battery, and almost caused me to wreck as the battery died at night on the highway. With no battery and no alternator, the vehicle stalled, lighting died, etc. Incident #2 leaking timing cover gasket and lower intake gaskets. At this moment the vehicle has 127k appx miles on it, and it is currently sitting as I will not drive it until it is repaired, all miles put on vehicle have been "light" miles (no heavy towing, no overloading of vehicle, no excessive speed, etc). Ford issued a bulletin stating that there was a problem with gaskets up until roughly 1/16/98. They then issued a customer satisfaction remedy that did not cover the full gasket set or all affected engine model years. According to the bulletin, my engine (mfg date prior to 9/97) is affected, according to their customer satisfaction remedy it is not eligible. In my book, this is something that needs to be the basis of a recall. Engines have died with as little as 50k miles on them, I have never had a vehicle that I was honestly scared to drive until now. I will most likely be performing my own repairs on this vehicle due to ford's incompetence.

Questions about the 1998 Ford F-150 engine

Does the 1998 Ford F-150 have engine problems?

Owners have filed 187 complaints about the engine of the 1998 Ford F-150, 14% of all its complaints.

At what mileage do 1998 Ford F-150 engine problems start?

The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 95,000 miles.

Was there a recall on the 1998 Ford F-150 engine?

There is no recall for this problem on this model year.

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

The Ford F-150 model years with the most engine complaints are 2018 (591 complaints), 2013 (567 complaints) and 1997 (544 complaints).