Vehicle experiences a violent shaking in the steering and front suspension called "the death wobble". Occurs as speeds between 40 and 70 MPH. Occurs if road is somewhat bumpy. Occurs often and could result in loss of control. It requires that I slow down to about 5 MPH before it stops. This immediate need to slow down if dangerous if someone is following me (especially a large truck.)
1998 Ford F-150 suspension problems
132 complaints (10% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 125,000. 3 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 132
- of this car's complaints
- 10%
- typical mileage
- 125,000
- crashes
- 3
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Front: springs: torsion bar63
- Front16
- Rear: springs: leaf spring assembly9
- Rear6
- Front: control arm: lower ball joint5
- Rear: springs: leaf spring assembly: leaf4
- Front: control arm: upper ball joint4
- Front: control arm3
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 1998 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
What 1998 Ford F-150 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Report receipt date: jul 15, 1998 the federal safety agency campaign number: 98v161000 component(s): fuel system, gasoline , suspension my rear suspension is bad - has this been taken care of on my vehicle? Gem module is having trouble. I have been reading this part has caused a lot of trouble for this ford model.
Shock upper mount simply fell off causing driver side rear shock to drag ground. After further inspection also noticed at the location of the rusted out mount location that the rear wiring for the tail light were severed causing truck to now be stuck in park. Also while inspecting noticed rear frame is simply falling apart and other areas throughout the frame are weak as well. This is a huge safety concern after doing research I am finding many accounts of the same issue online but no manufacture recalls. Why isn't ford doing anything about this issue? I've never seen frames do this. Truck needs full frame replacement.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford f-150. The contact stated that while inspecting the vehicle, he noticed that the retaining clips that supported the front and rear leaf springs were missing. There was a recall associated with the federal safety agency campaign id number 98v161000 (fuel system, gasoline, suspension). The recall expired. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford f-150. While driving approximately 15 MPH, the contact heard a snapping sound from the rear of the vehicle. After coming to a stop the contact inspected the vehicle and noticed that the bracket that connected to the leaf spring on the rear passenger side was fractured. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostics. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate mileage was 146,000. Updated 5/11/12 *cn the shackle assembly needed to be replaced. Updated 05/15/12
The steering wheel locked up and the tierod end leaned out to far.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford f-150. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked when he noticed that one of the fuel tank straps was fractured due to corrosion. The two remaining fuel tank straps were experiencing corrosion as well, but were not fractured. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and was repaired under the recall associated with the federal safety agency campaign id number 11v385000 (fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly:mounting). The contact expressed concern because only the fractured strap was replaced under the recall. The contact was informed that according to the recall, they were only obligated to replace the fractured strap. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that they would only replaced the strap which fractured. The contact also stated that the rear leaf springs fractured and pierced through the truck bed due to corrosion. In addition, the frame under the front driver side also exhibited rust and corrosion. The failure mileage was 175,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford windstar. The contact stated that he was concerned that his vehicle was not safe since the rear axle could brake as a result of the salt treatments used in the city where he resides. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included on recall the federal safety agency campaign id number: 10v385000 (suspension, rear:axle:non-powered axle assembly). The current mileage was 164,951.
Failure was immediate, ford f150 fuel tank straps. While driving down the road apparently the tank straps gave way and the fuel tank dropped. Before coming to a stop and after catching some uneven pavement, fuel tank was pealed open and losing about 8 gallons gas. Fire dept was called and they cleaned up spill. Both straps broke and fuel tank is un-repairable. Updated 08/05/11 *bf the consumer stated he experienced other problems with the vehicle, such as a leaking power steering gear box, brake lines had to be replaced, there was a leak in the 4-wheel drive gear box, the muffler hangers, ball joints, tie rod ends and shocks all had to be replaced. Updated 08/11/1*jb
Left rear spring hanger broke and came lose from frame and went up hitting the truck bed underside. This part holds the rear end in place
Questions about the 1998 Ford F-150 suspension
Does the 1998 Ford F-150 have suspension problems?
Owners have filed 132 complaints about the suspension of the 1998 Ford F-150, 10% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 1998 Ford F-150 suspension problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 125,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 1998 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 1998 Ford F-150 problems
Fuel system 201Engine 187Tires 152Body 138Acceleration 116Brakes 114Steering 96Electrical 87Transmission 83Visibility 66Wheels 44Airbags 42Lights 28Seat belts 13Seats 3Locks 2Driver assistance 1
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