1998 Ford F-150: windshield wiper failure

Filed Jan 22, 2010 · Acceleration, Electrical · 70,000 miles · OR

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford f150. The contact stated that the windshield wipers, door locks, and the door chimes failed to operate which is related to the electrical system. The vehicle speed control also no longer functions. The front windshield is not sealed and whenever it rains water seeped into the dashboard. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that his VIN was not included in the recall. There was no related warranty. The failure mileage was 70,000.

Filed Jul 4, 2008 · Visibility · 37,000 miles · OH

One day my 1998 ford f-150 with only 37,000 miles (I am the original owner)was working just fine. Several days later I get into the truck and I noticed the electric windows wouldn't go down,I assumed it was a fuse. No luck on that, all fuses good except the lighter fuse,which I don't use. When I got to my destination I couldn't get it into 4-wheel drive. When I was getting ready to leave I couldn't get the windshield wipers on when it was raining. I had no choice but to drive 30 miles home with no wipers in the rain,extremely hard to see to drive and very dangerous. I found info on the internet that pointed to the generic electronic module. A lot of other people were complaining of the same problem and worse on a online forum. This problem goes back to 1994 when ford first started using this device. I ended up paying $600.00 for the dealer to replace the gem that was obviously defective from the start,not to mention the danger of driving in the rain with no wipers. Ford has a recall on the 99 on up 250 and 350 with the same device,but they wouldn't honor this on the 98. They have decided to retool the device by taking the 4-wheel drive control out of this device as a stand alone control. I feel ford should have replaced this at their expense in light of all the problems this has caused. Some have reported that their trucks have jumped into 4-low while driving on the road,others have said that they can't disengage 4-wheel after using the feature off road.

Filed Feb 3, 2008 · Visibility · 20,000 miles · NJ

Wipers will come on by themselves at high speeds distracting the operation on the vehicle. Attempts to fix problem were unsuccessful.

Filed Sep 7, 2005 · Visibility · 50,000 miles · TX

While driving in inclement weather, the windshield wipers suddenly stopped working. Driver was unable to see and was forced to pull over until the storm passed. Took it to dealer and the mechanic determined that the windshield wiper motor needed to be replaced, and he replaced it. However, the problem has recurred twice to date.

Filed Jul 22, 2005 · Visibility · 140,000 miles · GA

Dt: water infiltration around the windshield causing the electrical system to malfunction. When it rained water leaked into the vehicle around the windshield and soaked the interior panel which holds the fuses. The fuse panel also rusted. The owner was not sure about other damage. This has been a problem for about 6 months. The owner took the vehicle to the dealership and to a glass company. The dealership had not experienced that problem before. Owner made his own temporary patch from silicone. The patch worked. Owner called ford and filed a complaint. *ak when it rained electrical components like the windshield wipers, power windows , headlight etc would not function properly.

Filed Jul 8, 2004 · Visibility · MD · crash

While driving in inclement weather windshield wipers failed. This caused poor visibility to the driver. Consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle, and drove it to the dealer for inspection. The mechanic determined that the windshield wiper motor needed to be replaced, and he replaced it. However, the problem recurred.

Filed Nov 18, 2003 · Lights · 105,000 miles · MI

Headlights can go off when using right directional indicator, or by turning on intermittent wipers.

Filed Jul 3, 2003 · Lights, Visibility · WA

The windshield wipers and washer came on at random. The inside lights failed to go off once the door was closed. *jb *cb

Filed Apr 7, 2003 · Visibility · FL

While driving the windshield wipers stopped working without warning. The consumer was forced to pull off the road.

Filed Feb 19, 2003 · Visibility · FL

The windshield wipers failed.

Filed Jul 15, 2001 · Visibility · MI

Re: windshield wiper. F150 was taken in for service for faulty wipers on jun 8,01. The problem turned out to be a computer part called a gem or assembly module. Ford has had the vehicle for more than one month. I am told that the part is simply unavailable. I wondered if the part has gone bad so often that the part is in high demand. This affair is open ended, as the avis dealership in southfield, mi (2483557500dennis) can not even say from where the part may be shipped. There seems to be no source for the part. They don't know when it might arrive. No part, no repair. When asked if I could pick up the truck to drive it in the meantime, I was told it is "undrivable." is there going to be a recall on this part? Part #f75z14b205la. Re: door crack. Both doors have a 1/4" crack near the back edge of the window. Truck is out of warranty. Re: leaking rear window. It was repaired by dealership while truck was under warranty.

Filed Nov 12, 2000 · Visibility · OH

Wiper washer works intermittently.