The contact owns a 2001 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon entering the vehicle one day, there was an abnormal fuel odor outside the vehicle. The contact’s husband inspected underneath the vehicle and discovered that the fuel tank had detached from the subframe. The contact stated that prior to becoming aware of the failure, the low fuel warning light was occasionally illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer. The local dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that there were no open recalls on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 93,000.
2001 Ford F-150: gas smell in the cabin
9 of the 1,236 complaints about the 2001 Ford F-150 describe gas smell in the cabin.
- owner complaints
- 9
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- typical mileage
- 116,000
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall for this area of the car. See below
Gas smell in the cabin by model year
What owners say
When filling my gas tank a week ago, I noticed a strong fuel smell. I looked under my truck and saw fuel dripping from the seem of the gas tank. Now that I've lost half the fuel it no longer smells or leaks. Im certain this was a direct cause of salt chemicals used in ice removal, here in northern mn. The straps and frame cross member bars holding the cargo bed in place have also disappeared from rust corrosion.
I was getting on the interstate this am and heard a noise, the truck lost power and started running extremely rough. I turned around and barely made it home (only a few miles). When I raised the hood, a spark plug was laying on top of the engine. The coil pack was also broken when the spark plug blew out. There was a very strong smell of gas. I researched the internet and found that this is a major problem with ford engines built from 1997 - 2003. If I had been in a center or left lane, being rush hour traffic, this could have caused a major wreck. This problem should not be ignored and should become a recall for ford.
On friday, september 17, 2010 the fuel tank on my 2001 ford f-150 truck broke free of the undercarriage and was dragged approximately 200 meters before I could safely stop the vehicle. At the time of the incident, I was traveling 60 MPH. Upon exiting the vehicle, I smelled strong gasoline fumes and observed gasoline running from underneath the truck. I moved away from the vehicle and called the fire department and a tow service. From a distance (approximately 150 feet) the gasoline tank was clearly resting on the road surface. Once help was on the scene, granular absorbent material was added to the gasoline which had spilled onto the road. The now empty gas tank was secured by rope to the truck undercarriage, revealing a large hole in the gas tank. Upon further investigation, it was noted that the straps holding the tank had broke. The truck was removed from the scene on a flat-bed truck. The total cost associated with the gas tank straps breaking is $841.00. *tr updated 08/01/11 *bf the strap failed where it attached to the truck frame. The strap ends appeared to be more worn than the strap body. Approximately, 22-34 gallons of fuel was spilled. Updated 08/02/11
While driving on the freeway, I heard a loud pop from the engine compartment followed by the engine running roughly and accompanied by popping sounds. Within 10 seconds, the smell of gasoline was noticed. I pulled off at the next exit, approximately 30 seconds later, and came to a stop. As I came to a stop, flames erupted from the hood and the entire engine compartment was engulfed in flames. A fire truck arrived within a few minutes and extinguished the fire, but not before the fire had burned through the firewall into the passenger compartment. The vehicle was a total loss. Upon further inspection, it was discovered that the #8 cylinder spark plug had ejected from the cylinder (the initial pop sound) with such force that it ruptured the rubber fuel line immediately above it and aft of the stainless fuel injector bar. With fuel spraying from the hose, it was then ignited by the coil which was still attached to the engine and emitting sparks. It has been documented that the cylinder head design in this vehicle has had a history of problems with ejecting spark plugs due to a lack of adequate threads in the spark plug holes. I believe this defect contributed directly to this fire and is a safety hazard.
My 2001 ford f-150 truck had one of the sparkplugs eject from the cylinder head. The vehicle has approximately 118,000 miles. My concern is that this could have ignited into a fire since gas fumes are coming out of the sparkplug opening.
I have a 2001 f150 it has a gas smell from engine .
While driving 50 MPH consumer heard a popping sound and started smelling fuel odor. Consumer pulled over to the shoulder, found out that a spark plug ejected outwards and cracked one of the engine heads.
Fuel lines were leaking behind engine. *mr there was a gas smell. It was discovered the gas lines were installed between the frame and the bed of the truck. The hole eventually was created by the friction. *scc
Related recalls
Fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly: mounting
- What is wrong
- Ford is recalling certain 1997 through 2003 model year ford f-150, 2004 model year ford f-150 heritage, 1997 through 1999 model year f-250 less than 8,500 lbs. Gross vehicle weight rating (gvwr), and 2002 and 2003 lincoln blackwood vehicles manufactured from june 20, 1995, through august 4, 2004, originally sold, or currently registered in, connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia. Prolonged exposure to road deicing chemicals may cause severe corrosion of the fuel tank straps which secure the tank to the vehicle.
- Risk
- As a result of the corrosion, one or both straps may fail allowing the fuel lines to separate from the tank, or in some cases, causing the tank to contact the ground. Either scenario may result in a fuel leak presenting a fire hazard.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners and instruct them to take their vehicles to a ford or lincoln dealer to have the fuel tank straps replaced with straps that have increased corrosion protection. Early in this campaign, if replacement straps are not available, dealers may install a cable support under the strap as an interim repair or a steel reinforcement over the existing strap as a permanent repair. Any repairs will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on september 16, 2011. Owners may contact ford motor company customer relationship center at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's recall campaign number is 11s21
Recall number 11V385000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2001 Ford F-150 fuel smell
Is gas smell in the cabin a common problem on the 2001 Ford F-150?
9 of 1,236 owner complaints about the 2001 Ford F-150 (1%) mention gas smell in the cabin. The model year with the most reports is 2002.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2001 Ford F-150?
There is 1 recall and 0 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2001 Ford F-150
Fire or smoke 216Adaptive cruise 81Tire blowout 41Seat belt 37No deployment 33Ball joint 24Fuel leak 21ABS 17Engine failure 17Knocking 17Loss of power 15Wipers 15Stalling 13Brake failure 12Check engine light 10Headlights 10Transmission failure 10Grinding brakes 9Door locks 9Misfire 8Jerking 7Sudden acceleration 7Fuel pump 6Hesitation 6Won't shift 6Airbag light 5Harsh shifting 5Power steering loss 5Slipping 5
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2001 Ford F-150?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history