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1997 Ford F-250 problems

The most common problem on the 1997 Ford F-250 is tires. It has 2.0 times the complaints of a typical F-250 model year.

Typical year2.0x the typical complaints
Owner complaints
304
Recalls
10
Service bulletins
316
Worst area
Tires
Fuel economy
13-15mpg

The worst 1997 Ford F-250 problems

Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.

Problems by type

Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.

Specific symptoms reported on the 1997 Ford F-250

Tire blowout 16Fire or smoke 14Stalling 10Ball joint 8Fuel leak 8Power steering loss 8Adaptive cruise 6Wipers 6ABS 5Brake failure 5

Recalls 10

Fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly: mountingReported July 29, 2011 · 1,100,000 vehicles affected
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

Vehicle speed controlReported August 1, 2006 · 1,200,000 vehicles affected
What is wrong
On certain trucks equipped with speed control, gasoline or natural gas engines, the speed control deactivation switch may overheat.
Risk
Overheating could result in smoke or burn and an underhood fire.
Remedy
Dealers will install a fused wiring harness into the speed control system free of charge. The recall began on august 7, 2006. Owners may contact ford at 1‑866‑436‑7332. (note: also see recalls 05v017 and 05v388)

Recall number 06V286000 · Recall details

Vehicle speed controlReported September 7, 2005 · 4,500,000 vehicles affected
What is wrong
On certain pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles equipped with speed control, the speed control deactivation switch may overheat, smoke, or burn.
Risk
A fire at the switch could occur.
Remedy
By letter dated september 12, 2005, owners were instructed to return their vehicles to their dealers to have the speed control deactivation switch disconnected. Owners who have had their speed control deactivated are being notified that parts will be available and advised to make an appointment to reconnect the speed control beginning in february 2006. Owners who did not have their speed control deactivated are being notified to have their system remedied beginning in february 2006. Owners are urged to avail themselves of the free disconnect service as soon as possible because of the significant risk of fire. Owners may contact ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673. (note: also see recalls 05v017 and 06v286)

Recall number 05V388000 · Recall details

Steering: gear box: shaft sectorReported May 27, 2003 · 171,446 vehicles affected
What is wrong
On certain pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles, if the intermediate shaft yoke separates from the steering gear input shaft, the steering system becomes disconnected.
Risk
This could result in loss of steering control, potentially resulting in a vehicle crash without warning.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the steering intermediate shaft yoke to determine if the yoke is fully seated on the steering gear input shaft. If the yoke is fully seated no service is required. If the yoke is not fully seated and bolt groove and spline is visible, the intermediate shaft and bolt will be replaced as well as the bolt at the steering column connection. Owner notification began on may 30, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673.

Recall number 03V196000 · Recall details

Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittingsReported August 17, 2000 · 670,509 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks manufactured at the kansas city or norfolk assembly plants. The front fuel line assembly could have a hole rubbed through in one of two locations. The first location is below the fuel rail connection where the flexible hose is crimped to the steel tube. The bracket that attaches the front fuel line to the transmission could have been bent during assembly. The second location is at the rear steel tube section forward of the rear bracket. During installation the rear steel tubes of the front fuel line assembly could have been bent downward. In vehicles equipped with a manual 4xz4 transfer case shifter, the shifter linkage may contact the steel tubes as it is being shifted between 4h, 4l, 2l and neutral.
Risk
This condition could result in fuel leakage. Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect these lines and replace the front fuel line assembly if necessary. Owner notification began october 27, 2000. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673.

Recall number 00V231000 · Recall details

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

Tires: beadReported October 29, 1997 · 31,600 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks and chassis. The tires on these vehicles were damaged during mounting onto the wheels. Only trucks produced at the cuautitlan, mexico plant between september 1, 1996, and july 17, 1997, were affected by the defect.
Risk
The bead area of the tire was cut which could result in air loss. Sudden air loss could occur resulting in a loss of vehicle control.
Remedy
Due to the age of the vehicles and this recall affecting original equipment tires only, ford will no longer accept claims for this campaign.

Recall number 97V187000 · Recall details

Power train: automatic transmission: gear position indication (PRNDL)Reported October 7, 1997 · 866,000 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks and multi-purpose passenger vehicles. If the automatic transmission shift cable assembly was not fully attached to the steering column bracket, the shift cable assembly can come out of the bracket. The vehicle operator would then not be able to shift the transmission from one of the drive gear positions into the park position even though the gear shift selector would indicate "park."
Risk
The condition would not allow a disengagement of the transmission from the park position or affect proper neutral start switch operation. Unintended vehicle movement could occur if the parking brake was not set.
Remedy
Dealers will make the proper attachment of the transmission shift control cable to the steering column bracket and add a tie strap to that connection.

Recall number 97V171000 · Recall details

Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: master cylinderReported September 25, 1996 · 1,200 vehicles affected
What is wrong
The retainer clip that holds the master cylinder push rod to the brake pedal arm is missing.
Risk
A loss of service braking can occur increasing the risk of a vehicle accident.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect to verify that the retainer clips are installed and if clips are missing will install clips.

Recall number 96V184000 · Recall details

Equipment: other: labelsReported August 29, 1996 · 134,770 vehicles affected
What is wrong
The certification labels on the involved vehicles has incorrect rear tire inflation pressure designations. This does not comply with fmvss no. 120, "tire selection and rims for motor vehicles other than passenger cars."
Risk
Incorrect inflation pressures could cause premature wear of the rear tires. .
Remedy
Owners will be provided with correct certification labels and instructions for installing these labels. Dealers can install this label if the owner so desires.

Recall number 96V161000 · Recall details

See all 10 recalls for the 1997 Ford F-250

Defect 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

Engine compartment firesOpened March 22, 2005, closed August 2, 2006

Ea05-005 is closed with ford?s actions in recalls 05v‑017, 05v‑388, and 06v‑286, recalling approximately 6.7 million vehicles equipped with texas instruments speed control deactivation switches (scds).the brake systems in these recalled vehicles generate a vacuum that can potentially cause the scds to fail and, in certain switch installation orientations, catch fire.ford is also including the entire population of 1998 explorers.ford has informed odi that testing to determine the cause of failures in the 1998 explorers will continue after this investigation is closed.odi believes that the vehicles exhibiting the factors causing scds failure described in this report correlate well with the observed failure rates on these vehicles by model and model year.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that a safety-related defect does not exist in the non-recalled vehicles manufactured with scds that are not included in ford?s recalls.odi will continue to monitor the non-recalled population for incidence of engine compartment fires.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.see attached closing report for details.

EA05005

Steering shaft separationOpened February 6, 2002, closed May 29, 2003

See attached summary for technical details

EA02001

Technical service bulletins for the 1997 Ford F-250 316

Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.

See all 316 bulletins for the 1997 Ford F-250

1997 Ford F-250 fuel economy

Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.

EngineDriveCityHighwayCombined
4.6L 8‑cylRWD12-1417-1814-15
5.4L 8‑cylRWD121714
4.6L 8‑cyl4WD121714
5.4L 8‑cyl4WD111613

What 1997 Ford F-250 owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Aug 26, 2024 · Fuel system · 133,000 miles · GA

The contact owns a 1997 Ford F-250. The contact stated that the fuel strap failed and there was a hole in the fuel tank. The contact stated that there was fuel leaking from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 11V385000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 00V231000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 133,000.

Filed Mar 8, 2020 · Wheels · 134,560 miles · CA

Tire blow out on freeway california I-5 at 210 interchange bfgoodrich lt235/85 r16 ltr m+s 1655 miles on the tires installed 05-20-2019 of last year

Filed Jul 17, 2019 · Seat belts · 112,000 miles · CA

The driver side seatbelt disconnects randomly. This has happened while I was in park, driving and while reversing. This has occurred on city streets as well as freeway/highway. It has happened while I was turning left or right, making a u-turn as well as driving forward. It has also happened while I was attempting to change radio stations. As it stands every time I drive the truck the seatbelt will disconnect at least 3 times.

Filed Jun 8, 2018 · Fuel system · 130,745 miles · CA

Fuel tank 1 seems to pump fuel into tank 2. Fuel switch on "front" seems to indicate proper amount of fuel. Fuel switch on "rear" always reads full. Sometimes fuel will flow out of rear tank as soon as fuel cap is removed. I drove about 75 miles with the fuel switch on "rear". When I arrived at my destination, I unscrewed rear tank cap and fuel spewed out.......maybe a gallon or so.

Filed Dec 2, 2017 · Electrical · 253,400 miles · KS

I have had my 1997 ford f-250 for a few years and besides an abi's I'vew previous owner it hasn't given any issue. That is up until a month ago when my instrument cluster up and quit working. There was no warning and no fuses or relays faulty either, I spoke with friends of mine who own similar model years of my truck and they say they have had the same issue.

Filed Dec 16, 2015 · Engine · 127,000 miles · WA

The truck would stop running while driving down the street, not start after driving, stop shut off and then would not start. Some times it may not start for several days then all of a sudden it would start up again and be fine for weeks then would start the whole process over again. It may stop at any time any where whether highway or city street. Total loss of power, engine shuts off. I had many extremely dangerous situations, with family members and other vehicles causing them to make evasive actions. This vehicle has a manufactures buy back from original purchaser when, new but no explanation could be found. I spoke to ford and they said they have no record of the buy back. It is on the title also.

Filed May 12, 2015 · Engine · 207,000 miles · SC

This is the fourth time this has happened, the spark plug shoots out of the block and shortly after you can smell gas fumes with is an obvious fire hazard. Not only is it expensive to find a mechanic who can coil the plug back into the block, after reading about it the same incident happens to many owners who have the same truck as I do. Yet, there hasn't been a recall.

Filed Jan 28, 2015 · Fuel system · 168,000 miles · OH

Tl*the contact owns a 1997 ford f-250. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift from low gear. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the fuel tank needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the VIN was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 11v385000 (fuel system, gasoline). The failure mileage was 168,000.

Filed Jan 13, 2015 · Seat belts · 130,000 miles · IN

When buckling in the retractor failed. I am not able to have anyone in the passenger side of my truck now. I see a safety recall for the same year truck but the f150. I have an f250. All replacement belts I have found have had the same problem.

Filed Aug 1, 2014 · Airbags · 278,000 miles · LA · crash · 1 injury

Tl* the contact owns a 1997 ford f-250. The contact stated that he was involved in a crash where the airbags did not deploy at the point of impact. A police report was filed and an injury was sustained that required medical attention. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 278,000.

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Questions about the 1997 Ford F-250

Is the 1997 Ford F-250 reliable?

Owners have filed 304 complaints about the 1997 Ford F-250, 2.0 times a typical F-250 model year.

What is the most common problem with the 1997 Ford F-250?

Tires, with 42 complaints. Next is transmission (34).

How many recalls does the 1997 Ford F-250 have?

10 recalls, covering fuel system, gasoline, vehicle speed control and steering.

Was there a recall on the 1997 Ford F-250 tires?

Yes, 1 recall: 97V187000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.

What year does the Ford F-250 have bad tires?

The Ford F-250 model years with the most tires complaints are 1999 (107 complaints), 2000 (107 complaints) and 2001 (48 complaints).

What gas mileage does the 1997 Ford F-250 get?

Official estimates for the 1997 Ford F-250 range from 13 to 15 mpg combined. The most efficient version (4.6L 8-cyl, RWD) gets 12-14 city and 17-18 highway.

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