1997 Ford F150 XL review from North America

Transmission blew at 4500 km.

Rad was replaced at 6000km.

Rear brakes, exhaust, and rim replaced 6000km.

Horn, wiper motor, radio replaced at 11,000 km.

Timimg chain cover replaced at 15000km.

Rear window replaced due to leak. 23000km.

Lumbar seat (drivers side) repaired and squeak under dash board repaired. "so I was told". 32000km.

Radio replaced "again" 38500km.

Both drivers side and passenger side doors replaced due to seams comming apart at the bottom of the doors. 43800km.

Trailer harness replaced. Kept blowing fuses due to corosion. Also neutral lockout switch replaced. 49550km.

Truck was returned to dealer because doors that were replaced were starting to leak at seam. There was also excesive wind noise. I also complaind regarding the paint job. On the drivers side of the truck, the dealer not only painted the door, they painted the whole side of the truck. The truck is light blue on top with a very dark blue on the bottom (almost black). I noticed runs in the paint on the lower part of the truck in the darker colours. 49560km.

Temp light started to come on. I was losing antifreeze somewhere. Cooling system was pressure tested after the dealer put a red dye in the rad. No leak was found. 54800km.

The above problems happened while the vehicle was under warranty. I was very disappointed with this truck overall. I was a GM man from the beginning. "Why did I buy a Ford, you ask?" Because Ford came out with their new design before GM and Chevy. I will be honest, I like the look of the Ford truck. As for reliability, forget it. The dealer was of no help whatsoever either. After the warranty on this truck ended, I have had countless other problems. Nothing serious (as of yet).

All I can tell you for a fact is I will never buy another Ford product again. When I called Ford of Canada and told them the problems I was having, they put me in touch with the dealership. The dealership in turn told me to call Ford of Canada. You can see where this is going. After two (2) registered letters were mailed to Ford of Canada, IN 1999, and in 2000, I have yet to recieve a reply from either letter. I hope this little story will give some insight to those looking at a Ford product.