Comments: 1-15, 16-24
This truck has been a service nightmare!
Take a look at all the space Ford takes up at the NHTSA website with all of the recalls and TSB's.
First 3 years of ownership were absolutely trouble free. As soon a the factory warranty expired, everything went down hill.
At 40,000 miles I began to lose coolant at a rate of 1 gallon per 1,000 miles. The engine leaked through 3 separate gaskets.
At 55,000 miles I had a horrible squeak whenever the steering wheel was turned. It seems that Ford subscribes to the "lubed for life" philosophy. There is not a single grease fitting on any suspension or steering link on the 4x2 model and only 1 on the 4x4. Every link, from the pitman arm to the tie rods, idler arm, and ball joints are dry after just 4 years.
I have a crack in the sheet metal of the driver side door that not only whistles as I drive, but also collects water a gurgles when it rains. In the winter, this water turns into ice inside my door and sounds like sand being shaken in a can.
Where are the grease fitting on the U-Joints? Well, of course there are none. Front and rear U-Joints are frozen at 70,000 miles.
At 73,000 miles I need new ball joints. Ford wants $500.00 to replace and realign the steering.
Replaced a front wheel bearing at the same time.
Oxygen sensors lasted till 66,000 miles.
Sliding rear window leaks to such an extent that water actually pours in when it rains and collects on the seat and/or my passenger.
I love the way this truck feels, looks, and drives when it's in top condition. The trouble is that it needs constant attention to keep it from falling apart.
Dealer service is generally deplorable. Dealers will deny warranty claims without hesitation just to test your resolve.
I've had dealer technicians abuse my truck every time it's in for service. The alway seems rev my engine and race my truck around the parking and onto the freeway regardless of why it's there.
Wow.. you aren't very lucky at all.. That front end squeak is your pitman arm- simple fix. the MOOG one has a grease zerk on it.. I never had a problem with my U-joints and mine has more miles than yours. Those doors do have a factory defect in them that ford likes to keep from people- this isn't right.. they don't do an active recall because the doors are too expensive to up and replace.. Although there is a fix for them.. Bug your dealer untill they do something, is the only advice I can give. I drive a '97 F150 extended cab 2wd 4.2 V6 and the only things that have gone wrong with it are the pitman arm and the pinion seal on the rear end.. but I got them both fixed by the dealer as soon as I noticed something wrong.. You guys gotta nail these problems quick before they get big and mean! If you don't, these little problems are just gunna become big problems.
I'm sorry to hear about your Ford service nightmares. I've never been treated so poorly as I have been by the Ford dealerships in my area. The trucks are awesome and I can't complain, but I think this is my last new Ford until Ford steps up its service practices. I wanted to respond to the comment about the guy not having ball joint problems in his truck, I've worked as a mechanic professionally for many years and can tell you no matter the year truck, if you own a Ford truck you will have ball joint problems. I've had an 84', 87', and a 2000 and they've all had failure. And it should be noted that yours has the old TTB front end while the original writers is the new style IFS.
I like yourself are through with Fords. I had a 1983 F-250 4x4 that I had for 12 years with hardly a problem. I bought a new 1997 ford F-250HD 4x4 5.8 engine that has been nothing but a nightmare. At 8,000 miles emergency cable came off inside drum and messed seal up and brake shoes. At 37000 miles automatic locking hubs went out. I had replaced them replaced with manual hubs. At 40,000 miles the ball joints had to be replaced. Now at 42,000 it won't idle or start without pressing on gas pedal, so I'm off to get that diagnosed now. So much for heavy duty trucks huh?
I had a near fatal accident nov. 23rd, 2002. Completly lost the steering in my 4 month old Ford F150 4x4 pickup. I had 6000 miles on it. My insurance co. expert and Ford mechanical expert, found the pitman arm was not installed correctly, and didn't have a nut attached to it. Needless to say I am done with Ford. This was my 7th ford truck.
I agree with the person who has had so much trouble with
his 97. I have a 97 super-cab, 4.2 V6 and have had the exact
same problems. Ford actually told me that I should sell the
truck or install a new engine due to the coolant leaks. My
oxygen sensors are shot as well as all the other mentioned
problems by others. I think I'll buy a Toyota Tundra next time or maybe a Dodge.
As the first poster stated, I too have had the same problems with my 97 150 4x4, except no you -joint problems yet. The rear end whines, the ABS is so dangerous it feels like the brakes let go under light not even panic stops. The radiator drain leaks constantly even after replacing the whole assembly and o ring, my rear window leaks, doors cracked both sides, steering squeak along with no feel to the steering, seat foam worn out at 36000, piston rattle, exhaust in front of wheel ruined my center caps and ruined the polished wheels I put on aftermarket, where do I stop? I had a 96 F150 4x4 with 5.8 and it was perfect no problems and had 55000 when and old lady hit me head on and totaled it. If only I had that truck instead of this one.
Yes I too have a 97 F150 with a leaky window. Seems the frame itself has a crack in it which I tried to have fixed, but didn't help. Also have same leak of engine coolant when it sits. When ran all the time no problems. As far as the squeak from the pitman arm I put a small nail hole in rubber boot and filled with WD40,. haven't herd a sound in 2 years. Love the truck just turned 100,000 miles. Wish Ford would cut owners a break and at least sell window at their cost.I'm not holding my breath.
I also have a 97 f 150. I don't know were to start. I've had all kinds of problems. Bad front bearings $400.00 if you do it your self. Bad transmission at 100,000 miles OK iguess $1,200 local shop. U-joints at 110,000 miles skueaking bad. Replaced altornator twice $270.00 each time. Front tire are always messing up. I think I need ball joints not sure though. Over all I guess my advise is don't fall for expert advise every time. Don't jump at the chance to put money in your ford. Dealers make most of their money on parts sold. They are best trained as salesmen. Research your problem, get 2 or more opinions on your problem. Best advise is open your hood often, familiarize your self with parts and how they work. Read a repair manual in the restroom. You ain't learing looking at playboy. Good luck.
I have a F-150 4x4 4.6 liter off road edition and experienced similar problems with squaking steering and also front end won't stay in alignment. One guy says I need new tie rods, but I think perhaps new ball joints and maybe more is needed. Also, have the same problem with door leak which the dealership wouldn't acknowledge. It's like the window is down riding on the highway. At just over 100K no u-joint problems yet and also no problems with coolant leak. Overall it's been a good truck with these and a couple of other minor problems which were covered under warranty. But I might be looking at a Dodge or GMC next time I buy.
I owned a 97' F-150 Supercab w/the 5.4 liter motor. I had the same problems with the super squeaky steering which was corrected by a local garage by lubing it well enough to quiet it until I was able to trade it in. Other problems I consistently had were: Interior light would stay on until vehicle was driven a few minutes, then would shut off; At times, the truck would just stall out during low RPM maneuvers (parking, etc.), The left rear wheel would lock-up upon initial braking after first driving in the morning, but only if it was raining, local garage attempted to repair, but failed, but I think the most dangerous problem with the vehicle was the rear wheel hop when driving in wet conditions. The truck could not move if goosed without a violent wheel hop occurring (bad enough to eject the spare change from the ashtray), you can imagine the results on dry tar if I got on it hard. The rear leafs lost it's rubber spacers between the clips at 40,000 which I remedied with black electrical tape. All in all, I wish I had waited a year or two to purchase the redesigned Ford. This was my third Ford pick up. I now drive a Chevy Tahoe, I love it.
97 Ford F-150 4x4 Super Cab (55,000)
I've had a lot of the same problems that I've read hear. I had the pitman arm replaced along with some of the ball joints at around 30,000 miles. I have the infamous door crack. Which I didn't even notice until I read about it on line. I just put some touch up paint on it. Currently I have a crack I just noticed yesterday in the frame in the front end. Not sure what I will be doing about it. It makes a snapping sound in the front end on acceleration. Especially after it is driven for the first time in the day. Not sure if the crack is causing that or not. I did have the exhaust problem years ago. I'm talking about it coming out before the rear tire and discoloring the hub cap. I wasn't sure what caused it at the time. I went to the dealer to get a new cap. Believe it or not they told me the exhaust had to be rerouted and did it for free. So I got a new exhaust out the deal when they could of just charged me for a new cap. I love my Ford and plan to keep it a long time. I've driven Dodge and Chevy. I like the Ford the best. Just remember things do where out with age. Remember when you were a kid and could sit crossed legged for hours. Did it hurt when you stood up? Try it now. Those joints are getting older.
I have a 1999 Ford F-150, I have 110,000 miles on it and it's been a great truck. I lived down a 3 mile dirt road for 4 years ruts, sand washboards and all. The only problems I ever had was a leaking rear window, and the color came off my steering wheel.
I have a 98 F-150 and I to have had a ball joint pop off, it makes for a interesting event when you are traveling at 70KMH and one of you front wheels decides to turn 90 degrees to the direction of travel. The tail gate rotted out and I have the cracks in the doors just below the window. All fluids are leaking on the driveway and OOH what do you know the warranty is up... And now the running lights won’t turn off, does anyone have any ideas about that one, I am disconnecting the battery for now…I thinking its time for a Toyota.
1997 Ford F-150 Extended Cab. Not one single problem yet. 120,000 miles. I just started to notice a "click" when I accelerate and sometimes when I turn. Is this the ball joints? How do I know if the upper or lower ball joints are bad? I think I'm about to replace the front springs otherwise I've been really lucky. No door crack either.
I have a 1988 FORD F-350 CREW CAB 4x4 with 185,000 miles. It still hauls my 11.5' camper and pulls my 18 foot boat with zero problems. The only problem is the 8 MPG, but love that FORD power.