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1998 problems

FaultScore report

1998 Ford F-350 problems

Owners have filed 16 complaints about the 1998 Ford F-350 with NHTSA between 1998 and 2010. The largest single group is the tires. Across this model's run it ranks 18 of 21 worst.

Read the complaints What breaks Worst years for the Ford F-350 All 1998 cars

FaultScore 39/100

Higher is worse. Measured against the other years of the Ford F-350.

How this is worked out

The numbers

Complaints

Crashes reported

Fires reported

Injuries reported

1 complaint reports a death.

What kind of bad

The letter says how bad. This says what kind — whether this year drew an unusual number of complaints, unusually dangerous ones, or failures that arrived unusually early.

The dashed ring is 50 — the national norm. Further out is worse.

Complaint volume — 4: Against the median year of the Ford F-350. 50 means typical for this model; 100 means roughly double.
Severity — 97: 18.8% of these complaints involved a crash, fire, injury or death, against a national rate of 9.7%.
Early failure — not reported: Too few complaints recorded a mileage to measure this.

How 1998 compares with every other Ford F-350

Click any bar to open that year's report.

2 34 74 129 126 191 167 188 16 531 367 181 140 104 216 170 206 56 176 55 204 252 110 150

89 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 11 12 13 14

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks on a 1998 Ford F-350

Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.

Tires 4 25.0%

Median failure at 65,315 miles

Transmission & Drivetrain 2 12.5%

Seats 1 6.3%

Seat Belts 1 6.3%

Wheels 1 6.3%

1 crashes, 0 fires

Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 1 6.3%

Fuel & Propulsion 1 6.3%

Median failure at 85,000 miles

Lights 1 6.3%

Body & Structure 1 6.3%

Brakes 1 6.3%

Airbags 1 6.3%

Engine & Cooling 1 6.3%

When owners complained

A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single owner can see from inside their own car.

Mar 1998 peak 5 May 2010

NHTSA investigations into the 1998 Ford F-350

An investigation is the step before a recall: the agency has seen enough complaints to look into a pattern itself. An open one means it thinks something may be wrong and nothing has been fixed yet.

DP05005 Opened 22 Sep 2005 Closed 4 Jan 2006 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEAD

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 A...

EA05005 Opened 22 Mar 2005 Closed 2 Aug 2006 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES

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 VEHIC...

Complaints that involved harm

Reports where the owner recorded a crash, a fire, an injury or a death.

Filed 22 Dec 2005 Oberlin, OH Crash 1 injured

WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS

THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL SHEARED OFF 1998 FORD F350 CAUSING IT TO STRIKE GUARD RAIL (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT). *TS

NHTSA complaint #10146436 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Filed 23 Jul 2001 Orlando, FL 2 killed

TIRES

RIGHT REAR DUAL TIRE BLOWOUT AND TREAD SEPARATION AT 40 MPH, RESULTING IN APPROX $300.00 DAMAGE TO UNDERSIDE OF RV.*AK (TIRESIZE: LT225 R16E)

NHTSA complaint #748573 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

The most recent complaints

In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.

Filed 31 May 2010 Lakeland, FL

TIRES

WE SOLD A CUSTOMER SOME 35-13.50-20 MICKEY THOMPSON ATZ TIRES BACK IN 2007 CUSTOMER BROUGHT BACK THE TIRES IN MAY OF 2010 FOR CRACKING AROUND THE SIDEWALL AND LUGS CONTACTED MICKEY THOMPSON ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND THAT RECEIVED A RGA BUT WAS NOT TOLD WHERE TO SEND THEM CALLED REPEATEDLY BUT WITH NO ANSWER. THIS SAME TIRE WAS RECALLED IN 2006 FOR HAVING THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM WAS TOLD THAT THE CUSTOMER WOULD HAVE TO PAY TO SHIP THEM BACK TO MICKEY AND IF THEY WERE IN FACT DEFECTIVE THEY WOULD ISSUE A PRORATED WARRANTY ON THEM IF NOT WE WOULD HAVE TO PAY TO SHIP THEM BACK ALSO I DO HAVE PHOTOS OF THE CRACKING ALL FOUR TIRE ARE DOING THE EXACT SAME THING.

NHTSA complaint #10333942 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Filed 19 Mar 2007 at 85,000 miles Islip Terrace, NY

FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL

TL*- THE CONTACT HAS A 1999 FORD F-350 AND NOTICED THAT THE OIL TANK WAS LEAKING. WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE WAS STALLING OUT ON THE ROAD. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED THE CONTACT FOUND OUT THAT FORD WAS SPRAYING THE INNER-LINER OF THE TANK CAUSING IT TO MIX WITH THE FUEL AND CLOG THE FILTERS. THE CONTACT HAS REPLACED THE FILTER TWICE SINCE 10-26-06. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER WOULD NOT REIMBURSE HER FOR THE PARTS THAT SHE REPLACED, BUT THEY WOULD REPLACE THE PART IF NEEDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,000. AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 86,000.

NHTSA complaint #10185502 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Filed 22 Dec 2005 Oberlin, OH Crash 1 injured

WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS

THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL SHEARED OFF 1998 FORD F350 CAUSING IT TO STRIKE GUARD RAIL (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT). *TS

NHTSA complaint #10146436 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Filed 23 Sep 2003 at 65,315 miles Bellevue, NE

TIRES:TREAD/BELT

WHILE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY TREAD SEPARATED FROM RIGHT REAR TIRE. CONSUMER HAD NOT STRUCK ANYTHING, AND TIRE WAS STILL INFLATED. HE WAS ABLE TO PULL TO THE SIDE, AND EXAMINED WHAT WAS LEFT OF THE TIRE. HE REALIZED THAT ALL THE TREAD WAS GONE BUT SIDEWALL WAS STILL INTACT. IT WAS A WIDE TRACK BAJA A/S, LT245/75R16.*AK THE ROAD WAS CLEAR AND DRY. TEN MINUTES PRIOR TO THE FAILURE, THE CONSUMER FELT VIBRATION SHUDDERING THROUGHOUT THE VEHICLE. TIRE HAD APPROX. 35,000 MILES ON IT. CONSUMER HAS ONE OF THE FAILED TIRES, HE REPLACED AND DISCARDED THE OTHER THREE. *PH *NLM

NHTSA complaint #10040459 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Filed 23 Jul 2001 Orlando, FL 2 killed

TIRES

RIGHT REAR DUAL TIRE BLOWOUT AND TREAD SEPARATION AT 40 MPH, RESULTING IN APPROX $300.00 DAMAGE TO UNDERSIDE OF RV.*AK (TIRESIZE: LT225 R16E)

NHTSA complaint #748573 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Filed 17 Oct 2000 Altamonte, FL

TIRES

NEW TIRES FIRST YEAR OF USE - JUST SHREDDED WHILE DRIVING - DIDNT GO FLAT - JUST EXPLODED AND WERE UNABLE TO BE REPAIRED. (TIRESIZE: 225/75R16)( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 225/75R16 )

NHTSA complaint #733460 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Filed 24 Jan 2000 Kansas City, KS

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

WHEN CONSUMER DRIVES HE SMELLS DIESEL FUMES. HEADLIGHT AND INTERIOR LIGHTS HESITATE WHEN THEY ARE FIRST TURNED ON. TRANSMISSION DOESN'T SHIFT CORRECTLY. DRIVELINE HAS TOO MUCH SLACK. DOORS RATTLE. RUBBER TRIM AROUND BACK DOOR IS COMING OFF. HEATER SWITCH IS BAD. LOUD EXHAUST LEAK AFTER STARTING THE TRUCK IN THE MORNING. ALL OF THESE PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO THE DEALER. *AK