2001 Ford F Super Duty problems

SEAT BELTS

MY DRIVER SIDE FRONT SEAT BELT WILL COME UNBUCKLED FOR NO APPARENT REASON.NO MATTER SPEED ANGLE ETC.

NHTSA complaint #10682031 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

FORD F250 2001 6.8 V-10 SPARK PLUG BLOW OUT I JUST HAD TWO OF MY TEN PLUGS BLOW OUT ON MY 2001 F250 GAS 6.8 V-10 WITH 161K MILES. I TUNED UP THE ENGINE AT THE RECOMMENDED 100K MILES USING THE SPECIFIED PROCEDURES FOR THIS ENGINE. I KNEW THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THIS ENGINE AND WAS EXTREMELY CAREFUL DURING THE TUNE-UP AND PLUG REPLACEMENT. I AM A CERTIFIED AIRCRAFT MECHANIC WITH FAA INSPECTION AUTHORIZATION. I USED A CERTIFIED TORQUE WRENCH TO INSTALL THE PLUG WITH THE CORRECT TORQUE. THERE WAS NO ERROR IN TECHNIQUE OR INSTALLATION ON THIS SPARK PLUG REPLACEMENT. I JUST PAID $720 TO HAVE TWO SPARK PLUG HELI-COIL INSERTS DONE ON THIS ENGINE THAT BLEW OUT THE TWO FRONT LEFT PLUGS. THERE IS A SIMILAR PROCEDURE FOR AIRCRAFT ALUMINUM CYLINDERS (CALLED JUGS) WITH STRIPPED SPARK PLUG BOSS DEFECTS. AN AIRCRAFT SPARK PLUG HAS A LARGER 18MM DIAMETER PLUG WITH FULL DEPTH THREADS (NOT THE ? THREAD OF THE FORD V-10 AND OTHER FORD ENGINE DESIGNS). AIRCRAFT SPARK PLUGS ARE TORQUED TO 35 FT/LBS (VS THE 8.9 FT/LBS (107 IN/LBS) SPECIFIED BY FORD). THE MAXIMUM RPM OF MOST AIRCRAFT ENGINES IS 2700 RPM AS OPPOSED TO 6000+ RPM IN THE FORD ENGINES. THIS RESULTS IN A SIGNIFICANTLY LESS STRESS ON THE PLUG BOSS AREA THAT IT WOULD HAVE IN A FORD ENGINE. THE ENGINEERING THOUGHT THAT WENT INTO THIS FORD DESIGN IS TOTALLY NONSENSICAL OR NON-EXISTENT. THERE IS NO LOGICAL REASON THAT THEY SHOULD DESIGN THIS THREAD DEPTH WITH ? DEPTH IN AN ALUMINUM HEAD INSTEAD OF THE FULLY AVAILABLE 7/8? OF THE SPARK PLUG THREADS THAT ARE INSTALLED. THIS IS A GROSS ERROR IN DESIGN CONSIDERATION THAT HAS RESULTED IN THOUSANDS OF SPARK PLUGS BLOWING OUT OF FORD ALUMINUM HEADS. HOW LONG BEFORE MY REMAINING 8 PLUGS BLOW? WHERE WILL I BE WHEN IT HAPPENS? WHAT WILL BE THE RESULTANT DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE, VEHICLE OR PERSONS IN THE TRUCK? HOW MUCH WILL IT COST TO REPAIR?

NHTSA complaint #10630671 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

I PURCHASED A 2001 FORD SUPER DUTY NEW. THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 61K MILES AT 6 YEARS OLD. I REPLACED THAT TRANSMISSION WITH A 'REBUILT BY FORD' TRANSMISSION WITH A 3 YEAR, 36K MILE WARRANTY. THAT TRANSMISSION FAILED (DISINTEGRATED) WITH 31K MILES AT 37 MONTHS. ALTHOUGH THE DEALER IS HELPING WITH THE COST OF REPLACING IT AGAIN, FORD WILL NOT HELP AT ALL. THE REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSION FAILED TWICE UNDER WARRANTY AND WAS SERVICED WITH 25K MILES ON IT.

NHTSA complaint #10360478 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

WAS SITTING AT STOP LIGHT, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THERE WAS A POP, AND THIS TERRIBLE NOISE STARTED COMING FROM ENGINE AREA. PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT, AND CALLED MY HUSBAND. HE CAME DOWN, AND INSPECTED THE ENGINE. HE FOUND THE NUMBER 4 SPARK PLUG MISSING. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THIS FAILURE HAS HAPPENED. HAD TRUCK TOWED TO A FORD DEALER, AND THEY INSTALLED A SPARK PLUG INSERT, AND REPLACED SPARK PLUG, AND COIL. $424.52 WAS TOTAL REPAIR BILL WHICH INCLUDED TOWING. OLD PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA complaint #10321022 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

MY 2001 FORD F350 SUPERDUTY EJECTED A SPARK PLUG FOR THE SECOND TIME IN A YEAR. I FINALLY HAD TO BUY AN INSERT KIT TO FIX THE PROBLEM MYSELF COST ME 450.00 PLUS A NEW IGNITION COIL FOR 55.00. FORD WOULD NOT EVEN THINK OF TAKING THE BLAME FOR THIS PROBLEM TELLING ME THAT IT IS VERY UNCOMMON FOR THIS TO HAPPEN???????I DIDN'T HAVE A FIRE BUT I DID SEE SOME SMOKE AND SMELLED GAS VAPORS WHEN THE PLUG EJECTED IT ALSO SCARED THE HELL OUT OF MY WIFE AND I..IF IT HAPPENED ON THE INTERSTATE THERE COULD HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT FROM THE LOSS OF POWER AND THE SUDDEN SHOCK FROM THE NOISE.. I REALLY THINK THIS FAILURE IN THE FORD TRITON MOTOR SHOULD BE LOOKED AT CLOSELY AND MAKE FORD RECALL THESE ENGINES....THANK YOU DAVE CURTIN

NHTSA complaint #10210127 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:FUEL RAIL

MY 2001 FORD F350 SUPERDUTY EJECTED A SPARK PLUG FOR THE SECOND TIME IN A YEAR. I FINALLY HAD TO BUY AN INSERT KIT TO FIX THE PROBLEM MYSELF COST ME 450.00 PLUS A NEW IGNITION COIL FOR 55.00. FORD WOULD NOT EVEN THINK OF TAKING THE BLAME FOR THIS PROBLEM TELLING ME THAT IT IS VERY UNCOMMON FOR THIS TO HAPPEN???????I DIDN'T HAVE A FIRE BUT I DID SEE SOME SMOKE AND SMELLED GAS VAPORS WHEN THE PLUG EJECTED IT ALSO SCARED THE HELL OUT OF MY WIFE AND I..IF IT HAPPENED ON THE INTERSTATE THERE COULD HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT FROM THE LOSS OF POWER AND THE SUDDEN SHOCK FROM THE NOISE.. I REALLY THINK THIS FAILURE IN THE FORD TRITON MOTOR SHOULD BE LOOKED AT CLOSELY AND MAKE FORD RECALL THESE ENGINES....THANK YOU DAVE CURTIN

NHTSA complaint #10210127 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:DIESEL

ENGINE STALLS AT IDLE.

NHTSA complaint #10200714 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

DRIVERS SEAT BELT RANDOMLY DISCONNECTS. MAY DISCONNECT 2 TIMES WITHIN 5 MINUTES OR MAY DISCONNECT ONCE IN 2 WEEKS. EVERYTIME I CONNECT THE BELT I TUG AND YANK TO MAKE SURE IT IS CONNECTED BUT DOING THIS MAKES NO DIFFERENCE. I HOPE IT DOES NOT DISCONNECT IN AN ACCIDENT.

NHTSA complaint #10191680 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

2002 CLASS A MOTORHOME SPARK PLUG HAD BLOWN OUT THE ENGINE HEAD UPON START UP. *MR THE CONSUMER STARTED THE VEHICLE AND HEARD A LOUD NOISE. IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE #1 SPARK PLUG HAD EXITED THE ENGINE HEAD AND WAS LODGED IN THE FRONT AXLE. THE CONSUMER REQUESTED REIMBURSEMENT.

NHTSA complaint #10133430 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

MY 2001 FORD F-350 7.3 L POWER STROKE DIESEL HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING STALLING, MISSING,CUTTING OUT, ETC FOR ABOUT 6-8 MONTHS. THE TRUCK WAS TAKEN TO CAPITOL FRD IN SANTA FE, NM ON JUNE 7, 2005 AND PICKED UP ON JUNE 11, 2005. THE SERVICE TECHNICIANS REPLACED A "RELAY" OF SOME SORT NOT KNOWING WHAT THE PROBLEM REALLY WAS.(BY THEIR OWN ADMISSION).THE TRUCK STILL STALLS, MISSES AND CUTS OUT. I DO NOT WANT TO CONTINUE TAKING MY TRUCK IN FOR EXPERIMENTS TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. THEY ARE VERY NICE AND TRY TO HELP BUT I CANNOT AFFORD TO BUY FUEL FOR THEM TO RECREATE THE PROBLEM. THE LAST TIME WAS 4 DAYS AND 15 GALLONS OF FUEL. THE TRUCK HAS DIED WHILE IN MOTION ON AT LEAST 6 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS AND NUMEROUS TIMES SITTING AT STOP LIGHTS. WHEN IT DIES IN MOTION, I LOSE POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES. PLEASE HELP!!!

NHTSA complaint #10131792 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY:PEDAL/HAND LEVER(MOTORCYCLE)

CLUTCH DISENGAGEMENT NEEDING MORE TRAVEL UNTIL NEARLY TOUCHING THE FLOOR, OCCURED OVER A FEW WEEKS. THE CLUTCH STOPPED DISENGAGING WHILE TOWING A TRAILER OUT OF STATE AT A STOP LIGHT. IF THE IGNITION KEY WASN'T TURNED OFF IT WOULD HAVE PUSHED US INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THE CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER WAS REPLACED, THE OLD PART IS AVALIABLE. I UNDERSTAND THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE SUPER DUTY FORD PICKUPS WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME IT HAS HAPPENED. THE FIRST WAS ABOUT 43K MILES, NOW IT IS 83K MILES. SEVERAL OWNERS OF THE SAME TYPE TRUCKS (ALL WITH DIESEL ENGINES) HAVE HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS.

NHTSA complaint #10126018 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

NORMAL DRIVING RANSMISSION BROKE.FORD REPLACED TRANSMISSION.

NHTSA complaint #10100804 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:DIESEL

I WAS DRIVING A 2001 FORD F250 SUPER DUTY TRUCK WITH A DIESEL MOTOR, I WAS DRIVING ON A RURAL ROAD GOING ABOUT 55 MPH WHEN THE MOTOR DIED FOR NO REASON. I COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND CALLED FOR HELP BECAUSE THE TRUCK WOULD NOT START. I HAD THE TRUCK TOWED TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THE CAM POSITION SENSOR WENT BAD. WHEN THIS PART GOES BAD THE ENGINE GOES DEAD. THE PROBLEM IS THESE TRUCKS ARE MADE FOR TOWING TRAILER AND WHEN THE MOTOR DIES FOR NO REASON YOU HAVE NO POWER TO STEER THE TRUCK AND THE BRAKE NO LONGER WORK. THIS PART NEEDS TO BE RECALLED AND FIXED. I HAVE TALKED WITH SEVERAL PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN TO THEM AS WELL. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM THAT IS GOING TO GET SOMEONE HURT OR KILLED.

NHTSA complaint #10052650 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:TORQUE CONVERTER

THE TRANSMISSION IN MY 2001 FORD F250 WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY WITH A FORD REMAN UNIT LAST SUMMER (JULY 2002 WITH 59000 MILES). THIS AUGUST(2003) IT BEGAN PUMPING OUT TRANSMISSION FLUID FROM THE BELL HOUSING AT APPROXIMATELY 79000 MILES. THE DEALER DETERMINED THAT IT NEEDED A NEW TORQUE CONVERTER. THAT'S THE SAME DIAGNOSIS IT HAD LAST YEAR. OF COURSE, FORD WILL NOT WARRANTY IT. IT APPEARS TO ME THAT FORD HAS A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH THEIR TRANSMISSIONS. THE SECOND ONLY LASTED 13 MONTHS AND 20000 MILES. THIS IS THE SECOND FORD VEHICLE I'VE OWNED WITH FAULTY TRANSMISSIONS. THE OTHER WAS THE 1999 WINDSTAR. THAT TRANSMISSION WENT AT 53,000 MILES AND HAD NEVER TOWED ANYTHING OR BEEN OVERHEATED.

NHTSA complaint #10033377 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

TIRES

MY REAR TIRE BLEW OUT WHILE TRAVELING 55 MILES AN HOUR. THE TIRE WAS PROPERLY INFLATED AND HAD LESS THAN 30000 MILES OF WEAR. THE TIRE LOOK AS IF IT CAME UNGLUED. *NLM

NHTSA complaint #10018993 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION

WHEN THE PICKUP IS PARKED ON A SLIGHT INCLINE IN FIRST,SECOND,THIRD GEAR, IF YOU DO NOT CRAM ON THE BRAKE AS HARD AS YOU CAN THE TRUCK WILL ROLL BACKWARDS! IF YOU DON'T HAVE BRAKE YOU WATCH TRUCK ROLL BACKWARDS. THE FORD HOTLINE SAID THIS NORMAL. I HAVE DROVE MANUEL TRANSMISSIONS ALL MY LIFE,THIS IS NOT NORMAL! MY TRUCK HAS ROLLED OVER 20 FEET OUT INTO THE STREET.I AM CONCERNED THAT IT COULD POP OUT OF GEAR AND CAUSE A ACCIDENT OR RUN OVER SOMEONE! THE BRAKE SYSTEM IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH AND THE TRANSMISSION OR REAREND HAS A PROBLEM.

NHTSA complaint #767515 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

WHEN THE PICKUP IS PARKED ON A SLIGHT INCLINE IN FIRST,SECOND,THIRD GEAR, IF YOU DO NOT CRAM ON THE BRAKE AS HARD AS YOU CAN THE TRUCK WILL ROLL BACKWARDS! IF YOU DON'T HAVE BRAKE YOU WATCH TRUCK ROLL BACKWARDS. THE FORD HOTLINE SAID THIS NORMAL. I HAVE DROVE MANUEL TRANSMISSIONS ALL MY LIFE,THIS IS NOT NORMAL! MY TRUCK HAS ROLLED OVER 20 FEET OUT INTO THE STREET.I AM CONCERNED THAT IT COULD POP OUT OF GEAR AND CAUSE A ACCIDENT OR RUN OVER SOMEONE! THE BRAKE SYSTEM IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH AND THE TRANSMISSION OR REAREND HAS A PROBLEM.

NHTSA complaint #767515 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC

WHEN THE PICKUP IS PARKED ON A SLIGHT INCLINE IN FIRST,SECOND,THIRD GEAR, IF YOU DO NOT CRAM ON THE BRAKE AS HARD AS YOU CAN THE TRUCK WILL ROLL BACKWARDS! IF YOU DON'T HAVE BRAKE YOU WATCH TRUCK ROLL BACKWARDS. THE FORD HOTLINE SAID THIS NORMAL. I HAVE DROVE MANUEL TRANSMISSIONS ALL MY LIFE,THIS IS NOT NORMAL! MY TRUCK HAS ROLLED OVER 20 FEET OUT INTO THE STREET.I AM CONCERNED THAT IT COULD POP OUT OF GEAR AND CAUSE A ACCIDENT OR RUN OVER SOMEONE! THE BRAKE SYSTEM IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH AND THE TRANSMISSION OR REAREND HAS A PROBLEM.

NHTSA complaint #767515 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

TIRES:SIDEWALL

SIDEWALL FAILER FOUND BY EAST COUNTY ALLINGMENT, SANTEE, CA. THEY HAVE FOUND MANY PROBLEMS WITH THIS MODEL TIRE. ON SEARCHING FOR A REPLACEMENT TIRE TWO DEALERS WOULD NOT RECOMEND THIS TIRE AND ONE, SOUTHERN TIRE, RAMONA CA. , HAD A NEW ONE BLOW UP.

NHTSA complaint #764245 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

TIRES:SIDEWALL

TRAVELLING WITH EMPTY PICKUP TRUCK BED AND 1 ADULT AND 3 CHILDREN PASSENGERS. 50 MILES FROM LAKE CHARLES, LA. AFTER DRIVING FOR 9 HOURS, THE RIGHT REAR FIRESTONE STEELTEX 16 INCH TIRE HAD A CATASTROPHIC SIDEWALL FAILURE. THE SIDEWALL SEPARATED ENTIRELY FROM THE OUTSIDE OF THE TIRE. I HAVE PHOTOS AND HAVE THE ORIGINAL TIRE AND SIDEWALL. I REPLACED ALL THE FIRESTONE TIRES WITH MICHELINS. SOMEONE NEEDS TO GET FIRESTONE TO LOOK INTO THIS. THE TIRE WAS MADE IN CANADA AND THE FOLLOWING NUMBERS ARE ON THE SIDEWALL IN VARIOUS LOCATIONS: 30362 EX BM14480-3 BM14973 AND BM15211 ON THE TIRE BEAD. THEY ARE E RATED TUBELESS RADIAL ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT TIRES ON MY FORD SUPERDUTY. FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME FOR PHOTOS OR TO SEE THE TIRES.

NHTSA complaint #763580 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

MY TRUCK HAS STARTED TO STALL OUT IN REVERSE SINCE 9/19/01. THE PROBLEM HAS CONTINUED SINCE THAN. I HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH THE DEALERSHIP AND FORD CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE. THE SERVICE MANAGER AT SEEKINS FORD IN FAIRBANKS ALASKA HAS SEEN THIS PROBLEM SINCE 1998 AND THERE HAS BEEN NO SOLUTION. CURRENTLY HE HAS 12 FORD F-SERIES TRUCK THAT ARE STALLING OUT IN REVERSE. IT ONLY STALLS OUT AT -10DEGREES OR COLDER. THE DEALERSHIP HAS CHANGED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID TO A SYNTHETIC FLUID BUT AN HOUR AFTER DRIVING OFF THE LOT IT STALLED 5 TIMES AND HAS CONTINUED SINCE. I HAVE HAD NO HELP FROM FORD AND I AM VERY WORRIED THAT MY TRUCK WILL STALL OUT AND NOT START IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION AND I WILL BE INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. I CANNOT BACK OUT OF A PARKING SPACE WITHOUT STALLING OUT 3-5 TIMES. MY STARTER IS NOW GETTING USED 5 TIMES AS MUCH AND I THINK THE REST OF MY TRUCK IS ALSO GETTING DAMAGE DUE TO THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE BEEN TOLD TO CALL MANY DIFFERENT NUMBERS AND NOW I AM ALMOST TWO MONTHS INTO THIS PROBLEM WITH NO SOLUTION IN SIGHT. THERE ARE MANY OTHER PEOPLE WHO OWN THESE VEHICLES WHO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM BUT THE FORD DEALERSHIP ASKS PEOPLE NOT TO CALL CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE TO REPORT THIS PROBLEM. THE SEEKINS FORD SERVICE MANAGER(AL) 907-459-4079 HAS A LIST OF ALL THE PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I HOPE THAT YOU CAN HELP. THANK YOU.

NHTSA complaint #755764 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY

PROBLEM WITH CLUTCH FAILUE DUE TO LOSS OF FLUID.*AKTHE PINS HOLD THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER AND THE SLAVE CYLINDER CAME OUT CAUSING FLUID TO LEAK AND RESULTING IN THE CLUTCH FAILING, THIS FAILURE OCCURED TWICE AND WAS NOT FIXED PROPERLY THE FIRST TIME. *NLM

NHTSA complaint #8001139 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

WHEN SERRVICE BRAKE IS APPLIED STEERING BECOMES REALLY HARD. FEELS LIKE POWER STEERING HAS STOPPED WORKING COMPLETELY.

NHTSA complaint #753405 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:HEAD RESTRAINT

MY COMPLAINT COMES IN THE CONCERN OF THE LACK OF HEAD RESTRAINTS FOR THE REAR SEATS OF THE 2001 FORD F150 SUPER CREW. I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT THE REAR BENCH SEATS FOR THE GENERATION 1 MODELS (SUPER CREW MODELS BUILT BETWEEN FEBRUARY AND JUNE 2000) WERE NOT PROVIDED WITH REAR HEADRESTRAINTS AND THAT IT BECAME STANDARD FOR GENERATION 2 AND 3 MODELS. IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THAT IF THE DEALER LATER REALIZED THAT THE LACK OF REAR HEADRESTRAINTS WAS A CONCERN AND MADE IT STANDARD FOR THE SAME MODEL TRUCK AND ONLY EQUIPTED MODELS BUILT LATER IN THE YEAR, THEN I FEEL THAT THE COST OF CORRECTION OF THIS HAZARD SHOULD NOT FALL IN THE HANDS OF THE OWNER BUT IN THE HANDS OF THE DEALERSHIP. I AM NOT AWARE OF ANY RECALL PERTAINING TO THIS PROBLEM. I WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR HELP IN GETTING THIS SAFETY CONCERN CORRECTED.

NHTSA complaint #752250 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.