1997 Ford F-350 problems
Owners have filed 188 complaints about the 1997 Ford F-350 with NHTSA. Service brakes, hydraulic account for 19.1% of them — narrowly the most common, ahead of tires at 17%.
Complaints188
Crashes14
Fires15
Injuries3
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Service brakes, hydraulic 19.1% · 36
Tires 17.0% · 32
Engine and engine cooling 14.4% · 27
Power train 11.7% · 22
Steering 6.4% · 12
Suspension 5.9% · 11
Vehicle speed control 4.3% · 8
Fuel system, gasoline 3.7% · 7
Severity
Of those complaints, 14 describe a crash, 15 describe a fire and 3 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 18 model years of the Ford F-350 in this data, 1997 sits 8th by complaint volume. 1999 draws the most.
Filings are rising — 6 in the last three years against 5 in the three before. For a vehicle this age that usually points to a wear-related failure owners are hitting now.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 117,000 miles.
In owners' own words
Both factory front brake rotors were found to have a large crack in them, extending from the center to the outer edge. Dealer replaced both. Now rotors last for approx. 15,000 Miles before they become so warped that the truck shudders terribly when brakes are applied. Rotors have since had to be turned twice. Calipers do not seem to be dragging. Service brakes, hydraulic
While driving approximately 60 mph brake light started to flicker on/off. Consumer attempted to slow down by pressing brakes, but automobile was not able to stop. Consumer had to use both feet to push the brake pedal down. Effect of this was that consumer was unable to stop w/o warning, and was prone to a serious accident. Service brakes, hydraulic
A steel brake line on my truck rusted and ruptured causing a complete brake failure. This is the second occurrence of this problem on this vehicle. The brake line had rusted and had a partial failure, causing a leak. The rusted section was replaced about 5 years ago. The recent line failure caused an accident. Service brakes, hydraulic · reported at 97,000 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…