1997 Ford F-150 Suspension Problems

“I was driving home from town when all the ball bearings fell out of the steering column and the steering wheel became loose and the truck began to sway from right to left, it was controllable at the low speed I was going but thank god I wasn't on an interstate or highway at a higher speed I could have run off the road or worse had a head on collision ! …”

“While driving down the road at 35 MPH with no load and nothing in tow the sub-frame cracked on both the driver and passenger side. On the driver side it cracked behind the rear tire. On the passenger side it cracked in front of the rear tire. The vehicle bowed and smashed the top of the bed into the back of the cab. Mechanic advised the frame deteriorated and cost of frame replacement would exceed the replacement of the vehicle.”

“Rear springs, rear buckle rear springs were completely rusted through. Garage that repaired the items indicated that they have fixed a very large amount of Ford trucks with the same issues. This seems to be an issue that warrants some investigation. Note that the truck gasoline tanks also rusted through, failed and resulted in the tank falling out of the truck while underway. This was fixed, albiet after 3 years, by a Ford recall that was initiated this year.”

“While driving consumer heard a loud knocking noise from the front. While vehicle was parked, during a self inspection, the driver side rear leaf spring had cracked. Consumer was able to drive the vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that both rear driver's side 'sand passenger side rear leaf spring needed to be replaced due to a crack.”

“While leaving a gas station the passenger side tie rod came out of it's socket. The consumer lost control of the vehicle for a short time but was able to stop safely. The consumer repaired the tie rod. The ball joint was dry and rusted. The ball joint was worn due to no grease. There is no way to grease it or to check to see if it needs to be lubricated.”