1997 Ford F-250 Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often write about the fuel tank mounting, which is the subject of a 2011 safety recall; many say the straps had rusted through or failed before or between repair attempts. Complaints also describe spark plugs blowing out of the engine and intermittent stalling traced to sensors, and these trucks are typically well past 100,000 miles when problems appear. A cluster of reports describes engine-compartment fires while the truck was parked, several mentioned in connection with the speed control switch.

1. 1
   Fuel system

   Fuel tank strap failure and tank leaks

   Mentioned in 12 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners describe rusty or fractured straps holding the front and rear fuel tanks, sometimes letting the tank drop and drag while driving, which punctured the tank and spilled fuel. Other reports describe a strong gasoline smell after parking, a rusted-through tank or a leak where the tank meets the straps. Several owners say a dealer told them the recall applied but would not complete the repair because the tank itself was already damaged, or that their VIN was not covered. Mostly reported between roughly 78,000 and 200,000 miles, often on trucks in areas with road salt.

   Recall 11V385000Recall 00V231000

   What to check: Inspect the fuel tank straps and their frame mounting points for rust or cracks, and check for a fuel smell or stains under the tanks. Ask whether campaign 11V385000 was completed and whether tank replacement was ever declined.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Ref:een19-47774 (to be fwd by mail) the front tank strap on the vehicle failed and the tank dropped until supported by skid plate. Some diesel fuel spilled in garage, creating fire hazard but was cleaned up w/o incident. I contacted diehl Ford in bellingham wa as no Ford dealer in juneau ak at that time. I ordered and they sent 2 straps (f72z-9054-ba), bolts&nuts which I found out later were not authorized by safety recall 11s21! …”

   NHTSA complaint #10592574, filed 2014-05, 248,000 miles

   “November,2005 woke up to heavy odor of gas coming from my attached garage found my 1997 F-250 truck had lost gallons overnite took to local Ford dealer told me tank rusty,under skid plate& spare tire. Cost me $734.27 I said is there a problem with these tanks,was asked about recall was told no recall-went home called Ford motor co.told them my situation &costs for a garage kept,rarely saw snow & meticulously kept up inside & out truck ,they were no help at all. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10563491, filed 2014-02, 114,967 miles
2. 2
   Electrical system

   Engine compartment fires while parked

   • 20 complaints (7%)
   • median 130,000 mi at 8.5 yrs old (11 state mileage)
   • 17 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1997–2014

   Owners report the truck catching fire while parked, in some cases in the driveway or garage, with damage to wiring, fuse boxes or the whole vehicle. Some reports say cruise control had stopped working beforehand or that the speed control switch was suspected; others say the cause was never determined. Two recalls address an overheating speed control deactivation switch. Spread across a wide mileage range, from about 80,000 to over 140,000 miles.

   Recall 05V388000Recall 06V286000

   What to check: Ask whether the speed control deactivation switch recalls 05V388000 and 06V286000 were performed or the switch was disconnected, and look for scorched wiring or a jumper harness near the master cylinder.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “After several inches of rain my 1997 Ford f250 light duty began trying to start while parked in the driveway. The only way to stop it was to disconnect the battery cable. The battery cable was red hot and smoking. Luckily my neighbor noticed or it would have caught fire. This is the second occurrence of this problem for this vehicle. Both followed heavy rains. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10336557, filed 2010-06, 135,000 miles

   “While driving 20 MPH driver noticed smoke coming from under the hood. Driver pulled over and opened the hood. Suddenly, vehicle caught on fire. Driver was able to extinguish the fire. Vehicle was towed home. The consumer had to unplug the wires connected to the brake master cylinder to stop the fire. Now the vehicle has no automatic cruise control. The consumer was told by local Ford service department that the fire was probably caused by the cruise control switch. The manufacture has a recall on f150 pickups but not the f250. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10115901, filed 2005-05, 128,465 miles
3. 3
   Engine cooling

   Intermittent stalling and no-start (sensors)

   • 14 complaints (5%)
   • median 127,000 mi at 10.8 yrs old (7 state mileage, few)
   • filed 1997–2015

   Owners describe the engine cutting out without warning, sometimes at speed or in traffic, and then restarting after a wait or not starting for days. Several reports point to the cam or crankshaft position sensor, and owners mention carrying a spare sensor or having it replaced repeatedly. Some say diagnostic codes were not stored, which made the problem hard to confirm. Mostly reported between about 85,000 and 140,000 miles, with no clear weather pattern.

   What to check: Ask about the service history for cam and crankshaft position sensors and whether the truck has ever stalled while driving; a road test at varying speeds can help reveal it.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Ford motor co. Refuses to do safety recall 07s57 on my 97 F-250 the recall is for the cam shaft position sensor. It must be replaced because the vehicle stalls while driving which can lead to an accident. They are refusing to do the recall due to a seized bolt. If this bolt breaks they want me to pay $2500 to get the safety recall completed.”

   NHTSA complaint #10380866, filed 2011-02, 165,995 miles

   “Monday, july 31 2007, I experienced the last of a series of intermittent stalling events in my 1997 Ford f250 hd vehicle, equipped with a 7.3 dit powerstroke diesel. Subsequent to my own investigations, I discovered that the cam position sensor was a component implicated in such events. I replaced the component on july 27, 2007, after an increase in stalling problems. The condition repeated on the later date above, and I drove the vehicle to a repair facility. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10200603, filed 2007-08, 85,700 miles
4. 4
   Tires

   Rusty or cracked wheels and loose wheel parts

   • 26 complaints (9%)
   • median 139,939 mi at 15.4 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2000–2020

   Owners describe steel wheels rusting through at the spokes or rim, in one case with the wheel separating from the truck, and another with a spare tire and bracket coming loose. Other reports describe tires shedding tread or sidewall damage that left the tires unusable. Some owners say dealers or manufacturers declined assistance. Wheel reports cluster from roughly 97,000 to 175,000 miles; tire failures were reported at low tire mileage.

   Recall 98V095000Recall 97V187000

   What to check: Check each wheel for rust holes, cracks and loose lug nuts, confirm the spare tire carrier cable is intact, and check tire date codes and sidewall condition.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The right front tire shredded and came apart while driving at 50 MPH. The tire started bouncing. This almost caused consumer to lose control of vehicle. However, consumer was able to maintain control of vehicle, and steer it to the side of the road. Tire was replaced with a spare. Firestone was not willing to assist.”

   NHTSA complaint #10099931, filed 2004-11, 49,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 1997 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, the spare tire detached from the vehicle. After inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the cable that holds the bracket and the spare tire was loose. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 97,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #10496285, filed 2013-02, 97,000 miles
5. 5
   Engine cooling

   Spark plug blown out of cylinder head

   Mentioned in 5 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners describe a spark plug ejecting from the cylinder head with a loud noise, often without warning, and several mention it happened more than once to the same truck. Repairs range from thread repair to head removal, and owners note the cost. A service bulletin covers a spark plug thread repair procedure for these engines. Reported from as low as about 27,000 miles up to beyond 200,000, with several cases in the 80,000 to 130,000 mile range.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask whether any spark plug threads have been repaired or inserts installed, and listen for a miss or ticking from the engine at idle and under load.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I own a 1997 Ford f250 truck. On the below listed date, while driving at 0430 hrs in the morning on a two lane roadway, the third spark plug on the passenger side blew out of the cylinder head. I looked up information on internet and found that this problem has been occurring without warning or fault of the drivers/owners for a number of years. This just happened today and I have not contacted any repair service yet. It is obvious that this is a problem and Ford has not recognized the design fault. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10095884, filed 2004-10, 113,357 miles

   “1997 Ford f25. This was the second spark plug to blow out of head. First repair cost $450.00, this time it cost me my truck, 2 cameras, GPS, laptop computer and several other items as the truck cought on fire when spark plug hit fuel inection rail an started a fuel fire that burnt the truck to ground. Total loss. Burned my hands trying to save items in cab. Had a fire extinguisher, but high pressure fuel lines sprayed fire to fast. My girl friend, her dog, and I had 30 seconds to get out. In 2 minutes the cab was engulfed in flames. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10186117, filed 2007-03, 27,000 miles

Buying note. Check the fuel tank straps and tanks first, since that is the most common theme and the related recall does not always cover a tank that has already rusted through. Service records for the speed control switch, sensor replacements and spark plug thread repairs are also worth asking for on a truck of this age.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.