Bought a used truck, and after the warranty expired had to replace the starter/the ball joints/he upper tie rods, and the control arm on both sides. Engine manifold split, and exhaust system rusted. Later, while driving tie rods came off. There was a slight drop at the entrance to the parking lot, and as vehicle went back up the drop, it slid and there was an impact. Got out of the car, and saw that the tie rod came off and gouged into the pavement. Spoke to the manager of country club Chevrolet, and he simply gave consumer a discount on parts and labor. Yesterday he went to a certified used vehicle dealer and asked for the 88-point inspection, , and they were unable to provide that information.

- Otego, NY, USA

Failure of front end sterring parts( ball joints, tie rods, and idler arm). On several occassions my mechanic has instructed me that I should have the front end check for wear and tear due to premature failures in these parts. This is the third time in the past 3 years (@about 20K miles per year) I have had major replacements done on these parts. I do not beleive the failure is due to driving conditions, most is at high ways speeds on reasonably smooth roads. The latest failure has me very concerned about the overall safety of the vehicle as I typical drive on the highway. My mechanic indicated if a failure occurs at highways speeds - it might not be a great outcome... I feel I am lucky in that every time I go to the mechanic (serveral times per year) I have him check these parts. I recently received an inspection in June 2004 and these parts were ok then. Now (Mar 2005) and I have a major replacement going on. The machanic indicated that I am not alone and the problem is very wide spread. Do not get me wrong - I really like the truck and would buy another, but so far dealers (2 local) indicate that my problems are not as wide spread. Hence I no longer go to Ford dealers for service. The mechanic has also indicated that this issue may be larger in scope thant the Firestone tire issues Ford had years ago (speculation). But none the less - my mechanic has seen many of these issues and he is a small operation in a small town. At this stage I am unlikely to re-purchase a Ford F150 and have major concerns over the saftey of the vehicle.

- Newbury, MA, USA

I bought the 99 F-150 used. I've owned it for 2 years and in those two years spent over 3000 dollars repairing it. I cant handle the thought of keeping a truck that cost so much in repairs. And now the dealer tells me I need a new transmission. This is one week after I spent over 500 replacing the spark plugs, fuel filter, and getting the fuel injectors cleaned. I have only 58,000 miles on the thing and was told by the dealer that the plugs don't need to be touched for 100,000 miles. Well it was missing and that was the problem. The truck slams into gear between 1 and 2, and now the problem is my transmission is bad. At 58,000 miles" and I've never even towed anything. Just regular wear and tear" I think these trucks must be lemons. After I get the transmission fixed, I'll have spent $5,600 in a two year span. I have to sell it because the repairs are more than the payment. I guess that's why it was sold to me when it was only two years. Old.

- Grand Rapids, MI, USA

Since the control arm keeps shifting due to the oblong hole that the bolt is held in, the alignment is always incorrect...makes it hard to keep vehichle straight at 60 mph. If the lower control arm keeps shifting, I'm sure the bolt that keeps the control arm in place will eventually be sheared off......causing loss of control.

- Floral Park, NY, USA