This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
While proceeding through an intersection, making a left hand turn, with oncoming traffic also making a left hand turn, halfway through the intersection my truck stopped turning. Luckily, I am young and in good shape, I could "muscle it" through the rest of the turn to avoid the oncoming traffic. If it weren't for my quick thinking and "lucky" conditions, this could have easily resulted in a fatality. No safety defec tlisted.
At very slow speed with the brake applied (such as front & back parking maneuvers, or jacking a trailer into a tight spot), the steering has almost no power assist. I didn't mention it to the dealer until February of 2001, and he told me that this was "normal" and gave me a copy of a service memo from Ford stating that this is normal and "no repairs should be attempted". around November of 2001 I received a survey form from Ford asking basically how I liked my truck. I told them about my concern with the steering. I actually received a call from Ford about my problem. They also called the dealer and we set up an appointment for the dealer to look at the problem. On 12/11/01 the dealer's service manager personally checked-out the problem (with me along), and agreed that the steering problem was not normal and his comment was "it's like the wheel is against a rock". he said that he had not experienced this problem before, and would call the Ford engineers. He called me later that same day and informed me that Ford was adamant that the condition is "normal" and absolutely no repairs should be attempted. They said that he could change all the power steering parts, and that it would probably not make any difference and that they would not pay him to do any work on the problem. I was told the problem is caused by the hydroboost system diverts all of the power assist to the brakes at low speed and not to the power steering, and nothing could be done about this design. The Ford engineer gave the dealer a report number to use if there is any further reference to this situation. The report number is "1lkeb013" dated 12/11/01. On 12/12/01 I called back to the customer assistance person that originally called me (rosa at 1-800-393-3673X2452) and report the results. She informed me that there was nothing more that she could do because the Ford engineer declared the problem to be normal operating characteristics.
When braking hard and trying to turn/steer as in accident prevention and evasive maneuvering, the steering will lock momentarily. It is a hard situation to duplicate since it is a reactionary action and is adrenaline powered, but it can be simulated with the engine on and the vehicle in park. ?dealer insists this is a normal condition and there is nothing to fix!!! this has occured twice within the month of may and both incidents resulted in near collisions.
I am on 3rd power steering pump and 2nd. Hydrobooster in 53000 miles 3rd. Pump failing again I am already out 1600 dollars on these repairs.Ford has a major proublem with these trucks and are doing nothing about it.
- Huntington, IN, USA
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Vehicle has experienced many problems with power steering, dealer has replaced entire steering column, hydraulic lines twice on power steering pump, hydra boost twice, power steering unit, and had to fill power steering fluid because it was low, during these repairs dealer has made the aftermarket security system fail, power windows fail, and turn signals fail, dealer agreed to pay for the aftermarket security system failure, however has not done so, consumer has exhausted every resource to have problem corrected and feels Ford should buy vehicle back.
While parallel parking, vehicle loses power steering when hitting brakes, Ford says it's normal for vehicle to do thi, if vehicle has to suddenly stop there is no power steering to steer quickly out of the way when needed.
When brakes are applied with force, truck will not steer. This is a major concern and all 1999, 2000, 2001 250 and 350 trucks have same problem. Dealer has been contacted. Ford tech notes state (11/13/00: "...this is a normal condition and Ford isn't going to reengineer the vehicle to solve it. The condition comes from a new wider stance, tie rod angle and the fact that there is more weight in the front end than on the 97 old body style vehicle. The truck cannot be reengineered to solve the customers design issue unless the entire platform is redesigned. Ford is not going to incorporate a design change at this time and has not plans on the drawing board that the the hotline knows about." There will be fatalities because of this brake/steering problem!.
When holding the brakes on level ground or a steep hill whle standing still, it is virtually impossible to turn the steering wheel until the brakes are released. This is a very dangerous situation especially on steep inclines. Ford dealer says it's due to steering geometry but yet it is worse when engine comes off fast idle and power steering pump is turning slower due to lower engine speed. On a recent trip I was in a friends rather steep driveway in the smokey mountains and it was almost impossible to back out of driveway as I couldn't hold the brakes and turn the steering wheel at the same time to steer out on to the main drive. Had I released the brakes I would have crashed through a retaining fence and went down the the side of the mountian. It is often necessary to to position the wheels while holding the brake at a standstill, especially in mountainous terrain. Ford needs to rectify this situation as soon as possible. My Ford dealer has received numerous other complaints regarding this condition and it is a topic of conversation on many online bulletin boards so it is not an isolated incident peculiar to my truck only.
When brakes were applied power steering wheel would lock or seize up. There would be no controlling of vehicle. Problem was happening for a short period of time, and it was getting much worse.
Power steering had seized up when brakes were applied. Would have no control of vehicle when it happened. Problem been happening over a short period of time, but not getting worse. The dealer was unable to solve the problem.
Vehicle loses power steering on occasions of simultaneous heavy use of brakes and steering. I pray it doesn't happen at high speeds or in a difficult situation.
After waiting for a steering gear box to arrive at the local Ford dealership for several weeks, my truck was returned to me. Several days later, I had to hit the brakes rather hard to avoid running over a bottle ion the road. As I hit the brakes, I tried to turn to go around the bottle. I noticed that steering the truck is extremely difficult when there is pressure on the brakes. When I removed my foot from the brake pedal, normal steering returned. As I was treated poorly (to say the least ) by the local Ford dealership, I returned to the dealership where I purchased the vehicle. This involved a 120 mile round-trip drive. The vehicle was returned to me today. When I got the truck back, the service madvisor, jack dugan, told me that this is "a characteristic of the truck" and that they could do nothing about it. He added that if I didn't like the way it handled, contact Ford. My response is, with all of the press about the F-250, (thanks to NHTSA) why do Ford marketing representatives deny the existence of the problem. Apparently, mike vaughn, of Ford Motor Co., spoke with NHTSA and said that Ford is cooperating with the investigation. Also, if I remember correctly from driver's education, in the event of a skid, you should steer in the direction of the skid. This is impossible to do with this truck. I can foresee many accidents due to this system. According to jack dugan, the brakes and steering use the same power booster. I tow a 23' travel trailer that weighs about 5,000 lbs. I am afraid to tow the trailer because of this situation. This has put quite a damper on our summer activities. Can you tell me how the investigation is going and what I should do about the problem? I like the truck overall, but cannot believe the run-around I get from Ford and casa Ford in el paso. Borman auto plex has treated me very well throughout this dilema. Please keep up the good work. I gave a copy of the NHTSA printout to jack dugan at borman auto plex.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Oakley, CA, USA