1997 Ford F Series problems & reliability
47 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1997 Ford F Series. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 21 | 45% |
| Electrical System | 7 | 15% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 5 | 11% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 4 | 9% |
| Suspension | 3 | 6% |
| Fuel System, Other | 2 | 4% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | 4% |
| Steering | 2 | 4% |
| Structure | 2 | 4% |
| Tires | 2 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 15 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 37 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 120,000 miles (middle 50% between 86,000 and 160,000 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“While driveing at 60 mph there was a loud crash from the left rear then a grinding pop from the left rear all while the rear end of my truck felt like it was fish tailing on ice or like some one huge was shakeing it from side to side I almost lost it into a field I was so suprised I got stopped to look the left rear…”
Suspension · filed May 23, 2015
“The truck was parked in a strip mall parking lot. A few minutes later someone said that there were flames coming from the hood. The car was a total in 10 minutes. Four off duty firemen were there and could not put the flames out. Near by fire station was called. Its response was with in a few minutes. Truck was…”
Engine · filed Sep 17, 2014
“While driving at highway speeds, the vehicle started surging up and down in speed erratically. I did not realize that it had to do with the speed control, but finally took it out of cruise for good. The speedometer still was surging up and down between 4 and 10 mph difference from what my speed was. After the vehicle…”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed Jul 16, 2014
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEAD
Defect Petition DP05005 · opened Sep 22, 2005 · closed Jan 4, 2006
- UNDERCARRIAGE FIRES
Preliminary Evaluation PE97005 · opened Jan 29, 1997 · closed May 12, 1997
Technical service bulletins
142 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1997 Ford F Series. The 10 most recent:
Jerr-dan: anti stall feature for ford f series light duty chassis with v10 gas engine and an engine drive clutch pump. Model years unknown. *pe
TB-08-258 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 29, 2008
General (pcm) power train control module programming procedures. *tt
042107 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 13, 2004
General power train control module (pcm) programming procedures. *tt
04217 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 2004
Rough idle, miss and various other driveability concerns on vehicles with 7.3l dit engine. This may be related to injector bore scuffing caused by fuel quality issues. *tt
11675 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 30, 2003
Remote keyless entry (rke) - service tips. *tt
03181 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 15, 2003
False failure of the vapor management valve (vmv). *tt *jb
16683 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 1, 2003
New service part - number 5 needle bearing and race kit - 4r70w transmission - service tip. *tt
03261 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 5, 2003
Subject regarding vehicle lean correction procedure developed for diagnosing and correcting vehicle lean. *tt
02169 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 19, 2002
This bulletin states that some 4.6l fqr engine assemblies may have a smaller or larger knock sensor threaded hold than the one in the original engine assembly. *tt
15901 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 2002
Some vehicles may exhibit wheels that seize to the hubs and are difficult to remove during service. *tt
15708 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 1, 2002
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1997 Ford F Series in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1997 Ford F Series?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 120,000 miles — worth a pre-purchase inspection if the car is near that mileage.