1998 Ford F Series problems & reliability
20 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1998 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.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 7 | 35% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 4 | 20% |
| Tires | 4 | 20% |
| Electrical System | 3 | 15% |
| Structure | 3 | 15% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 3 | 15% |
| Equipment | 2 | 10% |
| Interior Lighting | 2 | 10% |
| Unknown OR Other | 2 | 10% |
| Suspension | 1 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 11 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“While driving 25 mph the #2 spark plug striped its threads and blew out of the head. The plug remained in the wiring harness cap and continued to spark. The repair cost $220.00. I am told this is an ongoing defect in the design of some of fords engines. *tr”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Jan 5, 2012
“Spark plug blew out of the head with such force that it cracked the coil and was sparking on the fuel line with fuel vapors coming out of the head at the same time. This could have caused a fire/explosion if the vehicle could not have been shut off quickly enough. I was idle in my driveway and not on the highway where…”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Dec 18, 2011
“I had the truck on a lift to check for a noise from the undercarriage. I noticed that the front fuel tank strap was rusted thru and the tank was loose. Had to make a temporary repair. I checked the vin on the ford website and the information was there was no recall. *tr”
Fuel System, Gasoline · filed Nov 11, 2011
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
Technical service bulletins
89 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1998 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
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 dedicated cng vehicles may exhibit driveability conditions of hard start / no start / rough running. *tt
15761 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 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 1998 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 1998 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.