Bulletins
Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SUSPENSION | |||||
02168 | 08/19/2002 | 635974 | Reports that certain vehicles appear to be dogtracking. *tt | 11/04/2002 | |
14514 | 12/01/2000 | 616847 | Some vehicles may exhibit a clunk that can be felt or heard through the steering wheel. the condition is best experienced in a slight turn, near 20 mph, on road surfaces with slight irregularities. *tt | 03/13/2001 | |
985153 | 11/01/1998 | 613288 | Some vehicles may exhibit a steering pull to the right or left. *tt | 06/20/2000 | |
6417 | 06/01/1999 | 606839 | Addressing tire balance hints. *tt | 09/03/1999 | |
SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||||
14374 | 09/01/2000 | 618616 | Subject regarding front suspension inspection procedures. *jb | 04/18/2001 | |
12123 | 11/01/1998 | 613145 | Vehicles may exhibit a steering pull to the right or left, due to incorrect front end alignment settings. *mjs | 06/19/2000 | |
12070 | 11/01/1998 | 613041 | Vehicles that are loaded to the upper end of fvw, with the majority of the load between the axles, may exhibit inner edge tire wear due to incorrect alignment. *mjs | 06/16/2000 | |
SUSPENSION - REAR - SPRINGS - LEAF SPRING ASSEMBLY | |||||
17777 | 05/01/2004 | 10008552 | Rear leaf spring noise. *tt | 08/04/2004 |
Consumer Complaints
Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
---|---|---|---|
SUSPENSION | |||
06/15/2003 | 0 | ||
We purchased a 1997 ford e150 raised roof conversion van from jim o'neal ford in sellersburg, indiana just across the border from louisville, kentucky. the conversion was by superior in louisville. we purchased that particular van because it was highly rated by ford motor company as a conversion company. we drove the van for six years and just recently traded it in. it has 97,000 miles on it. the major problem we had with the van was with the front end. both ford and our local tire dealer have told us that because the van is raised roof and heavier than normal, we should expect excessive tire and brake wear. however, we often would have to put brakes on the van more than once a year and replace all four tires yearly. the front tires would get abnormal wear (cupping) which would destroy all four tires eventually with normal rotation. at 60,000 miles, a ford repair shop in joplin, mo told us the ball joints were bad and needed to be replaced. they felt that was the problem all along. only 30,000 miles later, we were once again told the ball joints were destroyed and needed to be replaced again. any time we ask if this was normal wear and tear, we were told (with a shoulder shrug) that it was due to the raised roof. i think ford should warn potential buyers of their conversion vans that they will experience abnormal brake, tire and front end wear and should expect to have $6-800 dollars in repairs yearly. if they cannot manufacture a front end capable of handling a heavier load from the raised roof, they should not be selling raised roof vans. |