Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||||
| 0399 | 05/12/2003 | 10002781 | Tie rod end inspection procedure. *tt | 09/17/2003 | |
| 16605 | 02/01/2003 | 10002490 | Reduced power steering assist and/or power steering leaks when driven in temperatures equal to or less than -25 degrees celcius. *tt | 09/03/2003 | |
| 14417 | 01/01/2000 | 620441 | Some lightning models may exhibit a clunking sound from the front end area during parking maneuvers. *tt | 08/07/2001 | |
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS | |||||
| 17823 | 05/01/2004 | 10008572 | Power steering leak - service tip. *tt | 08/05/2004 | |
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||||
| 17731 | 04/01/2004 | 10008232 | Whine from power steering. *tt | 07/23/2004 | |
| STEERING - LINKAGES | |||||
| 14189 | 06/01/2000 | 613889 | Concerns with squeaking noise from tie rod end. *tt | 09/20/2000 | |
| STEERING - LINKAGES - ARM - IDLER AND ATTACHMENT | |||||
| 0241 | 03/04/2002 | 636054 | Subject regarding idler arm replacement specifications. *tt | 11/04/2002 | |
| STEERING - LINKAGES - TIE ROD ASSEMBLY | |||||
| 04L19 | 09/01/2004 | 10010001 | Customer maintenance reminder - literature program 04l19 - tie rod inspection procedure. *tt | 11/03/2004 | |
| 031513 | 08/04/2003 | 10003192 | Tie rod end inspection procedure. *tt | 10/10/2003 | |
| 03610 | 03/31/2003 | 10001861 | Tie rod end inspection procedure. canada vehicles only. *tt *jb | 07/23/2003 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 10/10/2007 | 70000 | 1 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2000 ford f series. the contact stated that the steering wheel began melting due to sun exposure. he also stated that the seat belt was inoperable. the dealer stated that nothing could be done because the warranty expired. in addition, there were no open recalls on the vehicle. the failure mileage was 70,000 and current mileage was 165,000. updated 11/24/08 *cn updated 11/26/08. *jb | |||
| 06/16/2003 | 1 | 07/26/2000 | |
| When a bump or pothole was hit in the road, the vehicle did not steer smooth . the dealer inspected vehicle several times and could not duplicate or correct the problem.*ak ph. the consumer also stated the vehicle drifted to the left if the steering wheel was relaxed at anytime. tires and wheels were installed, however there was no change. *jb | |||
| 2 | |||
| There were problems with the service light in the vehicle since the consumers first purchased, but was told by the dealer that it was normal and that it was fixed. there were also problems with the steering. mr scc | |||
| 1 | |||
| The steering failed while driving and caused loss of control of the vehicle. scc *nlm | |||
| 04/24/2001 | 7 | ||
| While driving, steering is tight and vehicle is radically pulling to the right without warning, the dealer has replaced the gear assembly three times, steering pump assembly and now consumer is awaiting a new factory steering gear, consumer also states that the original pump assembly and original steering gear have become weak/soft/sagged. *slc | |||
| 11/24/1999 | 1 | 10/19/1999 | |
| While driving something broke causing the vehicle to loss control resulting in accident. yh | |||
| STEERING - COLUMN | |||
| 11/01/2004 | 6500 | 1 | 10/13/2004 |
| When steering wheel is not all the way up the turn signals, hazard lights, and the brake lights do not work. i have taken it to the dealership and they state that there is a clip in the steering column that is broke. this all happened 2 months after i bought the truck and they will not fix it due to there being no warranty. at the same time the keyless entry stopped working as well as the automatic door locks. they stated that this was because the motor in both doors had went out. seems odd to me that they would both go at the same time. *jb | |||
| 02/14/2003 | 1 | ||
| The steering column broke while driving.*jb | |||
| STEERING - GEAR BOX (OTHER THAN RACK AND PINION) | |||
| 11/16/1999 | 3 | 11/01/1999 | |
| No summary | |||
| 04/14/2000 | 1 | 01/01/2000 | |
| I was trying to avoid rear ending the car in front of me because traffic had come to an abrupt stop so i jerked my truck to the right as hard as i could. i could not steer out of it because the steering box broke. i hit the car in front of me on his right rear bumper with my left front bumper. the only damage to my truck was the front bumper. the headlight wasn't even broke. ron balckwell ford's chief mechanic said the steering box breaking is a safety feature. i have never heard of such a thing. i don't belive that hitting a car at 30 mph should make the steering box break. i think it broke from the extreme pressure of turning it so hard trying to avoid the collision.*ak | |||
| 04/14/2000 | 1 | 01/01/2000 | |
| I was trying to avoid rear ending the car in front of me because traffic had come to an abrupt stop, so i jerked my truck to the right as hard as i could. i could not steer out of it because the steering box broke. i hit the car in front of me on his right rear bumper with my left front bumper. ron blackwell ford's head mechanic said the steering box breaking is a safety feature. i have never heard of such a thing. i don't believe that hitting a car at 30 mph should make the steering box break. the only damage done to my truck was on the left side of my bumper. the headlight wasn't even broke. i think it broke from the extreme pressure of turning it so hard trying to avoid a collision not from hitting the car. | |||
| STEERING - GEAR BOX - SHAFT SECTOR | |||
| 11/18/2003 | 23000 | 2 | 02/03/2000 |
| While driving at any speed and when making a turn consumer heard a clanking noise. consumer replaced the steering shaft, but the problem persisted. vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who then replaced the idler arm, which corrected the problem.*ak vehicle only has 25,000 miles. *la | |||
| 01/21/2001 | 1 | 02/16/2000 | |
| While driving the vehicle lost all steering control due to shearing of the sector shaft, this resulted in a collision with a tree, both the consumer and passenger were injured in the accident (attorney for consumer). *mjs | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||
| 08/16/2003 | 1 | 12/15/1999 | |
| I had $1375 worth of maintenance done on my 2000 ford f-150 at mak haik ford on aug.14, 2003, such as transmission & power steering flush, replacing fuel, air & oil filters, new brakes & fixing abs sensor, etc. when i got home straight from the mak haik, the alarm was acting up. later, i discovered the cruise control was broken. two days later, while i was in bww on westheimer, my truck combusted into flames (about 30-40 feet high). the truck is a write-off. mak haik blew up my truck. i want my $1375 back as well as approx. $32,500 for the truck.*ak | |||
| While driving at 50 mph and pulling a trailor, went to apply brakes, and lost power assit brakes and power steering which almost caused a crash. please provide further information. *ak | |||
| 07/01/2000 | 03/01/2000 | ||
| While turning into my driveway with brakes applied i lost power steering and power brakes totally, engine almost stalled. i immedialy put transmission in neutral and regained all power back. this happened to me twice. will bring to dealer so the can document it. | |||
| STEERING - LINKAGES | |||
| 06/18/2001 | 1 | 08/21/2000 | |
| Was driving vehicle 25mph on back road which was slightly to the left. started turning steering wheel to follow road, and had no steering. had to slam on brakes to stop, but vehicle failed to stop in time. vehicle kept straight, and went up an embankment. this caused vehicle to flip over. owner tried to brace himself by putting arm out, and vehicle rolled over owner's hand. had emergency treatment. *ak the pitman arm came loose from the steering box. *slc | |||
| STEERING - LINKAGES - ARM - IDLER AND ATTACHMENT | |||
| 11/18/2003 | 23000 | 2 | 02/03/2000 |
| While driving at any speed and when making a turn consumer heard a clanking noise. consumer replaced the steering shaft, but the problem persisted. vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who then replaced the idler arm, which corrected the problem.*ak vehicle only has 25,000 miles. *la | |||
| STEERING - LINKAGES - TIE ROD ASSEMBLY | |||
| 04/09/2008 | 101586 | 1 | 01/05/2003 |
| While driving home from work on a two lane highway, i started to brake at around 45 mph for a slowing vehicle in front of me. the truck started bucking and shaking violently. luckily, i managed to turn into a gas station that was right there and stop. i got out and looked to see that the passenger side tie rod was broken. *tr | |||
| 05/01/2006 | 49500 | 1 | 11/03/1999 |
| (1) due to the particular design flaw of the tie end rods (the tie ends do not have a grease nipple to allow critical lubrication of these parts!), the passenger side upper tie end rod completely separated from its normal position while the vehicle was in motion. (2) the vehicle operator was unable to steer the vehicle to a safe clearance and was forced to immediately stop on a two lane bridge and block one of the lanes. (3) all of the tie ends rods were replaced with new parts that have a nipple for lubrication so that the wear item can be maintained by applying grease. the old part is available. *nm | |||
| 10/03/2005 | 91000 | 1 | 04/30/2004 |
| Dt: 2000 ford f150. the consumer stated that the tie rod end let go while in motion. this occurred on october 3, 2005. the vehicle had not been taken to the dealership. the vehicle was towed to consumer's residence. the consumer had not called ford. there was no warning but there was a small vibration in the steering wheel then the tie rod completely let go. there was no accident and no one was injured. *sc . *ak | |||
| 05/09/2005 | 35122 | 1 | 12/01/1999 |
| Dt: the contact states left front tie rods separated. he was going approximately 40 mph. they both had to be changed. this happened on may 9-05. he lost control of the steering on 5-9-05. he had noticed that the steering was wandering prior to this incident. the dealer told him the alignment was perfect; they had used a new machine to determine if the alignment was correct. *ak | |||
| 07/22/2005 | 60000 | 1 | 04/01/2002 |
| As i was driving down the road i lost control of my vehicle. i was traveling aproximatly 30mph when my truck started shaking and veered off the road. i was able to stop before any damage occured. being mechanicaly inclined i inspected the vehicle and noticed the drivers side tie rod end had seperated. this surprised me in that the truck only had 60k miles. i believe this is a major safety issue since there was no obvious indication that the tie rod end was even bad. | |||
| 01/03/2005 | 1 | ||
| 2000 ford f150 ball joints and tie rod ends failed.***no answer required***. *mr the consumer did not give specifics about the accident. *jb | |||
| 07/04/2005 | 50000 | 2 | 01/01/2000 |
| Dt: had problems in past with tie rod ends and was unable to keep grease on them. consumer was at church and began to leave, and there was a popping noise. after turning the wheel followed by a dragging-this was later a piece of tie rod end. this occurred on the right side, and before the mileage had accumulated to 20,000 .this occurred about a year and a half ago. this was repaired by consumer's husband. this 4th of july weekend, was exiting parking lot onto street and heard another popping noise. almost lost control of truck but was able to make it off the road. called husband who was a mechanic, he came and repaired vehicle. this occurred on the left side. the parts for the f150 tie rod ends were unable to pack grease which causes this failure. has contacted ford for the first incident. the second failure mileage was just over 50,000 miles. *ak | |||
| 06/23/2005 | 80000 | 1 | 03/01/2003 |
| Last night, i was making a left hand turn into a parking lot when i lost control of the steering in my vehicle. luckily, the oncoming traffic was able to manuver around me, and i just missed a utility pole. i found the inner left tie rod had completely separated. i have serarched the internet and found numerous reports and complaints of the same issue, and even a pending class-action suit. i will be replaing not only the broken tie rod, but the others as well. | |||
| 04/01/2005 | 55000 | 2 | 02/04/2000 |
| Ford f150 tie rod failure--in august of 2004 received a notice from ford to check tie rods due to change of inspection procedures inspected tie rods in september 2004, checked ok. in april of 2005 driver's side outer tie rod failed at approximately. 60,000 miles damages to vehicle included driver's side tire& rims. *ak | |||
| 04/03/2005 | 1 | ||
| Vehicle was going through a drive through driver noticed that there was no ability to steer the vehicle. consumer got out of the vehicle, and noticed that the left tie rod and lower ball joints broke.*ak | |||
| 08/05/2003 | 45000 | 1 | 12/19/1999 |
| I purchased a new 2000 f150 pickup truck from van boxtel ford in green bay wi. after putting 45000-50000 miles i had a bad experience with my vehicle. i was driving into a parking lot off the street and was turning into the second parking stall when the vehicle would not turn. i stopped and got out of the truck to see if something was wrong.the front tires were pointing in opposite directions and i noticed a hissing sound coming from the right side front tire. i looked under the vehicle and the tierod had poked a hole thru the tire and rim. the vehiclewas totally unsteerable. the repairs were 700-800 dollars which ford did not stand behind.what would have happened had the tierod poked thru the rim and tire when iwas driving at highway speeds.i made three calls to ford at their headquarters, nobody called or responded as requested. people could be killed with this type of incident. | |||
| 11/24/2003 | 36000 | 2 | |
| While driving at approximately 10 mph the outer tie rod snapped off the control arm, causing the vehicle to lose steering control. owner contacted the manufacturer, who was aware of this defect and suggested that the owner have the suspension checked often. *ak a year later the inner tie rod snapped off the control arm at 50000 miles. *bf *nm | |||
| 03/03/2005 | 66221 | 1 | |
| The front right tie rod failed unexpectedly while driving 5 mph and caused the vehicle to stop. manufacturer will be contacted by consumer. *jb *nm | |||
| 01/11/2005 | 1 | ||
| Vehicle was taken to dealer for checkup and results showed that the tie rods needed to be replaced, which was affecting the ability to control the vehicle. manufacturer was contacted by consumer.*ak | |||
| 11/01/2004 | 1 | 05/21/2004 | |
| While driving 30 mph the consumer lost control of the vehicle. the front driver's side tie rod had broken and both inner tie rods were replaced. *bf *sc *jb | |||
| 06/30/2004 | 52430 | 1 | 10/12/1999 |
| When pulling out of my driveway onto the road, the tierod broke, disabling the vehicle.*ak | |||
| 11/16/2004 | 85000 | 1 | 10/12/2001 |
| As per an august 2004 letter from ford, i had my f-150 tie rodds inspected by an independent repair facility and, indeed, found them severly worn and dangerous. they are being repaired as i write. since ford wrote us the letter, they msut know of a problem. i have never had tie rods fail before in any make car i have owned.*ak | |||
| 10/21/2004 | 40000 | 2 | |
| Consumer complained about an abs brake problem. the warning light kept coming on. also, tie rod ends were defective. consumer received notification from the ford manufacturer to have the tie rod ends checked. consumer had to pay for this service because the vehicle was no longer under warranty. 42,000 miles on the vehicle. *ak | |||
| 05/10/2004 | 45042 | 1 | 09/16/1999 |
| Ford f-150 manufacturing defect of the tie rod assemblies. *bf the vehicle's tie rod failed while pulling into a driveway. *nm | |||
| 10/15/2004 | 147000 | 1 | 05/21/2004 |
| While driving in low speeds in 2-wheel drive tie rod snapped. the consumer was able to continue driving. the dealership will be notified. *ak *sc | |||
| 09/22/2004 | 54600 | 1 | |
| When reversing inner tie rod failed, causing front driver's side wheel to lock up. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak | |||
| 10/02/2004 | 121000 | 1 | 10/31/2002 |
| Tie-rod broke lose from front driver side wheel. *ak | |||
| 09/11/2004 | 44753 | 1 | 07/10/2000 |
| While slowing down to a stop from driving 55 mph vehicle commenced to vibrate out of control. vehicle was towed to the consumer's house. tow truck driver informed consumer that the problem was a broken tie rod. dealer/manufacturer were not contacted.*ak consumer called ford to make a complaint. tie rod broke as the vehicle brakes were applied at a stop light. vehicle repaired at consumers expense. *tc | |||
| 05/14/2004 | 92171 | 1 | 04/05/2002 |
| I own a 2000 ford f-150, while turnig right to go in the garage the right hand tie rod end seperated from the socket. the cost of the repair 248.00 because the opposit end of the assembley was damage when the truck hit the blacktop. in august i received a letter from ford telling me to have the tie rod ends inspected or how to inspect them every 15,000 miles. this letter indicates that ford knows there's a problem but choose not to do anything about it until someone gets killed in an accident (which could be me.) when the left tie rod end decides to fail or the rignt one goes again. *ak | |||
| 09/08/2004 | 85910 | 1 | |
| The tie rods failed on the vehicle. the consumer was pulling out of a parking space and the vehicle would not move. when the consumer got out of the vehicle and looked at it from the front, the tires were pointed inward. the vehicle was towed to an after market mechanic where it was discovered that the tie rods were bad and needed replaced. also the owner was informed by the manufacturer that the tie rods needs to be inspected every 15,000mi. provide further details. *jb | |||
| 09/10/2004 | 41000 | 5 | |
| Tie rods and upper ball joints broke. *ak | |||
| 06/10/2004 | 51000 | 1 | 11/25/1999 |
| While driving at 25 mph my 2000 f150 the right outside tie rod broke causing degraded steering and uncontollable lerching of the vehicle. no accident. no injuries.*ak the other tie rod was also in poor condition. | |||
| 04/22/2004 | 50000 | 1 | |
| While reversing out of driveway front left tire stayed straight and the front right tire turned right. when this occurred vehicle stopped reversing. this failure was caused by the tie rod separating from its linkage. *ak | |||
| 12/25/2003 | 61000 | 1 | 05/01/2003 |
| While driving 10mph the right tie rod popped off, causing loss of control. *ak | |||
| 09/01/2003 | 64320 | 1 | 11/08/1999 |
| Drivers side outer tie rod end separated without warning.*ak | |||
| 08/31/2003 | 73000 | 1 | |
| While driving 45 mph the right front tie rod snapped. the consumer pulled onto the shoulder and the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the dealer has not been able to resolve the problem. *ak | |||
| 09/03/2003 | |||
| While driving about 30 mph on the highway driver side tie rod broke from corrosion, causing a collision with another vehicle. also, vehicle vibrated uncontrollably. *ak | |||
| 07/12/2003 | 58000 | 1 | 06/07/2000 |
| My 200 f150 xlt 2 wheel drive 4.6 litre v8 58000 mi while backing my truck in a parking lot the drivers side tie rod end fell apart then poked tgrough my rim flattening my tire now what would have happened had i been driving down the road with my family 55mph???i think this is a serious defect please respond.*ak | |||
| 06/09/2003 | 1 | ||
| While driving at 5mph tie rod assembly separated from the ball joint, forcing the consumer to pull out of the road. dealer notified. *ak | |||
| 03/11/2003 | 106741 | 1 | 04/11/2001 |
| While driving at approximately 30 miles per hour i lost steering. when i got the truck stopped and looked under it i found the right tie rod had separated. the tie rod had stripped threads where it connects through the adjustment sleeve, the adjustment sleeve also had stripped threads.*jb | |||
| 08/03/2002 | |||
| While backing into a parking space vehicle suddenly would not move, there was no warning. front driver's side wheel was going to the left while passenger's side wheel was making a hard right. mechanic stated that tie rod end needed replacing. please provide any further information.*ak | |||
| 06/21/2002 | |||
| Right front tie rod end broke while driving 35 -40 mph, cauding loss of steering control. dealer contacted. feel free to provide any further information. *ak | |||
| STEERING - RACK AND PINION | |||
| 06/10/2005 | 55500 | 2 | 12/18/2000 |
| Dt: consumer took the vehicle to dealer to be aligned, and was told the front ball joints were out and were replaced. took vehicle o another service department and was told that rack and pinion wore out in the steering box. consumer had problems with the steering and heard a popping and cracking.*ak | |||
| STEERING - WHEEL AND HANDLE BAR | |||
| 02/14/2002 | |||
| Consumer states that while driving the steering column broke, causing an accident. dealer contacted. ts | |||
| 03/19/2001 | 1 | 08/01/2000 | |
| While swerving to avoid someone coming over on me, my sector shaft sheared in half. i could turn my steering wheel, but the tires wouldn't move.*ak | |||