Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 05/23/2010 | 60000 | ||
| The front end vibrates and oscilates when i hit a bump or rough road conditions driving between 30 and 50 mph. there is more slack in the steering, and i have to speed up above 50 mph or slow down below 30 mph or jerk the wheel from side to side in order to stop the shaking. this occurs every time we drive the truck. the tires have been checked, and from researching, it appears that there is a faulty steering box, but ford refuses to acknowledge the defect. | |||
| 12/25/2002 | 4750 | 1 | 10/01/2002 |
| My husband was driving home whien his vehicle veered sharply to the left. at this point he could no longer control the vehicle. he then slammed into a large rock in the side of an eight foot bank. the vehicle then flipped onto its side and slid another 20-30 feet. our vehicle is a 2003 ford f250 and now has $20,000.00 worth of damage. we tried to discuss this matter with a few of the employees of the ford dealership we initially bought it at. someone in service told us something definatly didn't look right with the steering. the owner of the dealership then told us we would have a hard time proving that anything was wrong with the vehicle prior to the accident because of the extensive damage that is now done to the vehicle. we also tried discussing this matter with our insurance company. our insurance adjustor told us that they most likely would not pursue the matter because no one was critically injured or killed in the accident. he also told me that he did not even take a look under the truck to see if anything looked out of the ordinary. my husband strongly feels that this accident was not his fault. we have no idea where else to turn for help. please help us!! | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - PUMP | |||
| 12/24/2006 | 48950 | 2 | 09/15/2004 |
| Tl*- the contact has a 2003 ford f-250 with 48950 miles, and power steering failed. the contact stated that it was very hard to turn the steering wheel. although the power steering pump has been changed twice the failure continued. speed was not a factor in the failure. the contact stated that he has the repair orders for the work that has been done.*ak the power steeerig failed twice. updated 01/30/07. *jb | |||
| 03/21/2004 | 297 | 1 | 06/10/2003 |
| Power booster for power steering coolant leaks, blown turbo charger. *jb | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||
| 02/28/2003 | 5 | 4 | 12/21/2002 |
| The vehicle would lose power steering when applying the brakes. the power steering would return after letting off the brakes. the vehicle had been to the dealer on three separate occasions. the dealer changed various parts and the problem recurred. *ak the hydro boost was not operating properly and the engine had an oil leak due to the glow plug boss bar orings. *sc *jb | |||
| STEERING - LINKAGES - KNUCKLE - SPINDLE - ARM | |||
| 05/31/2003 | 11088 | 10 | 11/29/2002 |
| I have a 2003 ford f-250. it has severe handling problems. when you pull a trailer with it, the truck drives like the trailer is trying to steer it. if you pass another vehicle, it is almost uncontrollable. the back end starts to sway from side to side, which in turn causes the trailer to whip back and forth. also during panic stop situations, the truck darts left and right and feels like it is out of control. i have talked to numerous ford dealers. one told me to change the tires and/or tire pressure. i tried from 35 psi to 75 psi in 5 psi changes, it didn't fix the problem. i bought another type of tires. they helped a small amount. ford has replaced most of the front steering components. this helped for about 2000 miles. the local ford dealer has stated your truck has handling problems, but there is nothing wrong with your truck. they will not find the problem or replace the parts i feel will fix it. i think the spring packs and suspension bushings are too soft. i know of another ford that had similar problems and ford bought the truck back from the consumer after admitting it had problems they could not fix. my wife refuses to ride in the truck when pulling a trailer or at highway speeds.*ak | |||
| STEERING - LINKAGES - LINK - DRAG - CONNECTION | |||
| 05/31/2003 | 11088 | 10 | 11/29/2002 |
| I have a 2003 ford f-250. it has severe handling problems. when you pull a trailer with it, the truck drives like the trailer is trying to steer it. if you pass another vehicle, it is almost uncontrollable. the back end starts to sway from side to side, which in turn causes the trailer to whip back and forth. also during panic stop situations, the truck darts left and right and feels like it is out of control. i have talked to numerous ford dealers. one told me to change the tires and/or tire pressure. i tried from 35 psi to 75 psi in 5 psi changes, it didn't fix the problem. i bought another type of tires. they helped a small amount. ford has replaced most of the front steering components. this helped for about 2000 miles. the local ford dealer has stated your truck has handling problems, but there is nothing wrong with your truck. they will not find the problem or replace the parts i feel will fix it. i think the spring packs and suspension bushings are too soft. i know of another ford that had similar problems and ford bought the truck back from the consumer after admitting it had problems they could not fix. my wife refuses to ride in the truck when pulling a trailer or at highway speeds.*ak | |||
| STEERING - LINKAGES - TIE ROD ASSEMBLY | |||
| 03/23/2005 | 1 | 10/01/2002 | |
| 2003 f-250 super duty 4x4 gas. 46,000 miles. found 2 broken exhaust manifold studs on passenger side of engine. while investigating exhaust leak also found 2 front ball joints bad. ford states that it is out of warranty and that it is normal wear and tear. i find this unacceptable. this vehicle was purchased less than 3 years ago. most of the miles are traveling between texas and pa. this is a 3/4 ton super duty truck. ford needs to stand behind their product. *ak | |||
| 10/24/2004 | 45000 | 1 | 04/17/2003 |
| I purchased a new ford f250 truck, vin 1ftnx20l33e, on april 17, 2003, from elkhorn motors in elkhorn, wi. on october 24, 2004, at around 45,000 miles, i rotated the tires front to back in wisconsin before a trip to florida. after this tire rotation, i noticed a tendency for the steering wheel to oscillate when i stepped on the brakes. i assumed it was related to tires and planned to replace them on my return. i picked up a 5th wheel in florida and started back on november 2. the oscillation in the steering wheel was much worse, seemingly aggravated by the change in cg with the trailer attached. hard braking at high speeds worsened this condition but i was mostly able to avoid this situation for the trip home. the truck acted completely normal when the brakes were not applied. i replaced both front tires with new ones. i informed my mechanic of my symptoms and asked him to realign the front end if he was unable to find anything else amiss. he found the tie rod end threads worn so much that the adjusting sleeve wobbled inside it even though the bolts were tight. there was also evidence from rust patterns that the adjusting sleeve and tie rod end had been moving in and out. the tie rod and ball joint were replaced at a cost of about $285. the failure of this part presented a serious safety risk. ford's position is that they are not responsible for this vehicle after the warrantee is over. they did not even ask if the parts were available. (they are.). *ak | |||