Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING - GEAR BOX - SHAFT PITMAN | ||||||
| EA01009 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 03/02/2001 | 08/19/2003 | SECTOR SHAFT FRACTURES | ||
| This ea was opened based on a response received from ford motor company to an information request (ir) submitted during sq00-018.ford stated in an internal service message that it had changed the steering gear sector shafts and pitman arms installed 1999 model year f-series super duty vehicles on march 22, 1999.ford stated that these design changes were implemented to make improvements in vehicle steering and handling, and that virtually all of the reported fractured sector shafts were the result of extraordinary, possibly multiple, impacts.an engineering analysis closing report is attached. | ||||||
| STEERING - GEAR BOX - SHAFT SECTOR | ||||||
| EA01009 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 03/02/2001 | 08/19/2003 | SECTOR SHAFT FRACTURES | ||
| This ea was opened based on a response received from ford motor company to an information request (ir) submitted during sq00-018.ford stated in an internal service message that it had changed the steering gear sector shafts and pitman arms installed 1999 model year f-series super duty vehicles on march 22, 1999.ford stated that these design changes were implemented to make improvements in vehicle steering and handling, and that virtually all of the reported fractured sector shafts were the result of extraordinary, possibly multiple, impacts.an engineering analysis closing report is attached. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 04/03/2010 | 38000 | ||
| When driving at approx. 40 to 65 mph at intermittent times when traveling over slightly uneven roads {not bumps} the steering wheel will begin to oscillate left to right with increasing frequency that will actually move the steering wheel 2-3 inches left to right, and require almost stopping the vehicle to regain control.you may be able to drive 200 miles before this will occur again.this truck only has 38,000 miles and has done this since day one. it has had front tires replaced, front shocks, numerous alignments,and tire balances from ford dealers,all with the same result. | |||
| 03/09/2003 | 19000 | ||
| Tl*the contact previously owned a 2001 ford f350 sd. the contact was driving approximately 30 mph on normal road conditions. the brake pedal was fully depressed and the steering wheel locked. the driver placed both hands on the steering wheel and maneuvered the wheel to the right. the steering wheel failed to unlock until the release of the brake pedal. the driver was able to resume normal operation. the failure occurred whenever pressure was applied to the brake system. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. the technician stated the defect was a manufacturer design without a remedy. the failure mileage was 19,000. the vin was unknown. the contact no longer owned the vehicle. | |||
| 09/15/2007 | 72500 | 4 | 06/07/2002 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford f350 super duty. while driving 40 mph, an oncoming vehicle passed in front of the contact. he applied the brakes and the steering went to the right. he was unable to turn the steering wheel to the left. the vehicle passed and the contact was able to regain control. he also stated that the steering locks up when the brakes are applied. this failure has occurred three times. the dealer stated that the vehicle was designed in that manner. the current mileage was 72,741 and failure mileage was 72,500. | |||
| 08/26/2006 | 81000 | 1 | 01/15/2004 |
| Dt*: the contact stated a snap was heard while making a left turn at 10 mph, and the vehicle lost all means of steering. the vehicle jumped a curve and landed in bushes before the brakes could be applied. the incident occurred during dry and flat road conditions. upon inspection, the contact noticed the steering box shaft that the pitman arm was attached to had snapped in half. the failure was permanent. the dealer and the manufacturer were not contacted. | |||
| 04/05/2005 | 3 | ||
| I am having a problem with my steering and brakes.at times while driving my steering wheel will lock up and be very jerky,at times the steering wheel will go back and forth very fast and you cannot hold wheel straight.i have had this vehicle to the dealer 2 times in a week for this problem they replaced ball joints,steering stabilizer and tierodends.the problem still exsist and i have called dealer and they said they contacted ford and they are unsure of what else it could be.the brakes are also locking up while driving and when stopped there is alot of smoke from both rear brakes.again this is not all the time so dealer says they cannot fix this as well.i am very concerned i have a family that is in this vehicle and both of these issures are saftey. | |||
| 12/19/2002 | 7000 | 0 | 06/05/2001 |
| Truck drifts to side of road or pulls hard and sudden when moderate to hard braking is applied. effect is not as apparent after alignment is performed. approximately 7 attempts were made to repair. tie rod pulled apart while driving. | |||
| 11/01/2001 | 4 | 10/16/2000 | |
| Consumer states steering is loose and wheels will not turn causing loss of control. dealer replaced steering gear assembly. on another occasion, the steering wheel will not turn when braking. dealer replaced broken steering box and power steering pump. consumer states since the power steering pump was replaced the steering wheel is off center and is difficult to turn when stopped and when in drive. *tt | |||
| STEERING - GEAR BOX (OTHER THAN RACK AND PINION) | |||
| 01/23/2005 | 51178 | 1 | 06/24/2002 |
| While driving about 35-45 mph on 1/23/2005, my 2001 f-350 ford crew cab, 7.3 turbo diesel, 4-wheel drive dually pickup truck came to a sudden stop in the road with a loud explosion. i was able to return home as i was only about 1-1 1/5 miles from my house. while peering under the truck, i noticed a large gaping hole in the gear box on the front axle. it appeared that the explosion occurred inside the gear box housing, blowing a large hole in the metal casing. i contacted ricart ford where i purchased the truck and they arranged to have the truck towed. when i inquired about this being a ford problem, i was told that the vehicle was out of warranty and i would be responsible for the entire cost of the repair. the final cost for the repairs was $3478.21 and the cost for a car rental for this period of time was $426.99. guidelines per jeff penrod, ford rep: 1. is there an extended warranty from ford? current or expired? even if it was expired, ford might help pay for the repairs. 2. does the car owner go to a ford dealer for maintenance and repairs? 3. is the owner related to a political member or family of power/influence? if so, ford would probably help. since i did not fit any of the above categories, i was told that ford would not help with the repairs. when i asked jeff if there was someone above him i could contact, he informed me that all the decisions come down to him that's why they pay him. even if it goes to the president, it will come back to him. i asked for jeff's phone number and i was told that he does not have a phone and that i could contact him through the dealer. when i asked the technicians how this could have happened, they had no idea. my belief is that there was a latent defect. how else could this have happened? this truck was made to tow and haul heavy equipment and supplies, of which i did neither. *nm | |||
| STEERING - GEAR BOX - SHAFT SECTOR | |||
| 01/09/2003 | 66000 | 1 | 09/20/2002 |
| Sector shaft failure on a 2001 ford f-350 superduty. shaft separated while driving through a chuck hole in a gravel/mud parking lot. failure did not result in a crash. sector shaft was a 36 spline, 1-1/4 diameter. i have both ends of the shaft for inspection. | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||
| 08/01/2001 | 30000 | 1 | 08/01/2001 |
| I have noticed a problem with steering control when driving over rough roads...like railroad tracks. the steering will intermittently freeze up and it feels like the wheel bounce pulses thru the steering system when doing so. my vehicle also has managed to chew up my front tires within less than 30,000 miles. i find this terrible. i have chatted online w/ many others who had experienced the same tire wear. the tires in question are general grabber aw's. at this point i don't believe it is the tires that were defective. a friend with a similar dump-plow truck had a steering stabilizer on his while mine did not have one on as standard. i really felt it should have had one. it now does! so, i've since had the front end realigned and had two new grabber tr's put on since i was told by a ford dealer they no longer were making the others. i don't know how long these will last? i feel ford should have made it right to the owners as this was clearly a defective steering . to exacerbate the problem, i have those shiny aluminum rims that do not allow owners to rotate their tires with out/ breaking them down. this was clearly a goof on ford's part for not making allowances for this. *la | |||
| STEERING - LINKAGES - LINK - DRAG - CONNECTION | |||
| 04/05/2001 | 45000 | 1 | 06/25/2001 |
| 2001 ford f-350 7.3 crew cab super duty purchased new . at 48000 miles bought it in for a steering wander problem and front brake pulsation. dealer diagnosed the problem to be bad upper and lower ball joints and bad drag link. i do not tow or plow with this vehicle have had it serviced at dealerships for most of its service life don't think that the truck should have bad ball joint this young in its service life. the wander makes the truck tricky to drive in winter conditions when you have to stay in the tire tracks on snow covered roads . you cant take your eyes off the road for a second the truck starts to wander not that your supposed to take your eyes off the road. as for the brake pulsation had the rotors turned @ 34000 miles because of the same problem it came back at about 38000 miles on a long trip now no towing and no unusual hard braking. the pulsation makes the truck hard to steer during moderate braking events. *jb | |||