NHTSA Complaint #10118738 — 1999 FORD F-150

REAR AXLE BROKE, PULLED ME OFF THE HIGHWAY, WITNESS BEHIND ME SAID IT WAS AS THOUGH THE REAR END JUMPED UP. MY TRUCK WAS TOTALED, AND BECAUSE I HIT A CULVERT THAT DID EVEN MORE DAMAGE TO THE UNDERSIDE, I'M NOT SURE THAT CAN TELL IT WAS A MECHANICAL FAILURE. I TOOK PICTURES OF THE TIRE MARKS IN THE WET GRASS AND THE RIGHT TIRE PATH WAS ABOUT TWO FEET WIDE AS IF THE TIRES WERE SIDEWAYS, THIS WAS BEFORE THE CULVERT WAS HIT. THE LEFT SIDE TIRE TRACKS WERE OF NORMAL WIDTH. I DID NOT RUN OFF THE ROAD, I WAS PULLED OFF THE ROAD. IT SEEMED AS THOUGH I STILL HAD CONTROL OF THE STEERING BUT THE REAR END WENT ITS OWN WAY. WAS EXTREMELY LUCKY THAT NO INJURIES/FATALITIES OCCURRED. I AT THIS POINT CANNOT REPLACE MY TRUCK THAT I BOUGHT NEW AND TREATED LIKE A BABY. THE TRUCK WAS TAKEN IN AT LEAST FOUR TIMES EARLY BY MY HUSBAND, AND THEY WERE TO NOTIFY THE FORD COMPANY. MY HUSBAND PASSED AWAY IN DECEMBER 2000, AND BEING AS I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THE PROBLEM THAT OCCURRED ONLY WHEN GOING OVER 45, I.E., DOWN THE FREEWAY AS MY HUSBAND OFTEN DID, I ASSUMED IT WAS CORRECTED, BUT SO DISTRAUGHT THAT THE MECHANICS OF THE TRUCK WAS THE LAST THING ON MY MIND UNTIL THE MECHANICAL BREAKDOWN OCCURRED. I THINK THE FORD COMPANY SHOULD REPLACE MY DEFECTIVE VEHICLE WITH ONE OF EQUAL VALUE, ONE OWNER, HIGHWAY MILES, AND EXCEPTIONAL CONDITION WITHOUT ANY EXPENSE TO ME. I HAVE A VERY HIGH DEDUCTIBLE, AND WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET A TRUCK COMPARABLE WITH THE MONEY FROM THE INSURANCE COMPANY.*AK