NHTSA Complaint #10584567 — 2003 FORD F-150

VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER (IN DRY CLIMATE), INCLUDING STEERING, AND BRAKES AT APPROXIMATELY 50MPH. CAME TO A STOP USING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. HAD TWO NEAR MISSES WHILE ATTEMPTING TO COME TO A STOP. VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED AS THE ECM (ENGINE CONTROL MODULE) WAS NO GOOD. HAD PRIOR MISFIRES IN ENGINE, WHICH FORD HAD DIAGNOSED AS A BAD HEAD VALVE. AFTER REBUILDING THE HEADS, THE PROBLEM CONTINUED (WHILE UNDER USE IN DRY CLIMATE). INCIDENT OCCURRED, AT WHICH POINT THE VEHICLE HAD BECOME DISABLED. 2ND FORD DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED AS "ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS" WHICH HAD ALLEGEDLY CAUSED THE VEHICLE'S ECM (ENGINE CONTROL MODULE) TO SHORT OUT. NO MORE THAN 500 MILES AND/OR 3 DAYS AFTER REPLACEMENT OF THE ECM AND FIXING OF UNSPECIFIED "ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS" (AND IN MOIST CLIMATE), VEHICLE WOULD HAVE PERIODIC MISFIRES WHICH WOULD ON OCCASION BE SO SEVERE SO AS TO DROP ALL GAUGES ON DASH TO THEIR "OFF" POSITIONS, BUT WITH THE ENGINE STILL RUNNING (UNDER STRESS FROM SUPPOSED MISFIRE WHICH WOULD SHAKE THE ENTIRE TRUCK). ON TWO LATER OCCASIONS, WHILE IDLING AT A STOP LIGHT THE VEHICLE WOULD REPEAT THE SAME CONDITION AS WITH THE INITIAL INCIDENT, WHERE THE VEHICLE WOULD COMPLETELY SHUT-OFF, WITH EXCEPTION THAT ON THE REPEAT OCCASIONS, THE ECM WAS STILL FUNCTIONAL AND I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. A 3RD FORD DEALERSHIP WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE EXACT PROBLEM BUT SUGGESTED REPLACEMENT OF COILS FOLLOWED BY WIRING AS A POSSIBLE FIX TO THE MISFIRE. I REMOVED THE VEHICLE TO A DRY CLIMATE AND REPLACED ALL PLUGS, COILS, AND BOOTS FOR TESTING. VEHICLE SUCCESSFULLY FUNCTIONED UNDER DRY, MOIST, AND SNOWY CLIMATES AFTERWARDS. CONTINUES IN OPERATION AND IS CURRENTLY AT +/- 155,000 MILES. *TR