NHTSA Complaint #739941 — 1996 FORD F-350

DELIVERED NEW 22 MAR. 1996. TAKEN IN AT 16768 MILES ON 10-DEC. 96 FOR HARD SHIFTING OF AUTO. TRANS. ANDOIL LEAK FROM FRONT MAIN ENGINE SEAL. WAAS RETURNED TWO WKS. LATER FOR REAR ENGINE SEAL LEAK. MECHANICS REPLACED PARTS AND ADJ. TRANS. ENGINE OIL LEAKS STOPPED, BUT STILL HAD TRANS. SHIFT PROBLEMS. FRONT WHEELS BEGIN TO PULL HARD TO LEFT AFTER BEING TAKEN IN TO DEALER TO HAVE TIRES ROTATED. THEY HAD TO BE FORCED OFF HUB BY TWO MEN. FRONT END ALIGNEMENTS WERE DONE BUT AT 65000 MILES WHEELS STILL PULL TO THE LEFT. FIRESTONE 235/85/16 TIRE WAS REPLACED BECAUSE OF CRACKS IN BELTS BETWEEN TREAD. COST WAS PRORATED. TAKEN IN 02 APR. 97. STILL HAVING SHIFT PROBLEMS WITH TRANS. OIL LEAK FROM ENGINE OIL PAN AND PUMP GASKET. 30MAY 97 TAKEN IN FOR BOTH HEADLIGHT FAILURE. TRANS STILL HARD TO SHIFT. MECHANICS UNABLE TODETERMINE PROBLEM. IN AUG. 2000 TRUCK WAS IN AGAIN FOR SHIFT PROBLEMS AND TRANS SLIPPING. WE HAD BEEN DRIVING IN GEORGIA, PULLING A 36FT. FIFTHWHEEL WHEN TRANS. HAD A HARD TIME DOWNSHIFTING. THE TRANS. WAS LOCKED OUT OF OVERDRIVE WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 65 MPH. AND STARTED UP A HILL WHEN THE TRANS. WOULDN'T DOWN SHIFT. THE TRUCK SLOWED DOWN TO 40 MPH. IN LESS THAN THAN 60 SECONDS, IN HEAVY TRAFFIC AND HAD PROBLEMS PULLIN THE REST OF THE WAY TO MICHIGAN. THIS WAS LATE IN THE EVENING WHEN SHOPS ARE CLOSED. BY THIS TIME TRUCK IS OUT OF WARRENTY BUT FORD MTR. CO. AND THE DEALERSHIP AGREED TO PAY ALL BUT 75.00 OF THE REPAIRS. THE TRANS. SHFTS SMOOTHER NOW BUT IT'S UPSHIFT HARD ON TWO OCCASIONS FROM THIRD GEAR INTO OVERDRIVE. I'VE PULLED THE CAMPER APPROXIMATELY 600 MILES SINCE THE REPAIR AND THE TRANS. SHIFTED MUCH SMOTHER. MY PROBLEM NOW IS WITH MY AUTOMATIC LOCKING 4X4 HUBS. I'V USED THE 4 WHEEL DRIVE MAYBE 10 TIMES IN MUD AND SNOW, NEVER ON A HARD SURFACE AND ALWAYS RELEASED THE HUBS WHEN DISENGAGING THE DRIVE. THE HUBS WENT OUT ON 13JAN.2001 WHILE IN REVERSE AFTER TRAVELING THROUGH SNOW IN MY DRIVEWAY. HOPE OTHER OWNERS HAVE BETTER LUCK.