2001 FORD F-250 — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

When im in traffic, starting out driving or merging between intersections my truck decides to either hard shift or not shift at all. Several times ive had to lay on my horn in an attempt to warn oncoming vehicles that i have no power and cannot accelerate and several times it has nearly caused an accident. I purchased the truck used and have yet to take it into the dealership to have them inspect the issue though from what i’ve read thus far is that ford calls this problem “normal operation” and has been less than understanding when people attempt to have this obvious defect resolved. There are no warning lights that come on when this happens. I can have my truck inspected by whomever, whenever need be. I will also be returning to the dealer to use my warranty to help deal with this issue. The date this most recently happened causing a near miss was today, though there has been an occasional but recurring situation almost weekly.

The contact owns a 2001 Ford F-250 equipped with Toyo tires, Tire Line: HT Open Country, Tire Size: LT265/75/R16, DOT Number: CXLTCAK4815. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was shaking and felt like the front tires were bouncing. The contact veered to the side of the road, where he noticed that the tires were deformed. The contact continued to drive. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the tread belt was separating. The front tires were replaced; however, the failure reoccurred with the rear tires. The vehicle was taken to an independent tire mechanic where the rear tires were replaced under an unknown recall. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred on the front tires. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not provide any assistance. The tires were not replaced. The tires were replacement equipment. The tire failure mileage was 30,000. The vehicle failure mileage was approximately 230,000.

Was T-Boned in the passenger side of the truck which changed my direction of travel resulting in hitting a tree head on. Neither frontal air bags deployed. The frontal impact was hard enough to push the tree 18 to 20 inches into the engine compartment bending the frame where the front bumper was attached. The accident resulted in a fatality. I'm just confused why neither air bag deployed. I have had this truck since it was new so I know it's history. There was not any warnings lights on, No air bag warning lights, No modifications were ever done to the truck. All stock. There was never any indication that the air bags were not operating normal. So Why did they malfunction?

TAILPIPE IS CLOSE ENOUGH TO SPARE TIRE TO MELT TIRE. TIRE IS UNUSABLE. LATER VEHICLES HAVE A HEAT SHIELD IN PLACE TO PREVENT THIS. FORD SHOULD HAVE RECALLED EARLIER UNITS.

TAILPIPE IS CLOSE ENOUGH TO SPARE TIRE TO MELT TIRE. TIRE IS UNUSABLE. LATER VEHICLES HAVE A HEAT SHIELD IN PLACE TO PREVENT THIS. FORD SHOULD HAVE RECALLED EARLIER UNITS.