2001 FORD F SERIES (LIGHT) — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

WHILE SHIFTING ABOUT IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT TO BACK UP AND LOOK REARWARD TO GUIDE THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE, THE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT UNEXPECTEDLY CAME UNBUCKLED AND BEGAN TO RETRACT. I THOUGHT THAT I MUST HAVE BEEN AT FAULT AND NOT PROPERLY BUCKLED IT EVEN THOUGH THE NORMAL WARNING LITE AND SOUNDS INDICATING AN UNBUCKLED SEAT BELT WERE NOT EVIDENT. OWNERS BEGAN TO "TUG" THE BELT AFTER LATCHING IT EACH TIME TO ENSURE PROPER CLOSURE AND VERIFY BUCKLE ENGAGED. THE SAME EVENTS, USUALLY ENCOUNTERED WHILE SHIFTING POSITION IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT, HAPPENED REPEATEDLY EVEN THOUGH BUCKLES INITIAL ENGAGEMENT HAD BEEN TEST VERIFIED BY THE DRIVER EACH TIME. WE WERE OBVIOUSLY CONCERNED THAT IN ANY ACCIDENT, THAT BELT MIGHT DISENGAGE AND CAUSE US INCREASED HARM AS A RESULT. WE TOOK TO DEALERSHIP AND ASKED IF ANY RECALLS OR CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS HAD PROMPTED THE MANUFACTURER TO FIX STATED ISSUE WITH SAFETY EQUIPMENT. CHAMPION FORD (AN AUTONATION DEALERSHIP) IN HOUSTON ON KATY FREEWAY STATED NO KNOWN ISSUES OR COMPLAINTS. BEING A MASTER CERTIFIED TECHNICIAN FOR OVER 20 YEARS MYSELF, I ASKED THEM TO CONTACT MANUFACTURER ON OUR BEHALF ASK FOR ASSISTANCE TO PREVENT THESE ISSUES, WHICH WAS DENIED BY FORD AND NO ASSISTANCE PROVIDED. I THEORIZED AND INSPECTED THE MECHANISMS MYSELF AND REQUESTED THEY PROVIDE ME, AT OUR COST, THE DRIVER'S SIDE BUCKLE MECHANISM THAT BOLTS TO THE FLOOR ON THE INSIDE EDGE OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT. I INSTALLED THE COMPONENT MYSELF AND HAVE NOT HAD A SINGLE ISSUE SUBSEQUENT TO THAT INSTALLATION PROVING BEYOND A SHADOW THE BUCKLE MECHANISM IS DEFECTIVE, BOTH IN NOT WARNING US AND PHYSICALLY NOT ENGAGING 100%. I WAITED THIS LONG TO ENSURE THE ISSUE WAS RESOLVED, AND HAVING MOVED OUR HOME, TO AGAIN LOCATE THAT REPLACEMENT PART WHICH WOULD BE AVAILABLE TO NHTSA AT NO COST, OR FORD (AT REPLACEMENT VALUE I PAID) FOR INSPECTION. PART NUMBER 1L7Z 7861203 AAG. *TR

2001 FORD F150 WAS SITTING OUT IN DRIVEWAY OF OWNER'S HOME. HE HAD BEEN HOME APPROX 1/2 HOURS WHEN OWNERS VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. NO FIRE DAMAGE TO THE INSIDE CAB OF OWNERS VEHICLE. *TR

2001 FORD F150 WAS SITTING OUT IN DRIVEWAY OF OWNER'S HOME. HE HAD BEEN HOME APPROX 1/2 HOURS WHEN OWNERS VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. NO FIRE DAMAGE TO THE INSIDE CAB OF OWNERS VEHICLE. *TR

ATTEMPTED TO START A 2001 FORD F-150 SUPER CREW THAT HAS A 5.4LITER ENGINE AND ONLY 80,500 AND HEARD A BANG. ENGINE STARTED BUT MADE A LOT OF NOISE. I SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE AND CHECKED UNDER HOOD. ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF ENGINE FOUND A PLUG WIRE AND COIL DESTROYED WHICH INDICATED A SPARK PLUG EXPLODED OUT OF THE CYLINDER HEAD. REPAIR SHOP SAID DO NOT DRIVE IT AS FUEL WILL SPRAY ON HOT MANIFOLD AND WILL CAUSE A FIRE. THEY SAID I WAS LUCKY ENGINE WAS NOT HOT. THESE WERE THE FACTORY INSTALLED PLUGS AS ORIGINAL WINDOW STICKER SAYS 100K MILE TUNE-UPS. ESTIMATE OF REPAIR IS $4,000. FORD ACCRONIM APPLIES HERE "FOUND ON ROAD DEAD OR, FIX OR REPAIR DAILY." UPON INTERNET SEARCH THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON OCCURANCE AND NEITHER FORD OR NHITSA ARE DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT. FORD HAS EVEN PUT OUT A TSB07-15-2 AUTHORIZING A SPECIFIC TOOL AND REPAIR PROCEDURE FOR ALUMINUM HEADS FOR THE 5.4 1997 TO 2004 FSERIES. FORD KNOWS IT IS AN ENGINEERING DEFECT AND NHITSA KNOWS IT IS A FIRE HAZARD AS SOME VEHICLES HAVE CAUGHT ON FIRE. *TR

I HAVE A 2001 FORD PICKUP WITH 116,000 MILES THAT I HAVE BABIED SINCE I PURCHASED IT JUST THIS WEEK I HAD A SPARK PLUG BLOW OUT OF THE HEAD, JUST SO HAPPENED I WAS 45 MILES AWAY FROM HOME, SO A WRECKER CHARGE WAS DUE, TOOK MY TRUCK TO MY USUAL REPAIR SHOP BUT THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T FIX THE PROBLEM. SO I THEN HAD TO FIND SOMEONE ELSE, ANOTHE WRECKER CHARGE. FORD MUST KNOW FROM ALL THE COMPLAINTS THAT THIS IS A BIG PROBLEM AND VERY COSTLY. FORD SHOULD RECALL ALL VEHICLES WITH ALUMINUM HEADS AND INSTALL A STEEL SLEEVE IN ALL SPARK PLUGS TO TAKE CARE OF THIS PROBLEM, THEY ARE SAVING TONS OF MONEY WITH THIS TYPE OF FAULTY ENGINE. I HAD CONSIDERED BUYING A NEW FORD PICKUP, BUT THIS JUST MIGHT HAVE CHANGED MY MIND. THE PRICE OF VEHICLES THESE DAYS, MANY PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF HAVE TO DRIVE THEIR VEHICLES SERVERAL YEARS, WE CAN'T AFFORD A NEW VEHICLE WITH THE PRICE OF GAS. THE POOR MIDDLE CLASS IS ALMOST A THING OF THE PAST, IF YOU'RE NOT MAKING 100,000 A YEAR YOU'RE HARD PRESSED TO KEEP YOUR HEAD ABOVE WATER. SOMEONE NEEDS TO STOP THE THINGS THAT RAGAN STARTED WITH HIS TRICKLE DOWN POLICIES AND FIX THE PROBLEM. KEEP THE REPUBLICANS OUT OF OFFICE AND LET SOME GOOD PEOPLE WORK FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS FOR ONCE.