Problems with 2000 Ford F-150 SUSPENSION

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 ford f-150. the contact stated that the vehicle was parked when he noticed that the rear leaf springs on both sides of the vehicle had pierced through the bed of the truck. the contact stated that the failure was caused by excessive rust. the vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered no assistance. the failure mileage was 164,000.

2000 ford f-150, unit 1 stated that he was southbound on the exit ramp of ir 80 ohio turnpike to gate i80 when its front axle/ball joint broke. unit 1 drove the left side of the roadway and struck the curb. *bf it was unknown if the ball joint broke prior to the tire striking the curb. (ohio traffic crash report # 10-0357-91)*jb

In 2009 the brackets connected to the frame that held up gas tank deteriorated and needed to be repaired to prevent the tank from falling off the truck. soon after that repair work was done to leaf spring brackets which had rusted off the frame. in 2010,the truck was taken in for annual inspection, it could not pass because the frame was too rusted and likely to break at any time, this truck has always had all maintenance needed when scheduled and from the exterior, it looks like it is in excellent condition, but considered to be unsafe to drive and be on the roads.

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 ford f150 xl 4x4. the contact stated that the rear suspension on the vehicle failed due to the rack and pinion. before the vehicle was diagnosed, he heard a grinding sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. the vehicle was repaired at that time. he stated that other ford f-150 owners have experienced the same issue. the contact does not want to drive the vehicle while hauling something and the rear suspension fails and causes a major crash. the current mileage was 117,000 and failure mileage was 116,900.

Was on a slick road. i was going 15 miles an hour, when my 2000 ford f-150 spun completely around. when the truck spun around it went towards the ditch backwards. when i hit the ditch the truck flipped onto the passenger side. when the tow truck arrived on the scene he informed me that the rear tire broke off the axle. i had never heard of this happening at such a slow speed, neither had the tow truck driver, especially since it was a heavy half ton load axle . when we were looking at the axle in the light it appeared that it crystallized and snapped. i am a welder and work with metal every day and the axle look almost like cast. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated while traveling 15 mph, the front driver tire flipped sideways. the vehicle was towed to the dealership where the front end was rebuilt. the exact components replaced were unknown.

Dt:the contact stated she had a problem with the upper ball joints. while driving at highway speeds the front end shimmied. also, there was excessive tire wear. she contacted the manufacturer, and there were *ak no recalls on the vehicle. the vehicle has not been repaired.

Dt: consumer took the vehicle to dealer to be aligned, and was told the front ball joints were out and were replaced. took vehicle o another service department and was told that rack and pinion wore out in the steering box. consumer had problems with the steering and heard a popping and cracking.*ak

Vehicle was going through a drive through driver noticed that there was no ability to steer the vehicle. consumer got out of the vehicle, and noticed that the left tie rod and lower ball joints broke.*ak

2000 ford f150 ball joints and tie rod ends failed.***no answer required***. *mr the consumer did not give specifics about the accident. *jb

The vehicle's lower ball joints were defective. *nm the consumer was informed that this was a common problem in this vehicle. *sc the consumer requested information on whether or not his problem should constitute a recall. *tc *jb

Tie rods and upper ball joints broke. *ak

The vehicle's upper and lower ball joints wore prematurely. the cause of the premature wear had not been determined. the consumer is concerned that the front end of the vehicle will collapse. *nm *la

When a bump or pothole was hit in the road, the vehicle did not steer smooth . the dealer inspected vehicle several times and could not duplicate or correct the problem.*ak ph. the consumer also stated the vehicle drifted to the left if the steering wheel was relaxed at anytime. tires and wheels were installed, however there was no change. *jb

Lower ball joint broke and truck fell to ground. *nlm

Ball joints have become real loose, when getting ball joints checked, they can break at any time. dealer does not want to pay for work on vehicle.*ak *slc

This is not a serviceablee part as they no longer put a grease fitting on the original equipment. on the replacement part there is a grease fitting. this should a major safety issue. had i been going down the highway at 70 mph, instead of backing into a parking space at 2mph, the possible damage, and death or serious injury could have been much different. check arround, this is not an isolated incident. these ball joints have a major design defect and should be recalled.*ak

Due to front end misalignment front tires had worn out. when contacting dealer , dealer stated that it was a front end design defect, but were not willing to do anything.*ak

While vehicle was parked in driveway torsion bar broke. this caused the front end of vehicle to drop to the ground. please provide any further information.*ak

Consumer states that every six months the tires are wearing. took to dealer and the dealer stated there is a problem with ball joints and can't align. nlm

Vehicle continues to slip out of alingnment when driven over bumps and potholes dealer has realinged vehicle six times. *ak lower a arm moves and wears out tires with pull. *yh

Front end shakes and vibrates. dealership is aware of problem. *ak

Vehicle would vibrate while driving at 40-60 mph. vehicle been to dealer's shop on five occasion, various repairs were done and parts replaced, problem still reoccurring. feel free to provide any further information. *ak

Problem is constant. front end wanders, hard to keep straight. *ak

Since i purchased the front end would not stay aligned and the engine would lose power the dealership would not fix it and ford motor company did not care i put up with this for a year until ford gave me $3,5000 down for a new vehicle and i no longer have the vin indicated i traded the lemon and they ripped me off during purchase. *ak

Vibriation in the steering wheel at 65 mph, took to dealer at 300 miles, again at 2200 miles to another dealer again at approx 2900miles with constant vibriation in steering wheel at 70mph, ford engineer test drove vehicle and said all fords with a 5.4 engine had vibriation in the steering wheel. when i was orginially told this i thought i was getting a snow job, after having the tires balanced and rotated the vibriation was worst then it was when i first took it in. i drove another new f-150 and it vibriated worst then mine does. i do not think ford should be able to put a product out knowing that it has a vibriation built into the vehicle as from what the ford engineer said i had better get use to it and i do not think this is right at all. i also think ford should fix these vehicle or give me back the $24,000.00 i spent on it. i snet a letter to ford on 29 july 2000 and they have not answered it as of today. thanks t at all at

Truck wanders as if it has a mind of its own. with the steering wheel steady it wanders from left to right . we have had it in the shop 7 times since purchased and they align it each time with no change. dealer told me at the time of purchase that he would take it back if i wasn't satisfied, but has now denied saying it.we have been through the review board process.they offered a replacement truck, but i was so afraid of getting another one that i just asked for a refund, which they refused. the gentleman that they sent to drive with me said that an alignment would not fix the problem, that it was a design problem. he said that it would be even worse if we had a heavy load in it. in his report however, he told the review board that all it needed was an alignment .the only time i drive the truck now is in an emergency situation as it is too stressful to drive on a regular basis..*ak

Steering wheel vibrates when turning left or right. *ak

Severe vibration at about 65 mph on smooth, concrete highway. *ak (dot number: none tiresize: p235/70r16)

Vehicle experiencing severe problem with wandering across the road from 30 mph. more vehicle accelerates harder it becomes to control. vehicle been in dealer shop on four occasions, and problem still goes unresolved.*ak

There are two situations: #1: multiple rear spring failures on several f150 s-cab 4wd vehicles from 1995 thru 2000 build date. the main leaf cracks at axle spring perch resulting in a puncture of bed floor on some incidents. all requiring spring replacement and recently repaired by using after market heavy duty springs on both sides. #2: multiple vehicles also experienced front fender alignment change resulting in front door forward edge binding. not caused by front bumper or fender impact. several occasions of severe bind resulting in door skin and forward lip damage when door was forced open to allow egress of operator. repairs were made by realigning front fender assembly and some door hinges needed replacement due to distortion caused when door was forced open against the rear edge of offending fender. no cosmetic repairs have been done so the door forward edges and fender rear edges remain severely bent but clearance is adequate to prevent binding after repairs are done. note: these vehicles are operated off-road and on graded gravel roads on kaho`olawe island as part of mixed fleet of vehicles in support of unexplored ordinance clearance on the former naval gunfire and bombing range. to date we have experienced no similar problems with any of the 30 or so 1985 to 1986 chevy pick-ups used in identical manner and no vehicles were over-loaded usually carrying only one to three passengers and hand-carried gear in the bed. we suspect that severe spring wrap can occur when torque transmitted by the limited slip differential is changed from tire to tire. all vehicles are v-8 auto-transmission (gasoline fueled fords and diesel fueled chevys). *la