Problems with 2001 Ford F-150 STEERING

The truck was parked in my driveway for at least 24 hours without being used or turned on. the front of the truck suddenly went on fire. the fire department came and put it out. the fire burned only the front up to the windshield leaving the cab partially melted and my daughters car seat unsafe. now this mess sits in my driveway as i wait for inspector. as it falls apart more and more each day as my family and neighbors smell the burnt rubble and are reminded of that frightening afternoon. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford f-150. the contact stated that while reversing, the steering wheel abruptly separated. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the steering wheel was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 180,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford f150. the contact stated that while driving approximately 20 mph, the steering wheel became loose as the steering column became separated from the universal joint. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the universal joint would need to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

The fuel tank straps on my 2001 ford f150 are completely rusted. other areas have also rusted out such as the radiator supports - radiator and shroud dropped out and are hitting against the engine fan. the pick-up bed of the truck is also rusting out. updated 08/11/11 *bf the consumer stated when he inspected the straps, he found one of them completely covered in rust, but still in tact. also, there was unusual rusting all over the underside of the vehicle. the entire lower radiator support was rotted out and the underside of the pick-up bed and other supports have major rust. updated 08/12/11 the consumer stated when the support gave out the radiator and radiator shroud fell onto the fan that is mounted to the engine. also, the ball joints and steering were wearing prematurely due to lack of grease fittings. updated 08/30/11 *tr

I have a 2001 ford f150 regular cab long bed with 75,000 miles. while driving at approximately 40 mph the right inner tie rod broke causing the vehicle to shudder significantly until i was able to stop the vehicle. this brief shuddering caused the rear fuel tank strap to snap in half primarily due to excessive corrosion of the strap. loss of the supporting strap caused the rear of the tank to drop almost to ground level which also broke the filler inlet off of the top of the tank, completely disconnecting the filler tube and presenting a large hole for fuel to escape. both of these failures are not what i would expect from a vehicle with only 75,000 miles on the odometer. either could have resulted in serious injury or property damage. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford f150. while driving approximately 45 mph, the steering column bolt unexpectedly detached. the vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road. the contact was able to locate the bolt on the floor area and continued driving. the gear selector would not shift into park at any given time which required the gear to be shifted into the neutral position and bricks placed behind each tire to avoid the vehicle from rolling away. the dealer was notified of the malfunction and they informed that the repair would be at the expense of the contact. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure mileage was 200,000.

Driving on the off ramp on i 75 near roscommon, mi., steering wheel locked up, no movement what so ever. correction required snappy, jerky yanks on the steering wheel to regain control. when the steering wheel broke loose, vehicle started fish-tailing because of snow covered road. control was regained but heart rate was greatly increased by both myself and wife. this has happened only once since then. ( in driveway).

Ford f-150 supercrew 2001: right tie rod broke catastrophically (broken socket), resulting in violent wheel oscillation, with front tire drag bringing vehicle to a halt; 20 mph; no warning; regularly inspected, ~110k mileage. had been driving at 65 mph with family (5 passengers) day before tie rod broke. what would have happened?? same vehicle, ~130k mileage, date 8/27/07. left tie rod broke catastrophically (broken socket). just pulled into rest area on i95 in connecticut. tried to back up, wheels angled, towed, tie rod replaced. minutes before i was traveling 70mph in passing lane on i95. what could have happened?? vehicle not used for off-road, no snow plow, maintained by service station regularly. *jb

Dt: problems began on 5/23/05 while turning right in normal driving conditions on dry pavement. caller believed the passenger's side tie rod popped off the ball joint. no warning lights on in vehicle. it was not pulling or making any noise. vehicle was going about 10 mph. vehicle was in the shop. after stopping the vehicle, driver noticed the passenger wheel was turned to the right, all other wheels were facing forward. it was towed to the dealership and repaired.*ak

Both steering bearings (located in steering column inside truck cab) completely wore out, steering wheel was very loose. 2001 f150 ford lariat supercrew. my friend is a mechanic with the wv dept of highways and he had to have both the steering bearings in all the 2000 f150 pickups in his organization replaced. this is how i know what was wrong with mine, it was doing the same thing the states trucks done. loose steering wheel and hard to steer. should be a safety recall because if it would have happened when i was driving at a higher rate of speed around a turn an accident may have occured. i bought the two bearings and had them installed. not sure if mechanic kept the old bearings. *ak

Upon inspection (using procedure provided by ford) during standard mtce, mechanic advises vehicle owner of premature tie rod wear. estimates $450 repair cost. *nm

While attempting to turn into the driveway steering column locked as a result, vehicle was unable to turn in either direction. *ak

Tie rods are defective. truck shakes violently and does not steer straight. the problem has been diagnosed as defective tie rods, but ford will not replace at their expense since the vehicle mfg warranty has expired. *ak

A tie rod failure. consumer was having vehicle serviced for other issues when it was discovered that the tie rods were defective. consumer contacted the manufacturer, who was not willing to do anything to assist him with this defect. *ak a class action lawsuit has been filed against the manufacturer. *nm

Ford motor co. sent out a procedure on how to inspect tie-rods on ford trucks. fter inspecting mine, they need to be replaced.... there are lots of ford owners who are having premature tie-rod falures and have to replace them.... i feel it's a serious safty issue... ford should issue a recall. *ak

Consumer stated that he went through an inspection and found that the tie rod was defective. he contacted ford. however, ford will not assist in any repairs. consumer received a letter stating that they were aware of the problem. consumer felt that this should be a recall.*ak *tc

While backing out of the driveway the tie rod ends separated without warning. as a result the front driver side tire was punctured. the cause has yet to be determined. please provide additional information.

Uncontrollable loss of steering on 2001 ford f-150 supercrew due to failure of right inner tie-rod end. ford f-150 skidded across the road (right to left side) and went down into a ditch and struck a tree. ford f-150 was towed to nearest service station for repair of right inner tie-rod end.*ak

During a routine inspection, the mechanic informed the consumer that the vibration he felt when driving was due to worn tie rods. *jb

While making a mild left turn into driveway, right tie-rod just popped off causing loss of control. no warning of any type not even 1 sound or problem leading up to incident, never had any current damage or accidents, purely faulty component. *jb

This may be a moot point because the truck (2001 f-150 supercrew xlt 4wd) i had owned (traded it in for a 2003 ford supercrew which also exhibits very similar problems) had serious problems with the steering in addition to the driver seatbelt becoming disengaged while driving normally. i could not understand why the seatbelt would disengage all by itself. i even had witnesses to the fact. i asked for the service to address it; however, they could not duplicate the problem. this is serious as what are seatbelts for in the first place. also had some problems with the paint cracking or spidering. ford regional personnel from denver wanted to repaint the vehicle. however, they could not determine how it would be accomplished. this went on for over 4 months. that is one of the main reasons in addition to the steering problems described previously i had get rid of the problem supercrew i had purchased. *la rq04011.*pco owner granted permission to release info_*pco

The steering was not working properly. *nlm

While turning the steering locked and vehicle hit telephone pole and five mailboxes. dealer refuses to repair. please provide additional information. ph

While driving the tie rod broke causing lost of control. ts *tt

Take a look a my vehicle history, i baby my truck - never used off-road. i have replaced several items that i feel should have been fixed by ford. i had to buy a warranty that cover most of the stuff. some parts with defects that were replaced. most replaced at 40,000-80,000 miles 1.) transmission completely replaced 2.) rearend replaced 3.) i'm on my third set of all 4 ball joints 4.) tie rods, tie rod ends (replaced twice now) 5.) coil 6.) headlight housing (3-4 times) 7.) brakes, numerous things worked on and replaced dealership was never able to stop the thumping noise that is still there, said it was normal (not) 8.) idler arm (replaced twice) 9.) sunroof switch replaced twice, reported loud bang when opening. a&b kia said it was normal - no, now it is completely broke and will barely open and have to force closed. 10.) sideview mirrors vibrated 11.) abs sensor replaced 12.) keyless entry replaced 13.) steering bearings replaced 14.) back bumper is rusting these are just some of the things i can remember right off hand. i've got all receipts. i take care of this truck - wash and wax once a week by hand (unless really bad weather) then i just take it to the car wash automatic or actual people washing. keep inside just as nice. if you want to check out a vehicle for safety/recall information you should start with mine. *ak

Serpentine belt broke while backing up and vehicle lost steering ability, towed to dealer, part was replaced.*ak the steering locked and the consumer lost control of the vehicle resulting in a collision with a pole.*yh

Loose steering, second (replacement) steering gear. the original steering gear was noisy and the dealer replaced it with a used, rebuilt unit at 3,264 miles. current (used) gear has excessive free play, the vehicle wanders and is difficult to control on the highway. ford refuses to supply the dealer with a new gear. the dealer refuses to replace or adjust the loose gear. i feel the safety of the vehicle is in question with the used gear in it due to lack of traceability of the gear in case of a recall or safety campaign. *ak

Steering column will not turn, usually happens at low speeds and turning left. contacted dealer. *ak consumer stated the problem was fixed after 2 visits, dealership replaced the shaft and steering box. *jb

Vehicle lost complete steering while turning onto the interstate informed that pitman arm disconnected from the section shaft due to the loss of the nut and washer nut. dealer notified. *ak driver does not feel safe and secure driving this vehicle. the dash light failed at 3000 miles. *yh