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Problems with 2002 Ford F-150 STEERING

On average, the 2002 Ford F-150 starts to “feel” problems with the STEERING and its various aspects after 105 528 miles.

Components Affected by STEERING Issues

We have classified the 13 complaints from 2002 Ford F-150 about STEERING into the following categories.

LINKAGES 2 COLUMN 2 STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR 1 HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM 1

Recently reported STEERING problems on 2002 Ford F-150

Seed contral.

Engine quits running and wont restart, so you have no power steering or brakes. problem indicators are 1. engine wont restart/ or quit running 2. odometer reads all dashes, no numbers,3. anti theft activated. this is caused by the power wire in the fuse box under the hood corroding off for the pcm relay and leaving the pcm dead. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford f-150. the contact stated that while driving 55 mph, the steering wheel became loose. the steering box then abnormally moved back and forth. the contact noticed that three bolts that held the steering gear to the frame were fractured. the head of the bolts snapped and one side of the bolts appeared to be corroded. the vehicle was not taken to a repair shop for inspection or repair. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure and current mileage was 127,312. ..updated 10/03/12 *bf

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford f-150. the contact stated that the steering box failed. the steering wheel would spin without resistance and would not catch. the manufacturer was notified of the failure who advised that there were no recalls and offered no further assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 214,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford f150. the contact stated that the passenger side tie rod fractured while driving 70 mph, causing him to lose control of his vehicle. neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic who repaired the inner passenger tie rod. the current mileage was 127,000. the approximate failure mileage was 124,000. the vin was unavailable.

One gas tank strap was found to be rusted and the tank at an angle. it was inspected by a local ford dealer, who found that the gas tank was also rusted and leaking. the gas tank and straps were replaced. because the model year was not in the date range of the recent recall, we had to pay $793. a power steering pump was also leaking and replaced. the gas tank was the major item of concern.

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford f-150. the contact noticed that the gasoline tank strap was covered with rust. the contact did not inform the dealer or manufacturer of the failure. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where they replaced the fuel tank straps. the current mileage was 97,000. the approximate failure mileage was 95,000. updated 07/08/11 *bf the driver side tie rod was also replaced. updated 12/28/11

While driving in a straight line at 36 mph on a paved street the left otter tie rod end broke . car was close to being out of control but was safely brought to a stop. replaced all tie rod ends, pitman arm and center link. (shop that did the alignment said i was the second car that had broken a tie rod. the other vehicle was a 2001 f150). *tr

Total failure tie rod and ball joint on front driver side suddenly came apart without warning while driving causing lost of control of vehicle. i was able to "direct" truck off the road. *tr

I was told during a routine oil change that my truck needed tie rod ends and ball joints (not just some of them but all of them) i checked the internet and it seems there have been multiple complaints about these. is there any investigation going on or a possible recall for this problem. *tr

Dt*: the contact stated while attempting to park in a parking lot, all steering was lost. the vehicle was towed to the dealer who replaced the tie rod.

While driving down the street, at a slow rate of speed, and making a slight turn to the left, the tie-rod end on the driver's side broke off and jammed into the wheel. the tie-rod gouged the inside of the aluminum and punctured through the wheel. i was able to bring the truck to a stop in the middle of the street. both the inner and outer tie-rods on the drives side where replaced. the aluminum wheel also needs to be replaced as it is scored and will not hold air. *nm

Without notice the power steering let go on my truck resulting in the unit leaking out 6 bottles were replaced in the reservoir and continued to leak onto the ground. *nm

While pulling out of my driveway i was turning the steering wheel when i heard something snap in the steering column and then i had no control of the steering. the steering wheel would turn completely around and there was no control of the front wheels. after taking the truck to the dealership where i purchased the vehicle they replaced the upper steering gear assembly, the steering shaft, and replaced the clock spring under the steering wheel. this cost a total of $810.16. i was on my way out of town that day and was heading for the interstate. i am so thankful that i was not going 70 mph on the interstate. they could not tell me why this happened. the vehicle is only 3 yrs old and has 63,878 miles on it. *nm

Vehicle was traveling at 15 mph and lost control due to a codder pin snapping in half causing the right front wheel to come entirely off of the vehicle. the disk brake stayed connected to the rim and was also removed entirely from the vehicle causing the brake lines to be severed which caused no pressure. with no pressure in the brake lines i was not able to stop the other wheels but was forced to let the vehicle come to a skidding stop, which happened by hitting a tree. the vehicle was taken to a local ford dealership where a year prior they had worked on the same wheel to pack the bearings and do other small maintenance. both the dealership and ford claimed no responsibility for the accident, which seems strange since a vehicles wheel should remain on when going 15 mph.

(1) truck's bed spreading apart and ignition/wiring shortage (2) the bed of my truck has spread apart for no reason at all. i cannot even shut my tailgate. my truck's battery continues to run down. when i turn on my truck, the starter doesn't want to stop. a light displays, "door opened!" the windshield wipers stopped working. the music goes on and off. (3) i took my truck to the dealer to get the bed fixed. they set me an appointment. i made another trip over an hour one way to get fixed and then they didn't fix. my warranty has just recently ran out. i am having several problems and don't know what is the matter. i haven't had no luck with talking with a ford mechanic. the wires in the steering column looks too tight or loose. there is a constant buzzing sound. my clock and mileage readings erases. my windows stop working. this only happens when i place the truck in drive. most of the time everything starts working once placed in park. i only have close to 70,000 miles. this has been going on for months.*ak

2002 f-150 super cab, makes a pop right when steering wheel is turned in either direction, standing still (vehicle running or not) and moving, also getting a vibration at highway speeds. personal investigation was to check the lugnuts for tightness, all ok, then removed bearing cover off front wheels, found no locking mechanism on right front wheel bearing nut. going to dealer tomorrow (4/7/2004) vehicle has 26,500 miles. owned since new, front wheels have never been removed. noticed several "popping" complaints on this vehicle - wonder if they have locking mechanisms on their bearing nuts? *la

There was no cotter pin installed on the front driver side spindle. as a result, the entire driver side front wheel fell off and the vehicle crashed into a parked car. *ak *nm

Consumer complained about the pitman arm on the vehicle. also stated that while driving the vehicle the pitman arm fell off which it caused completely lost of steering and the consumer hit another vehicle on the highway was contacted and has agreed that there was no bolt put into the part that fell off but there still not doing nothing about it. ts photos attached. *tt

Consumer states that while driving at 65mph and without warning the steering wheel will pull to the right and it will be hard for the consumer to control the vehicle. dealer notified ts

While driving the vehicle consumer states cant control the steering wheel, when make left or right. dealer has been notified. please provide further information. ts

Very serious failure!!! while backing up a steep hill in 4wd. the truck's pitman arm came completely off of the splined shaft that comes out of the steering box. so, there was no longer any connection between the steering wheel and the front wheels. the retaining nut and lock washer came off, too, and were recovered. the lock washer is of the helical spring type, and has a black oxide finish. because of this finish, it is easy to deduce from the wear marks on the washer. that the retaining nut was not torqued at the factory. luckily this failure occurred at almost zero speed in a driveway. clearly, had it occurred at freeway speed (which is where the truck would have been 2 miles later), the results could have been catastrophic. the owner of this car, woody porter, is my father-in-law. i was driving it at the time of the failure, and filled out this form for him with his permission. if you have any questions, you my contact me, john gunther, at 650-802-8384. thanks. dt

Consumer having problem with the steering colunm. dealer was notified. *mr

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