There are 26 owner-reported engine complaints for the 1997 Ford F-250in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
THE TRUCK WOULD STOP RUNNING WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE STREET, NOT START AFTER DRIVING, STOP SHUT OFF AND THEN WOULD NOT START. SOME TIMES IT MAY NOT START FOR SEVERAL DAYS THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN IT WOULD START UP AGAIN AND BE FINE FOR WEEKS THEN WOULD START THE WHOLE PROCESS OVER AGAIN. IT MAY STOP AT ANY TIME ANY WHERE WHETHER HIGHWAY OR CITY STREET. TOTAL LOSS OF POWER, ENGINE SHUTS OFF. I HAD MANY EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATIONS, WITH FAMILY MEMBERS AND OTHER VEHICLES CAUSING THEM TO MAKE EVASIVE ACTIONS. THIS VEHICLE HAS A MANUFACTURES BUY BACK FROM ORIGINAL PURCHASER WHEN, NEW BUT NO EXPLANATION COULD BE FOUND. I SPOKE TO FORD AND THEY SAID THEY HAVE NO RECORD OF THE BUY BACK. IT IS ON THE TITLE ALSO.
FORD MOTOR CO. REFUSES TO DO SAFETY RECALL 07S57 ON MY 97 F-250 THE RECALL IS FOR THE CAM SHAFT POSITION SENSOR. IT MUST BE REPLACED BECAUSE THE VEHICLE STALLS WHILE DRIVING WHICH CAN LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT. THEY ARE REFUSING TO DO THE RECALL DUE TO A SEIZED BOLT. IF THIS BOLT BREAKS THEY WANT ME TO PAY $2500 TO GET THE SAFETY RECALL COMPLETED. *TR
I HAVE A 1997 FORD F-250 WITH WITH 87,000 MILES ON A 5.4 LITER ENGINE. ONE OF THE SPARK PLUGS WAS EJECTED FROM THE ENGINE, THREADS AND ALL, WHICH ALSO DAMAGED THE IGNITION COIL. *TR
MY COMPLAINT HAS TO DUE WITH THE PCV VALVE HOSE THAT RUNS TO THE VACUUM SYSTEM. IT GETS TOO WARM AND MELTS AND IT CAUSES THE ENGINE TO STUTTER OR STALL CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO STOP RAPIDLY. I HAVE NOTICED THIS ON MANY OF THE F250 OR F150 5.4L TRITON ENGINES. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES TO MY TRUCK AND IT IS EXPENSIVE TO KEEP REPLACING IT. IT HAS ALMOST CAUSED A FEW REAR ENDINGS. *TR
MONDAY, JULY 31 2007, I EXPERIENCED THE LAST OF A SERIES OF INTERMITTENT STALLING EVENTS IN MY 1997 FORD F250 HD VEHICLE, EQUIPPED WITH A 7.3 DIT POWERSTROKE DIESEL. SUBSEQUENT TO MY OWN INVESTIGATIONS, I DISCOVERED THAT THE CAM POSITION SENSOR WAS A COMPONENT IMPLICATED IN SUCH EVENTS. I REPLACED THE COMPONENT ON JULY 27, 2007, AFTER AN INCREASE IN STALLING PROBLEMS. THE CONDITION REPEATED ON THE LATER DATE ABOVE, AND I DROVE THE VEHICLE TO A REPAIR FACILITY. THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY DIAGNOSTIC CODES FROM THE PCM, BUT THE STALLING EPISODES INCREASED DURING THEIR ANALYSIS. AFTER PERFORMING OTHER SYSTEM DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURES, THEY WERE LEFT WITH THE FINAL CONCLUSION THAT THE CPS MUST BE THE CULPRIT FOR THE STALLING CONDITION. THE NEWER CPS I INSTALLED WAS REPLACED BY THE REPAIR TECHNICIAN WITH ANOTHER CPS. TO DATE THE CONDITION APPEARS RESOLVED. I HAVE RETAINED ALL PARTS AND THE REPAIR WORK-ORDER. *TR
1997 FORD F25. THIS WAS THE SECOND SPARK PLUG TO BLOW OUT OF HEAD. FIRST REPAIR COST $450.00, THIS TIME IT COST ME MY TRUCK, 2 CAMERAS, GPS, LAPTOP COMPUTER AND SEVERAL OTHER ITEMS AS THE TRUCK COUGHT ON FIRE WHEN SPARK PLUG HIT FUEL INECTION RAIL AN STARTED A FUEL FIRE THAT BURNT THE TRUCK TO GROUND. TOTAL LOSS. BURNED MY HANDS TRYING TO SAVE ITEMS IN CAB. HAD A FIRE EXTINGUISHER, BUT HIGH PRESSURE FUEL LINES SPRAYED FIRE TO FAST. MY GIRL FRIEND, HER DOG, AND I HAD 30 SECONDS TO GET OUT. IN 2 MINUTES THE CAB WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES. I WILL BE DISMANTLING THIS ENGINE AS I AM A MECHANIC AND MACHINIST AND PLAN TO PROVE THERE WERE NOT ENOUGH THREADS SECURING SPARK PLUGS IN THEE ALUMIN UM HEADS. THERE WERE STANDARDS OUTLINED FOR MACHINING THREADS.*AK
ATTEMPTING TO PASS ON A TWO LINE HIGHWAY WHEN SPARK PLUG BLEW OUT OF ENGINE. VEHICLE IS A 1997 FORD F250 4WD 80K MILES. REPAIRS INVOLVE REMOVING HEAD. COST IS $2800. VEHICLE WORTHLESS SINCE DON'T KNOW WHEN ANOTHER PLUG WILL BLOW! *JB
TL*- THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 FORD F250. HE RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY RAN A DIAGNOSTIC THAT SHOWED A PROBLEM WITH 3 SENSORS. THE CONTACT IS A MECHANIC SO HE REMEDIED THE RECALL HIMSELF. WHEN HE CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER FOR REIMBURSEMENT OF THE PARTS AND LABOR HE WAS ADVISED THAT THEY WOULD ONLY REIMBURSE HIM FOR THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR AND THAT THEY WOULD NOT REIMBURSE HIM FOR THE OTHER PARTS OR LABOR. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 86000 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 83000.
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE PARKED AND OFF, THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE. THERE WERE NO WARNINGS PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT. THE INSURANCE AGENCY COULD NOT FIND THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE.
WHILE DRIVING ALONG A SPARK PLUG WAS BLOWN OUT OF THE CYLINDER WITH THE INSUING LOUD BANGING SCARING THE DRIVER AND ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. FORD DEALER RETHREADED SPARK PLUG HOLE AND REPLACED SPARK PLUG.
I OWN A 1997 FORD F250 TRUCK. ON THE BELOW LISTED DATE, WHILE DRIVING AT 0430 HRS IN THE MORNING ON A TWO LANE ROADWAY, THE THIRD SPARK PLUG ON THE PASSENGER SIDE BLEW OUT OF THE CYLINDER HEAD. I LOOKED UP INFORMATION ON INTERNET AND FOUND THAT THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN OCCURRING WITHOUT WARNING OR FAULT OF THE DRIVERS/OWNERS FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. THIS JUST HAPPENED TODAY AND I HAVE NOT CONTACTED ANY REPAIR SERVICE YET. IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM AND FORD HAS NOT RECOGNIZED THE DESIGN FAULT. I WAS LUCKY I WAS ABLE TO GET OFF THE ROAD SAFELY DUE TO THE LACK OF ENGINE POWER FROM THIS PROBLEM. MY COMPLAINT IS THAT THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS SAFETY ISSUE FOR SEVERAL YEARS AND DONE NOTHING TO NOTIFY OWNERS OF THE POTENTIAL DANGEROUS SITUATION NOT TO MENTION UNWARRANTED COST TO VEHICLE OWNERS THAT COULD POSSIBLY PREVENT THIS IF IT WAS KNOWN. IT IS PERTANANT THAT SOMEONE OR SOME ORGANIZATION WITH STANDING AND POWER DEAL WITH THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY ON THIS ISSUE. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME. *JB
WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE LOST STEERING AND BRAKING POWER. *AK THE ASSEMBLY THAT TIGHTENED THE BELT DRIVE AROUND THE STEEL SHAFT ABOUT ONE INCH IN DIAMETER HAD BROKEN OFF AT THE TIME WHERE THE TRUCK HAD NO BRAKES OR STEERING. *SCC *JB
NATURAL GAS VEHICLE. CLAMP IN THE ENGINE WAS RUBBING ONTO FLEXIBLE HOSE THAT WAS HOOKED TO FUEL INJECTORS, CAUSING A HOLE IN FLEXIBLE HOSE, AND EMITTING NATURAL GAS. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED.*AK
NATURAL GAS VEHICLE. CLAMP IN ENGINE WAS RUBBING ONTO FLEXIBLE HOSE THAT WAS HOOKED TO FUEL INJECTORS ,CAUSING A HOLE IN FLEXIBLE HOSE, EMITTING NATURAL GAS. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED.*AK
STRONG ODOR OF DIESEL WAS IN VEHICLE. DIESEL WAS FLOATING AROUND IN ENGINE. DIESEL HAND WAS GOING DOWN. *AK
THE RADIATOR HAS BEEN REPLACED 5 TIME DUE TO LEAKAGE. THE HEATER CORE HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE DUE TO LEAKAGE. *TS *NLM
THE EXHAUST PIPE HEAT SHIELD WAS IN CONTACT WITH THE METAL TRANSMISSION FLUID TUBE FROM THE TRANSMISSION TO THE RADIATOR. OVER A PERIOD OF TIME THE SHIELD WORE A SMALL HOLE IN THE TUBE, RESULTING IN A PINHOLE, WHICH CAUSED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID TO BE RELEASED UNDER PRESSURE DIRECTLY ONTO THE EXHAUST PIPE.
ENGINE OIL SEALS (GASKETS) FAILED. *YC
ENGINE FAILED DUE TO OVERHEAD CAM PULLEY CATALATIC CONVERTERS BEING TOTALLY BLOCKED. YH
OXYGEN SENSOR FAILED. YH
Showing 1–20 of 26 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026