There are 19 stored owner reports matching the powertrain & transmission leading-label group for the 1997 Ford F-350 in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 19 of 19 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE ENGINE PAN THE DIPSTICK ADAPTER WAS MANUFACTURED POORLY. THE OIL FROM THE CRANKCASE HAS CAUSED THE ORING TO SWELL AND LEAK OIL. THE OIL LEAK IS GETTING ON THE STARTER AND CLUTCH. THE OIL CAN CAUSE A SHORT IN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. THIS CAN CAUSE AN ACCIDENT OR DEATH WHILE DRIVING. THE OIL ON THE CLUTCH CAN CAUSE LOSS OF CONTROL AND CAUSE AN ACCIDENT OR DEATH. THE ORING CAN SWELL AND FALL OFF THE ADAPTOR AND BECOME LODGED IN THE OIL PICKUP. THIS WILL STARVE THE MOTOR OF OIL AND CAUSE A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE MOTOR WHILE DRIVING. THIS CAN CAUSE AN ACCIDENT OR DEATH. DUE TO THE INHERENT POOR DESIGN THE ORING THAT IS SUBMERGED IN OIL SHOULD BE COMPATIBLE WITH OIL OR BE ABLE TO BE REPLACED. IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO REPLACE THE ORING DUE TO DUE TO THE TERRIBLE DESIGN OF THE DIPSTICK ASSEMBLY. TO REPLACE THIS ORING WITH A PROPER OIL COMPATIBLE ONE REQUIRES THE DISASSEMBLY OF THE MOTOR AND THE REMOVAL OF THE MOTOR TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE DEFECTIVE PART. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM ON ALL VEHICLES OF THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL FROM 1988-2006.
TRUCK WAS PARKED IN LEVEL DRIVEWAY AND JUMPED FROM PARK INTO DRIVE AND ROLLED THRU FENCE, PASTURE, AND SHED. DAMAGE WAS CAUSED TO FENCE, SHED AND TRUCK. MY HORSE WAS MODERATELY INJURED DUE TO TRUCK CRASHING INTO SHED AND HORSE RUNNING THRU FENCE. FORD STATED THAT THIS TYPE OF THING CAN HAPPEN AT ANY GIVEN TIME WHEN A VEHICLE GETS A LOT OF MILES AND PARTS GET WEAK.*AK
PURCHASED THIS TRUCK NEW FROM THE DEALER AT 51,000 MILES THEY HAD TO REBUILD THE TRANSMISSION TRUCK THEN WORKED GOOD FOR A WHILE THEN THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE TRANS COMPUTER AT MY EXPENSE NOW AT 81,000 MILES THE TRANSMISSION IS DOING THE SAME THING AS AT 51,000 MILES I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THE TRANSMISSION IS ONLY COVERED FOR 12,000 MILES I FEEL FORD SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS SEEING AS THERE MUST BE SOME SORT OF DEFECT IN THIS UNIT AS OTHERS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH HARD SHIFTING IN AN AUTOMATIC FROM 1ST TO SECOND AND HAVING PASSING GEAR KICK IN ALL THE TIME.*AK
REAR AXLE WHEELS CAME OFF AND COULD HAVE ROLLED IN SOMEONES PATH AND CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. *AK
SPEEDOMETER DROPPED TO ZERO, THEN THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT FROM LOW GEAR! *AK
THE PLANETARY GEAR FAILED WHILE DRIVING. IT COMPLETELY DISCENTRATED INSIDE THE TRANSMISSION. A LOCAL FORD DEALER REBUILT TRANSMISSION, BUT NOW, WHEN THE TRUCK IS WARMED UP AND THE TRANSMISSION IS HOT, WHEN YOU ENGAGE REVERSE IT TAKES OFF ON ITS OWN. I HAVE TO HOLD IT BACK WITH THE BRAKE AND IT EVENTUALLY STALLS. THIS HAS HAPPENED REPEATEDLY. *AK
TRANSMISSION FAILED PREMATURELY. *MJS
WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE JUMPS AND SHIFTS HARD. WHEN COMING TO A STOP AND DOWNSHIFTING, VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD. CONSUMER HAD TO KEEP FEET ON THE BRAKES. *AK
THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. PREVIOUSLY, DLR REPAIR THE TRANSMISSION UNDER WARRANTY, BUT THE PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION AND VIN#. *AK
I HAVE A TWO YEAR OLD F350 POWERTRUCK DIESEL AND THE TRANSMISSION HAS GONE OUT OF IT AT 49,000 MILES. IT IS JUST OUT OF WARRANTY. I BELIEVE THIS TO BE POOR QUALITY WORKMANSHIP/DESIGN WHEN I SPEND OVER $30,000 DOLLARS FOR A VEHICLE AND THE TRANSMISSION GOES OUT OF IT BEFORE 50,000 MILES. I NEVER TOW OVER 6,000 LBS WITH THIS VEHICLE AND HAVE ONLY COMPLETED TWO TRIPS IN EXCESS OF 200 MILES. ALL OTHER TRIPS ARE UNDER 100 MILES. THE FORD DEALER SAID THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP IF I COULD PROVIDE ALL RECEIPTS SHOWING I HAD THE REQUIRED MAINTENANCE COMPLETED. I GENERALLY SERVICE ALL VEHICLES MYSELF AND HAVE LITTLE OR NO RECEIPTS. WHEN I DID HAVE A REPUTABLE COMPANY DO MY MAINTENANCE THEY WERE AND ARE UNABLE TO LOCATE THE APPROPRIATE INFORMATION IN THEIR DATA BASE. FORD WANTS TO PUT A REMANUFACTURED OR REBUILD BACK IN AT MY EXPENSE AND I FEEL THIS IS COMPLETELY WRONG AND I BOUGHT A VEHICLE THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN BUILT MUCH BETTER. ANY ASSISTANCE OR DIRECTION IN THIS MATTER WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. THANK YOU, SINCERELY, DAN YOPP
TRAVELING AT 50 MPH THE TRANSFER CASE LOCKED UP AND THE TRUCK SKIDDED OFF THE ROAD. DAMAGE TO FRONT END,ENGINE,TRANSMISSION. TRANSFER CASE REPLACED. FOUGHT TO GET TRANSMISSION REPLACED AS WELL. STILL FIGHTING TO GET FRONT END AND ENGINE DAMAGE REPAIRED. HAVE CONTACTED ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR THE STATE OF MAINE. HAS CONTACTED REPAIRING DEALERSHIP AS WELL AS SELLING DEALERSHIP. SHOULD HAVE SOME RESULTS SOON. WOULD ADVISE ALL CONSUMERS WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS OF DEALERSHIPS NOT STANDING BY THIER REPAIRS TO CONTACT ATTORNEY GENERAL IN THIER STATE FOR ASSISTANCE.
TRANSMISSION COOLER LINES RUBS ON THE EXHAUST DOWNPIPE FROM THE TURBO. THIS RUBBING HAS WORN THROUGH 3/4 OF THE TRANSMISSION COOLER LINE WITH A FAILURE, CAUSING THE TRANSMISSION FLUID TO BE SPRAYED DIRECTLY ONTO THE TURBO DOWNPIPE. THIS IS FIRE/TRANSMISSION FAILURE MAJOR RISK. *AK
I HAVE HAD THREE REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSIONS MODEL: (E-4OD). I NOW HAVE 48,000 ON MY TRUCK AND I NEED A FOURTH TRANSMISSION. THE PROBLEM CONSISTS OF POOR SHIFTING (HARD SHIFTS, UNTIMELY SHIFTING, SHIFTS INTO OD WHEN IT IS OFF, AND YOU MUST DEPRESS GAS PEDAL MODERATLEY TO PROCEED IN REVERSE) I REPORTED THIS PROBLEM INITIALLY ON NOV OF 98, AND THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION EACH TIME FREE OF CHARGE BUT THEY ONLY WOULD PUT A RE-MANUFACTURED TRANSMISSION IN IT DUE TO THEY MEET THE SAME SPECS. AS NEW TRANSMISSIONS. I HAD THE ENGINEER FROM FORD AT MY DEALERSHIP TWO WEEKS AGO AND HE FOUND NO PROBLEMS BUT THE TECHNICIAN THAT NORMALLY PROVIDES SERVICE ON MY TRUCK STATED IT WAS NOT ACTING UP FOR SOME REASON ON THAT DAY. I KNOW THERE HAVE BEEN MULTIPLE PROBLEMS WITH THIS TRANSMISSION, (THE TOWN OF WALLKILL, NY DIAL-A-BUS HAS- I THINK OVER 80 REPLACEMENT E-4OD TRANSMISSIONS - IT IS ALSO SERVICED AT VILLAGE FORD) I HAVE ALSO FOUND OUT FROM OTHER F-SERIES DIESEL AUTOMATIC OWNERS THAT MANY HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THEIRS. I FEEL I HAVE HAD THE RUN-AROUND BY FORD AND I AM VERY DISSATISFIED WITH THIS VEHICLE. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS PROBLEM - I DIDNOT FIND ANY INFO ON YOUR WEB SITE BUT I KNOW THERE ARE MANY TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS ON THIS COMPONENT. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE! - KURT HAHN
TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING AND LOCKED UP. INCIDENT OCCURRED TWO TIMES. COULD NOT GO FORWARD OR REVERSE, IT DISENGAGED AND BECAME UNDRIVEABLE. COMPUTER CHECK WAS DONE AND DROVE VEHICLE. HEARD A BANG AND THE TRANSMISSION BLEW UP. DEALER CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK
CONSUMER HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE CONTINUES TO MOVE ON ITS OWN AFTER THE BRAKES HAVE BEEN APPLIED. THE MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
WHEN DRIVING THE CLUTCH IS TOO SMALL FOR THE ENGINE AND THE TRANSMISSION, CAUSING THE CLUTCH TO KEEP BURNING OUT. T VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP FIVE TIMES FOR REPAIRS, AND THE DEALER STATES THE CLUTCH IS TOO SMALL FOR THE OTHER PARTS IN THE VEHICLE. *AK
TRANSMISSION FAILED AS THE RESULT OF MISDIAGNOSIS. YH
SAFETY FEATURE ON VEHICLE FAILED AND CHILD WAS ABLE TO PUT VEHICLE IN GEAR WITHOUT PRESSING ON THE BRAKE AND WITHOUT IGNITION BEING ON. CLAIM WAS FILED, VEHICLE WILL BE SEEN BY ADJUSTOR ON 1/31/97. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AND SHIFTING GEARS THE CLUTCH HAS BEEN RATTLING. DEALER SAYS THAT THE DIESEL ENGINE IS TOO POWERFUL FOR THE CLUTCH INSTALLED IN THE VEHICLE. *AK
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.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Sep 3, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.