Ford recall 99B29. Front cover gask unable to hold coolant.

- Belcamp, MD, USA

When I first bought the truck in 2001, the engine had approximately 82K miles. I was having a hard time starting and sometimes it would not start. At first the dealer thought it was the starter and they replaced it. They told me to take it to pepboys to get the starter replaced. When they started the car a mass of gray smoke come out of the tail pipe. Two days later the engine froze. Since I had a warranty agreement I took the truck to a local Ford dealer, they stated it had hydrolocked and the engine needed to be replaced. The warranty company sent out a short block and Ford completed the rest of the repairs. At the beginning of April, my daughter was using my truck and she drove it to my house and parked it out front. It sat for 2 weeks, when I went to start it, it would not turn over. Replace the battery and it still would not turn over. At that time the starter smoked and took the truck to a mechanic who replaced the starter. He tried to turn it over and it would not turn. He stated they tried using a torque wrench and still could not turn the motor. The mechanic recommended that the engine be replaced. I had the truck towed to my home. After reading the info about another truck hydrolocking, I decided to check to see if my truck had the same problem. When I pulled the plugs, I had coolant drain from the #3 cylinder and a small amount of coolant leak from #5 cylinder. Preparing to replace the lower and upper intake manifold gaskets.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

Truck has a 4.2 liter, V-6 engine. A week prior to incident the truck was driven then parked in a my garage. On the incident day I tried to start the truck but heard only a loud, hard knock when the starter engaged. The engine would not turn over. The battery voltage checked out ok. I had the truck towed to a local repair shop. The starter was removed and checked out ok electrically. The mechanic manually rotated the engine backward 1-1/2 turns (he could not rotate it forward) then tried to start it but the engine again made a loud, hard knock sound. The mechanic though the timing chain failed or a push rod was bent. However, since the truck ran fine the last time it was used I felt the problem developed during its last use and last cooldown. I concluded a gasket failed (or a head cracked) allowing coolant to leak into one or more cylinders during its last cooldown. I had the truck towed back to my garage. I removed all spark plugs and found coolant draining from the passenger side front cylinder which was causing hydrolock. I rotated the engine backward 4-1/2 turns then forward 9 turns. The engine now turned freely. A total of 4 to 6 ounces of coolant came out of the cylinder. I spoke with a mechanic who checked the Ford alert system and found a posting for the 1997 4.2L V-6 engines that indicated they are prone to intake manifold O-ring failures. I found many reports of similar failures for this year and engine type. I intend to check in with the local Ford dealership to get their take on this problem and find out why I wasn't notified about a "recall".

- Topton, PA, USA

The contact owns a 1997 Ford F-150. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle, he heard the horn sounding off. The vehicle engulfed into flames soon thereafter. The fire department was notified and extinguished the flames. The fire chief stated that the frontal area on the driver's side was the cause of the fire. The vehicle had not been inspected. The manufacturer was notified and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 161,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Blanco, TX, USA

The contact owns 1997 Ford F-150. The contact stated that after receiving notification of NHTSA campaign I.D. 11V385000 (fuel system, gasoline: Storage: Tank assembly: Mounting) the contact took the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer stated that the fuel straps were corroded. The dealer was unable to perform the recall remedy due to the severity of the corrosion on the fuel tank straps. The contact called the manufacturer regarding the recall repair and was advised that the manufacturer the fuel tank mount would have to be repaired at the contact's expense. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 150,000. The consumer stated the frame bracket had rotted and the recall could not be performed. The consumer stated the vehicle has a slight hesitation, there was a noise when the gear was in drive, the brakes felt spongy, the brake line had to be replaced, as well as the brakes, calipers and hoses. Updated 04/17/12 updated 04/25/12 updated 05/02/12

- Coventry, RI, USA

The contact owns a 1997 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle caught on fire while parked. No one was injured from the fire. The fire department was contacted to extinguish the fire. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and took a complaint. The contact did not know what caused the fire. The failure mileage was 200,000.

- Heath, OH, USA

The contact owns a 1997 Ford F-150. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle, flames emitted from the engine compartment. The contact mentioned that he was able to extinguish the fire with a water hose. The fire department was not contacted and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection or repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure and the current mileage was 207,000.

- Baton Rouge, LA, USA

The contact owns a 1997 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving 30 mph, a loud banging noise emitted from under the hood and the check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel. The front end of the vehicle also began to shake. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer, but the manufacturer was notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 211,000.

- Mapleton Depot, PA, USA

Engine front cover gasket failed in line with recall 99B29. Ford does not include my truck built 1997 in recall campaign indicating the original recall has been inadequate.

- Spokane, WA, USA

Front drivers side spark plug blew out of engine and destroyed coil pack ripping the threads out of the head.

- Montgomery , AL, USA

The contact owns a 1997 Ford F-150. The contact started the vehicle and a spark plug ejected from the head of the engine. The contact shut the vehicle off and had the vehicle towed to a local mechanic. The local mechanic confirmed the blown spark plug as well as a coil, and advised replacing the engine. The contact called the manufacturer to order the necessary parts for repairs and the manufacturer advised that there were only two engine heads available in the country. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact believed the vehicle to be unsafe to drive. The failure mileage was 100,000. The VIN was not available.

- Grand Junction, CO, USA

I last drove my truck on 06/20/2011. When I woke up to feed my animals I heard a sound like a bird caught under my truck. I looked under the drivers side fender and saw flames. I popped the hood and saw the master cylinder was on fire. I grabbed my fire extinguisher from my barn and put the fire out.

- Milaca, MN, USA

The contact owns a 1997 Ford F-150. The contact stated that when starting the vehicle he noticed that the engine would start knocking and making a loud noise. The vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic and they advised him that it was a defective motor and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

- Cleveland, AL, USA

Just driving my 1997 Ford F-150 and have had 2 spark plugs fly out the truck. Motor then runs rough and continues to operate for some time before you get any engine light. Afraid to let wife use truck cause it could catch fire.

- Urbana, OH, USA

The contact owns a 1997 Ford F-150. The contact noticed something hanging underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who inspected the vehicle and found one of the fuel tank straps was corroded. The vehicle was repaired. The failure and the current miles were 147,008. Updated 06/17/11 the mechanic stated the gas tank had rusted where the fuel straps broke. The spare tire fell off due to cable failure. Also the head gasket had to be replaced due to anti-freeze leaking into it.

- Allen Park , MI, USA

The contact owns a 1997 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving, he heard a knocking noise and the vehicle stalled. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle and it was towed to his residence where a mechanic inspected the vehicle. The mechanic advised that the coolant leaked from the intake gasket into the cylinder in the engine which caused the failure. The contact was informed that the engine would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact called the manufacturer who offered no assistance. The current and failure mileage was approximately 132,000.

- Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA

1997 Ford F150 4.2 liter engine leaked water into the engine from a faulty bottom intake manifold side gasket. The repairs cost $1486. Noticed that many people online have complained about this same problem and became aware this has been an ongoing issue with this same make and model of vehicle.

- Miami, FL, USA

Purchased a used 1997 Ford F-150 truck from a private one owner person, the truck had less than 58,000 original miles, this truck has a 4.2 liter V-6 engine, which was well maintained. After driving the truck for less than 4 months of owning it the engine suffered a catastrophic engine failure due to a defect in engine gasket, torque sequence and other specific specs, have not been notified of this problem from Ford Motor Co. As of yet. The engine suffered what is called hydraulic-lock and when the engine cranked up it bent piston rods in the motor and the piston skirts are now hitting the crankshaft, requires a total engine rebuild or new engine replacement.

- Citra, FL, USA

The contact owns a 1997 Ford F-150. The vehicle was parked when a fire began. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle had not been inspected or repaired. The current and failure mileages were approximately 180,000.

- Lapeer, MI, USA

A 1997 Ford F 150 parked in a parking lot for several hours caught on fire on it's own in the engine compartment and was completely destroyed. The fire department stated that there was no external cause.

- Temecula, CA, USA