Brake system went out at 68,000 miles, starter went out at 90,000 miles, tie rod snapped at 104,000 miles, regular oil changes and tune ups.

- Anchorage, AK, USA

The contact stated the right front steering linkage and tie rod broke, resulting in total loss of steering. The dealer provided a solution at the contact's expense. Updated 01/25/06.

- Colfax, WI, USA

1997 Ford F150 tie rods are extremely loose.** answer required***. it was demonstrated to the consumer that the ball end could be pulled out of the socket with bare hands. The socket was made of rubber.

- Dover, DE, USA

1997 Ford F150 driver side inner tie rod end became completely seperated during operation ot the vehicle, resulting in a sudden loss of control.

- Greensburg, PA, USA

Caught problem before tragedy

- Plymouth, MI, USA

1997 Ford F-150 truck possible defect of "tie rod ends". the consumer received a notice from the manufacturer, however the consumer believes they should pay for all repairs.

- Newark, OH, USA

Tie rod broke at a very gently used 40,000 miles.

- Petersburg, AK, USA

The consumer made a left turn at 10 mph and tie rod came out of the socket. Consumer pulled over, and had the vehicle towed. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.

- Mount Clemens, MI, USA

I am sending in a full letter to explain the "failures". it centers around tsb 99B29 and lack of owner notification of a bad front cover design that can lead to engine failure, which occurred in this case. Additionally, I had a tie rod failure that was not addressed under warranty, but later broke while driving. Also, my crank shaft pulley / dampener assembly fell off while highway driving (70 mph). There are other issues including door lock / key sticking. Campaign id number : 03V196000 component: Steering:gear box:shaft sector. The engine cover gasket failed. The serpentine failed, the transmission had an akward shift, the wipers operated periodically by themselves on high speed, there was little heat coming from the vents through the floor.

- Walker, MI, USA

While shifting into reverse vehicle failed to move. Consumer got out of the vehicle to inspect it, and noticed that both front driver side and passenger side tires were turn inward. Consumer had the vehicle towed to a repair shop for inspection and the mechanic determined that both inner tire rods had popped and needed to be replaced.

- Grand Rapids, MN, USA

While backing out of the drive way the driver lost control of the front wheels. The driver feels lucky he wasn't driving in traffic or on highway. The driver says, "tie rod ends are failing."

- Gardner, MA, USA

While leaving a gas station the passenger side tie rod came out of it's socket. The consumer lost control of the vehicle for a short time but was able to stop safely. The consumer repaired the tie rod. The ball joint was dry and rusted. The ball joint was worn due to no grease. There is no way to grease it or to check to see if it needs to be lubricated.

- Monticello, KY, USA

While driving on a normal paved road at 25 mph front end suddenly started shaking. This was caused by tie rod end falling apart and separating, not due to normal wear and tear.

- Canada, 00, USA

While driving 30 mph hit a rail road track and vehicle started traveling to the left, causing consumer to lose control of vehicle due to tie rods,

- Menominee, MI, USA

While driving at 35 mph right side tie rod separated from gear, ball and socket fell off, resulting is loss of steering control. Dealer notified.

- Winsted, CT, USA

Dealer stated the tie rod needed to be replaced. Consumer indicated that the vehicle was no longer under warranty so he has to pay $400.

- Bushnell, IL, USA

Tie rod failure. The left inner tie rod broke while driving at 40 mph causing difficulty in controlling truck.

- New Boston, MI, USA

A tie rod fell off while driving. The front engine seal and intake manifold gasket failed resulting in and antifreeze leak. Some of the vehicles lights (dome light and dash light) stayed on although the vehicle was turned off.

- Calais, ME, USA

The inner tie rod assembly failed.

- Canada, 00, USA

I lost all steering control on my 1997 Ford F-150 extended cab pick up truck. The steering rod had come loose from the steering gear. I questioned the Ford dealer who made the repairs as to how this could happen. They stated that they had never seen this type of problem before. Since then I witnessed another Ford vehicle encounter the exact same problem. Due to large amount of Explorer, Expedition and F150's on the road today, this was very concerning to me. Fortunately in both cases we were traveling at a very low rate of speed and was able to come to a stop without incident. I purchased this vehicle new and never had work done on the steering previous to this problem.

- Davidson, NC, USA