We purchased our 2001 F150 supercrew used. I am a mechanic, so the first thing I do when buying a used vehicle is inspect it thoroughly. There were a few minor issues, but one stood out as a major safety hazard. Upon further research, it seems to be extremely common to all 1997-2003 F-150S. Symptoms - this issue mainly affects the rear left and right brake lights, turn signals, and hazard lights. These lights, particularly brake lights, can cease to function entirely, intermittently and unknown to the driver. Cause - there is a wire harness which connects to the "multi - function switch". this wire harness is pulled when the steering wheel is tilted down. As a result, the connector or individual terminals can become loose or disconnected. This problem is most prevalent with the steering wheel in the down position, but once loose can happen at any position and any driving situation. Solution - repair or replace with motorcraft part# wpt607, and ensure the harness has enough slack to allow steering wheel tilt without tension on the harness. In our case, I replaced the connector and pulled the wires enough to allow slack for steering wheel tilt. There are numerous reports of this issue online, and it is well documented by F150 owners. I have pictures but the file sizes are over 5mb.

- Hesperia, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2001 Ford F-150. While driving approximately 70 mph, the low beam headlights went out and then illuminated again after a few seconds. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The contact stated that the same failure occurred twice previously. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

- Newalla, OK, USA

Turn signal are now sporadic. Upon investigating I found that when the tilt is engaged and lowered the turn signals would not work. Raise steering wheel back up it would work. Start to drive down the road they would turn off or not work at all or wok sometimes. Raise the steering wheel they work. Lower it they don't. this indicates from further research on line in Ford F150 forums this is a problem with the wiring being to short and the wires get pulled out of the switch. It is a very common occurrence in F!%) from 98 up to 2004 and are now being reported in newer models as well. This is a severe safety hazard for drivers and passengers and drivers behind the vehicles.and should be remedied by Ford at no expense to the owners.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

Rear lights, including brake, turn signals, and hazard lights quit working. This issue can be found on many online Ford F-150 forums. The steering column wiring is too short, and breakage in the wire, or connectors can occur with the tilt steering mechanism. The tilt steering mechanism and short wiring has caused the connection to break inside the steering column trim on our vehicle, which caused the lights to stop functioning properly. I inspected the problem, and found the connector can move freely. I feel this is an issue since I am able to locate many others that have had the same issue from 1997 up to 2001 Ford F-150S.

- Dillon, MT, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the headlights stopped illuminating whenever the turn signals were activated. The failure occurred when using both the lowbeam and highbeam headlights. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the turn signals needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileages were 43,000.

- Madros, OR, USA

The contact owns a 2001 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the amber lights were completely defective. The dealer and manufacturer advised the contact of NHTSA campaign id number: 06E023000 (exterior lighting:headlights) but the contacts VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unavailable and the current mileage was 193,000.

- Batesville, AR, USA