Total Complaints
3 filings
FORD AEROMAX · model year
3 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1997FORDAEROMAX carries 3 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 1 injury, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1997 AEROMAX is steering with 1 filings, followed by power train:driveline:universal joint (1) and seat belts: rear/other:buckle assembly (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 177 investigation files overlapping the 1997 AEROMAX, and 8 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
3 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| STEERING | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:UNIVERSAL JOINT | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS: REAR/OTHER:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | 1 |
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE DRIVER SEAT TURNED SLIGHTLY TO THE LEFT. AFTER DRIVING LONG DISTANCES, SLIGHTLY ALTERED VISIBILITY THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD WAS OBSERVED RESULTING IN MINOR BACK PAIN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN .
Mileage: 53,717
DRIVER LOST STEERING CONTROL RESULTING IN ACCIDENT, BECAUSE LOWER SHAFT FELL OUT OF U -JOINT FROM BOLT FAILURE. *ET
VEHICLE IS UNABLE TO HAVE FRONT STEERING AXLEWEIGH THAN 11000 LBS, EVEN WHEN EMPTY. THIS PLACES UNDUE STRESS ON STEERING AXLE AND TIRES. WHEN LOADED/1 HOUSEHOLD GOODS, STEERING AXLE WEIGHS BETWEEN 11500 TO OVER 12000 LBS. LEGAL WEIGHT LIMIT IS 12000 LBS.
Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up
Timing Belt Failure
Underbody shields detachment
B-Pillar Trim Detachment
Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.