Total Complaints
16 filings
FORD PICKUP · model year
16 NHTSA complaints, 2 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1997FORDPICKUP carries 16 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 2 crashes, 0 fires, 3 injuries, 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 PICKUP is engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline with 4 filings, followed by tires (2) and structure:body:door (2). 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 5 investigation files overlapping the 1997 PICKUP. 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
16 filings
Crashes Reported
2 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 4 |
| TIRES | 2 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR | 2 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 |
| VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM | 1 |
| WHEELS:RIM | 1 |
| TIRES:TREAD/BELT | 1 |
| SUSPENSION | 1 |
| STEERING:COLUMN | 1 |
| STEERING:RACK AND PINION | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL | 1 |
PICK UP WONT PASS N.Y.S. INSPECTION ,DUE TO A FALSE READING ON COMPUTER THAT YOUR STATIONS USE ITS COST ME $350.00 SO FAR EVERYTHING SAFETY WISE WORKS PASSES EXCEPT A EMISSION READING , ALL SAFETY THING S PASS . THE TRUCK DON'T SMOKE RUNS GOOD EXCEPT THIS STUPID EMISSION THING THAT READS NOT READY. IT SAYS GO 60 MPH LET COST, THEN SPEED IT UP , NOW YOU KNOW 60 MPH IS PRETTY FAST FOR A TRUCK. I'M A CDL LICENSE HOLDER , AND I'M SRY I'M NOT GOING TO SPEED ON THE RDS IN MY AREA. I'M CERTIFIED TRUCK DRIVER BY THE NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION , WHO EVER CAME UP WITH THIS SHOULD USE THERE OWN CAR FOR WORK AND SEE THE PRICE WE HAVE TO PAY AS A MAINTENANCE WORKER FOR NEW YORK, NEW YORK MADE THIS LAW NOW TELL ME WHAT TO DO IT S BEEN TO SERVICE STATIONS ,DEALERS , AND THEY CANT FIND THE PROBLEM, PLEASE HELP ME WITH THIS SINCE YOU MADE THE LAW. *NM
WHILE TURNING STEERING WHEEL WOULD BE TOO LOOSE, CAUSING A DISTRACTION TO THE CONSUMER. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM.*AK
Mileage: 126,000
THE STEERING WHEEL COLUMN JOINT BROKE, WHICH CAUSED THE TIRES NOT TO TURN WITH THE STEERING WHEEL.*JB
Mileage: 124,000
CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING AND NO WARNING THE REAR END WILL SWAY TO THE LEFT AND IT WILL BE HARD FOR THE CONSUMER TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. DEALER NOTIFIED TS
Mileage: 75,000
CONSUMER STATES VEHICLE IS EXPERIENCING STALLING PROBLEMS, DEALER CAN NOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM. *SLC
WHILE DRIVING 45-50 MPH AND WITHOUT WARNING LEFT REAR TIRE TREAD SEPARATED, RESULTING IN VEHICLE T FLIPPING OVER ABOUT 4 TIMES. DRIVER SUSTAINED MAJOR INJURIES, AND VEHICLE WAS TOTALED.*AK *MJ
VEHICLE WOULD SKIP, MISS, BACKFIRE, AND HAD VERY LITTLE POWER, CONSUMER WOULD HAVE TO TURN THE AC OFF, PUT THE TRANSMISSION IN NEUTRAL, AND REV THE ENGINE, DEALER REPLACED THE MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR DUE TO A RECALL AND STATED THIS SHOULD TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEM, HOWEVER IT HAS NOT, POSSIBLE ENGINE PROBLEM. *SLC
CONSUMER'S HUSBAND WAS DRIVING HOME AND HEARD SOMETHING THAT SOUNDED LIKE A FLAT TIRE. HE ATTEMPTED TO PULL TO SHOULDER TO CHECK. WHILE DOING THIS TIRE CAME OFF TRUCK AND CONTINUED TO ROLL DOWN THE STREET. HUSBAND WAS ABLE TO STOP, BUT AFTER TIRE WAS OFF. HE WAS NOT INJURED. *AK
VEHICLE WOULD SKIP, MISS, BACKFIRE, AND HAD VERY LITTLE POWER, CONSUMER WOULD HAVE TO TURN THE AC OFF, PUT THE TRANSMISSION IN NEUTRAL, AND REV THE ENGINE, DEALER REPLACED THE MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR DUE TO A RECALL AND STATED THIS SHOULD TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEM, HOWEVER IT HAS NOT, POSSIBLE ENGINE PROBLEM. *SLC
THE DRIVER DOOR AND PASSANGER DOOR HAVE SIMMILAR CRACKS BY THE MIDDLE DOOR THE DEALEAR KNOWS ABOUT THE DEFECT AND WON'T DO ANY THING ABOUT IT, IF THIS TRUCK IS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT THE DOORS WILL BUCKLE AT THAT CRACK IT IS A DEFECT FROM FORD THE CRACK IS LOCATED ON THE MIDDLE DOOR BY THE LOCK IN OTHER WORDS WHEN YOU OPEN THE WINDOW AND YOU PUT YOUR ARM ON THE WINDOW EDGE RIGHT BEHINDYOUR ELBOE THATS WHERE IT IS LOCATED. *AK
WHEN TRAVELING 10 TO 15 MPH VEHICLE STALLS WHEN SHIFTING GEARS.VEHICLE LOSES ALL POWER. WHEN SITTING AT A STAND STILL VEHICLE STALLS. CONTACTED DEALER. PLEASE PROVIDE VIN. *AK
DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR IS CRACKING, WILL WINDOW GO ACROSS TO OPENING.*AK
WHILE TRAVELING AND WITHOUT ANY INDICATION FRONT END OF VEHICLE BECAME UNSTABLE DUE TO TIRE BLOWOUT. *AK THIS HAPPENED ON LEFT FRONT TIRE. ALSO THE ENTIRE TREAD PEELED OFF OF THE RIGHT REAR TIRE. *YH
TIRE BUBBLE AND CHUNKED OUT/SEPERATED CAN SEE STEEL BELT( DOT NUMBER: W208 TIRE SIZE: P235/70R16 )
VENTILATION SYSTEM DRAWS EXHAUST FUMES INTO THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT WHEN VEHICLE IS AT IDLE.
CENTER ARM REST LOCKS IN THE UP POSITION BUT NOT IN THE DOWN POSITON.
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.