FORD PICKUP · model year

1998 FORD PICKUP

8 NHTSA complaints. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1998FORDPICKUP carries 8 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, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1998 PICKUP is power train:automatic transmission with 2 filings, followed by suspension:front (1) and service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:disc:rotor (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.

NHTSA currently has 5 investigation files overlapping the 1998 PICKUP. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.

8
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

8 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION2
SUSPENSION:FRONT1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR1
TIRES1
SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:TORSION BAR1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE1
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM1

Recent Complaints

20121217FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

WE WERE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN WE HEARD A LOUD NOISE TO FIND OUT THE GAS TANK WAS DRAGGING ON THE HIGHWAY AND GASOLINE WAS POURING OUT IN WHICH WE HAD FOUND OUT THAT THE FORD CO. HAD A DEFECT & A RECALL IN WHICH WE WERE NOT INFORMED BUT WAS TOLD IN RETURN THAT THEY HAD SENT OUT RECALL NOTICES BUT WAS SENT TO AN OLD ADDRESS THEY IN REPLY TOLD US IT WAS NOT COVERED AND ENDED UP PAYING $700.00 OUT OF POCKET FOR THERE SAFETY MISHAP IS THERE ANY LIABILITY FROM THE FORD MOTOR CO SINCE IT IS A ISSUE OF SAFETY PLEASE LET US KNOW IF THERE IS ANY LEGAL RECOURSE. *TR

Mileage: 95,000

20110909FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

I WAS TRAVELING SOUTH ON HIGHWAY 21S AT AROUND 9AM ON THE MORNING OF 7/30/08 AND HAD JUST FILLED THE GAS TANK UP ABOUT 10 MILES BACK, TRAVELING AT THE SPEED LIMIT OF 55 MPH IN THE RIGHT LANE WHEN THE FRONT STRAP OF THE GAS TANK BROKE AND THE TANK WAS DRAGGED FOR A SHORT DISTANCE UNTIL I PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND SHUT DOWN THE VEHICLE. THE TANK RECEIVED A SPLIT IN THE FRONT AND PROCEEDED TO LEAK GAS. I IMMEDIATELY PHONED 911 TO REPORT THE INCIDENT. FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDED ALONG WITH THE PASSAIC COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. BECAUSE THE FUEL LEAK WAS MORE THAN 5 GALLONS I WAS INFORMED I HAD TO CALL AND WAIT FOR A PRIVATE HAZARDOUS WASTE COMPANY TO ARRIVE AND CLEANUP. AFTER 6 HOURS AND CLEANUP HAD VEHICLE TOWED. *TR

Mileage: 101,000

20011221POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

TRANSMISSION WILL NOT GO INTO GEAR. ALSO, THERE IS A ROARING NOISE UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF PROBLEM. *AK

20000911SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:TORSION BAR

THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED FAILURE OF THE TORSION BAR ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING. *MJS

20000822TIRES

TIRE WOULD NOT HOLD AIR THE BOTTOM WAS REAL MUSHY WOULD NOT EVEN HOLD A PATCH. *AK( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P23570R16 )

19990830SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR

FRONT ROTORS WORN OUT. YH

19981116POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

WHEN DRIVING ABOUT 40 MPH THE VEHICLE WOULDN'T GO INTO GEAR, AND THE CONSUMER HAD TO KEEP PULLING ON THE STICK TO GET TO GO INTO GEAR. VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP FIVE TIMES, AND THE DEALER CAN'T DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. ALSO, THE VEHICLE VIBRATES AND THERE IS A KNOCKING NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. *AK

19981116SUSPENSION:FRONT

WHEN DRIVING ABOUT 40 MPH THE VEHICLE WOULDN'T GO INTO GEAR, AND THE CONSUMER HAD TO KEEP PULLING ON THE STICK TO GET TO GO INTO GEAR. VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP FIVE TIMES, AND THE DEALER CAN'T DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. ALSO, THE VEHICLE VIBRATES AND THERE IS A KNOCKING NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. *AK

Compare 1998FORDPICKUP to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1998 FORD PICKUP have?
The 1998 FORD PICKUP has 8 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1998 FORD PICKUP?
The most-complained component for the 1998 FORD PICKUP is POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SUSPENSION:FRONT and SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR.
Is the 1998 FORD PICKUP safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data vintage: August 2026. 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.

Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1998 FORD PICKUP; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.