1997 Ford F-250 Problems, Recalls & Reliability
400 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 1997 Ford F-250, alongside 2 recall campaigns and 4 defect investigations. It scores 27/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Wheels & tires leads the reports.
Typical
Where 1997 sits among all F-250 years
What owners report
“Tire blow out on freeway california i-5 at 210 interchange bfgoodrich lt235/85 r16 ltr m+s 1655 miles on the tires installed 05-20-2019 of last year”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 F-250
“Transmission jerks in and out of gear, transmission warning light blinks. Vehicle is in to the dealer for the 3rd time with the same problem since 8/98. They seem to be unable to diagnose and correct this problem”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 F-250
“Consumers vehicle will not pass future vehicle inspections because exhaust pipe exits on the side (design).”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 F-250
“Rear brakes lock up; abs not working properly; emergeny cable not working properly.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 F-250
“Fuel tank 1 seems to pump fuel into tank 2. Fuel switch on "front" seems to indicate proper amount of fuel. Fuel switch on "rear" always reads full. Sometimes fuel will flow out of rear tank as soon as fuel cap is removed. I drove about 75 miles with the fuel switch on "rear". When i arrived at my…”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 F-250
“Front suspension is underdesigned. Unable to support weight of powerstroke engine. Causing excessive tire wear and ball joint wear, and pulling to right”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 F-250
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 131 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 110,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 78,000 and 145,318 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (2)
FORD IS RECALLING MODEL YEARS 1995-2003 WINDSTAR, 2000-2003 EXCURSION DIESEL, 1993-1997 AND 1999-2003 F-250 SD THROUGH F-550 SD DIESEL, 1992-2003 E-150 THROUGH E-550, 1995-2002 EXPLORER, 1997 AND 2002 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER, 1995-1997 AND 2001-2003 RANGER, AND…
Fix: FORD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS THAT DEALERS WILL INSTALL A FUSED WIRING HARNESS IN LINE WITH THE SCDS. ON 1999-2003 WINDSTAR VEHICLES WITH A LEAKING SCDS, DEALERS WILL ALSO INSPECT THE ABS CONTROL MODULE…
ON CERTAIN HEAVY DUTY TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH 7.3L DIESEL ENGINES, THE CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR LOCATED ON THE ENGINE OF THE VEHICLE MAY FUNCTION INTERMITTENTLY, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN AN ENGINE STALL.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE SENSOR AND REPLACE IT WITH AN IMPROVED CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 29, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-866-436-7332.
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 07V553000.
Led to recall campaign 05V388000.
Led to recall campaign 03V196000.
Technical service bulletins
332 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and transmission & drivetrain — are on file for the 1997 Ford F-250. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 1997 Ford F-250 reliable?
The 1997 Ford F-250 drew 400 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 27/100, scored against the model's worst year (2019).
What are the most common 1997 Ford F-250 problems?
The top reported problems for the 1997 Ford F-250 are wheels & tires (61 complaints), transmission & drivetrain (46), and engine (44).
At what mileage do 1997 Ford F-250 problems show up?
Owners most often report 1997 Ford F-250 problems around 110,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 78,000 and 145,318 miles.
Does the 1997 Ford F-250 have recalls?
2 recall campaigns apply to the 1997 Ford F-250. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.