1997 Ford F150 XL 4.2 liter V-6 from North America

Summary:

Low build quality

Faults:

Power steering fluid seemed to disappear at 40,000.

General Comments:

Engine is loud.

Suffers from a lot of rust although it is only 3 years old.

Bench seat is not supportive at all.

Overall low build quality.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 26th March, 2001

6th Jul 2001, 10:35

I just purchased a Ford F150, June 21, 2001.

The engine is doing a lot of pinging, is this spark plug ping or a timing problem, or valves.

Please respond.

joe@nagyswelding.com

27th Nov 2001, 19:13

I bought a 97 F150 a few months ago and I have a total of 41400 miles on it. I haven't had a single problem with it. It runs very smooth. I think it's a great truck.

6th Oct 2002, 07:43

I have a 97 f-150 4.2 v6 club cab long bed. it has 109,200 I have had it from 45,000 up. I run mobile 1 0w-30. I agree the motor is loud, but it is a truck v-6 not a car v-6 the only problem I have ever had with it is replacing the alternator at 95,000. I think it is a great truck very dependable and reliable. my truck it 22 feet long and the v--6 is very adequate unless the AC is on. I would recommend a f-150 they are a nice truck and a good value for the money new or used.

7th Aug 2004, 22:56

Owned mine with very few problems. Have 126,000 miles and looks like the day I drove it of the lot. Excellent truck would never buy another brand of truck. My son drives it now to school.

1997 Ford F150 XLT SuperCab 4.6 V8 gas from North America

Summary:

Quality performance and handling for the price

Faults:

Wind sound from the driver's side window.

Door ajar light stays on for extended periods even after the doors have been checked and are completely shut.

General Comments:

Very smooth on the highway.

Unique handling around corners and curves for a large truck.

The 4.6L engine is dynamic for a truck weighing in at 4034 lbs.

Good gas mileage for a large truck - as high as 20 mpg on the highway.

Very low maintenance.

The third door is nice but I wish I had waited for the fourth door for easier access all the way around.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 20th December, 2000

1st May 2001, 02:33

That door ajar light problem you have will keep getting worse until you shoot some WD-40 at the switches that are located inside the latch of the doors. I had the same problem, and it went away entirely with a single squirt of the blue can.

8th Jun 2001, 21:48

I just had mine fixed for that. Thank god for warranties. It's an $11 switch but you have to take the interior door panel off to get to it. The dealer charges about $100 for the whole operation. If WD-40 works, stick with it!

22nd Jun 2003, 22:57

My '97 F150 just turned 95,0000 miles. Both problems sound familiar. Did the same fix for the door. Only service other than the scheduled maintenance was to replace the center link at 60,000. It's been a great truck.

1997 Ford F150 Lariat 5.4L Triton from North America

Faults:

Driver's side window shattered going down road for no reason at 3,000 mi.

Got little stone chip in windshield. And in 20mi. it had cracked all the way across. This pickup is all hiway miles.

General Comments:

The glass is too brittle or something.

And you put more than a bag of groceries in the back it really squats the back end down.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 29th June, 1998

1st May 2001, 02:36

That's... strange.. It isn't the trucks fault, you just got a case of bum luck. Your truck is one of the very few bad ones that slipped past quality control at the factory. Every manufacturer has this problem occasionally, Dodge usually has this thing happen.

29th May 2001, 18:02

Yeah, buy a Ford again, chances are you won't get a bad one the next time, that usually only happens with GM products.