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How do we find new 1997 Ford F-150 XLT or Lariats? - READ ONLY

17 messages,  Last post on May 08, 1998 at 7:02 PM

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Messages Page 3 of 3

#15 of 17 Brutus by Ping

May 08, 1998 (7:39 am)

First I want to say that my truck is an automatic. I have since found a Safety Bulletin about this matter that should be brought to everyones attention. Safety Bulletin # 97S86 which is not listed here because the update is far behind. Ford Motor Company has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in certain 1997 and 1998 model year F-150/250 series trucks, Expeditions and certain 1998 model year Navigators. Safety Defect: If the transmission cable assembled to the steering column bracket is not fully seated, the transmission shift cable may slip out of the bracket. Should the shift cable become detached, the driver may not be able to shift the transmission gears or correctly determine the transmission gear position using the gear selector indicator. This condition could lead to unintended vehicle movement in a direction other than indicated on the gear selector indicator or result in a vehicle crash. In addition, this condition could prevent the vehicle from being restarted. This safety bulletin came out in October so this data base needs to update its files constantly to be of any effect to those of us who are looking to use it for a new purchase. Put your self in my shoes I was taking three young boys fishing, thank god they were not in the vehicle. I back up the boat put my foot on the brake, put the vehicle in park,which by the way because of the steep angle puts all the tension on the transmission and then set the parking brake, get out release the boat get back in not knowing that the tension is going to make it pop out of gear or that while I was out there It popped and just did not roll because the parking brake is on. I get back in the vehicle put my foot on the brake, release the parking brake, release my foot off of the brake and the vehicle rolls backwards as I give it gas I am now pinned in the vehicle because it is sinking the motor has stopped I cant get the electric windows to go down and I am trapped or could drowned, I could have left the kids in the car while I was doing this and three kids could have drowned in this instance. What would Ford have said in court over this one? They tell me that the problem was fixed, well all I can say IS SOMEBODY SCREWED UP BECAUSE THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. I was told by the dealership to watch my self because they "Ford" are the big dogs here, well I have news for them, I am a tradesmen and there are 6000 members in my local and my monthly meeting is coming up I am sure my brothers will want to know how I am treated and what the out come of "QUALITY IS JOB ONE " really means and then there is also the news media... I will give them their opertunity to deal fairly with this matter, but believe me bad advertisement wipes out 1000 atta-boys. I shall keep this form informed as to the procedings..... And you want to buy a 1997-1998 F-150/250? The dealer told me this vehicle was safe, am I to beleive FoMoCo that they have rectified the problem? I don't know but they are going to have to treat me with kid gloves and handle this matter correctly and fairly or in the long run this will cost them big money, Chevy and Chrysler are American made products, But I realy do like Fords...

#16 of 17 Ping to Brutus by Ping

May 08, 1998 (7:49 am)

I used your advice in the claim above, the only difference being that I did not set the parking brake but as I have indicated this could have got me and the kids 11 & 12 year olds killed had I set the parking brake and the vehicle not moved until I released it. I can always get another truck when I am on the out side watching it go. Better on the out side than under water on the in side.

#17 of 17 Brutus by Brutus

May 08, 1998 (7:02 pm)

Good luck in your endeavors. Maybe if you bug them enough, they will settle out of court. My guess is that the difference between what your insurance will cover and what you paid for the vehicle is probably only a few grand. Unless there are a bunch of other people out there who have had the same problem, it seems like it would be cheaper for them to settle even if they feel they are right. But you will probably still have to get an attorney, etc.


I think it will be a tough case to prove if it goes to court, since you will have to prove that the vehicle failed and it wasn't driver error. If you're taking this to court, I'm assuming that you have had a mechanic that has inspected the vehicle and is ready to testify that the tranny did indeed fail and pop out of gear.


Ford will argue that if you had your foot on the brake when you released the parking brake, the vehicle would not have rolled backwards even if it had popped out of gear. They will probably also argue that the truck slipping out of gear could not have caused the problem because you would have taken the car out of park and put it in gear while your foot was still on the brake. If you were in gear and you released the brake to drive forward and it popped out of gear, your claim might be easier. But your claim is that you were in Park when you released your foot from the brake and Ford will almost certainly ask why you didn't put in drive before releasing your foot from the brake.


I'm just playing devils advocate here. The nuisance route with a possible out of court settlement is probably your best bet, but you probably want to get some good legal advice before you decide to spend any serious money fighting the issue. The burden is going to be on you to prove that the vehicle failed.

Messages Page 3 of 3

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