Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (wheels, lug nuts, original-equipment tires, TPMS).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1997 Ford F-150 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Firestone tire tread separation. Model "wilderness", size 23570r16, dot-w2081pt176, tire mileage 8,308 on 11-07-03. Circumstances: while entering the town of clinton, la. At 45mph, heard loud sharp thud and my 1997 Ford, f150, immediately veered accross the divided center lane toward an on coming logging truck. I immediately corrected to my right and stopped in the front yard of house #12780. Upon exiting vehicle determined the subject left rear tire tred had seperated (althought still attached to tire) damaged the fender and scratched the body of the vehicle extending to the gas cap. These tires were purchased in August 03. During a conversation with a Firestone rep. …
Dt: the rear end is making a whining noise. The tires on the vehicle are starting to separate. The tires are brand new put on March 21, 2003. The tires are ameritrac general, p255/70r16. The consumer can not locate the number for the tire company. Therefore, he cannot contact them. The dealership states that he will have to pay for the diagnostic to find out what is wrong with the rear end. The consumer's mechanic states that the bearings on the rear end are bad due to bad casing; it will not align itself up with the transmission. Also, cruise control stopped working at the same time that the whining started. The mechanic states it will not ground in order to make it activate the switch. Consumer has contacted Ford, and was advised to take the vehicle in. …
I own a Ford f150 truck bopought new in March of 1997. I recently experienced a low tire and the service person said that the wheel was leaking air and showed me the problem. The area around the valve stem was very rusty and was leaking air through the steel material of the wheel. I've never had this happen to any of the many vehicles owned by me in the past. A question to the local dealer indicated no recalls or service bulletins from Ford regarding this matter. I consider this to some degree a safety issue since low tire pressure contributes to the possibility of accidents. I have three other wheels that May well be affected. I have yet to contact the company due to the nature of business during the holidays. I will appreciate your consideration of this problem and perhaps investigating whether it is widespread of not. Thanks much for your time.
While traveling on I-75 October 12, 2000, I was going at a speed of 75 miles per hour, when I heard a noise and felt my Ford truck pull. I immediately began to slow the vehicle when all of a sudden a much louder noise and more violent shaking gripped the vehicle. I wrestled with the steering wheel of the truck as it lurched in erratic movements. I luckily was able to move it to the far lane onto a shoulder. How, I am not sure since traffic was heavy and a semi was closing in on the right side. When I exited the truck and looked at the front, I saw a tire almost completely disintegrated with the outside rubber strip separated from the mangled inner portions of the tire. It had literally come apart and hung onto the rim in rubber rags. ****dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut-over to artemis****734312
Single vehicle accident-just prior to the accident the vehicle started to shimmy then shook violently causing the vehicle to be uncontrollable on i37. The vehicle left the highway on the right side and slammed thru brush small trees, careened off a large oak tree on the passenger side rolled three time coming to a rest upside down. The vehicle was totalled and investigation by the state police revealed the right rear tread separated from the carcass of the tire causing a blowout plus a blowout on the right front tire due to the violent manuvers prior to leaving the highway. Thanks to god, seatbelts and airbages my wife and I were not killed but bruised pretty good. We still suffer neck pains and shoulder pains on the right side. (tiresize: 235/70rx16)
Tl contact owns a 1997 Ford f-150. The vehicle has Michelin ltxm/s tires, size p235/70/r16. The contact stated that there was a defect on the valve stems. While driving approximately 60 MPH, both passenger side tires deflated. The contact reduced the speed and proceeded to the shoulder of the highway. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and they stated that the failure was related to both valve stems. The technician replaced the valve stems on the tires. The contact was very concerned of the safety risk involved with the valve stem defect. The tire failure mileage was 76,000. The vehicle failure mileage was 76,400 and current mileage was 84,000.
On June 7th, one of the Goodyear wrangler rt/s tires on my truck failed at highway speeds on I-77. This is the second tire that has failed while driving on the highway. The first September 2002. It appears that one of the belts separated from the inside of the tire. Goodyear replaced the first tire at no charge, but I am going to have them removed and replaced with another brand. There were no punctures or evidence of pressure loss noted on either tire. Goodyear claims the damage was resultant of tire pressure loss. This tire was the replacement tire for the one that failed last year. The mileage on the first one was about 7000 miles and this one was about 5500.
Tl contact owns a 1997 Ford f-150. The vehicle has cooper mesa a/p tires, size p225/70/r16 (na). While driving approximately 70 MPH, the front passenger side tire completely blew out, which almost caused the contact to lose control of the vehicle. She safely maneuvered off the side of the road and noticed that the entire exterior sidewall was shredded. The interior and tread on the tire was in good condition. Prior to operating the vehicle, the tire pressure was normal. The dealer from where the tires were purchased stated that they were safe because there was no recall. The failure and current mileages were 158,000.
Tl contact owns a 1997 Ford f-150. The vehicle has chaparral ap tires, size lt265/75r16. The contact stated that the vehicle was shaking severely. The dealer attempted to balance the tires, but was unsuccessful. The vehicle was taken to another dealer and they stated that the tires were out of round. The contact was referred to a third dealer and they loaded down the tires with wheel weight. The manufacturer referred him to another dealer and they stated that there was a serious defect with the tire. The failure mileage was 124,000. Updated 11-25-08 updated 11/26/08
A cooper dominator sport a/t tire of the type that is currently the subject of ea 06 -021 experienced a tread separation while mounted on the rear axle of a Ford f150. The tread separation LED to a loss of control and vehicle rollover that resulted in the death of one man and incapacitating brain injuries to another. The tire had 7/32 of tread and was in good condition before the failure. The tire was well maintained and showed no signs of abuse or misuse. The tire that failed was manufactured in 2004 at cooper's findlay, ohio plant.
Related recalls
Wheels › Lugs/nuts/bolts/studs
Vehicle description: multi-purpose vehicles and light duty pickup trucks. The lug nuts on these vehicles May not create sufficient clamp load allowing wheel movement in relation to the hub/rotor mounting surface.
Remedy: Owners of these vehicles will be receiving two notifications. The first notification, which began in May 1998, will provide an interim repair procedure until parts become available.
NHTSA investigations
Wheel separation from vehicle
In addition to the a failure report tabulations given above, the manufacturer reported that an additional 33 owner and field reports have been filed which refer to problems (lug not torque loss, lug bolt fracture) that did not involve actual wheel separation, but which May be potentially relevant events.the manufacturer also reported that a total of 815 warranty claims have been filed for repairs potentially related…
Wheel separation
By letter dated May 6, 1998, the manufacturer advised NHTSA of its decision to initiate a safety recall of approximately 1,520,000 of the subject vehicles, including f-250 light duty trucks, and navigator vehicles built at the norfolk, michigan truck, kansas city, and ontario truck assembly plants between December 1, 1995 and mid-April 1998.NHTSA has designated this recall action as campaign number 98v-095.
Wheel & Tire complaints in other F-150 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are wheel & tire problems on the 1997 Ford F-150?
NHTSA has 419 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 1997 Ford F-150, 15% of the model year's 2,758 complaints. The component named most often is tread/belt (137 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 Ford F-150 wheel & tire problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 98V-095 (lugs/nuts/bolts/studs, May 13, 1998). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1997 Ford F-150 wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 71,000 miles, and 7% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 21 crashes, 0 fires and 13 injuries and 2 deaths to wheels & tires problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.