Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1999 Ford F-150 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Approximately two weeks ago (10/2014) I noticed that the headlights on my 1999 Ford f-150 were not working. A few times once I returned to home I noticed that when I shifted the truck into park, the headlights came on. It did not appear to matter if the high beam or low beam lights were activated. I started to inspect the headlight operation and noticed that when I tilted the steering wheel to it's lowest position, typically it's operating position, the headlights turned off. When I tilted the wheel up slightly to the next position, the headlights would come on. Today, 10/19/2014 I removed the trim around the steering column and noticed that there are two wires that have broken and separated from the wiring harnesses that attach to the turn signal assembly and several contacts that are loose in the upper harness. …
Prior to this incident I had no indication of a problem with the steering or suspension system. On the evening of June 9, 2005 as I was braking and attempting to make a right turn into a parking lot I noticed that my truck seemed to skid. At first I thought it was the ABS system since the road was wet. There was a vehicle in front of me, but I was able to stop without running into any other vehicle. Because I did not realize what the problem was at that time I continued into the parking lot, and made another right turn into the parking space. At that time the truck did the same thing; it felt as though it was skidding. When I got out of the vehicle I noticed that the front driver and front passenger tires were pointed in different directions, so I knew that a tie rod had come detached. …
1999 Ford f150 - driver side tie rod end failed - vehicle had less than 50,000 miles at the time - I am the original owner, nothing ever happened to vehicle that should have provoked such a failure - tie rod end snapped off suddenly and without warning while I was turning a corner at relatively low speed - because of low speed, I was able to maintain vehicle control and get vehicle off road - entire front suspension was inspected only 5,000 miles earlier when I had tires replaced, nothing was loose or showed unusual wear at that time. At the time, I was not aware that this was such a widespread problem with these vehicles and thought my occurrence May have just been a fluke. After I got the letter from Ford, I realized that this must be more common than I thought. I don't believe that the inspection recommended by Ford is adequate since it didn't stop my occurrence from happening. …
While shifting from park to drive a bolt fell out of the internal area of the steering column. I put the truck back in what appeared to be park and got out to retrieve the bolt from the floor of the truck, when the truck moved backwards and causing damage to the door and rear quarter panel. The truck was not really in park as it appeared on the the gear selector, it was in reverse. The truck would no longer start in what appeared to be park. Soerens Ford of brookfield, wi. Determined the bolt was a steerage linkage bolt. The bolt sits with the head facing downward and had simply vibrated loose out of the hole because there is nothing locking it in place. Ford has determined that it is an insurance problem because of the body damage and the insurance company is calling a design defect.
Dt: bought a used truck, and after the warranty expired had to replace the starter/the ball joints/he upper tie rods, and the control arm on both sides. Engine manifold split, and exhaust system rusted. Later, while driving tie rods came off. There was a slight drop at the entrance to the parking lot, and as vehicle went back up the drop, it slid and there was an impact. Got out of the car, and saw that the tie rod came off and gouged into the pavement. Spoke to the manager of country club Chevrolet, and he simply gave consumer a discount on parts and labor. Yesterday he went to a certified used vehicle dealer and asked for the 88-point inspection,, and they were unable to provide that information.
Tie rod end failure when taking left hand turn at low speed. Vehicle only had 44,000 original miles! Dealership (drum hill Ford) and manufacturer (Ford) refuse to accept responsibility since the vehicle is off warranty and the repair was done by a non-dealer (emergency repair). Customer wants Ford to inspect part, pay for repairs, and replace other tie rod end. Dealer and manufacturer refused since they apparently don't care about customer safety. Customer is very disappointed with quality of vehicle and lack of safety consideration by dealership and manufacturer.
While driving 25 MPH, tie rod failed. The consumer managed to pulled over and had vehicle towed to the dealer. The mechanic determined that tie rod needed to be replaced due to worn out parts. The tie rod failure was sudden and without warning. There were no warning signs such as the front shimmy or any other control problems prior to the failure. The dealer found the remaining three ends to be bad and advised the consumer to replace them as well.
Consumer was driving approximately 35-45 MPH when another vehicle pulled out. Consumer swerved/lost control and ran into a yard, hitting a big tree. Shoulder seat belt strap did not lock. Consumer's chest hit steering as steering wheel broke down and went into the dashboard. Consumer's head hit the windshield and cracked it. Pictures are available. Ak
Consumer was driving the vehicle and tried to set the cruise control. It would not activate. Consumer continued home, parked the vehicle. The next day consumer got into the vehicle, started the vehicle , and proceeded to place it into gear, but vehicle will not longer go into gear. Will contact the manufacturer.
Vehicle's tie rod sheared off on 1999 Ford f-150. The driver's side tie rod sheared off at the steering knuckle ball joint with the tie rod socket still attached to the ball on the wheel. This resulted in loss of steering control and caused the two front wheels to point in different directions.
Steering complaints in other F-150 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 1999 Ford F-150?
NHTSA has 50 complaints about the steering of the 1999 Ford F-150, 5% of the model year's 1,044 complaints. The component named most often is linkages › tie rod assembly (29 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Ford F-150 steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering recall for the 1999 Ford F-150, though it has 7 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1999 Ford F-150 steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 61,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 3 injuries to steering 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.