Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power windows, windshield, wipers, mirrors, sunroof).
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).
I have had my f150 for 7 years and have had very few problems. Bad fuel injector and the recall for the cruise control. I have been having trouble with my wipers coming on by themselves. I called my local Ford dealer (columbia Ford, longview,wa) and they said they had not seen this problem before. I did a little research on the web and found your TSB 00-9-6 which describes this problem to a tee. I called the dealer back and was advised I would have to absorb the entire cost for the repair? Since they have known about this problem since 2000 and did not recall for this bad switch (see your TSB) "install revised multi-function switch" do I have any recourse in this matter. Like the cruise control switch recalled last year is there a chance of fire? It can be disconcerting to be driving along in 90 degree weather and have your wipers turn on by themselves. …
This issue has been ongoing since we purchased the vehicle new in October 1998. The first instance was while driving long distance over a holiday week. Initially it was only the wipers that would turn on then off without manually doing so. This has gone on for nearly 15yrs. Most recently, the wipers will not turn off and actually now turn on at a faster rate on their own, window washer fluid control is very sensitive and will turn on with a light touch to the turn indicator and won't turn off, the dash display will turn off, and the radio display is not working (radio works). We have found that the steering wheel has to be set at the top position in order for the wipers to not turn on as much (it is very frequent now). We had the truck looked at within the first few months of ownership by the Ford dealer for the wiper issue, and nothing was found to resolve. …
Both exterior rearview mirrors on my 1999 f-150 lariet model have experienced black spots. The black spots make it impossible to see anything behind me. I have done research and found that delamination of mirrors occured on 1998 and 1999 f-150, f-250, expeditions, and Lincoln navigator vehicles. I have had the mirrors replaced at a cost of $150.00 per mirror plus labor. I contacted Ford to ask about reimbursement for the costs of replacing the mirrors and was told that since the vehicle is not under warranty that they can't do anything. Ford has been very unresponsive to this issue. It appears unless a vehicle recall is required that they will not voluntarily replace the mirrors. I was told by the parts manager that the replacement mirrors have a different design than the original mirrors. I can only assume that the mirrors were redesigned after Ford realized that there was a defect.
Complaint received via e-mail. I own a 1999 f150 Ford. The mirrors on the doors are defective. The finish has almost all come off. It is very difficult to view out of the side mirrors. They have the signal flashers r and l in the mirrors. I have gone to the dealer, [located in thomson, ga], and asked them to replace the mirrors. They said they would not replace the mirrors, and they were not covered under the extended warranty. The service department acknowledged to me that the mirrors were defective, but said I would have to pay to have them fixed on my own at a non Ford glass repair shop. They estimated the cost to be $500.00-$600.00. I had another person check at a dealer in columbia, south carolina. They said the power operating part of the side mirrors were covered under warranty, but not the glass.
Ford f-150 2wd, super cab, 8 ft bed. Water is leaking from the head liner in the right rear of vehicle directly above fixed panel of sliding rear window assembly. I spoke to Ford customer service about the problem 2 months ago and they made it sound like it was the first time they had heard about it. I took the truck in to the dealer where I purchased it and they have indicated that the entire rear window assembly needs to be replace, at my expense. Search of your service bulletin section resulted in identification of bulletin #01111 posted jan. 22, 2001 listed the following. "some vehicles May exhibit a water leak around the rear (sliding) window. How do I get Ford to do the responsible thing and make this repair.
My 1999 f150 has a crack forming on the bottom rear corner of the drivers side window of the drivers door at 32000 I brought this to the attention of the dealer I bought the truck from and they would not fix it because it was out of warranty because of year . The dealer said they were fixing this problem on newer vehicles then mine but Ford complaint said they never heard of such a thing and would not fix it also. I have seen this on other trucks so I know I am not alone. On a different date I had a problem with the gasket sinking it channel between the window frame and body of truck they would not fix this because it was not a Ford part it was made for Ford and came on the truck from the factory but dosen't carry a warranty.
Water was getting down into the dashboard and causing windshield wipers to stop. The windshield wipers work normal when the vehicle is in neutral or park. The wipers would only work on low, the radio would cut off when driving in the rain which would happen after 10 minutes, the vehicle wouldn't turn over. The diagnosis was that harness assembly needed to be repaired at the starter assembly. There was a clicking sound coming from under the dash, and the theft light flashed. The mechanic found a bad gem module which also caused the blower to stay on and drain the battery. The heater bower wound not shut off intermittently when shutting the trunk off and had to be manually shut off.
The windshield leaks on this model style and the water runs down to the gem module and fuse box causing the gem module to short out and the electronics do what ever they want to. The truck will start on its own even if off or running and driving with the starter engaging. Windows roll down the alarm activates radio comes on all the electronics come on at there own even when parked with the engine off and the key removed. This is a very common problem from my research to tens of thousands of these trucks. This is very dangerous due to the car can even engage the transmission as well as it can cut off while driving as it has with myself. This part is very expensive and the leak is very common.
Dt: the contact states there is NHTSA recall campaign 05V388000 concerning the vehicle speed control:cruise control. The parts needed for recall repairs were not available at the local dealership. He spoke to the manufacturer, who confirmed the parts were not available at this time. Updated 12/27/2005. The tires had excessive wear at 20000 miles. The seat belt roller has been replaced three times. The air bag control was replaced. Both doors had stress fractures. The rear brake lines were not secured properly which resulted in wear . The wheel hubs came off while driving at highway speed. The driver side exterior rearview mirror was defective.
I first noticed that my air bag dash light began blinking. I decided that it should be repaired in that I do travel quite a bit for work on heavily traveled highways here in indiana. I took the vehicle to butler Ford here close to my residence and ask that the warning light on be repaired along with a Ford recall #05s28 and a windshield wiper problem. When I returned for the vehicle the warning light was still blinking but the other two items had been taken care of. I was handed a bill for 126 dollars and the flashing light was not fixed. The repair bill stated "pass side air bag switch shorted. No further action was taken to repair the problem.
Window & Wiper complaints in other F-150 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are window & wiper problems on the 1999 Ford F-150?
NHTSA has 80 complaints about the windows, wipers & sunroof of the 1999 Ford F-150, 8% of the model year's 1,044 complaints. The component named most often is rearview mirrors/devices › exterior (22 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Ford F-150 window & wiper problems?
No. NHTSA lists no windows, wipers & sunroof 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 window & wiper problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 41,000 miles, and 24% before 25,000 miles.
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.