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 2001 Ford F-150 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
On 9/4/2018 I bought 4 brand new destination le2 p-metric owl p265/75r16 tires with a 60000 warranty from Firestone in hesperia ca. My daughter just bought the truck and I wanted her to be safe with new tires.on November 14, 2018 on her way to work at 5:00 a.m she had a terrible roll over. She is currently in icu. She just had a cranioplasty 15 days ago. She has a severe tbi. She hasn't walked since the day of rollover. She was on life support. Still on tracheostomy. She will be disabled all if her life. She is 22 years old. She was driving approx. 55 MPH. She was out of control when all three witnesses saw her coming at them. This happened on summit valley rd in hesperia ca. It is one lane each direction. She was approaching th top of a hill. When she got over the hill she was out of control and the vehicle rolled and she was ejected. She was found under the truck. …
I had been at my neighbors house for over 1 1/2 hours. We heard a loud boom that shook the trailer we ran outside and discovered the drivers side tire blew out due to the fire. The entire hood was melting down onto the motor . There was no electrical components left under the hood by this time and the fire was spreading to the cab , but we finally put it out then the fire department came . I called my insurance co , they are investigating the cause of the fire . Please let me know if any of this pertains to my case . Thank you
While driving on the freeway here in san diego, ca. On dec. 31, 2018 at 11:15 am, at 65 MPH I noticed a car in front of me swerve and before a could Dodge the object I hit it with my left front tire. A delfinity, dakota, a/t 2, lt265/75 r16. With only 28,880 miles on them. Was not long before my steering became wobbly. After managing to get over to the right side of the shoulder of the road in heavy traffic I observed my tire was flat and destroyed beyond repair. After replacing it with the spare in the rain. I returned home to check for any damage to my truck, but found none. After a call the the pepboys store where I purchased them on apr. 30, 2013, as well as the road hazard service plan, I learned they do not carry these tires any more. I was offered a different brand tire as a replacement. …
Woke up this morning to a couple of loud "booms". My husband went to check it out and discovered his truck (which we just purchased in May) was on fire. The fire destroyed the truck, melted the siding on our house and garage, and even cracked three of our neighbor's windows. We are so grateful the firefighters arrived when they did or this fire would've kept burning our house. The truck hadn't moved since last night...don't know what happened but we will not be purchasing a Ford again.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Ford f-150. The contact stated that after pulling into the driveway at the residence, the spare tire detached from the vehicle. The contact became aware that the spare tire cable was fractured. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer to be inspected. The manufacturer was contacted and informed of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 173,000.
Our insured, mr mohssin, performed an evasive manuever at highway speed applying the brakes to the maximum while turning. His 2001 f150 harley edition is equipped with ABS as well as 20" rims which are 40lbs heavier than stock. In the last several weeks, we have gathered sufficient evidence to suggest that the lf and rf brake caliper brackets snapped during this loss causing both tire/wheel/hub assys to shear off the spindle nuts and become separated from the vehicle. There was no impact with any other vehicle prior to this and all components on this vehicle are OEM. It is the opinion of our indpendent reconstructionist engineer that there is ample reason for Ford to be concerned and review the evidence for themselves. To date, we have had no luck getting any response or interest in reviewing our findings. Many avenues have been pursued to seek some response. …
I own a Ford f150 2001 supercrew with 64,000 miles on it. I bought the truck new. In feb 2004, I had to replace the right front tire. Not wanting to have a tire on the left front that was worn while a new tire was on the right front, I asked the tire agency to put the spare, which had never been used, on the left front wheel mount and to use the old left front tire as the spare. When the spare was brought out from the undercarriage of the truck, several grooves about the size of a man s finger and about 3/8 of an inch deep had been rubbed into the sidewall of the spare. The tire agency did not recommend using the spare so I kept the old tire in place. I went to the Ford agency where I had bought the truck, seguin motors and told them my story. Seguin motors told me that this damage was cosmetic and that the tire was safe to use and that Ford was not liable for this cosmetic wear. …
The truck started on fire while sitting in the driveway hours after being parked. By the time we realized it was on fire, it was totally out of control and the truck well beyond saving. It burned so hot it melted the tires, the siding of the house and destroyed part of a privacy fence. We kept water on the fire until it went out about an hour and a half later. The fire started under the hood and the whole front of the truck is almost unrecognizable. The owner ( [redacted] ) is an auto mechanic and has been for forty plus years. We run an auto repair business. We had heard vague things about fords and fires but did not look into it until after the incident. We purchased the truck this winter and never got any recall notices for the cruise control switch problem. The prior owner says he did not either. …
While driving from oklahoma back to arizona I started to experience severe vibration. I pulled over, and noticed that the right tire had a huge blister with belt strands protruding from the inside tire. I took it off, and noticed nothing that could have caused it. I took it to earnhardt which the tire mechanic stated that a screw caused the belt separation. I find this hard to believe considering that the tire only had 18500 miles on it and the location of the screw (very small too) was not in the vicinity of the huge blister. It's my belief that the heat was the primary cause. I hope others won't incur the same problems with general tire (graber aw p255/70r16) on 2001 Ford f-150.
At approximately 9:30 pm, while traveling north on I-81 near winchester, va at 65 MPH in a 2001 Ford f-150, the left rear tire sustained tread separation. The tire did not deflate. Vehicle yawed across two lanes of traffic, but was brought under control and did not roll over. There were no injuries. The tire was b.f. Goodrich model radial long trail t/a p235/70r16 and was an original tire on the vehicle. It had over 0.2 of an inch of tread remaining after 50,000 miles. Vehicle sustained major damage to the wheel well, side panel, and supports. The remaining four tires (including spare) are being replaced.
Wheel & Tire complaints in other F-150 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are wheel & tire problems on the 2001 Ford F-150?
NHTSA has 64 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 2001 Ford F-150, 5% of the model year's 1,236 complaints. The component named most often is tread/belt (14 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Ford F-150 wheel & tire problems?
No. NHTSA lists no wheels & tires recall for the 2001 Ford F-150, though it has 8 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 2001 Ford F-150 wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 64,000 miles, and 17% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 crashes, 3 fires and 4 injuries and 1 death 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.