Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1997 Ford F-250 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
1997 Ford f25. This was the second spark plug to blow out of head. First repair cost $450.00, this time it cost me my truck, 2 cameras, GPS, laptop computer and several other items as the truck cought on fire when spark plug hit fuel inection rail an started a fuel fire that burnt the truck to ground. Total loss. Burned my hands trying to save items in cab. Had a fire extinguisher, but high pressure fuel lines sprayed fire to fast. My girl friend, her dog, and I had 30 seconds to get out. In 2 minutes the cab was engulfed in flames. I will be dismantling this engine as I am a mechanic and machinist and plan to prove there were not enough threads securing spark plugs in thee alumin um heads. There were standards outlined for machining threads.
The truck would stop running while driving down the street, not start after driving, stop shut off and then would not start. Some times it May not start for several days then all of a sudden it would start up again and be fine for weeks then would start the whole process over again. It May stop at any time any where whether highway or city street. Total loss of power, engine shuts off. I had many extremely dangerous situations, with family members and other vehicles causing them to make evasive actions. This vehicle has a manufactures buy back from original purchaser when, new but no explanation could be found. I spoke to Ford and they said they have no record of the buy back. It is on the title also.
This is the fourth time this has happened, the spark plug shoots out of the block and shortly after you can smell gas fumes with is an obvious fire hazard. Not only is it expensive to find a mechanic who can coil the plug back into the block, after reading about it the same incident happens to many owners who have the same truck as I do. Yet, there hasn't been a recall.
I own a 1997 Ford f250 truck. On the below listed date, while driving at 0430 hrs in the morning on a two lane roadway, the third spark plug on the passenger side blew out of the cylinder head. I looked up information on internet and found that this problem has been occurring without warning or fault of the drivers/owners for a number of years. This just happened today and I have not contacted any repair service yet. It is obvious that this is a problem and Ford has not recognized the design fault. I was lucky I was able to get off the road safely due to the lack of engine power from this problem. My complaint is that the Ford motor company has known about this safety issue for several years and done nothing to notify owners of the potential dangerous situation not to mention unwarranted cost to vehicle owners that could possibly prevent this if it was known. …
Monday, July 31 2007, I experienced the last of a series of intermittent stalling events in my 1997 Ford f250 hd vehicle, equipped with a 7.3 dit powerstroke diesel. Subsequent to my own investigations, I discovered that the cam position sensor was a component implicated in such events. I replaced the component on July 27, 2007, after an increase in stalling problems. The condition repeated on the later date above, and I drove the vehicle to a repair facility. They could not find any diagnostic codes from the PCM, but the stalling episodes increased during their analysis. After performing other system diagnostic procedures, they were left with the final conclusion that the cps must be the culprit for the stalling condition. The newer cps I installed was replaced by the repair technician with another cps. To date the condition appears resolved. …
Tl*- the contact owns a 1997 Ford f250. He received a recall notice for the crankshaft position sensor. He took the vehicle to the dealer and they ran a diagnostic that showed a problem with 3 sensors. The contact is a mechanic so he remedied the recall himself. When he contacted the manufacturer for reimbursement of the parts and labor he was advised that they would only reimburse him for the crankshaft position sensor and that they would not reimburse him for the other parts or labor. The current mileage was 86000 and the failure mileage was 83000.
While driving, the seat reclined which left the driver laying completely down. The seat base assembly had broken on the driver's side front seat. The tie rods had to be replaced. The consumer was unable to shift gears, because the shifter bolts had broke loose from the dash mounts, the head gaskets failed and the check engine light never illuminated. The hub/axle seals were replaced.
My complaint has to due with the pcv valve hose that runs to the vacuum system. It gets too warm and melts and it causes the engine to stutter or stall causing the vehicle to stop rapidly. I have noticed this on many of the f250 or f150 5.4l triton engines. This has happened several times to my truck and it is expensive to keep replacing it. It has almost caused a few rear endings.
Ford motor co. Refuses to do safety recall 07s57 on my 97 f-250 the recall is for the cam shaft position sensor. It must be replaced because the vehicle stalls while driving which can lead to an accident. They are refusing to do the recall due to a seized bolt. If this bolt breaks they want me to pay $2500 to get the safety recall completed.
The brake pedal had to be pumped in order to get the vehicle to stop. The front and rear rotors have been replaced 5 times. The parking brake cable failed and was replaced. The radiator failed 3 times and the heater core failed.
NHTSA investigations
Spark plug ejection from cylinder head
On September 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 Ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or…
Engine complaints in other F-250 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 1997 Ford F-250?
NHTSA has 31 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 1997 Ford F-250, 10% of the model year's 304 complaints. The component named most often is engine (6 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 Ford F-250 engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 1997 Ford F-250, though it has 10 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 1997 Ford F-250 engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 87,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 2 fires and 1 injury to engine & cooling 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.