Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (fuel pump, injectors, fuel tank, hybrid and EV propulsion).
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).
The contact owns a 1997 Ford F-250. The contact stated that the fuel strap failed and there was a hole in the fuel tank. The contact stated that there was fuel leaking from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 11V385000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 00V231000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 133,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 Ford f-250 hd. While driving approximately 40 MPH, the contact heard a loud noise coming from outside of the vehicle and also smelled a slight burning odor. Upon reaching the destination the contact noticed both fuel tank straps were fractured which were supporting the front fuel tank. The vehicle was equipped with a dual fuel tank. As a result of the dragging of the front fuel tank, there was damage which caused a large fuel leak. The failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 Ford f-250. The contact was driving at approximately 55 MPH when he heard a loud explosion. The contact could see sparks from behind the vehicle through the rearview mirror. The contact moved the vehicle off the roadway and discovered that the fuel tank was partially fractured from the vehicle and dragging. He was able to strap the fuel tank back onto the vehicle and drive to his residence without further incident. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for examination or repairs. The VIN was unavailable. The failure and current mileage was 114,000.
Tl contact owns a 1997 Ford f-250. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift from low gear. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the fuel tank needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 11V385000 (fuel system, gasoline). The failure mileage was 168,000.
Fuel tank 1 seems to pump fuel into tank 2. Fuel switch on "front" seems to indicate proper amount of fuel. Fuel switch on "rear" always reads full. Sometimes fuel will flow out of rear tank as soon as fuel cap is removed. I drove about 75 miles with the fuel switch on "rear". When I arrived at my destination, I unscrewed rear tank cap and fuel spewed out.......maybe a gallon or so.
November,2005 woke up to heavy odor of gas coming from my attached garage found my 1997 f-250 truck had lost gallons overnite took to local Ford dealer told me tank rusty,under skid plate& spare tire. Cost me $734.27 I said is there a problem with these tanks,was asked about recall was told no recall-went home called Ford motor co.told them my situation &costs for a garage kept,rarely saw snow & meticulously kept up inside & out truck ,they were no help at all. Sold this truck approx 2006 to my friend who owns a local harley davidson business,it is still running and looking great. …
Ref:een19-47774 (to be FWD by mail) the front tank strap on the vehicle failed and the tank dropped until supported by skid plate. Some diesel fuel spilled in garage, creating fire hazard but was cleaned up w/o incident. I contacted diehl Ford in bellingham wa as no Ford dealer in juneau ak at that time. I ordered and they sent 2 straps (f72z-9054-ba), bolts&nuts which I found out later were not authorized by safety recall 11s21! I contacted the local (temporary) Ford repair facility--evergreen motor works relative to this repair and they discovered the safety recall 11s21 and stated that alaska vehicles were not covered by this recall.I cotacted Ford motor co. By email and got the same answer. As a senior electrical engineer I know this is total bs as alaska has much worse weather conditions than any of the :south 48" states covered by safety recall 11s21!! …
After filling gas tank and parking the vehicle at home, a strong smell of gas was noted with a large amount of gas coming from the in area of the gas tank. Upon inspection of the gas tank, it was noted that gas was leaking in several areas. 20 gallons of fuel was lost over a three day period while the truck was parked, and after driving only 20 miles on an approx. 24 gallon tank of fuel, the truck was empty of fuel. I replacement fuel tank and straps were bought from a local parts store, after contacting a local Ford dealership and was told Ford no longer produced fuel tanks for the make and model of the vehicle. Upon removing the original fuel tank and straps, significant amounts of rust and corrosion noted on both support straps and to the under side of the fuel tank also with several small holes in the tank in the area of the fuel tank support straps.
Upon reading about a Ford recalls 2.7 million f150-250 trucks I found that mine was included in that recall by calling the dealership in scarsdale, ny. Made an appointment for sept 20, 2011 and after an hour in service they tell me they cannot replace straps because the straps have made a hole in tank (rusted through). I was sent out of the dealership with notice that Ford was not going to pay for replacement tank and they could not do the strap recall because of the tank. No temporary strap was placed around my tank to keep it from falling onto roadway. So I had been driving the truck ready to drop the bomb at anytime. On sept 27, 2011 I went to another dealership smith cairns in yonkers and after a day was told the same thing. I have and will not remove my truck from this dealership until Ford makes it safe to drive at their expense.
The trucks engine will completely stall when the fuel tank is low on fuel and the truck comes to a quick stop such as a red light or at an intersection. The truck will also stall when the fuel tank is low on fuel and the truck is slowing down or stopping on a decline. The stalled truck must be stopped, the transmission must be put back into "park," and the vehicle restarted before proceeding with travels. On two occasions, the truck has stalled unexpectedly in an intersection, nearly resulting in a collision from vehicles following too closely behind. The stalling does not occur when the trucks fuel tank level is above a quarter tank and the vehicle is brought to a quick stop, or slowed and/or stopped while heading down a decline.
Related recalls
Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly › Mounting
Ford is recalling certain 1997 through 2003 model year Ford f-150, 2004 model year Ford f-150 heritage, 1997 through 1999 model year f-250 less than 8,500 lbs. Gross vehicle weight rating (gvwr), and 2002 and 2003 Lincoln blackwood vehicles manufactured from June 20, 1995, through August 4, 2004, originally sold, or currently…
Remedy: Ford will notify owners and instruct them to take their vehicles to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to have the fuel tank straps replaced with straps that have increased corrosion protection.
Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks manufactured at the kansas city or norfolk assembly plants. The front fuel line assembly could have a hole rubbed through in one of two locations. The first location is below the fuel rail connection where the flexible hose is crimped to the steel tube.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect these lines and replace the front fuel line assembly if necessary. Owner notification began October 27, 2000.
Fuel System complaints in other F-250 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are fuel system problems on the 1997 Ford F-250?
NHTSA has 29 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 1997 Ford F-250, 10% of the model year's 304 complaints. The component named most often is storage › tank assembly › mounting (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 Ford F-250 fuel system problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 11V-385 (mounting, Jul 29, 2011); NHTSA recall 00V-231 (hoses, lines/piping, and fittings, Aug 17, 2000). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1997 Ford F-250 fuel system problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 131,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 2 fires and 0 injuries to fuel & propulsion system 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.