Most common 1997 Ford F-350 problems
Share of the 155 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Ford F-350 complaints by model year
Best F-350 years: 2009, 2007, 2013. Years to avoid: 1999, 2000, 1997. Compare all years →
1997 Ford F-350 recalls (3)
Vehicle speed control
On certain trucks equipped with speed control, gasoline or natural gas engines, the speed control deactivation switch May overheat.
Remedy: Dealers will install a fused wiring harness into the speed control system free of charge. The recall began on August 7, 2006. Owners May contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332. (note: also see recalls 05V017 and 05V388)
Tires › Bead
Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks and chassis. The tires on these vehicles were damaged during mounting onto the wheels. Only trucks produced at the cuautitlan, Mexico plant between September 1, 1996, and July 17, 1997, were affected by the defect.
Remedy: Due to the age of the vehicles and this recall affecting original equipment tires only, Ford will no longer accept claims for this campaign.
Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Master cylinder
The retainer clip that holds the master cylinder push rod to the brake pedal arm is missing.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect to verify that the retainer clips are installed and if clips are missing will install clips.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 2 possible defects involving the 1997 Ford F-350:
Engine compartment fires
Ea05-005 is closed with Ford?s actions in recalls 05v-017, 05v-388, and 06v-286, recalling approximately 6.7 million vehicles equipped with texas instruments speed control deactivation switches (scds).the brake systems in these recalled vehicles generate a vacuum that can potentially cause the scds to fail and, in certain switch installation orientations, catch fire.Ford is also including the entire population of…
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…
What 1997 Ford F-350 owners say
Brakes all 32 →
Tl contact owns a 1997 Ford f-350 with a diesel engine. The contact stated that when he stopped at a traffic light, stop, the brake pedal felt unusually weak and there was a strong odor of brake fluid in the vehicle. The contact then accelerated to speeds of 10 MPH and made a turn. In doing so, he noticed flames from underneath the hood near the master cylinder. The engine was shut off and the fire department was called to extinguish the fire. There were no injuries. A fire report was filed accordingly. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the dealer did not want the vehicle on the property and the contact to remove it immediately. There were no repairs made to the vehicle. The contact stated the vehicle was sold to a local junkyard. The approximate failure mileage was 275,404 and the current mileage was 275,404.
A steel brake line on my truck rusted and ruptured causing a complete brake failure. This is the second occurrence of this problem on this vehicle. The brake line had rusted and had a partial failure, causing a leak. The rusted section was replaced about 5 years ago. The recent line failure caused an accident.
Wheels & tires all 32 →
We were travelling 65 MPH on the 91 freeway toll road when my left rear tire tread completely separated from the casing causing my vehicle to swerve and jump and causing significant damage to my vehicle, including damaging the fuel fill line. Fortunately there was no fuel leakage. The tire did not deflate so there was no puncture or other externally caused damage to the tire or vehicle. I took the tire to a bf goodrich dealer on 10/19/14 for inspection, the tire was still fully inflated. The dealer deflated the tire out of safety concerns. Had this been a front tire the potential for damage and injury would have significantly increased. The tire was purchased in July 2012 and was just over 2 years old. Tire dot# is bfw8 0211 0712.
Rear driver side tread separated from tire at 75mph in the state of nebraska.22hrs. Later in the state of ohio the passenger rear separated. Contacted Firestone and they will not take any responsibility for incident.
Engine & cooling all 29 →
On the passenger side of the engine pan the dipstick adapter was manufactured poorly. The oil from the crankcase has caused the oring to swell and leak oil. The oil leak is getting on the starter and clutch. The oil can cause a short in the electrical system. This can cause an accident or death while driving. The oil on the clutch can cause loss of control and cause an accident or death. The oring can swell and fall off the adaptor and become lodged in the oil pickup. This will starve the motor of oil and cause a catastrophic failure of the motor while driving. This can cause an accident or death. Due to the inherent poor design the oring that is submerged in oil should be compatible with oil or be able to be replaced. It is not possible to replace the oring due to due to the terrible design of the dipstick assembly. …
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 Ford f-350. While driving at various speeds, the vehicle would suddenly stall. After restarting the engine, the vehicle operated normally. The contact indicated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the cam shaft position sensor was faulty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 07V553000 (engine). The contact stated that the vehicle experienced the same failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 92,000.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1997 Ford F-350 a good car?
Based on 155 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 1997 F-350 rates use caution: 1.4× as many complaints as a typical year of the F-350 at the same age. It is one of the F-350 years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 1997 Ford F-350?
The brakes — 32 complaints, 21% of all complaints for this model year, most often about antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip. Next are the wheels & tires (32) and engine & cooling (29).
How many recalls does the 1997 Ford F-350 have?
There are 3 recalls for the 1997 Ford F-350, the most recent from August 1, 2006 (vehicle speed control). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Ford F-350?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2009, 2007 and 2013. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 1999, 2000 and 1997. See the full Ford F-350 years comparison.
At what mileage do 1997 Ford F-350 problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 115,000 miles; 10% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 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.