I have a 94 Nissan Altima with 180K miles on it and have never done anything to it (other than standard maintainace such as tires, oil changes, brake pads, etc). Although it hasn't given me any problems, I decided it was time to buy a new vehicle that I could use for hauling as well as commuting.

I ordered, but haven't received, a 2001 SCrew with the 5.4l. However, I have noticed on this board that many people have posted messages about the reliability of the F150 and have already had several problems with less than 50K miles on them, but seem to be content. Does this mean that I cannot count on my truck to last me at least 150K? Most of my miles are highway miles. Although I got the towing package, I will problably be doing mostly hauling of building materials for our house that we are remodeling.

I just feel uneasy about the posts where people are content with major problems at such low mileages. Maybe I don't have a grasp of what other owners are using them for. For those who have had problems, what kinds of things do you use your trucks for? Towing? Offroad? Let me know, I'm curious. I'm not complaining, just concerned about such a major purchase.

------------------
Purchased a SCrew, but have to wait 12 weeks for delivery. Ordered:

2001 Supercrew 4x4 Lariat (Gen III)
Deep Wedgewood Blue/Arizona Beige Metallic 2 tone
5.4L Triton V8
3.55 Limited Slip Differential
Trailer Tow - Class III
Heated Front Seats
Platform-Type Cab Steps
Engine Block Heater

 

As the best-selling VEHICLE, bar none, in the U.S. (perhaps the world??), there are obviously many many of them on the road.

Pick your favorite number for a failure percentage rate -- and then multiply the number of vehicles by that to come up with the number of 'unhappy campers'.

As for the 5.4 engine alone, stats released by Ford indicate that they produced over 850,000 of those engines in 1999 alone!

While the engine made the http://www.wardsauto.com/best10/99info/engine_intro.htm list two years running -- there are certainly some issues that needed attention by many of the members of this board.

Remember that 'squeaky wheels get the oil' -- and that is no different here on this board -- where people who have, or anticipate, problems come for answers. Some even come to if they should suffer "buyer's remorse" -- and decide to stay tuned simply because there's a wealth of support here.

When trouble is identified, the members of this board mount a relentless front to gain the attention of the 'powers that be' to get them fixed.

I'm on my second F-150 -- not because of troubles -- but because the first one served me so admirably -- despite a few trips to the dealer (for very minor complaints).

Just playing the overwhelming odds, you're likely be soon be one of those of us who love their trucks -- and expect them to live 15 years and 200,000 miles.

Sit back, relax, read the posts (and determine which are knee-jerk, non-scientific, rumor-fed, anecdotally-supported -- and which are factually-informative.

While you're at it -- check out the pix and jokes -- and I'm sure you'll not only be hooked on your new truck -- you'll be hooked on the board.

Merry Christmas!

Jim



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Y2K™ 7700 4x4
Jim - N8JG@Hotmail.com

Toreador Red, Keyless XLT SC SB 5.4L E4x4 4wDisc/ABS, 3.73LS, Skid, HD 7700# Towing, LT-245's on Chrome, Tube-Steps, Captain's, 6CD, Tonneau, named: "Nick"

 

Sparqy2000, as this is a board where many owners go to get help and support for issues with their trucks, one tends to see many more posts relating to problems than posts which simply state, 'Everything's going fine, and I have had no problems'. From my experience, my 2001 SCrew has been flawless in the first 6000 miles, and I fully expect that it will continue that way into the indefinite future, given proper maintenance.

The other type of post you will see here concerns aftermarket add-ons (toys). This is a great thing, as one can do serious research, drawing on the experiences of those who have already put up their cash, before commiting yours. I have a policy of NEVER purchasing anything for my truck before I have done my homework, and a good part of that homework is done at F-150 Online. This board is a fantastic resource for all Ford truck owners, and can save you untold hours of hassle and frustration.

From my personal experience, I love my truck, and would recommend one to anyone. As with any other product, when you make as many of them as Ford does, you are bound to have a few which roll off the line less than perfect. The question then becomes what the company does to make it right. It seems to me that Ford does its best in most cases to take care of these issues as they arise, and does take its product suppport seriously. Compare this to a post on this board in which a Pathfinder owner blew an engine IN WARRANTY, and Nissan refused to replace it, and the customer had to pay around $5000 out of pocket to replace the engine. I have not seen Ford abrogate their responsibility in that way anywhere on this board.

In short, most of us have had very good experiences with our trucks, and I think that you will find that the great majority of these trucks run and last as good as they look. Also, the majority of owners on this board who have had issues have had them taken care of by Ford, which is what warranties are all about.

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Tom Brendel
2001 SCrew XLT 2WD, Toreador Red, 5.4L, Med. Parchment 60/40, 3.55 LS, Class III Towing Pkg, Aluminum Wheels, CD Changer, Bed Extender

Mods: K&N Air Filter, Superchip, Extang Black Max Soft Toneau Cover, Extang Cargo Cleats

 

As of right now there are 8451 members to these boards. The 50 that have a complaint, if there are even that many, are far less than the 8401 that love thier trucks. My uncle has a ranger as a daily driver, it is an 87 and the odometer went out at 399,000 miles.....that was back in 95 i believe and he still drive it as much as he did before and, just like your altima, all he does is the usual changes to it.

Ford makes more of their trucks than anyone so you will hear more complaints and there will be more people that have problems with Fords. I think the ratio of problems and trucks sold is about the same in Chevy, Ford, and Dodge markets. We just have some damn good lookin trucks and I would rather see a blue oval on my grille than a damn bowtie.
Think of it like kids. The more kids you have the more sick days you will take off from work, even though your kids dontget sick any more than the other kids, you have more kids to get sick.

Hope this helps and I hope u can understand it.

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'97 F-150 XLT Clearcoat Red
4x2
17 inch Wheels
Stepside, K&N, bedliner
32inch tires,flowmaster,
tint, matching ford sticker
5spd fully loaded, hidden hitch
new spark plugs

 

Thanks for the responses. It makes statistical sense that the higher the number of owners, the higher the number of problems ( (owners with problems/total owners) * 100). It's just a simple percentage. When the base population increases it will APPEAR that there are more problems unless the total population is considered. I understand that.

My concern is the longetivity of a car engine vs a truck engine. (I am new to the realm of trucks, so am pretty ignorant in this area). In reviewing several message boards, It appears that users of Ford trucks are:
1) Either so pleased with their vehicles that they are willing to overlook major problems at low mileages OR
2) Have lower standards for expectations than a car owner

For example, I have read postings from users who have less than 30K miles on their trucks and have had major engine troubles resulting in repair costs in excess of $2500. Yet they seem to be content. Either they are so pleased with their trucks that they are willing to overlook this, they have pushed their trucks to the extremes, or they don't expect as much as some car owners. I know that many car owners would be ticked if they experienced any major problems before the first 100K miles.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not taking any sides or attacking anyone's beliefs. I'm just trying to understand where the truck owners are coming from, to get their perspective on things. Does the above hold true? If not, what am I missing? Help me to understand the differences between the two user bases. I figured that nobody would know better than the owners on this site.

 

I forgot to mention that I found Waldo0506's posting about his uncle's Ranger having 399K miles on it to be very encouraging. When you have just dropped 30K+ on a purchase, it's nice to hear those stories. Kinda gives you a pat on the back for making the right choice.

 

ive been nothing but elated with my truck. it is a 98 with 23,000 miles on it.

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1998 xlt off road 5.4lsupercab auto pacific green clearcoat power drivers seat, keyless remote with factory alarm, tow package

 

I hope your luck is as good as ours! I was so pleased with my Co. truck (1997, s/c w/4.6L) I ordered my wife a new F150 in 1998). My personal vehicle is 1979 F150 w/ 158,000 miles-orginal. My 79 is all orginal except the starter, waterpump, clutch & diff. (which I rebuilt). 79 still has orginal dist. pick-up, coil & alternator too. MY Co., F150 now has 154,000 miles with very little unnecessary repairs--in the last 18 months it has been to the shop twice for trans. shifting problem (which one stemmed from ford dealer replacing trans. pan gasket & it leaked oil on the trans. sensors--$427.00). The other recent problem was oil on trans. sensor--$119.00.

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1999 Teal Blue F-150 s/c
4.6L, XLT, 3.55 L/S
Tow pkg., rhino liner, engine block heater & hard toneau cover. single c.d.
255/75 r16 Generals-owl

 

you need to talke to a guy here that is called bent6 . He has a 97 f150 with over 180,000 miles and still says ist runs good. dont worry you dont have a problem, If you had a dodge you would

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97 F-150 4.6 auto, 4x2, 3.55 LS, WMS Velocity tube, Dynomax Super Turbo exhaust with Echo tube.
Oh yeah, it's Oxford White with crome wheels, Legacy shell & custom grill!

 

There are plenty of us with reliable, trouble free trucks. Take me for instance, 116,000 miles (need to update sig) and absoulutely nothing but regular maintinence to the engine. I do mean absolutely nothing. It runs in 95 degree humid weather and doesn't balk at starting at -25 degrees without a block heater. If had one of these engines that gave me major trouble, I too would be ticked.

We've been so happy with the reliablilty, we have another one in the family - a 1999 XLT 4x4 4.6l that now has about 45,000 on it with zero problems - just like the first.

Many have problems and look for solutions here. Some are easier to satisfy than others and others realize some major stress of one sort or another leads to problems. Believe me - these engines are built to last, and for the most part, if properly maintained, will see many more miles than most cars. Best of luck!

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1997 F150 XLT, Flareside , Moonlight Blue, 4x2, SC, Auto, 4.6L, 3:08, Cargo Cover by Century, Penda bed liner, Blue Oval reciever hitch plug, Driver Design bug deflector, Monroe Reflex Shocks, 235/70/16 Firestone Wilderness AT's, sliding rear window, captain's chairs, Valvoline Durablend Oil, Purolator Pure One Oil Filter, and 114,000 miles and counting!

 

every time I fire up my internet I get a home screen from MSN, a few times it has car stuff so I thought that I would just throw this in there.

p.s. I talked to my uncle, it is an 85 ranger and it stopped at 399,000 in 91. The estimation of miles is now up to about 1 million. Thats alot of miles. Enjoy........

Listed as below average in long-term dependability are, in alphabetical order: Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Eagle, GMC, Hyundai, Isuzu, Jeep, Kia, Land Rover, Mitsubishi, Plymouth, Pontiac, Saab, Suzuki, Volvo and Volkswagen. Power does not publicly release the below-average rankings.


FOUND AT---http://carpoint.msn.com/jump/news/JGnews_4019432_6.asp


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'97 F-150 XLT Clearcoat Red
4x2
17 inch Wheels
Stepside, K&N, bedliner
32inch tires,flowmaster,
tint, matching ford sticker
5spd fully loaded, hidden hitch
new spark plugs

 

Long post, ya'll can ignore it if you like.
First, you ask a great question:
How does the longevity of a car engine compare to a truck engine.

Ford does seem to have specific design points in mind when developing their truck engines.
The max torque of the 5.4L and V10 are at relatively low rpms, so your not required to rev the crap out of them just to get the job done. However if you do rev them, you'll be rewarded as well.

It also appears that the engines are even slightly 'detuned' which could help longevity. For example the 4.6L in the Mustang produces more hp than the 4.6L in the F150. (I would have just assumed it was the exact same engine, but obviously it's not).

I bet there are other design points as well that I'm not aware of.

My family has over a million combined miles if you combine the 9 or 10 Fords we have owned.. Several Escorts, Rangers, Probe, Taurus, Windstars, and SuperDuty's.

I personally own or have owned:
00' F250 SuperDuty, 5.4L 5sp, 18k miles, no problems.
99' Windstar: 28k miles, oil leak fixed under warranty, minor engine knock that I'll have in the shop soon for the TSB fix).
95' Windstar: 68k miles, no problems. (wanted the 4th door, so traded for the 99).
90' Ford Probe: 75k miles, no problems. (family on the way, traded for Windstar).
89' Ranger: 195K miles and still running strong. Gave it to my dad when I bought the SuperDuty. Had to replace a water pump, fuel pressure regulator, and rear u-joint but only after 170k miles.

I feel that Fords quality is just as good as any other brand out there at a reasonable price with the features I want, and with customer service as good as any other manufacturer.

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Y2K F250 XLT SC 4x2 5.4L 5sp 4.10LS

 

$30,000 Ford truck compared to a Japanese car of equal value, such as a standard model Acura or Lexus. Go figure.

I love my truck and will always drive a truck. But face it. When compared to other vehicles of same value, our trucks are $30,000 pieces of *****, but we have no choice in the full size market. My truck has had the oil leak and the slip yoke seems to be screwed. I have done nothing but BABY this truck. In contrast, my mother's 96 Acura has been flawless for the past four years, while my dad has beat the ***** out of his 97 4Runner Limited...in ways I would not even think of treating my F150. The Toyota has not even flinched.

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1999 F-150, SCab, 4x4, 5.4, auto

 

1998 F-150 4.6 with 82,000 miles 90% of miles on four lane with cruise. Get about 19 to 20 mpg. no problems never been to dealer. Only maintenance is change oil every 3,000 miles and changed transmission fluid once. Even have original tires Firestone Wilderness HT although they are in need of replacing. Tried to hold out in hopes of recall, but not going to happen.

 

my bro has a 300GT. he got a new clutch, including installation it was 1300 dollars. i found a f-150 clutch for 129.99. just goes to show what buying foreign can do

------------------
'97 F-150 XLT Clearcoat Red
4x2
17 inch Wheels
Stepside, K&N, bedliner
32inch tires,flowmaster,
tint, matching ford sticker
5spd fully loaded, hidden hitch
new spark plugs