1996 Ford F Series

I HAVE TRIED NUMEROUS TIMES TO REPLACE MY DOOR HANDLES FROM THE INSIDE OF MY TRUCK. THEY KEEP BREAKING, AND NOW I AM DRIVING A TRUCK THAT I CAN ONLY OPEN FROM THE OUTSIDE AFTER ROLLING MY WINDOWS DOWN. I HAVE TALKED TO FORD ABOUT THIS DEFECT, WHICH I CONSIDER A HIGH SAFETY ISSUE IN AN EMERGENCY. THEY SAY THEY HAVE A BETTER DESIGN BUT WILL COST ME $250 EACH TO REPLACE. I KNOW I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS THIS PROBLEM SO WHY ISN'T IT SOMETHING THAT FORD SHOULD REPLACE FREE? MEANWHILE.. I CAN'T AFFORD $500 FOR TWO DOOR HANDLES, PLUS LABOR, ONTOP OF THE COST OF THE ONES I HAVE ALREADY BOUGHT, AND TRIED REPLACING MYSELF. *TR

GASOLINE IS LEAKING OUT OF THE FRONT FUEL CAP OF MY 1996 FORD F-150 TRUCK. MY TRUCK HAS DUAL TANKS. I CONSIDER THIS TO BE A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM THAT COULD CAUSE A FIRE OR EXPLOSION. MY RESEARCH ONLINE FOUND NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 91V146000. THIS IS THE PROBLEM MY TRUCK IS HAVING BUT IT IS NOT CURRENTLY COVERED UNDER THIS RECALL. I AM WRITING THIS SUNDAY EVENING SO I AM WAITING TILL MORNING TO CONTACT FORD AND REPORT THIS PROBLEM TO THEM. THE RECALL THAT I FOUND CALLED FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE DUAL FUEL TANK SELECTOR VALVE ON 1989 FORD F-150'S. BUT SINCE I AM HAVING THE EXACT SAME DEFECT AND THE EFFECT OF SUCH AN EQUIPMENT FAILURE IS LIFE THREATENING I BELIEVE THE RECALL NEEDS TO BE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE ALL FORD VEHICLES THAT HAVE DUAL FUEL TANKS. *TR

CRUISE CONTROL REFUSES TO DISENGAGE WHEN BRAKES APPLIED. ISSUE REPORTED TO FORD DLR. IN 2002 AND DLR. REFUSED TO REPAIR AS NOT UNDER WARRANTY RECALL AND UNIT OUT OF WARRANTY. I DO NOT TRY TO USE CRUISE CONTROL AS VEHICLE ACCELERATES WITH CONTROL ON AND WILL NOT DISENGAGE. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT FORD NEEDS TO CORRECT AT NO CHARGE TO ME. *TR

1996 FORD F 150 AUTO TRANS W/ OVERDRIVE CRUISE & TILT, THE PROBLEM IS STEERING COLUMN FAILURE FIRST TIME WAS ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO AND AGAIN NOW 11/30/2007. THE 1ST TIME AT ABOUT 78,000 MI. AND THE MILEAGE NOW IS 179,000 MI THE DESCRIPTION OF THE FAILURE STARTS AS POPPING SOUNDS ALONG WITH THE SOUNDS OF A RUSTY SCREEN DOOR SPRING THEN IT GETS WORSE TO THE POINT THAT THE STEERING WHEEL HANGS AND IT TAKES BOTH HANDS TO FREE IT. (TRUST ME THIS WILL SCARE THE HECK OUT OF YOU TURNING IN A BUSY INTERSECTION) EVENTUALLY IT WILL LOCK UP COMPLETELY. *TR

ON 1/10/05, I ARRIVED HOME FROM WORK AND PARKED MY VEHICLE AT APPROXIMATELY 6:00 PM. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED UNDER THE CARPORT 15 FEET AWAY FROM MY BEDROOM WINDOW. AT 12:30 AM, MY WIFE AND I HEARD A NOISE, LOOKED OUT THE BLINDS TO FIND FIRE COMING FROM DRIVERS SIDE EDGES OF HOOD. ME AND MY SON RAN OUT TO GET A GARDEN HOSE AS MY WIFE CALLED 911. AS I WAS PASSING BY THE VEHICLE THE PAINT WAS BEGINNING TO BURN OFF DIRECTLY ABOVE THE BREAK BOOSTER. I BEGAN SPRAYING THE VEHICLE THROUGH THE RADIATOR GRILL, AS MY SON WAS TRYING TO POP THE HOOD. I SPRAYED AROUND THE EDGES, FLAMES WERE COMING OUT MOSTLY FROM THE DRIVERS SIDE. THEN THE DRIVERS SIDE PLASTIC TIRE WELL BURNED OUT ENOUGH, I WAS ABLE TO GET WATER UNDERNEATH THE HOOD. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED AT 12:34 AM. THEY POPPED THE HOOD USING THEIR CABLE TOOL AND BEGAN TO APPLY WATER. LUCKILY THE FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED WITHIN ABOUT 15 MINUTES, DUE TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IS ONLY A COUPLE OF BLOCKS AWAY. BECAUSE OF THE QUICK RESPONSE OF EXTINGUISHING THE FIRE, YOU CAN DEFINITELY TELL WHERE THE FIRE ORIGINATED. AS YOU CAN TELL BY THE PICTURES I HAVE ENCLOSED, THE AIR FILTER ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE SUFFERED HEAT DAMAGE, BUT WERE NOT DESTROYED. ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ENGINE THE RUBBER HOSES AND FUEL LINES WERE STILL INTACT AND NOT BURNED. THE ONLY THING THAT WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED WAS THE BREAK FLUID RESERVOIR, AND THE CRUISE CONTROL SWITCH. WHEN THE FIREMAN EXAMINED IT, THEY THOUGHT IT MAY HAVE COME FROM THE WIRING HARNESS, THEY HAD NEVER SEEN THE BREAK FLUID RESERVOIR CATCH ON FIRE. I ONLY HAD LIABILITY INSURANCE ON THIS VEHICLE. DUE TO THE EXTENSIVE DAMAGE, I SOLD IT FOR SALVAGE ONLY. *JB

MY SONS TRUCK 1996 FORD F150 CAUGHT FIRE SITTING IN THE DRIVEWAY IT HAD BEEN SITTING THERE A LITTLE OVER TWO HOURS. IT STARTED ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE UNDER THE HOOD. THE TRUCK IS TOTALED, MY SOFIC AND GUTTER WAS DESTROYED MY GARAGE. MY 2005 CAR-MATE TRAILER HAS HEAT DAMAGE ON THE FRONT OF IT AND DESTROYED MY NEIGHBORS FENCE AND BUSHES. *NM