Steering Column problems of the 1997 Ford F-150

Steering wheel frame is cracked and allows for large movement before the vehicle may respond. Aluminium appears to have several hairline cracks and warping around the collar holding the steering column and you may loose control while turning or when the road surface is uneven at mid to high speeds. Lost control while traveling on an s shaped curve due to lack of steering and then over-steering. This happened on a highway in night conditions, no rain. Video footage is available via a dashcam.

The contact owns a 1997 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while at a stop sign and attempted to make a right turn, the steering wheel became hard and a pop sound emerged from the steering column. The vehicle was driven for approximately a half a block then the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was towed to the contacts residence and then the contact called the dealer that advised him that the VIN was not part of the recall. The vehicle was repaired but the parts replaced were unknown. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 207,000.

I was driving home from town when all the ball bearings fell out of the steering column and the steering wheel became loose and the truck began to sway from right to left, it was controllable at the low speed I was going but thank god I wasn't on an interstate or highway at a higher speed I could have run off the road or worse had a head on collision ! the truck has not left my property since but I still have to keep full coverage insurance and tagged for insurance purposes and a lien from my bank on it,I have also replaced the starter on it eight (8) times the parts are very cheap but it has an airbag and my local Ford dealer gave me an estimate of 200. 00 two hundred dollars to replace two six and seven dollar bearings. When the incident happened I had no idea what happened since the ball bearings are very tiny and are hard to see and it took a long time to figure out what happened my truck just sits there all this time because im afraid of someone getting hurt seriously or killed because im afraid of losing control on the steering. I have been driving since I was sixteen and was a big truck driver from 1979 to 1996 till I became ill but I would never drive a vehicle with steering problems, thank you.

The contact owns a 1997 Ford F-150. While the contact was driving 35 mph he suddenly lost all steering control, moments later the contact applied the brakes which caused the vehicle to pull to the right. While coming to a stop the vehicle traveled over a ice patch which caused the vehicles rear end to sway left and right before stopping. The vehicle was diagnosed and the contact was informed that the steering column shaft had begun to rot and separate from the vehicle. There were no prior warnings. The current and failure mileages were 128000.

The contact owns a 1997 Ford F-150. After making a right turn at 10 mph, the pin in the steering column fell out. The contact lost control of the vehicle and managed to stop on the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to a personal mechanic. The manufacturer stated that they never heard of this failure and could not assist. The current mileage is 160,000 and failure mileage was 150,000. The steering shaft coupler sheered off. Updated 05/29/jb.

- the contact has a 1997 Ford pickup f150. The contact stated that on 01/22/2007 he was making a turn when the steering wheel locked and he ran off the road. This has happened at least three other times while he was driving. The contact stated that there was a plate in the column that is loose and could push up and down an inch. The weather was not a factor, and he was driving approximately 15 mph at the time of the last failure. Updated 02/22/jb.

Steering had too much play causing vehicle to lose control and crash. Dealer notified.