Other Fuel System Tank Mounting problems of the 1997 Ford F-250

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.

Driving the vehicle at a slow speed over a gravel road, the straps and/or their attachment points to the frame failed, allowing the tank to drop and make contact with the road. This was prior to Ford's recall regarding the straps and a repair was made at the local shop. Repairs consisted of a new tank, sending unit and straps. The shop indicated that the straps had failed but new straps could not be fitted because, either because of the mechanical action of tearing away the tank or because of deterioration, the mounting points were not in sufficiently good shape to reattach the straps. The shop fashioned an attachment consisting of chains suspending the tank from the frame. Subsequently, on receiving Ford's recall notice regarding the straps, I took the vehicle to a Ford dealer who, after an attempt to repair, indicated the vehicle needed more work to implement the correction. The dealer (and I) spoke to a Ford representative who initially authorized the repair but, when the extend of the required repair was somewhat greater than anticipated, was overruled by someone else at Ford and Ford denied the repair. The truck effectively could not be inspected in the future because of this defect and it use was lost other than occasional use on the property. Follow-ups with Ford resulted in their claim that Ford was only liable for the straps and not any consequential or related damage and no other recourse was available. I would like the national highway traffic safety association to look into the ramifications of limiting a safety recall of this nature to the defective straps only and not the consequences of the defect. I am also requesting and examination of Ford's willingness to send a vehicle back onto the streets with an uncorrected know safety issue.

The fuel tank straps failed on my truck causing the fuel tank to detach and make contact with the ground while the vehicle was in motion. I had the tank and related parts replaced at a local shop. However, the mechanic informed me that the mounting points for the vehicle's gas tank straps were also rusted and new straps could not be installed in the normal manner. When the recall was issued I took the vehicle to a local Ford dealer that attempted an official repair of the straps but concluded the mounting brackets were too damaged to install new straps. Whether the defect was all corrosion or a combination of corrosion and the effects of the tank being ripped from the remaining mounts when the straps failed was not determined. The dealer and I called a Ford company representative who initially agreed to have Ford cover the repair of the vehicle but this was later rescinded by a superior and I left with an unsafe, incomplete repair. I would like the national highway traffic safety association to examine the incidence of structural and mounting bracket failures due to premature corrosion not limited to the straps themselves. Several local mechanics have commented that they see this very, very frequently on Ford trucks of that vintage. My truck will not pass inspection with the brackets rusted as they are. Given the seriousness of the issue, I believe this bears very close examination. Ford says it has not process to follow up on this concern. I continue to receive recall notices but they are useless since Ford will not acknowledge related damage, damaged caused by the defective straps and/or additional issues that very likely exist with the corrosion resistance of some Ford truck frames. This truck's frame has continued to experience significant frame based rust deterioration while other parts of the vehicle seem to follow a much more normal aging pattern.