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#BS-1997-FORF25-5427

1997 Ford F 250

Based on reports from 348 owners and 14 recalls for this exact model.

Complaints
348
Crashes
21
Fires
20
Recalls
14
TSBs
316
πŸ›‘

Preliminary Verdict

Red Flag

Based on 348 complaints, 21 crashes, 20 fires, and 14 recalls.

Top reported problems

1

radiator exploeded

1 complaints β€’ Severity 10/10

$X,XXX
2

engine failure

1 complaints β€’ Severity 10/10

$X,XXX
3

manifolds leaking

1 complaints β€’ Severity 10/10

$X,XXX

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Mechanic Inspection Checklist

!Check the Wheels & TiresHIGH

28 owners reported wheels & tires issues β€” failures commonly reported around 114K miles.

!Inspect the Power Train:automatic TransmissionMED
Look for symptoms of wear and premature failure
+ 6 more items in full checklistUnlock

Failure Timeline by Mileage

1
0–30K
8
30–60K
16
60–90K
26
90–120K
23
120–150K
19
150K+

Peak failure range: 90–120K miles (26 reports) β€’ Median: 114K miles

Full report: which components fail at each mileageUnlock

30,000-Mile Cost Projection

Best Case

$X,XXX

Most Likely

$X,XXX

Worst Case

$X,XXX

Top cost driver: Wheels & Tires (28 reports).

Includes fuel costs, common repairs, and recall riskUnlock

Also in your report

Owner Intelligence

AI-synthesized themes from real complaints

Buyer Lot Checklist

Questions, test drive checks, walk-away triggers

Negotiation Talking Points

Data-backed dollar deductions

Buy / Skip Verdict

Final recommendation with conditions

10 sections total in the full reportUnlock all

Where the complaints fall

Wheels & Tires28 (8%)
Power Train:automatic Transmission19 (5%)
Fuel System19 (5%)
Tires:tread/belt18 (5%)
Suspension:front12 (3%)
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip12 (3%)
Speed Control12 (3%)
Other10 (3%)

1997 Ford F 250: Known Issues & Problem Areas

Wheels & Tires Issues

Wheels & Tires complaints account for 8% of all reports filed for the 1997 Ford F 250, with 28 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. The median mileage at time of complaint is 114,000 miles, suggesting issues tend to surface around the 114K-mile mark.

Power Train:automatic Transmission Issues

Power Train:automatic Transmission complaints account for 5% of all reports filed for the 1997 Ford F 250, with 19 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to power train:automatic transmission-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Fuel System Issues

Fuel System complaints account for 5% of all reports filed for the 1997 Ford F 250, with 19 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to fuel system-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Tires:tread/belt Issues

Tires:tread/belt complaints account for 5% of all reports filed for the 1997 Ford F 250, with 18 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to tires:tread/belt-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Data sourced from NHTSA owner complaints and community reports. The full report analyzes severity, repair costs, and failure patterns for each category.

Complaint trend by year

65
00
31
01
22
02
15
03
8
04
22
05
10
06
7
07
9
08
1
09
4
10
12
11
5
12
2
13
8
14
5
15
1
17
1
18
1
19
1
20
1
24

Complaints filed with NHTSA by year for the 1997 Ford F 250. Recent trend: stable.

Don't negotiate blind β€” know what this car costs to own

Repair costs β€’ Negotiation scripts β€’ Mechanic checklist β€’ Buy/skip verdict

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Recall History (14 recalls)

00V231000Oct 2000

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: LIGHT DUTY PICKUP TRUCKS MANUFACTURED AT THE KANSAS CITY OR NORFOLK ASSEMBLY PLANTS. THE FRONT FUEL LINE ASSEMBLY COULD HAVE A HOLE RUBBED THROUGH IN ONE OF TWO LOCATIONS. THE FIRST LOCATION IS BELOW THE FUEL RAIL CONNECTION WHERE THE FLEXIBLE HOSE IS CRIMPED TO THE STEEL TUBE. THE BRACKET THAT ATTACHES THE FRONT FUEL LINE TO THE TRANSMISSION COULD HAVE BEEN BENT DURING ASSEMBLY. THE SECOND LOCATION IS AT THE REAR STEEL TUBE SECTION FORWARD OF THE REAR BRACKET. DURING INSTALLATION THE REAR STEEL TUBES OF THE FRONT FUEL LINE ASSEMBLY COULD HAVE BEEN BENT DOWNWARD. IN VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A MANUAL 4XZ4 TRANSFER CASE SHIFTER, THE SHIFTER LINKAGE MAY CONTACT THE STEEL TUBES AS IT IS BEING SHIFTED BETWEEN 4H, 4L, 2L AND NEUTRAL.

01X001000Jun 2001

TIRES:TREAD/BELT

THIS IS NOT A SAFETY RECALL IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SAFETY ACT. HOWEVER, IT IS DEEMED A SAFETY IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN BY THE AGENCY. EQUIPMENT DESCRIPTION: FORD IS REPLACING ALL FIRESTONE WILDERNESS AT 15, 16, AND 17 INCH TIRES MOUNTED ON FORD TRUCKS AND SUVS. FORD REPORTS TREAD SEPARATION CAN OCCUR DUE TO A COMBINATION OF THE SENSITIVITY OF THE TIRE DESIGN TO STRESS, AGING, AND MANUFACTURING DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PLANTS. FORD IS REPLACING THESE TIRES TO PREVENT POSSIBLE PREMATURE TIRE FAILURE. VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: THE VEHICLES LISTED BELOW MAY HAVE BEEN ORIGINALLY EQUIPPED WITH FIRESTONE WILDERNESS AT TIRES OR MAY HAVE HAD WILDERNESS AT TIRES INSTALLED DURING THE FIRESTONE RECALL LAUNCHED IN AUGUST 2000. CERTAIN 1991 THROUGHT 2002 FORD EXPLORER CERTAIN 2001 THROUGHT 2002 EXPLORER SPORT, AND SPORT TRAC CERTAIN 1997 THROUGH 2002 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER CERTAIN 1991 THROUGH 2001 RANGER CERTAIN 1999 THROUGH 2001 EXPEDITION CERTAIN 1991 THROUGH 1994, AND 1997 MODEL YEAR F-SERIES CERTAIN 1991 THROUGH 1994 BRONCO NOTE: BOTH ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT AND REPLACEMENT TIRES ARE AFFECTED.

03V196000May 2003

STEERING:GEAR BOX:SHAFT SECTOR

ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, IF THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT YOKE SEPARATES FROM THE STEERING GEAR INPUT SHAFT, THE STEERING SYSTEM BECOMES DISCONNECTED.

05V388000Sep 2005

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH SPEED CONTROL, THE SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH MAY OVERHEAT, SMOKE, OR BURN.

06E052000Jun 2006

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

CERTAIN EAGLE EYES HEADLAMPS, P/NOS. FR208-B101R, FR208-B101L, FR208-B001R, AND FR208-B001L, SOLD FOR USE AS REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT FOR THE PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE PHOTOMETRIC REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.

+ 9 more recalls in the full report

Recall severity analysis & seller scripts

The full report rates each recall's severity and gives you scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.

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The worst model year for the Ford F 250 is the 2006 β€” worth knowing if you're cross-shopping years. The biggest problem area is engine.

About this data

NHTSA Complaints

Federal database of owner-filed safety complaints. 348 records for this vehicle.

NHTSA Recalls

Manufacturer-issued safety recalls. 14 recalls found for this vehicle.

Repair Cost Data

Real-world repair costs from owner reports and independent databases.

1997 Ford F 250: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common problem with the 1997 Ford F 250?
The most commonly reported issue with the 1997 Ford F 250 is related to the wheels & tires, with 28 complaints filed with NHTSA.
Is the 1997 Ford F 250 reliable?
The 1997 Ford F 250 has 348 complaints, 21 crash reports, and 20 fire reports filed with NHTSA. The full report analyzes whether these numbers indicate real risk or are proportional to the vehicle’s popularity.
How much does it cost to fix 1997 Ford F 250 problems?
Repair costs vary by issue. The full BumperScan report includes detailed repair cost estimates (low/median/high) for every major issue, plus a 30,000-mile total cost of ownership projection.
Does the 1997 Ford F 250 have any recalls?
Yes, the 1997 Ford F 250 has 14 recalls on record. The full report includes recall severity analysis and scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.
What mileage do Ford F 250 problems start?
Based on 93 complaints with mileage data, the median mileage at time of complaint is 114,000 miles. The highest concentration of reported issues occurs in the 90–120K mile range. The full report breaks down exactly which components fail at each mileage bracket.
What’s in the full report?
10 sections of AI analysis: severity-ranked issues, component scores (0-100), 30K-mile cost projection, failure timeline by mileage, recall details with seller scripts, owner sentiment analysis, mechanic checklist, buyer lot checklist, negotiation ammo with dollar figures, and a buy/skip verdict.
How is this different from free NHTSA data?
NHTSA gives you raw complaint text. BumperScan cross-references 2.1M+ complaints with community repair cost data, EPA fuel data, and recall records β€” then uses AI to synthesize it into actionable advice with dollar figures.
How is this different from Carfax?
Carfax is VIN-specific history ($45/report). BumperScan is model-level reliability intelligence β€” what problems this car is known for, what they cost, and whether you should buy it. Complementary, not competing.
What if the report isn’t useful?
100% money-back guarantee. If the report doesn’t help you make a more informed decision, we’ll refund you β€” no questions asked.
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10 sections of AI analysis based on 348 owner reports. Know before you buy.

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