1999 Ford F550 SUPER DUTY NHTSA Investigations
Defect Investigations
The following investigations on the Ford F550 SUPER DUTY have been announced by the ODI. Interested in how this information is collected? Read more about investigations by the NHTSA.
Recent 1999 F550 SUPER DUTY Investigations
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ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES Defect Investigation for the 1999 F550 SUPER DUTY
Vehicle Component: Electrical System*
Summary: EA05-005 is closed with Ford¿S actions in recalls 05V-017, 05V-388, and 06V-286, recalling approximately 6.7 million vehicles equipped with Texas instruments speed control deactivation switches (scds). The brake systems in these recalled vehicles generate a vacuum that can potentially cause the scds to fail and, in certain switch installation orientations, catch fire. Ford is also including the entire population of 1998 Explorers. Ford has informed ODI that testing to determine the cause of failures in the 1998 Explorers will continue after this investigation is closed. ODI believes that the vehicles exhibiting the factors causing scds failure described in this report correlate well with the observed failure rates on these vehicles by model and model year. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist in the non-recalled vehicles manufactured with scds that are not included in Ford¿S recalls. ODI will continue to monitor the non-recalled population for incidence of engine compartment fires. The Agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances. See attached closing report for details.
More Details: For detailed information & supporting documents, see the official NHTSA page concerning investigation #EA05005 »
Status of Investigation: This investigation was closed on August 02 2006 and there was a recall ordered: #05V388000
* This defect investigation is filed under 21 related vehicle components.
ENGINE STALLING Defect Investigation for the 1999 F550 SUPER DUTY
Vehicle Component: Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Diesel*
Summary: In a December 3, 2007 letter, Ford advised NHTSA that it will conduct a safety recall to replace the cam position sensor (cps) in approximately 1.2 million subject vehicles to address reports of engine stalling. A new design cps with improved performance and durability will be installed as a remedy. Owner notifications will begin in December 2007. The subject vehicles are durable, full-sized, medium duty trucks commonly used for commercial purposes, rescue/emergency response, and commercial or recreational towing. Cps failure is comparable to unexpectedly turning the key off since the signal it produces is vital to the electronic engine control system. Cps signal loss terminates fuel injection resulting in an engine stall. Once stalled, the engine may restart right away, or may restart after a delay (typically 5 to 10 minutes), or may not restart at all. In addition to exposing the driver and other motorists to crash risk due to loss of motive power or vehicle disablement, engine stalling also effects the power assisted steering and braking. Through consumer interviews, ODI determined that cps failures occurred without any form of warning, at any vehicle speed (50% at highway speeds), and under any driving condition, such as accelerating. Consumers reported that about a third of the vehicles failed to restart, with another third reporting delayed restarting. Half the vehicles that did restart experienced another stall on the same or a subsequent drive cycle (before cps replacement) re-exposing those consumers to the risks associated with a stalling event. In their voq reports, half of the ODI complainants described difficulty controlling the vehicle due to lose of power assist systems, especially those who were towing at the time of the incident. The one alleged injury incident occurred in an intersection when a subject vehicle stalled while turning across oncoming lanes of traffic. Although unsubstantiated, the complainant alleged an injury to a child occupant during ODI's interview. The other crash allegations mostly involved low speed, loss of control incidents often caused by lack of power assist; no injuries are reported in these incidents, and property damage, if any, was minimal. Consumers also reported other incidents with significant safety risks, such as disablement in a lane or on a shoulder of a high-speed roadway or interstate, or extended disablement in remote areas during severe weather conditions. The population above is Ford's estimate of the 1.4 million subject vehicles produced that are currently registered. The Ford complaint and warranty counts noted above are current as of Ford's last submission dated June 21, 2007; they do not include F-450, F-550, or econoline counts as these products were not formally within scope of the investigation when failure information was requested. Warranty data analysis indicates that about half the claims involved a stall while driving event ( Ford's assessment) and that poor cps durability was a longstanding concern. Ford reported that the new cps design should meet or exceed their 10 year, 150K mile life expectancy design requirement.
More Details: For detailed information & supporting documents, see the official NHTSA page concerning investigation #EA06012 »
Status of Investigation: This investigation was closed on December 07 2007 and there was a recall ordered: #07V553000
* This defect investigation is filed under 2 related vehicle components.
SECTOR SHAFT FRACTURES Defect Investigation for the 1999 F550 SUPER DUTY
Vehicle Component: Steering:Gear Box:Shaft Pitman*
Summary: This ea was opened based on a response received from Ford motor company to an information request (ir) submitted during SQ00-018. Ford stated in an internal service message that it had changed the steering gear sector shafts and pitman arms installed 1999 model year F-series Super Duty vehicles on March 22, 1999. Ford stated that these design changes were implemented to make improvements in vehicle steering and handling, and that virtually all of the reported fractured sector shafts were the result of extraordinary, possibly multiple, impacts. An engineering analysis closing report is attached.
More Details: For detailed information & supporting documents, see the official NHTSA page concerning investigation #EA01009 »
Status of Investigation: This investigation was closed on August 19 2003 and no recall was issued.
* This defect investigation is filed under 2 related vehicle components.