"How reliable is the 1997 Ford F-250?"

"Based on 348 NHTSA complaints, the 1997 Ford F-250 has a median complaint mileage of 114000 miles. The most common issue is TIRES."

"What are common problems with the 1997 Ford F-250?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1997 Ford F-250 is TIRES, accounting for a significant portion of the 348 total complaints filed."

1997 Ford F-250: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 348 complaints

348

Total Complaints

114,000mi

Median Mileage

TIRES

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

86,000 25th Percentile

114,000 Median Mileage

142,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

TIRES

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

TIRES:TREAD/BELT

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

SUSPENSION:FRONT

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"BRAKES: DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10MPH PREPARING TO MAKE LEFT TURN AND VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP. ICE WAS ON HIGHWAY, APPLIED BRAKES AND PEDAL WENT COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR, CAUSE OF FAILURE UNKNOWN , VEHICLE NOT TAKEN IN FOR REPAIRS. MANUFACTURER INSISTS THAT THERE IS NO RECALL. *AK"

"WHEN DRIVING ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS THE BACK BRAKES DO NOT GRAB AT ALL OR SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN. THE VEHICLE HAS TO BE TAKEN OUT OF DRIVE AND PUT IN NEUTRAL IN ORDER TO STOP. ON 3/14/97 BRAKES ADJUSTED BY DEALERSHIP, PROBLEM STILL OCCURRING. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28