1997 Ford F-550 SDProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 2 owner complaints about the 1997 Ford F-550 SD, most often about the service brakes. It is covered by 3 safety recalls.

CarFlaw IndexNot enough dataHigher is better (0–100)

Safety recalls3Free fix at dealers Owner complaints20 with a crash, fire or injury Typical failure mileage32kService brakes, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through April 11, 2014. Updated daily.

Complaints by system

Where the 1997 Ford F-550 SD has problems

2 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

1Service brakes

1Tires

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.

Complaints by system
System	Complaints	Crash, fire or injury
Service brakes	1	0
Tires	1	0

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

3 recalls

1997 Ford F-550 SD recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

no report yet

Vehicle speed control

Recall 09V-399 · Oct 13, 2009 · 4,500,000 vehicles

Risk. A VEHICLE FIRE COULD OCCUR WITH OR WITHOUT THE ENGINE RUNNING.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

no report yet

Engine: diesel

Recall 07V-553 · Dec 5, 2007 · 1,176,000 vehicles

Risk. IN THE EVENT OF AN ENGINE STALL, A CRASH COULD RESULT WITHOUT WARNING.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

no report yet

Vehicle speed control

Recall 06V-286 · Aug 1, 2006 · 1,200,000 vehicles

Risk. OVERHEATING COULD RESULT IN SMOKE OR BURN AND AN UNDERHOOD FIRE.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Ford.

Best & worst years

1997 vs. every other F-550 SD year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the F-550 SD median. How we score

0 0 0 0 2 0 61 72 29 22 33 49 32 44 23 26 1 1 3 6 2 9 11 3 2 0 4 4 13 9 1 2 1 1

'93'94'95'96'97'98'99'00'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25'26

Avoid
Caution
Solid
Best
Not rated

1 investigation

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 1997 Ford F-550 SD, and the recalls they led to.

Mar 22, 2005
ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRESEA05005 · closed Aug 2, 2006
Led to recall 05V-388

In owners' words

What F-550 SD owners report

Recent service brakes complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 COACHMEN MIRADA RV EQUIPPED WITH A 1997 FORD F-530 SD CHASSIS. (NA) THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING DOWN AN INCLINE APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR WHEN DEPRESSED. AFTER DOWN SHIFTING, THE VEHICLE REDUCED SPEED AND RESUMED NORMALLY. THE VEHICLE…
Complaint 10579236 · Apr 11, 2014 · 32,000 miles

Own a 1997 F-550 SD?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.