1999 Ford F Series problems & reliability
36 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1999 Ford F Series. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 12 | 33% |
| Electrical System | 4 | 11% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 4 | 11% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 3 | 8% |
| Structure | 3 | 8% |
| Tires | 3 | 8% |
| Engine | 2 | 6% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | 6% |
| Visibility | 2 | 6% |
| Air Bags | 1 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 16 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 29 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 80,000 miles (middle 50% between 52,000 and 137,036 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“While inspecting my vehicle for fuel strap recall 11s21, it was noted that the frame of my f150 was rusted through at the location where the new strap would be installed. My ford dealer told me that they could not replace the recalled strap until the frame was repaired (at my expense). Ford does not repair the frame…”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Sep 6, 2015
“Driver side rear tire suffered tread separation after apx 1 hour around 70 mph. Tire pressure was checked / inflated to max cold prior to departure. Air temperature was in the low 80s. I am providing this information in case you track such incidents. No response is required. Cooper discoverer h/t 255/70 r16 dot upcu…”
Tires · filed Mar 11, 2015
“On july 28th around 3:00 am there was a storm earlier in the night and a tree top fell into the road and I wentto apply the brakes they locked up causing me to fish tail and lose control spinning around twice making me strike a tree and spin back around and nose dive down and embankment and land on all four wheels…”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed Jul 31, 2014
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEAD
Defect Petition DP05005 · opened Sep 22, 2005 · closed Jan 4, 2006
- TIRE VALVE STEM
Recall Query RQ02002 · opened Jan 14, 2002 · closed Aug 19, 2002 · led to recall 01V046000
- PULLS UNDER HARD BRAKING
Investigation SQ00002 · opened May 4, 2000 · closed Jan 22, 2001
Technical service bulletins
81 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1999 Ford F Series. The 10 most recent:
Jerr-dan: anti stall feature for ford f series light duty chassis with v10 gas engine and an engine drive clutch pump. Model years unknown. *pe
TB-08-258 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 29, 2008
Ford: certain 1999-2001 model year vehicles up to 6000 lb gvwr registered in new york and certain 2001 vehicles up to 6000 lb gvwr registered in the state of maine, certified for sale in california-federal emission…
CSP-08B01 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 16, 2008
General (pcm) power train control module programming procedures. *tt
042107 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 13, 2004
General power train control module (pcm) programming procedures. *tt
04217 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 2004
Rough idle, miss and various other driveability concerns on vehicles with 7.3l dit engine. This may be related to injector bore scuffing caused by fuel quality issues. *tt
11675 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 30, 2003
7.3l dit turbocharger replacement under warranty. Ford special service message. *tt
11672 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 30, 2003
Correct fuel pressure test adapter. Ford special service message. *tt
11456 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 30, 2003
Remote keyless entry (rke) - service tips. *tt
03181 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 15, 2003
Clear gel-like substance in the hydraulic brake master cylinder reservoir. This substance is a silicone base lubricant used during assembly of the master cylinder. *tt
16891 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 1, 2003
False failure of the vapor management valve (vmv). *tt *jb
16683 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 1, 2003
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1999 Ford F Series in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1999 Ford F Series?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 80,000 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.