1997 Ford F-150 Electrical System Problems
Owners have filed 198 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the 1997 Ford F-150, 7% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 112,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “caught fire” (26% of reports).
- 198electrical system complaints
- 112,000median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 3mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 46%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Caught fire: mentioned in 52 of 198 complaints (26%)
- Engine compartment: mentioned in 14 of 198 complaints (7%)
- Parked driveway: mentioned in 12 of 198 complaints (6%)
At what mileage do electrical system problems happen?
Based on 91 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 198 complaints, 1 mention a crash, 120 a fire, 3 an injury.
Ford F-150 electrical system complaints by model year
| Model year | Electrical System complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 F-150 | 2 | 17% | — |
| 2025 F-150 | 23 | 21% | 24,000 |
| 2024 F-150 | 40 | 21% | 25,000 |
| 2023 F-150 | 83 | 20% | 9,000 |
| 2022 F-150 | 125 | 21% | 20,000 |
| 2021 F-150 | 130 | 13% | 27,500 |
| 2020 F-150 | 88 | 12% | 3,500 |
| 2019 F-150 | 100 | 7% | 44,500 |
| 2018 F-150 | 172 | 7% | 26,000 |
| 2017 F-150 | 135 | 9% | 44,500 |
| 2016 F-150 | 187 | 9% | 40,000 |
| 2015 F-150 | 176 | 10% | 52,000 |
| 2014 F-150 | 162 | 11% | 65,000 |
| 2013 F-150 | 324 | 11% | 67,000 |
| 2012 F-150 | 173 | 10% | 66,500 |
| 2011 F-150 | 235 | 11% | 68,000 |
| 2010 F-150 | 166 | 20% | 59,571 |
| 2009 F-150 | 46 | 14% | 66,350 |
| 2008 F-150 | 29 | 8% | 82,350 |
| 2007 F-150 | 42 | 9% | 74,100 |
| 2006 F-150 | 60 | 10% | 62,000 |
| 2005 F-150 | 73 | 7% | 69,750 |
| 2004 F-150 | 99 | 5% | 55,000 |
| 2003 F-150 | 47 | 11% | 60,000 |
| 2002 F-150 | 106 | 13% | 88,000 |
| 2001 F-150 | 137 | 11% | 88,000 |
| 2000 F-150 | 191 | 18% | 81,143 |
| 1999 F-150 | 85 | 8% | 86,000 |
| 1998 F-150 | 87 | 6% | 120,000 |
| 1997 F-150 | 198 | 7% | 112,000 |
| 1996 F-150 | 56 | 17% | 100,500 |
| 1995 F-150 | 65 | 10% | 110,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists electrical system for the 1997 Ford F-150. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owned a 1997 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked at the residence, the contact noticed smoke coming from the driver's side from the bottom of the front tire. The vehicle then caught on fire. The fire department came to extinguish the fire. A fire report was…
My interior and back exterior lights come on and go off randomly sometimes while driving on the roads. The light in the back above the truck bed is bothersome because it could cause attention of another driver causing a accident. My mother also has a ford f150 that does the same, however her truck…
December 3, 2020...my husband drove the truck over to a friends house. After being there for approximately 2 hours his friend walked in the building where he was and said, 'hey man, your truck is on fire!' everyone rushed outside to see the truck was in fact on fire. They called the fire department…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1997 Ford F-150s have electrical system problems?
No. NHTSA has 198 owner complaints about electrical system for the 1997 Ford F-150 (7% of the 2,758 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Ford F-150 electrical system?
No recall currently lists electrical system for this vehicle.
At what mileage do electrical system problems start?
The median reported mileage is 112,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about electrical system problems on the 1997 Ford F-150?
The most frequent phrase is “caught fire”, in 52 of 198 complaints, followed by “engine compartment” (14).
Other 1997 Ford F-150 problems
See all 1997 Ford F-150 problems or electrical system problems across all F-150 years.