1999 Ford Ford Truck reliability: common problems

Owners of the 1999 Ford Ford Truck filed 33 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine and cooling and visibility. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 33
involving a crash: 6

What fails most often

1 Engine and cooling 24% of all complaints
2 Visibility 15% of all complaints
3 Air bags 9% of all complaints
4 Service brakes 9% of all complaints
5 Tires 9% of all complaints
6 Steering 6% of all complaints
7 Structure 6% of all complaints
8 Suspension 6% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Engine and cooling: 8 complaints (24% of all).
Visibility: 5 complaints (15% of all).
Air bags: 3 complaints (9% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Service brakes: 3 complaints (9% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Tires: 3 complaints (9% of all).

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 33 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

smoke, burning smell, fire4 · 12%
brake failure2 · 6%
oil leak or consumption2 · 6%
tires: bulges, blowouts2 · 6%
windows, sunroof2 · 6%
airbag warning light1 · 3%
overheating, coolant loss1 · 3%
loss of power / limp mode1 · 3%
rust, corrosion1 · 3%
infotainment or screen glitches1 · 3%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Engine and cooling	8	0
Visibility	5	0
Air bags	3	2
Service brakes	3	1
Tires	3	0
Steering	2	0
Structure	2	0
Suspension	2	1
Electrical system	1	0
Electronic stability control	1	1
Powertrain	1	0
Seats	1	1
Vehicle speed control	1	0
Other	2	0

What owners report

Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.

Vehicle experiences continued problems with suspension stability and control, several replacements of suspension/steering components...tie rod/s bent/broken causeing to lose control at low speed (thank god I wasnt going faster at the time) wheels flopped on its sides continued 4 wheel alignment and replacement of…
Electronic stability control · crash · 2005-03-06 · NHTSA complaint #10112593
I know of two other incidents that same kind failed, ford basically said prove it. No safety defect listed.
Air bags · crash · 2000-11-09 · NHTSA complaint #735874
Servere truck sway using anti-sway trailering bar with 23' trailer
Suspension · crash · 1999-08-19 · NHTSA complaint #710192
I stuck a minivan that was crossing in front of my truck at the time of the accident I thought that I had not applied the breaks in time , now after 7 more intermittent brake failures with one of those reasulting in a rear end collision with minor damage this was about the thrid failure thu truck was taken to a dealer…
Service brakes · crash · 1999-08-05 · NHTSA complaint #709629
Premature perforated corrosion of entire steel brake line of my 1999 ford expedition eddie bauer 5.4l 4wd was discovered after my brake warning light went on without any perceived problem with braking noted.
Service brakes · 2007-07-10 · NHTSA complaint #10195982
There was an electrical burning smell, smoke from dash. There were no flames, however something was burning somewhere. Truck quit running. Broke down 165 miles away from home. First we tried a "new" battery, tried jumping it nothing worked. We had it towed to the closest ford dealer - lake ford in lewistown, pa.
Structure · 2007-01-29 · NHTSA complaint #10181004
Driving normally when load sound came out from under hood. Accelerating slightly to get off of the road sounded like back firing. Expedition was towed to mechanics. Tow truck operator also mentioned that he himself had towed between 15 and 20 expeditions due to this spark plug problem and we live in a small community.
Engine and cooling · 2005-12-07 · NHTSA complaint #10144700
Interior lights, power windows, and windshield wipers do not work which could of caused an accident when it happened when it was raining.
Visibility · 2005-09-20 · NHTSA complaint #10137094

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

19981
19997
20009
20013
20022
20032
20041
20056
20072

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 6,277 of 32,257 model years in the NHTSA data (top 19% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Ford Truck has 13 complaints (24 years in the data). This year has 33, above average.

What to check before buying

Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Visibility. Wipers, mirrors, defrosters, cracked glass.
Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 1999 Ford Ford Truck?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: engine and cooling, visibility, air bags. Total complaints: 33. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (12%), brake failure (6%), oil leak or consumption (6%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1999 Ford Ford Truck?

NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.

Should I buy a 1999 Ford Ford Truck from a US auction?

Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.

Other 1999 models

Read also

Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-06.