Consumer Complaint Detail

FORD / E SERIES / 1998

Recalls
0 Injured
Investigations
0 Death
Complaints
No Fire
Components - Details
NHTSA Complaint Number: 003276664 Incident Date: Jun, 14 2003
Consumer's City: CHARLESTON Consumer's State: SC
Vehicle Transmission Type: AUTO Manufacturers Name: Ford Motor Company
Model Name: E SERIES Model Year: 1998
Vehicle Involved in a Crash: No Component's Description: Fuel system, gasoline
Vehicle Involved in a Fire: No Persons Injured: 0
Vehicle's VIN#: 1FDSS34F6WH Date added to File: May, 25 2021
Date Complaint Received: Jan, 14 2004 Complaint Type: CAG
Incident Reported To Police: No Purchase Date: -
Was Original Owner: No Anti-lock Brakes: No
Number of Cylinders: 0 Date of Manufacturer: -
Was Vehicle Towed: - Description of the Complaints: I have a 1998 ford diesel van that i have just purchase about a couple of months ago. the former owner gave me a clue of a problem that i didn't pick on when i bought it. he said don't fill the tank full or the fuel will overflow. well it does overflow full or not but worst with a full tank. ford and the nhtsa had issued a recall for possible cracking of fuel tanks in van's like mine. the recall was for 1997 thru 2001 econoline_van's. i took it to a ford dealership in charleston sc but they refused to look at it and told me that no recall was ever made on my van. i called ford customer care and they said the same thing. but a recall was made on june 29, 2000. the fuel tank does not appear to leak while stopped even if the motor is running and i have let it run for more than a hour. it leaks very bad while underway. the wiring harness that runs by the fuel tank and just underneath it is full of diesel fuel. i open up the harness plastic cover and drain the fuel from it but it will fill up again as soon as i drive the van. although i have tried to pin point the source of the leak i have not been able to do so. i clean the tank but the fuel will reappear with no visible source of leak. this has got me scared and since ford will not look at it unless i agree to pay for repairs and i am at lost as to what to do now. i feel that this problem is just like all the other van's that they have already repaired or install insulators to protect the tank from cracking if it is not leaking. i believe ford should look at the van and fixed at their expense if the tank is indeed crack like i suspect. i found that a recall # 01v114000 was made on march 30, 2001 for possible fuel tank cracking in 1998 e350 van's. i also found that nhtsa had also issue a tsb #15113 for 1998 ford e350 vans for possible fuel fill valve sealing condition. i think recalls are more important anyway and can be verified.