pickupsrule

Saw on the news where Ford is being investigated for 1997-2003 fuel tank strap problems. It seems the straps rust, the tank falls off the truck, leaks gas, then can catch on fire. So far only one truck destroyed in flames, no injuries. I remember seeing a bunch of posts about the gas tank straps rusting and some fixes people here did. Thanks to those posts, I checked my tank straps 6 months ago and like the rest of my truck no rust at all (southern truck no salt on the roads). I suggest everyone check the fuel tank straps for rust and if they are bad, you may want to use a temp fix to keep the tank from falling off the truck until the recall is official. Some of the fixes on the earlier posts were downright funny, but they worked.
That's why this forum is great, we know things long before anyone else thanks to the postings on the boards.

kozal01

iTrader: (2)

yeah my buddy almost lost the tank on his 98 because the straps rusted off. i will be keeping an eye on this, thanks for the heads up.

speciald300

Why they didnt put plastic gas tanks on these trucks is beyond me, Ive owned 2 of these generation of trucks and have done a new gas tank and straps on both.

cbc24

lol they shouldnt warentee that lol its not their fault steel rusts. I think its dumb manufactures still warentee old *** stuff lol of course a 12 yr old truck will have rust on it.

TexanFX4

I don't think its dumb at all. I just bought my truck...its 12 years old and if it's gas tank is about to fall off...which I will be inspecting tomorrow, I would be more than glad for someone else to fix it for me!

SchuLace

If it is something that could kill someone, it should be recalled. It isn't a warranty, its a recall. It is smart of companies to do this. Fix the problem before their vehicles are known to kill people.

Hollabakzach23

Definitely smart of companies to issue recalls I would need a new pair of jeans if I wad cruising down the road and my truck caught on fire because my gas tank fell off. LOL Ford aint losing any money by replacing the straps, our truckshave been paid off for years. Is there a link on here about the original thread of this recall so I can educate myself a little more on it I can't seem to find it in my phone

msvphoto

Thanks for the heads up. I heard about this a few weeks back and immediately checked our 2001. California truck and no rust on the straps whatsoever. I am on the coast and the truck does have some surface rust here and there on the undercarriage, and one nasty quarter size rust spot on the front of the hood that has paint bubbling, but overall seems okay, and the tank straps look great.

Scary problem in the rust belt for sure, but easy to check.

pickupsrule

Does this issue remind anyone else of the move Dr. Strangelove where Slim Pickens is riding the nuke down, waving his hat, and screaming Yeee haaaw?
That would be an appropriate reaction if your gas tank fell off.
Check out this story and SCARY video.
Oh crap!

http://www.wwmt.com/articles/newscha...sees-tank.html

pickupsrule

The cab floor was rusted, he fell through landing on his gas tank, the gas tank fell off due to rusted straps, and ole Slim did the only thing he could before the gas tank explosion.