How about a real work truck

[kenp77]

I would suggest reviewing the thread on F-150 online - scroll down to the 2004+ trucks. This thread is not all that old but already has 33 pages. There are a lot of folks both upset and concerned about this spark plug problem.

 

Ford has released TSB 06-5-9 and it is worthwhile to note a few things. For one, when the new plugs are installed - nickel anti-seize is to be applied only to the ground electrode shield (the part of the plug that is rusting in place). It also says do not coat the electrode strap or misfire will occur. And, also says not to use lubricant on the threads when the new plugs are installed.

 

Sounds like the going price at the dealers is around $500 for the 5.4/3 valve spark plug change. And, it also sounds like there may be some warranty coverage if the plugs cannot be removed if you are still under the new vehicle warranty. I think you are wise to take the truck in before the 3 year/36,000 mile warranty expires.

 

Sure sounds to me like a vehicle to avoid in the used truck market.

Think you are right I have also read this tsb, I would not be surprised to see a class action suit in a couple of years when people start to get close to the 100K change out and find out they can't get the plugs out and what it costs if heads get ruined???

[F250]

Well sorry to tell you that you are wrong again I do have the extended warranty just for this reason and I am almost at 30K at which time I am going to the dealer and see if I can have my plugs changed have heard ford has a redesigned plug but can't confirm that and see what they have to say but I am betting it won't be a warranty item even it they should ruin a head , what do you thing???? Since from your posta I assume you are a ford auto worker.

 

Oh good, you don't have a problem with your truck.

So you are not complaining because you have a problem, you are complaining because you heard on the internet that other people have had a problem and you are afraid that one day you might have to pay the dealer to use the SST (that's special service tool) to remove a broken spark plug for you. Oh. Ok, I understand.

 

Some folks get really worried about things and start wringing their hands and pacing around and sweating and typing IN ALL CAPS. And come to find out their truck runs fine, they just heard they might have a problem at some time in the future. Well friend let me just advise you to relax. Yep, that's right just relax, life's too short to worry about things like that.

 

By the way if you look down you will see I have one of those "horrable 5.4L spark plug problem" engines too and I'm not worried one bit about it.

 

Have a good day.

Edited January 11, 2007 by F250

[F250]

Sure sounds to me like a vehicle to avoid in the used truck market.

 

Since you do not buy new trucks you are not a Ford, or GM, or Dodge, etc, customer.

You are a customer of the "Buy here-Pay here used car lot" or whatever private owner that you buy your trucks from. Maybe since they made all of the profit from the sale of your truck they will help you if you have a problem.

 

Did you know the F-150 you are driving scored extremely low in crash safety testing. Yep, that's right your generation of F-150 passed all applicable government testing when it was introduced in 1996 but during the new off-set frontal impact test the PN96 (that's 1996-2003 & 2004 Heritage model F-150s) scored very poor and the passenger compartment deformed significantly. Your generation F-150's safety weakness is the reason Ford designed the 2004 and newer (P221) to be the "best in class" in safety, and the trade off was the new trucks are heavier but it's well worth it for the vast improvment in safety.

 

And if you have the 5.4L engine of those years the spark plugs do not break, they blow out! Oh my god!

 

"Sure sounds to me like a vehicle to avoid in the used truck market." So why did you buy one?

 

By the way every manufacturer has multiple TSBs on various problems that crop up after the product is released.

[cheri/ck]

First of all, I was referring to the 2004/2005 5.4/3 valve engines as a "vehicle to avoid in the used car market". Why would you want to buy a used truck with spark plugs that are so difficult to remove? It is likely that if they have been removed, the threads in the heads have been compromised. If they haven't been removed, it is likely to be a big problem to get them out. And, why did I buy one? I didn't - we have two F-150 trucks now (both bought new) and from the previous generation (1999 and 2001). At least with the spark plug blow out issue on these 5.4 engines it has only likely happened to about 5% of them. The 2004/2005 5.4/3 valve engines will all have this spark plug problem.

 

And, yes, I was on this planet when the crash testing numbers for the previous generation were done. One thing to consider is vehicle mass - in order for the truck to do so poorly in a crash, it would have to hit something close to its same weight. That lowers the odds substantially that it would fair so poorly in an everyday offset crash considering how many much smaller vehicles are out there.

 

And, no - I don't think the F-150 had to gain 800 pounds to strengthen the frame in the cab area. A good deal of that weight went to fully boxing the frame in the rear and one of the reasons I don't like this latest design. We have owned F-150 and F-250 vehicles for over 30 years and never had a fully boxed frame. Those trucks did just fine without it and without the additional weight.

[kenp77]

Oh good, you don't have a problem with your truck.

So you are not complaining because you have a problem, you are complaining because you heard on the internet that other people have had a problem and you are afraid that one day you might have to pay the dealer to use the SST (that's special service tool) to remove a broken spark plug for you. Oh. Ok, I understand.

 

Some folks get really worried about things and start wringing their hands and pacing around and sweating and typing IN ALL CAPS. And come to find out their truck runs fine, they just heard they might have a problem at some time in the future. Well friend let me just advise you to relax. Yep, that's right just relax, life's too short to worry about things like that.

 

By the way if you look down you will see I have one of those "horrable 5.4L spark plug problem" engines too and I'm not worried one bit about it.

 

Have a good day.

So once again I ask you what do you think about the spark plug issue in general and the way ford is handling it since you defend them so rigorously? What will you do when it is time to change your plugs I am looking for info here????I also suspect I am some older than you so I fully understand the relax theory which I normally live by but some things get me a bit upset. :reading:

[Keyser Soze]

Since you are such a "loyal Ford customer" I'll assume you bought your truck brand new. Your truck came with a legal agreement called a warranty that covered the entire vehicle for 3-years or 36,000 miles and at any time during that period you could have chosen to purchase extra coverage like Ford's ESP Platinum plan. Did you? I'll bet not. It's been my experience that people who whine "DESIGN FLAW" did not purchase good extended service contracts so they claim anything that happens after the warranty expires is a "design flaw" in an attempt to get free repairs. Then again Ford's recomended spark plug replacement interval for the 5.4L is 100,000 miles so how many miles does your truck have on it?

 

Ford has a big problem in hiding behind this legal agreement. Most buyers are reasonable and understand that certain items may fail prematurely. The problem comes in when an item that should last a very long time or even the life of the vehicle fails. Do you believe that a factory installed spark plug being blown out of a cylinder head is a "tough luck" item at 40K miles just because the buyer did not purchase an ESC? How about all the HVAC blend-door failures on the Range/Explorer/Mountaineer? Do you not expect the blend door to last the life of the car? Why did Ford change the material the door was made out of if there was no design flaw? Windstar 3.8's? Just because the warranty expires at 36K miles does not mean that a buyer should expect the engine to fail at 70 or 80K. I'm not talking about isolated failures here. These are well documented problems with thousands of documented cases.

 

So Ford has no legal obligation to repair these items. Fine. The buyer that feels Ford did not make good on a defective vehicle is under no obligation to buy another Ford. Is this good business? It's a lot harder to replace a customer than to retain one. How about Bec's story about his dad's Windstar? How many sales will this cost Ford over the man's lifetime? How many family and friends will he influence? We're not talking about a guy who expected Ford to replace the water pump on a 90K mile heap that never had a coolant change.

 

I'm talking about the denial of responsibility by Ford of well known, documented flaws. Both spark plug issues fall under this category. If the spark plug change interval is 100K and the warranty is 36K, how is the buyer supposed to find out about this flaw until well after the warranty is expired? Why should I have to buy an ESP to cover design flaws and component defects?

[cheri/ck]

That is such a good summary of so many things about Ford that make me mad. There was a time when I didn't shop anything but Ford trucks and why? Because they were the best. If there was a problem in the first 100,000 miles that should not have happened, I could count on that Ford dealer to make it right. And, they got a good deal of support from Ford to make it right. Yes, I believe strongly in Ford dealer service and original equipment parts. My trucks never go anywhere else for even basic oil changes.

 

Seems to me like Ford has put so much pressure on their good dealers to deal with what are often poorly engineered vehicles and also poor research/development. So many problems that should have never happened if the product was fully developed before selling it to the public.

 

One of the reasons I keep driving my older Ford trucks is because I am hanging on and hoping for something better. And, yes, in the interim I bought a used Ranger, which has been just a terrific small truck and has been a good choice to take a few miles off of the older F-150's. And, then, maybe the main reason is because I have a truly outstanding Ford dealer and I really hate to leave them as I think they are likely to be impossible to replace.

 

Sure do hope that Ford is getting the wake-up call. Not sure how much longer folks like us that drive lots of miles can hold out.

Edited January 12, 2007 by cheri/ck

[tcap for now]

i had a 2003 f-150 2wd that i traded for a 2004 4x4. being 5'7" i could reach over the side of the 2003 but only barely. so i didnt really miss that on the 2004. i do like the higher sides though. i have made use of them a few times mostly when my tonneau cover was on. i do lose my small utility trailer behind the bed, but i could barely see it behind the 2003 which was a 2wd. if it was a 4x4 it would have been lost on that one as well. but the ride of the 2004 is definately far superior. in fact i think my f-150 has a nicer ride than most cars on the road. and feels more stable and capable off road. and it tows like a dream. its more stable towing my camper than my 2003 was, and gets it moving better. it has more room in the back seat than my 2003 did. (both super cabs). i like the interior a lot better as well. but the seats are only a little better. if the 6.5 foot bet was available in the super crew in 2004 i would have gotten that. but i would still like a super crew f-150 with an 8ft box. my truck is my daily driver as well as my recreational vehicle. and does my odd jobs as well. when i got my 2004 i wanted a superduty real bad. i drove both and the f-150 won me over on one drive. won over my friend who was a die hard dodge fan too. and another friend is considering an f-150 as well but thats mostly because transmissions are getting spendy for his silverado.

 

if the dealer has a problem changing my plugs i will simply tell them,

"it wasnt broke when i brought it in, you broke it you fix it and you pay for it."

i feel if i didnt break it and they did doing a routine tune up its their problem. if they tell me its a problem with the truck that will be ammo to use to get ford to cover it. and i have the extended warranty on my truck simply because its the first year of a new model. even under ideal conditions there can still be problems, but i understand that and accept it as long as ford will make good on the repairs. if not i will go elsewhere.

[F250]

So Ford has no legal obligation to repair these items. Fine. The buyer that feels Ford did not make good on a defective vehicle is under no obligation to buy another Ford. Is this good business? It's a lot harder to replace a customer than to retain one. How about Bec's story about his dad's Windstar? How many sales will this cost Ford over the man's lifetime? How many family and friends will he influence? We're not talking about a guy who expected Ford to replace the water pump on a 90K mile heap that never had a coolant change.

 

Unfortunately a growing number of Americans today cry and whine that they have been victimized by some big evil company (with deep pockets) and they want someone else to pay their way through life. I guess I can't understand that simply because I wasn't raised that way.

 

And these poeple have learned to work the victim system very well. Some examples in the automotive business are.

 

>Well there is a TSB on this part so the manufacturer admits the old one was a defective design.

Under this philosophy a manufacturer can never improve on anything without being accused of covering an old defect and therefore should warranty the original design for as long as the "victim" owns the car.

 

>Well that part should last the life of the car and it didn't so it must be a design defect. Thank you very much Mr Engineer your expert opinion is noted. Again, this is an angle for the lifetime warranty claim.

 

>Everyone I encounter on the internet compains of this problem so it is a design defect with thousands of victims.

Yep, gotta love the internet because everything you read is proven fact, no one ever lies and one "victim" with a lot of time on his hands can whine to thousands of people, which after all is part of the victim's purpose, to get a lot of people feeling sorry for him.

 

There are many others but these are some of the most popular, where do you fit in?

 

So IF Ford is an evil company that denies "victims" free repairs on their cars no matter how old they are, their mileage, maintenance record or even if they bought them new from Ford. Let's look at how better car companies handle their customers. I like to use Toyota because they are the darling of the media, posted more profit than any other car company on the planet last year and have such a good customer satisfaction reputation. Well I can think of several problems that required "victims" lawyers to file class action law suits which Toyota lost reciently like their Engine Oil Gell and Sienna run flat tire failures. So where are you "victims" going to buy your car when you leave Ford? Toyota?

Obviously they don't have a lifetime warranty either and they make their customers take them to court so they are evil too. And they make more profit than any other car company.

[F250]

i had a 2003 f-150 2wd that i traded for a 2004 4x4. being 5'7" i could reach over the side of the 2003 but only barely. so i didnt really miss that on the 2004. i do like the higher sides though. i have made use of them a few times mostly when my tonneau cover was on. i do lose my small utility trailer behind the bed, but i could barely see it behind the 2003 which was a 2wd. if it was a 4x4 it would have been lost on that one as well. but the ride of the 2004 is definately far superior. in fact i think my f-150 has a nicer ride than most cars on the road. and feels more stable and capable off road. and it tows like a dream. its more stable towing my camper than my 2003 was, and gets it moving better. it has more room in the back seat than my 2003 did. (both super cabs). i like the interior a lot better as well. but the seats are only a little better. if the 6.5 foot bet was available in the super crew in 2004 i would have gotten that. but i would still like a super crew f-150 with an 8ft box. my truck is my daily driver as well as my recreational vehicle. and does my odd jobs as well. when i got my 2004 i wanted a superduty real bad. i drove both and the f-150 won me over on one drive. won over my friend who was a die hard dodge fan too. and another friend is considering an f-150 as well but thats mostly because transmissions are getting spendy for his silverado.

 

if the dealer has a problem changing my plugs i will simply tell them,

"it wasnt broke when i brought it in, you broke it you fix it and you pay for it."

i feel if i didnt break it and they did doing a routine tune up its their problem. if they tell me its a problem with the truck that will be ammo to use to get ford to cover it. and i have the extended warranty on my truck simply because its the first year of a new model. even under ideal conditions there can still be problems, but i understand that and accept it as long as ford will make good on the repairs. if not i will go elsewhere.

 

Thanks for bringing this discussion back on topic. I'll admit I allowed others to turn this into just another bash Ford thread.

 

Yes, in my opinion the F-150 is the best pickup truck on the market and that's why I bought a brand new one.

 

Is it a perfect truck? No

Is it the best pickup truck? You bet!

[Keyser Soze]

Unfortunately a growing number of Americans today cry and whine that they have been victimized by some big evil company (with deep pockets) and they want someone else to pay their way through life. I guess I can't understand that simply because I wasn't raised that way.

 

Usually, the idea of responsibility for one's actions goes hand in hand with this lesson. I own up to my mistakes and make them right. I expect others to do the same. You screw up, you make it right. End of story.

 

As far as someone else paying my way through life, that's a pretty good laugh. Funny, but every time I've bought a new car I had to hand over cold, hard cash. I'm paying for a vehicle and reliability is part of the bargain. A vehilce is expected to be functional beyond its warranty period, like it or not. A new refrigerator from Sears comes with a 1 year warranty. Do you think that it is acceptable if the compressor takes a dump 15 months after you buy it? If the manufacturer and/or retailer refused to make some sort of accomodation would you buy another one from them? I think not. Why should a vehicle purchase be any different?

 

And these poeple have learned to work the victim system very well. Some examples in the automotive business are.

 

>Well there is a TSB on this part so the manufacturer admits the old one was a defective design.

Under this philosophy a manufacturer can never improve on anything without being accused of covering an old defect and therefore should warranty the original design for as long as the "victim" owns the car.

 

So in your world, it is perfectly reasonable that the HVAC blend door in my Explorer failed at 60K miles and I should have been very happy to pay the $1,200 the dealer quoted to replace it? The fact that Ford changed the material the door is made of is in no way an admission that there was a problem, right? The well-publicized problem has gone away in vehicles manufactured after the change, but this in no way indicates that the original design was flawed. After all, once the car hits 37K, the whole thing could disintegrate into a pile of filings and I should run out and buy another one.

 

>Well that part should last the life of the car and it didn't so it must be a design defect. Thank you very much Mr Engineer your expert opinion is noted. Again, this is an angle for the lifetime warranty claim.

 

I don't need to be a chef to know when the soup is cold. I also don't need to be an engineer to know that a spark plug should NEVER be ejected from a cylinder head. Are you really claiming that this is not a defect? Do you believe that there are no parts on a modern vehicle that should be expected to last the life of the car?

 

>Everyone I encounter on the internet compains of this problem so it is a design defect with thousands of victims.

Yep, gotta love the internet because everything you read is proven fact, no one ever lies and one "victim" with a lot of time on his hands can whine to thousands of people, which after all is part of the victim's purpose, to get a lot of people feeling sorry for him.

 

There are many others but these are some of the most popular, where do you fit in?

 

So your position is than the spark plug issues do not exist? Are they an internet conspiracy cooked up by the import-loving media? Because some claims may be false or exaggerated does that mean that they all are? Open your eyes. Where there is smoke there is fire. Why do I get the impression that you have no problem believing widespread internet reports that CRV's catch on fire and Honda's puke their automatic transmissions. Can't have it both ways.

 

 

So IF Ford is an evil company that denies "victims" free repairs on their cars no matter how old they are, their mileage, maintenance record or even if they bought them new from Ford. Let's look at how better car companies handle their customers. I like to use Toyota because they are the darling of the media, posted more profit than any other car company on the planet last year and have such a good customer satisfaction reputation. Well I can think of several problems that required "victims" lawyers to file class action law suits which Toyota lost reciently like their Engine Oil Gell and Sienna run flat tire failures. So where are you "victims" going to buy your car when you leave Ford? Toyota?

Obviously they don't have a lifetime warranty either and they make their customers take them to court so they are evil too. And they make more profit than any other car company.

 

Ford is not evil, just stupid sometimes. You speak in hyperbole intended to undemine those who have legitimate grievances. I have yet to see anyone on this board suggest that a customer should receive, "free repairs on their cars no matter how old they are, their mileage, maintenance record or even if they bought them new from Ford." Cars will break and we can all accept that. Lack of maintenenace records is irrelevant unless poor maintenance is the cause of the problem. Spark plugs, should never, ever, ever, ever blow out of a cylinder head. What lack of maintenance causes this, or a factory installed spark plug to sieze in the head before the manufacturer's specified change interval? I defy you to come up with any scenario where this is the fault of the owner. These are design and assembly flaws, plain and simple.

 

You can point the finger at any other manufacturer you like. If they fail to stand behind their products they are just as stupid. If your defense of Ford is that other manufacturers make bad decisions, it is a poor argument at best. Toyota and Honda can afford to lose customers. Ford cannot, particularly in light duty trucks.

 

Is it your postition that there is never a case in which a car maker is ethically bound to repair a defect after the warranty has expired?

 

Ford can do as it pleases. So can the customers. Can't you see that?

[F250]

I've worked in the electrical field as well as supply houses over the last 15 years, and the one thing I've noticed during this time is the shortening of beds and the rising of the sidewalls. Anyone who works in construction knows that having to climb into a bed to retrieve materials or tools is a nuisance. And having to tie down materials and/or ladders is a time eater.

I own a 98 Ranger with a 7 foot bed, its a great truck and very economical and ergonomic. But many people I work near have f-150's that have the bed walls too high to be accessible-including one owner who is well over 6 foot-or beds that are not long enough to handle 10 foot conduit safely without extensive tying down.

Does anyone else miss having a functional bed in terms of height and length?

 

I have quoted the original post in a second attempt to bring this hijacked topic back into focus.

 

I suppose the simple answer, for the Ford F-150, is that bed lengths have not changed the only dimension that has changed is the depth. Today the very same 8ft and 6.5ft bed options are available on the F-150 that have been available for decades. The depth of the bed was increased in 2004 by only 2 inches to increase volume.

Examples as listed by Ford for F-150 regular cab 2WD 8ft bed trucks:

1996-2003 dimensions

L=8 ft

W=65.2" max

cargo volume=72.6 cf

standard cargo capacity (standard engine and tires) is 1,555 lbs

load height (open tailgate to ground empty) for a 2wd is 32.5"

 

2004-2007 dimensions

L=97.4"

W=65.2" max

cargo volume=81.3 cf

standard cargo capacity (standard engine and tires) is 1,920 lbs

load height (open tailgate to ground empty) for a 2wd is 33.5"

 

So the 1 inch higher floor (chassis height) provides 365lbs more cargo weight capacity and the 2 inch increase in bed depth provides 8.7 cubic feet more cargo volume.

 

The engineers thought the height was worth the increase in capability but they can't please everyone. However many people must like the current F-150 as it is a record setting sales leader.

Edited January 13, 2007 by F250

[cheri/ck]

So, to summarize this thread: It started out with someone not happy about the usefullness of the current F-150 design and more or less ending with major reliability problems with 5.4/3 valve engine plus the lack of a competitive automatic transmission. Maybe most of us are big Ford fans and really worried about the future sales of the trucks? And, if Ford can't sell trucks - well, where will they go, at least in North America? Maybe we are worried and concerned about Ford?

 

Then we read on Blue Oval News (and now on other forums) about Ford suing Navistar over the 6.0 Powerstroke disaster? Why on the wake of the Navistar 6.4 introduction? I don't see that move as instilling confidence in buyers of the "new" 6.4 Powerstroke, especially with rumors of Cummins coming in with new future Ford diesels.

 

Guess I see this thread as having been somewhat useful and not hi-jacked. And, yes - two inches vertical on the height of the tailgate is a lot when backing up a small, empty trailer. Have you ever tried putting a toolbox on the back of your truck that was just slightly higher than the last one? Won't matter - right? Not until you have to look hard for something over the tailgate.

 

My point has been and still continues that Ford needs to make a nice, fuel-efficient and easy to live with half-ton truck again. The F-150 does not need to weigh nearly 6,000 pounds and does not need three-quarter ton capability. And, this truck in the very near future needs to be made with proven components (4.6 V-8?) that brings back sensibility and reliabilty to the segment. A new and strong automatic tranny would be icing on the cake.

[F250]

So, to summarize this thread: It started out with someone not happy about the usefullness of the current F-150 design and more or less ending with major reliability problems with 5.4/3 valve engine plus the lack of a competitive automatic transmission. Maybe most of us are big Ford fans and really worried about the future sales of the trucks? And, if Ford can't sell trucks - well, where will they go, at least in North America? Maybe we are worried and concerned about Ford?

 

Then we read on Blue Oval News (and now on other forums) about Ford suing Navistar over the 6.0 Powerstroke disaster? Why on the wake of the Navistar 6.4 introduction? I don't see that move as instilling confidence in buyers of the "new" 6.4 Powerstroke, especially with rumors of Cummins coming in with new future Ford diesels.

 

Guess I see this thread as having been somewhat useful and not hi-jacked. And, yes - two inches vertical on the height of the tailgate is a lot when backing up a small, empty trailer. Have you ever tried putting a toolbox on the back of your truck that was just slightly higher than the last one? Won't matter - right? Not until you have to look hard for something over the tailgate.

 

My point has been and still continues that Ford needs to make a nice, fuel-efficient and easy to live with half-ton truck again. The F-150 does not need to weigh nearly 6,000 pounds and does not need three-quarter ton capability. And, this truck in the very near future needs to be made with proven components (4.6 V-8?) that brings back sensibility and reliabilty to the segment. A new and strong automatic tranny would be icing on the cake.

 

Ok, I'll bite.

You stated "major reliability problems with 5.4/3 valve engine" and then ended with "...needs to be made with proven components (4.6 V-8?)" What exactly are you talking about when you refer to the 5.4L 3-valve reliability problems? Keep in mind that I actually own one, do you? I assume you are referring to the infamous internet breaking spark plug problem, well since you are a big Ford fan you already know that the current production 3-valve Mustang 4.6L V8 cylinder head is the exact same design (right down to the casting number) that is used on the 5.4L V8 with the same long reach design spark plugs. So tell me how the 3V-4.6L is so much more reliable than the 3V-5.4L. It couldn't be that we hear about the 5.4L truck engines so much because there are about 10-times more of them out there in service than Mustang GTs would it. This assumes you were not thinking about using the old, outclassed and very underpowered 2-valve 4.6L engine that will be phased out of production.

 

Then you bring up the Ford vs Navistar diesel engine law suit. What does that have to do with F-150s? You complain the F-150 is too big for you so I know you aren't interested in the SuperDuty F-250/F-350 trucks...unless there is a way to bring up the 6.0L diesel problems in another effort to bash Ford. It's simple, Ford has a contract with Navistar to supply diesel engines and Ford believes Navistar is in violation of that contract on various issues. They are simply following legal process.

 

Back on topic, you stated earlier that no manufacturer really builds a truck like you want any more. Do you know why? Because the market demanded more capable trucks and in this class to be a competitor you can't be caught building trucks that can't match the capabilities of the rest of the competition. The closest truck to what you are looking for was the old Toyota Tundra, but as of November '06 it has been replaced with...you guessed it...a much larger truck that matches the size and capabilities of every competitor in this class. Why did Toyota do that? Because they were only selling about 100,000 Tundras compaired to Ford's 850,000-900,000 F-Series trucks.

 

Could Ford build a light weight F-100 type truck that was more like the old 96-'03 models? Of course, and certain people would buy one right away but the problem is they would barely sell in enough volume to cover the cost of R&D and production much less turn a significant profit. Perhaps in better times Ford would have the resources to take a gamble on such a special market truck but not now.