Owners have filed 2,103 complaints on the Ford F-350, covering 1989–2013. The system named most often is Steering (341 reports). Worst years by volume: 1999, 2000, 2008; cleanest: 1989, 1991, 2007. 165 reports describe a crash, 103 a fire, 9 a death. On average the car was 5.0 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Ford F-350
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 2,103 F-350 complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Steering 341 Read
I was driving approximately 56 miles per hour on a highway when I experienced a horrible wobble of the front end of the truck. I immediately stopped and took it to the nearest dealer who told me that they did not know what could have caused this. They replaced almost all components in the front end of the truck…
The contact owned a 2008 ford f-350. While driving 25 mph, the steering ability failed on the vehicle. The contact lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the wall of a bridge. The crash occurred on january 11, 2018. A police report was filed. The contact was injured and required medical attention. There were no…
Driving thru town 25mph or less turning one corner fine then another corner the opposite direction and only steering wheel turned.my truck went straight into the rock wall damaged hood fender,bumper,headlight bezel and lights driver wheel, and when diagnosed the original problem it was the steering gearbox failure
Tires 296 Read
On sunday morning at approximately 9:00 a.m. 2miles west of santa rosa, new mexico the right rear tire blew out. We were towing a 30 foot 5th wheel recreational vechicle at about 70 mph. Due to where this happened, I had to leave the roadway to keep from being run over by 18 wheelers running 75+ mph. Since I was in…
On 6-13-09 I had a tire explode on my 2004 ford f350 super duty pickup truck while driving on the northeast extension of the pa turnpike. We were pulling a 5th wheel trailer loaded with atv's and my husband and I had our 11 year old niece and 12 year old nephew with us. We struck a minivan. The minivan incurred damage…
2001 ford f-350 left front tire blew out. *kb after the blow out, the consumer crossed the left lane and struck a concrete divider wall
Engine And Engine Cooling 275 Read
2008 ford f350 sd. Consumer states vehicle began spewing smoke and caught fire while driving *tgw the consumer also stated the check engine light illuminate and apparently a sensor failed to operate. However, the service center insisted the problem was not due to a sensor
The contact owns a 2008 ford f-350. On june 4, 2008, while driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle suddenly shut down without warning. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that the exhaust filter failed. The dealer replaced the exhaust filter. On june 22, 2008, the contact's father was…
The contact owns a 2008 ford f-350. While driving 60 mph, the contact heard a loud banging noise coming from the front end of the vehicle. He noticed smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. He pulled the vehicle over and noticed smoke coming from the hood of the vehicle. Also, the contact noticed a vast amount of…
Service Brakes 254 Read
Driver, attempting to stop for a light rail crossing, depressed brake and accelerator simultaneously, moving forward into the path of oncoming trolley. Vehicle a total loss. Driver believes brake and accelerator pedals are too close together and aligned when depressed
The contact owns a 2008 ford f-350. While driving approximately 50 mph, the vehicle veered to the right causing the contact to almost crash into a guard rail. The contact discovered smoke entering from a passenger side wheel. The contact stated that the passenger brake disc was red from the heat and emitted smoke. The…
Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6) 2008 f-350 super duty truck [xxx] front caliper lockup overheat, smoke and failure. Vehicle has 29,000 miles, all required factory maintenance requirements met at or before required intervals. Normal drive of 14 miles averaging…
Power Train 164 Read
While driving 55 mph down a high way, the consumer heard a loud explosion, at first the consumer thought there was a tire blow out. When the vehicle was examined the consumer saw the axle had exploded and was on fire. There were no injuries in this incident. The manufacturer and the dealer are aware of the problem. *jb
Vehicle's transmission went hot and blew oil into the engine compartment causing a fire.*mr the consumer stated the transmission still does not seem to perform correctly
Within 5 seconds of putting vehicle in the park gear and exiting vehicle rolled down an incline and collided with a skidder. Consumer could not recall if vehicle was turned off or idling when this crash occurred. Manufacturer indicated that they could not duplicate the problem, therfore, could not provide the cause of…
Suspension 142 Read
[XXX] who performs automotive work out of his residence [XXX] and [XXX] of [XXX] have worked on this vehicle to spite the customer and to gouge the customer in unnecessary fraudulent repairs. They have deliberately set this vehicle up to fail with the braking system, the 6.0 engine being rebuilt to no avail, and…
The contact owns a 2002 ford f350. While driving 60 mph, the contact lost control of the steering and the vehicle rolled over. The police inspected the vehicle and stated that there was a mechanical failure on the front suspension. The rollover crash destroyed the vehicle. The current and failure mileages were 10,000
While driving vehicle shook uncontrollably. Driver hit the guard rail. No injuries reported. Driver noticed the right side wheel sheared off. Had the vehicle towed to the dealer, and mechanic determined that the wheel and hub assembly v needed to be replaced. *ak steering felt jerky at times. ABS light came on in the…
Fuel System 122 Read
Ford dealer refuses to repair or replace problem for safety recall 99s32
I was driving my ford f350 down a 2 lane road with a tractor trailer following close behind me at 60 mph when my truck stalled. To avoid being crushed by the semi I veered off the road to the right and put my truck into the ditch and the semi had to swerve to make it all the around me. The truck would not restart and…
We drove the truck and it never got hot or acted up then we parked it and a little bit later it was on fire
Electrical System 90 Read
[XXX], [XXX] approx age 40 lives and works at [XXX].[XXX] can also control the computers to cancel out and delete the use of catalytic converters, delete the use of DEF intake, delete the use of DPF particulate filters, and not react to controls such as manual braking or acceleration because the computer is…
On my way to work the turn signals failed and hazzzard lights no break lites or turn singnals the fuse panel was smoking and coused a wreck at 60 miles per hour
The contact owns a 2008 ford f-350. The contact stated that the battery warning light illuminated and the contact discovered smoke coming from under the hood. The contact also mentioned that once the hood was opened, the alternator caught on fire. The contact extinguished the fire. The police report was not filed. The…
F-350 years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Back Over Prevention | 1 | 4 | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 14 | 11 | |
| 2007 | Electrical System | 1 | 1 | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | 7 | 4 | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 4 | 3 | |
| 2004 | Air Bags | 11 | 4 | |
| 2003 | Air Bags | 6 | 6 | |
| 2002 | Air Bags | 8 | 7 | |
| 2001 | Air Bags | 13 | 9 | |
| 2000 | Air Bags | 30 | 6 | |
| 1999 | Air Bags | 39 | 8 | |
| 1997 | Air Bags | 8 | 9 | |
| 1996 | Electrical System | 5 | 11 | |
| 1995 | Electrical System | 7 | 6 | |
| 1994 | Electrical System | 3 | 4 | |
| 1993 | Electrical System | 4 | 4 | |
| 1992 | Engine And Engine Cooling | — | 2 | |
| 1991 | Electrical System | 2 | 4 | |
| 1989 | Fuel System, Gasoline | — | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 1,237 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.7 |
| Worst single series | 15 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 5.0 years |
A model average of 1.7 hides a worst series at 15. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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- No ads, no tracking — and much more
How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the F-350?
By complaint volume, 1999, 2000, 2008 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which F-350 years are the cleanest?
1989, 1991, 2007 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Ford F-350 have?
2,103 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1989–2013. Of those, 165 describe a crash and 103 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.