Owners have filed 111 complaints on the Ford F-450, covering 2011–2020. The system named most often is Power Train (16 reports). Worst years by volume: 2020, 2017, 2019; cleanest: 2014, 2016, 2013. 5 reports describe a crash, 7 a fire. On average the car was 3.8 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Ford F-450
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 111 F-450 complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Power Train 16 Read
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-450. The contact stated while driving at approximately 70 MPH there was a vibration coming through the steering and the entire vehicle. The contact stated there was an abnormal bang-like explosion that had come from under the floorboards. The contact stated that a section of the drive…
Sudden acceleration while braking. While towing a gooseneck trailer aprox. 25,000 lbs, with the truck in tow/haul mode and the exhaust/engine brake turned on, started down a long winding 8% grade, could feel the engine brake working as normal, holding the truck from gaining speed, as the truck entered the second turn,…
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-450. The contact stated that while shifting into drive, the vehicle jolted forward. The vehicle was hard to shift into gear. There was an abnormal sound detected. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V256000 (Power Train)…
Engine 16 Read
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-450. The contact stated that the vehicle had been diagnosed with an oil leak coming from the injector seals. The vehicle was serviced by the dealer and the contact picked up the vehicle after it was serviced. While driving from the dealer at approximately 40 MPH, the contact noticed…
While driving at 45 mph on a highway the engine blew up. Ford reported the problem was a faulty glow plug which fell into the cylinder causing the connecting rod to break and exit the side of the engine block. Fire ensued but was short lived
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-450. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle vibrated and the vehicle briefly lost motive power. The vehicle returned to normal functionality once the accelerator pedal was depressed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the power train control…
Steering 14 Read
The contact owned a 2020 Ford F-450. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the steering wheel failed to steer in the intended direction. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle had driven independently sideways and then into a deep ditch before coming to a stop. In addition,…
There is a noticeable and worsening wobbling/ shaking of the front end of my vehicle at 70-75 mph while driving and the vehicle occasionally is very unsteady after hitting a pothole or other obstacle at speed. I have recently purchased new tires on the truck and had them re-balanced (at 26k miles), the dealer has…
For our 2019 ford f-450, adaptive steering fault messages started last oct/nov 2020. Sometimes the steering wheel would be at up to 90 degrees to the direction of travel, while driving! It sometimes reset with the next car start. After the messages became constant, the truck has been in for service since early jan…
Electrical System 11 Read
Unknown. So, on May 30th, 2021 my passenger side main battery blew up for no reason. I took it to Autozone and we checked the system and everything seem fine and had the correct voltage. On July 3, 2021 my truck started smoking. I pulled over, put the truck in park and shut off the truck. I looked around trying to…
Incidents Summary: The vehicle experienced a significant engine compartment fire while in operation. The fire originated in the engine valley near the secondary fuel filter, consistent with the failure mode described in NHTSA Investigation PE24014. 1. Component Failure & Part Numbers: The fire necessitated an $18,000…
My horn started going off continuously, I got messages on my digital dash system, saying that my lane assist had a fault, my adaptive speed control was faulty, and other system. Safety features were inactive. Ford has an issue, and they acknowledge the issue of the fuse box under the hood randomly coming off, which…
Structure 10 Read
On two separate occasions, while towing a 5th wheel trailer, the tailgate opened by itself, coming in contact with the 5th wheel while turning. There was no warning or indication that the tailgate had opened. The tailgate was not opened by a person or by a bumping the keyfob -- it opened completely on its own
The contact owns a 2019 ford f-450. The contact stated while driving 35 mph, the tailgate fell and dented the horse trailer. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to NHTSA.…
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-450. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle and attempting to shift into gear, the gear shifter seized. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the drain had been clogged due to debris, causing water intrusion…
Fuel System 10 Read
Kept smelling faint diesel fuel odor would come and go while driving for 11,000 miles, never saw a leak, then became worse and saw drops on driveway size of a dime. Found a steady drip of fuel only while running from fuel filter under hood above valve cover, replaced filter and leak stopped. Closer look found heavy…
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-450. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and diagnosed with metal shards in the fuel system. The dealer informed the contact that the fuel system kit needed to be replaced but parts were on backorder. The…
The contact owns a 2020 Ford F-450. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V957000 (Fuel System, Diesel); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while starting, the "Low Fuel Pressure" message was displayed. The contact stated that while driving…
Fuel/propulsion System 5 Read
Vehicle caught fire. Fire in the engine compartment after heavy fuel smell/odor
My truck is outfitted with the CP4 fuel pump. These pumps are failing on a regular basis and destroying entire fuel systems costing the vehicle owner as much as $20,000 to replace. If this pump goes out while driving, it could be a major safety issue. I tow a 44 foot trailer with my truck and this can cause a deadly…
2013 f-450 regular pickup, fuel system failure, my vehicle are equipped with bosch-supplied cp4 high-pressure fuel injection pumps that were 'never compatible with american fuel standards. My pu has 49,000 miles I had purchase an extended warranty from ford they denied the coverage as well, saying it has water…
Engine And Engine Cooling 5 Read
The contact owns a 2014 Ford F-450. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, the engine overheated. The contact pulled over safely and noticed there was smoke from the hood and fire. The contact used a fire extinguisher to extinguish the fire. The engine's hot light was illuminated. There were no reported…
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-450. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light remained illuminated, and the vehicle failed to properly accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the turbo charger. After retrieving the vehicle, the failure…
This vehicle is an ambulance and was dispatched on an emergency call. The crew attempted to crank the vehicle, but the starter would not even engage. Another ambulance had to be dispatched to the call. It was later determined that one of the four egt exhaust gas temperatur sensors had failed and disabled the vehicle.…
F-450 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Electrical System | 2 | 2 | |
| 2019 | Electrical System,seats | — | — | |
| 2018 | Back Over Prevention | — | 1 | |
| 2017 | Air Bags | 2 | 1 | |
| 2016 | Engine | — | — | |
| 2015 | Engine | — | — | |
| 2014 | Air Bags | 1 | 1 | |
| 2013 | Fuel/propulsion System | — | — | |
| 2012 | Electrical System,engine | — | — | |
| 2011 | Electrical System,unknown Or Other | — | 2 |
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 | 77 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.4 |
| Worst single series | 7 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 3.8 years |
A model average of 1.4 hides a worst series at 7. 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
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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-450?
By complaint volume, 2020, 2017, 2019 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-450 years are the cleanest?
2014, 2016, 2013 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Ford F-450 have?
111 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2011–2020. Of those, 5 describe a crash and 7 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.