KnownCarProblems2003 Ford F-250 Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 116 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Ford F-250, most often about the engine (32% of complaints, typically around 29,500 miles). It is 11th of 15 F-250 model years by number of complaints and has 2 recalls.
Most common 2003 Ford F-250 problems
Engine
37 complaints · 32%Half of these problems showed up before 29,500 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system.
I just entered a safety complaint regarding brake rotors rusting (( 10328142 ) on my 2003 Ford f250 7.3 l diesel. This complaint regards rusting out radiator hose brackets. On july 6 th 2007 a radiator hose clamp rusted out , and I rapidly lost cooling, while on interstate 68 in md traveling at 65 MPH towing a travel…
When in a slow acceleration the motor RPM will race and you have to quickly apply the brake in order to avoid a mishap. The next thing that is a safety hazard is the cab fills with diesels fumes. Making everyone nauseas. Acceleration from stop vehicle billows white smoke and is sluggish.
Wheels and tires
22 complaints · 19%Half of these problems showed up before 80,000 miles. Parts named most often: tread/belt, rim, sidewall.
Tl contact owns a 2003 Ford f250. The vehicle has pro competition xtreme a/t tires, size 325/50r20. While driving 45 MPH, the tread on the tires separated. The contact felt a slight vibration when the failure occurred. The mechanic has not yet inspected the tires. The current mileage was 88,000 and failure mileage was…
: the contact stated while driving 55 MPH the tread completely detached from the two tires on the passenger side. Another tire had a violent tread separation at 55 MPH. Which caused an accident and incurred damages to the wheel alignments, fender, bumper, suspension and other parts underneath the vehicle. The vehicle…
Brakes
15 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 135,000 miles. Parts named most often: foundation components, power assist.
Complete failure of the braking capabilities of the truck. Rear main brake line above fuel tank burst. Brake fluid leaking all over ground. Pedal went right to floor. Had to pump many time to get truck to stop, could have been involved in deadly accident.
My front end shakes it's not the high speed wobble my trailer brakes they do not work I'm blowing fuses in my fuse box via trailer my truck makes a moaning sound kind of sounds like a foghorn this is when I started or I come to a stop and when it's idling doesn't do it all the time my shifter on my column came loose…
Electrical
13 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 120,000 miles. Parts named most often: ignition, wiring.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford F-250. While driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnostics where the technician stated that the wiring harness had become exposed, causing a short and blowing the engine fuse. The technician advised that the wires would have to be…
The contact owns a 2003 Ford F-250. While driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle stalled and the instrument panel warning indicators illuminated. The contact coasted the vehicle to the side of the road, turned off the engine, and restarted the vehicle. The dealer replaced the engine harness and cam sensor, but the…
Fuel system
13 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 56,000 miles. Parts named most often: storage, fuel injection system.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford F-250 sd. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, there was a noise in the vehicle and he noticed that the fuel tank was dragging on the ground. The contact mentioned that the fuel tank straps failed which caused the fuel tank to not be restrained properly. The vehicle was…
The contact owns a 2003 Ford F-250. The contact stated that there was rust associated with the fuel straps, which fractured and caused the fuel tank to hang. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was not included in the manufacturer recall campaign number: 11s21, although…
Transmission
12 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 32,500 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, manual transmission, clutch assembly, driveline.
2003 Ford f250 pick up truck frequently will not go into reverse. It has been taken to the dealer several times and the computer cannot find a problem, however on the road the problem persists. Jerry duncan Ford in harriman, tn cannot/will not agree to come to the site when the failure occurs and therefore the problem…
2003 Ford F-250 with transmission problems. Customer states the dealer stated that the truck was out of warranty and needed to be replaced. Transmission temperature gauge says hot, and it stays in the tow mode. The dealer stated the superchips tuner caused the problem. The dealer then flashed the computer and t he…
Steering
11 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 103,000 miles. Parts named most often: linkages, column, hydraulic power assist.
Driving 60 MPH or greater and hit a bump the front end will violently shake and you have to pull over and slow way down to stop it. There was a recall for nr 62 parts but that doesn't stop the dodge death wobble. This is going to cause an accident and kill someone. Dodge will not reimburse me for the repairs that I…
Driving 50-60 hit a bump and the truck goes into a violent wobble, unable to control the breaks and steering. This last time I was on the interstate and it caused me to enter the lane next to me nearly causing an accident. The other driver was able to avoid me. When the shaking stops, the truck runs smooth without any…
Speed control
8 complaints · 7%Parts named most often: cruise control, accelerator pedal.
Vehicle was parked in the garage for about 15 hours when all of sudden it caught on fire. Took vehicle to dealer for a check up, but the cause was undetermined at this time, however, it seemed to be a similar problem to an electrical short within the cruise control switch.
Ford's recall policy for cruise switches only allows for disconnect of switch. If the switch is leaking brake fluid Ford offers no fix for this potentially serious problem. Dealers, while not having all repair parts, have switches they can install to stop the leak but Ford will not pay for this repair.
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2003 Ford F-250 recalls
Lights: brake lights
Risk: Non-functioning lights could increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the switches free of charge. The safety recall began on august 15, 2011. Owners may contact ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332.
Full defect summary
Ford is recalling certain model year 2011 ranger trucks built from january 25, 2011, through april 25, 2011 at the twin cities assembly plant, and service parts distributed to dealers for certain 2004 through 2011 model year ranger trucks, 2002 through 2005 model year excursion vehicles, and 2002 through 2007 model year f-250, f-350, f-450, and f-550 trucks for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." the multi-function switch was shipped with a subcomponent (slider) that may experience deformation. A multi-function switch with a deformed slider may malfunction causing the turn signal, tail lights, hazard warning signal flashers and/or brake lights not to activate.
Electrical: 12v/24v/48v battery
Risk: If the ground wire is loose, electrical current may flow to the radio suppression strap causing it to heat and potentially melt or ignite adjacent components which could result in a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace the engine ground stud and the radio suppression strap and adjacent components will be inspected for damage and replaced, if necessary. The recall began on july 23, 2004. Owners should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
Full defect summary
On certain pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles equipped with 6.0l diesel engines, the engine ground stud that attaches the negative battery terminal eyelet to the engine block may be loose.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Spark plug ejection from cylinder head
Summary
On september 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or ejected from the engine.as of december 8, 2005, odi is not aware of any allegations where the alleged defect resulted in a loss of vehicle control, a crash, an injury, or a fatality in any of the 10,319,810 subject vehicles.in addition, odi is aware of only two incidents where the vehi
Engine stalling
Summary
Twenty five of the odi failure reports are duplicative of ford complaints.twenty odi reports do not contain a VIN (and may or may not be duplicative of ford reports).the 14 alleged crashes and 2 alleged injuries were all minor.submitted during preliminary evaluation (pe) 04-070, ford's response to odi's information request (ir) letter contained about 5,000 consumer reports (mors) and 8,700 field reports (cqis).ford reviewed the complaints and categorized them.the manufacturer reports shown above represent a count of unique vehicles that ford categorized as allegedly stalling due to a subject engine component ('a' category, see ford's ir response letter for further detail); some of these vehi
Questions about the 2003 Ford F-250
- What are the most common problems with the 2003 Ford F-250?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: engine (37 complaints, typically around 29,500 miles); wheels and tires (22 complaints, typically around 80,000 miles); brakes (15 complaints, typically around 135,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2003 Ford F-250 have?
- 2 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from July 13, 2011 (lights). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2003 a bad year for the Ford F-250?
- It is 11th of 15 F-250 model years by number of complaints, with 116 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.