KnownCarProblems2001 Ford F-350 Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 160 complaints with NHTSA about the 2001 Ford F-350, most often about the wheels and tires (23% of complaints, typically around 41,500 miles). It is the 2nd most complained-about F-350 model year since 2000 and has 5 recalls.
Most common 2001 Ford F-350 problems
Wheels and tires
36 complaints · 23%Half of these problems showed up before 41,500 miles. Parts named most often: tread/belt, rim, sidewall, valve.
The truck continuously pulled to the right while driving at any speed. Upon putting the truck on a lift, the mechanic noticed that the front tire had split and the steel belt was hanging out. The cause of the tire splitting had not been determined.
Tl contact owns a 2001 Ford f350. The vehicle has firestone steeltex a/t tires. While driving 70 MPH, the front passenger side tread detached from the tire down to the belt. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign id number 04t003000 (tires). The failure has not been repaired. The VIN and tire size were unknown. The…
Steering
28 complaints · 18%Half of these problems showed up before 63,500 miles. Parts named most often: hydraulic power assist system, gear box (other than rack and pinion), steering wheel/handle bar, gear box.
The contact owns a 2001 Ford F-350. While the vehicle was stopped on any incline, the steering wheel lost power, locked up, and did not turn left or right. There was no warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer who replaced the power steering pump, power steering gear box, and checked all…
The contact owns a 2001 Ford F-350. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel shook violently and independently moved from side to side. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic, who replaced the stabilizing bar however the failure was not corrected. The failure mileage was…
Brakes
25 complaints · 16%Half of these problems showed up before 30,500 miles. Parts named most often: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, foundation components, conventional.
When the consumer attempted to apply the brakes, they did not perform as designed, as a result the brakes seized up and the vehicle came to a halt and the brake piston shattered causing brake fluid to leak. Brake pads were the root cause the pads from the bracking plate and the calipers resulting in the caliper…
When brake pedal was depressed it failed to stop the vehicle. This resulted in extended stopping distance, and almost caused an accident.
Engine
17 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 100,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system.
Tl contact owns a 2001 Ford F-350 diesel. The contact stated that she saw a puddle of water underneath the vehicle. She then had someone inspect the vehicle and noticed that there was an oil leak and that the oil pan was completely corroded with rust. The vehicle was not inspected or repaired. The manufacturer was…
The contact owned a 2001 Ford F-350. While the vehicle was parked in a parking lot without warning the vehicle caught fired. The contact stated that a coworker informed him that the flames were coming from underneath his vehicle. The contact attempted to extinguish the fire but was unable. The fire department was…
Transmission
17 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 66,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, clutch assembly, driveline, manual transmission.
Transmission failed on our 2001 F-350 at 66,463 miles. Vehicle was out of warranty and transmission had to be replaced at a cost of $3000. Transmission was replaced at a Ford dealership. Ford offered no assistance because regular maintenance on the vehicle had not been performed at a Ford dealership. They denied any…
Automatic transmission sprag gear cracking items. Sprag gear lock-up. Also, repairs or overhaul were made on the power train system (I.e., automatic transmission system).
Electrical
10 complaints · 6%Parts named most often: ignition, wiring.
The consumer parked the truck for over 24 hours. The consumer was then informed the truck was on fire. The fire was coming from under the drivers side wheel well. Then from in front of the windshield. The vehicle was insured by carolina casualty richard mcdonald claim # p12058. The vehicle had a new transmission…
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. Steering felt jerky at times. Abs light came on in the dash…
Air bags
9 complaints · 6%Parts named most often: frontal.
The contact owns a 2001 Ford f350. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH the contact had a seizure and lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle went off road and crash into two parked vehicles. However the air bags did not deploy. The contact suffered concussion and abrasions over his eye. The vehicle was…
Seat belts
8 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 176,000 miles. Parts named most often: front.
Driver seat belt will not stay buckled. While driving, I notice that this belt spontaneously unlatches leaving me unprotected. This happens quite frequently and it doesn't seem to matter how I operate the buckle. This happens while the vehicle is in motion during any kind of driving..
Tl contact owns a 2001 Ford f350. The contact stated that the driver side seat belt latch would unlatch by itself. The vehicle was inspected for NHTSA recall number 01v227001 (seat belt), but the dealer did not perform any repairs. The manufacturer refused to replace the buckle. The current mileage was 75,000 and…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2001 Ford F-350 recalls
Speed control: vehicle speed control
Risk: Overheating could result in smoke or burn and an underhood fire.
Fix: Dealers will install a fused wiring harness into the speed control system free of charge. The recall began on august 7, 2006. Owners may contact ford at 1-866-436-7332. (note: also see recalls 05v017 and 05v388)
Full defect summary
On certain trucks equipped with speed control, gasoline or natural gas engines, the speed control deactivation switch may overheat.
Visibility and wipers: motor
Risk: Loss of visibility while driving increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the date code on the wiper motor. Motors built with the suspect time frame will have the wiper motor gear case cover replaced. Owner notification began august 20, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1-866-436-7332.
Full defect summary
Vehicle description: passenger cars, sport utility vehicles, and light and medium duty pickup trucks. A switch located in the plastic cover of the wiper motor gear case could malfunction and overheat, potentially resulting in loss of intermittent wiper function, loss of wiper park function, complete loss of wiper function, or ignition of the plastic cover material. Switch malfunction is most likely to occur when the intermittent setting of the wipers is being used, or when snow or ice obstructs the blades from returning to the "parked" position at the bottom of the windshield. These vehicles were built at the following assembly plants: atlanta plant from 2/11/00 through 7/31/00; chicago plant from 2/14/00 through 8/4/00; kansas city plant from 2/26/00 to 9/4/00; kentucky truck plant from 2/18/00 to 8/31/00; michigan truck plant from 2/23/00 through 8/3/00; norfolk plant from 2/21/00 thro
Seat belts: buckle assembly
Risk: In the event of a crash, the restraint system may not provide adequate occupant protection, increasing the risk of personal injury to the seat occupant.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the front outboard seat belt buckles and if the buckle fails the inspection process, it will be replaced. Owner notification began july 25, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1-866-436-7332.
Full defect summary
Vehicle description: passenger and sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks, and minivans. Equipped with seat belts supplied by trw. It is possible that the driver's and/or front passenger's outboard seat belt buckle may not fully latch. Ford crown victoria built at st. Thomas assembly plant from 4/17/00 - 5/29/01 mercury grand marquis built at st. Thomas assembly plant from 4/17/00 - 5/29/01. Lincoln town cars built at wixom assembly plant from 3/27/00 - 5/30/01. Lincoln navigators built at michigan truck plant from 4/11/00 - 5/31/01. Ford windstars built at oakville assembly plant from 3/23/00 - 5/30/01. Ford rangers built at twin cities plant from 3/28/00 - 5/30/01, and also at the edison plant from 3/13/00 - 5/25/01. Ford f-150 truck built at norfolk plant from 4/18/00 - 5/25/00; at ontario plant from 5/10/00 - 5/28/01; at kansas city plant from 9/11/99 - 5/25/01; and at cuautitlan plan
Fuel system: filler pipe and cap
Risk: Without proper grounding, an electrostatic discharge could result during fuel fill up, potentially leading to a fire.
Fix: Dealers will install a fuel filler pipe ground. Owner notification began march 26, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
Full defect summary
Vehicle description: f-super duty crew cab pickup trucks (f-350 short wheelbase trucks equipped with a 6 3/4' pickup box and dual rear wheels) were built after a change was implemented to delete a clamp, and later a bracket that provided a ground for the fuel filler pipe. The pickup box may not have been properly grounded.
Air bags: frontal
Risk: In the event of a vehicle crash, the driver air bag may not deploy as intended, potentially resulting in reduced occupant protection, or a burn injury.
Fix: Dealers will install a driver air bag module. Owner notification began march 19, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
Full defect summary
Vehicle description: passenger and sport utility vehicles. The inflator canister in the driver air bag module may have an inadequate weld near the igniter.
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 compartment fires
Summary
Ea05-005 is closed with ford?s actions in recalls 05v-017, 05v-388, and 06v-286, recalling approximately 6.7 million vehicles equipped with texas instruments speed control deactivation switches (scds).the brake systems in these recalled vehicles generate a vacuum that can potentially cause the scds to fail and, in certain switch installation orientations, catch fire.ford is also including the entire population of 1998 explorers.ford has informed odi that testing to determine the cause of failures in the 1998 explorers will continue after this investigation is closed.odi believes that the vehicles exhibiting the factors causing scds failure described in this report correlate well with the obs
Front seat belt buckle assembly
Summary
During the initial recall campaign in 2001, the subject vehicles were inspected by ford dealerships using a test tool that would detect a defective front seat outboard seat belt buckle assembly.approximately one million vehicles passed the inspection test for one or both front buckles.subsequent to the recall service action, odi received 15 consumer reports alleging that a passed inspection buckle subsequently failed to latch or inadvertently unlatched during use.in addition, ford has identified 543 owner and field reports alleging buckle failure subsequent to passing the inspection test.ford tested and examined over 100 warranty-returned buckles and found that 44% of the buckles had no prob
Front seat belt buckle assembly
Summary
Under recall campaign (01v227), ford recalled approximately 1.3 million vehicles to inspect and if necessary replace the front driver and/or passenger seat belt buckle.approximately 1.1 million owners responded by taking their vehicles to a dealer for inspection of the buckle using a specialized buckle test tool.ford reported that 829,927 vehicles had both buckles pass the tool test and another 167,336 vehicles had one buckle pass.odi and ford received complaints alleging seat belt buckle failure shortly after passing the original recall inspection service.complainants alleged that the buckle failed by either not latching or false-latching (partial engagement of the latch to the latch plate)
Rapid tire deflation
Summary
This investigation was opened on certain ford pickup trucks and vans to evaluate the effects of a valve stem ejection (with rapid air loss) and a slow leaking valve stem on vehicle handing.during the investigation, odi evaluated over 1,100 complaints and warranty claims, conducted vehicle dynamic testing on a subject vehicle with the failure mode replicated, interviewed owners, and examined complaint vehicles in the field.the results of the test program indicates the effect of a valve stem ejection on these vehicles is easily controlled. Further, with a population of almost 900,000 vehicles, having two to four years of exposure, odi is aware of only 3 minor crashes and is unaware of any inju
Questions about the 2001 Ford F-350
- What are the most common problems with the 2001 Ford F-350?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: wheels and tires (36 complaints, typically around 41,500 miles); steering (28 complaints, typically around 63,500 miles); brakes (25 complaints, typically around 30,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2001 Ford F-350 have?
- 5 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from August 1, 2006 (speed control). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2001 a bad year for the Ford F-350?
- It is the 2nd most complained-about F-350 model year since 2000, with 160 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.