KnownCarProblems2008 Ford F-350 Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 131 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Ford F-350, most often about the engine (36% of complaints, typically around 53,000 miles). It is 7th of 14 F-350 model years by number of complaints and has 8 recalls.
Most common 2008 Ford F-350 problems
Engine
47 complaints · 36%Half of these problems showed up before 53,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, cooling system, exhaust system.
Tl contact owns a 2008 Ford F-350. While driving approximately 55 MPH, pressure was applied to the accelerator pedal without power assistance. The contact noticed excessive smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. In addition, the vehicle hesitated and idled roughly. There were no warning lights illuminated on the…
Excessive white smoke out of exhaust, especially with acceleration. Smoke has a foul odor also. Can hear a knocking sound in engine on deceleration (similar to bad wheel bearing hums), only does it if turbo is over 150-200 psi, but will do it every single time. 'drive to clean exhaust' displayed on dash. Completed…
Steering
47 complaints · 36%Half of these problems showed up before 88,500 miles.
I have a 2008 Ford F-350 4x4 that is experiencing a bad wobble when I hit a bump in the road or turning in a curve with uneven pavement. The problem occurs around 45 or 50 MPH this is a very scary situation. I did some research on the topic and I see alot of Ford owners with the same complaint, but Ford wont do…
My wife drove the truck to work. She said it was acting weird. It had slack going to the right. It was hard to turn to the left. When she got home it was worse. I opened the hood to check it for fluid.the fluid was good. I got inside to check out the steering. It had a lot of slack both directions. After a few turns…
Suspension
15 complaints · 12%Half of these problems showed up before 70,000 miles. Parts named most often: front.
Vehicle shakes violently. Only way to get under control is to stop completely. This has happened numerous times. I have read on forums this is a major problem. Ford needs to recognize the problem and issue a recall. This is very dangerous.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford F-350. The contact stated that while driving over 40 MPH, the vehicle wobbled and violently vibrated without warning. The vehicle was taken to a dealer on multiple occasions; however, the failure was unable to be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of…
Brakes
13 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 53,000 miles. Parts named most often: foundation components, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip.
I was slowing down to make a left hand turn and I completely lost the ability to steer. I could not budge the wheel at all. My brakes still worked, but it didn't feel 100%. It has happened at least 10-15 times in the last year. When it happens, I can shift the truck into neutral and rev the engine and I'll get my…
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…
Wheels and tires
11 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 103,500 miles. Parts named most often: rim, tread/belt.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford F-350. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to have tires replaced when the technician advised the contact that the front passenger side rim was fractured and that the wheel would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but shortly thereafter, the tire pressure warning light…
I was driving on interstate 75 when the truck and steering wheel started vibrating violently, as I applied the brakes to slow the vehicle it pulled sharp to the left taking the vehicle onto the median. Once the vehicle stopped, facing in the opposite direction I got out and checked the left front wheel, it was too hot…
Fuel system
10 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 81,500 miles. Parts named most often: storage.
2008 f350 Ford truck, bad high pressure fuel pump. Ford refusing to support their warranty. Running rough, with no high end power. Stalled while trying to pull out into busy traffic. Slowed to 20mph in middle of highway traffic. Ford dealer analyzed trouble to high pressure fuel pump which should be covered by Ford…
The high pressure fuel pump failed, causing the truck to lose power while merging onto the interstate. Our vehicle did not die completely, as I've heard most do. If we had been hauling our rv, it could have been catastophic in that situation. Ford has had these pumps recalled on other vehicles (a van?), but because…
Body and structure
7 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 66,500 miles. Parts named most often: body.
The moon roof track on my Ford F-350 (2008) failed after about 5 years. I had it replaced at jim click Ford in tucson at the beginning of 2013 at a cost of $2400.00. At the beginning of 2015 it failed again. Neither the dealer nor Ford have an answer for the failure(s) and both said I need to do the repair again at my…
Bed rails are rotting prematurely causing safety concern when truck is towing or there is weight in the bed of the truck I feel that this may cause a safety issue for passengers in the truck as well as other motorist on the roadway. Fifth wheel hitch connection shift because of rotted rail causing jam in hitch…
Electrical
4 complaints · 3%Parts named most often: 12v/24v/48v battery.
While driving my 2008 F-350 superduty diesel powered truck at 45 MPH for approx 2 miles, received message " "stop safely now" and complete power down of engine. The truck decelerated so fast that had we not been passing a pull off lane we would have been stuck in the middle of the driving lane. The whole incident…
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…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2008 Ford F-350 recalls
Equipment Adaptive/Mobility
Risk: A lift occupant can be injured should the lift begin to stow unintentionally.
Fix: Comm trans is working with ricon to correct the wheelchair lifts free of charge (please see 07e097). Owners may contact ricon at 1-818-267-3000 or comm trans at 901-726-9394.
Full defect summary
Comm trans is recalling 108 my 2005-2008 ford e250 and e350 vans built on ford chassis and equipped with ricon platform style wheelchair lifts. These lifts fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 403, "platform lift system accessible for motor vehicles." the anti-stow interlock may not detect the presence of a wheelchair or mobility aid user. The pressure sensing switch that detects the presence of weight on the platform was not adjusted to the necessary sensitivity level. The lift could stow even though someone or something is still on the lift.
Equipment Adaptive/Mobility
Risk: The user of the lift could be injured should the lift move unintentionally.
Fix: Comm trans is working with ricon to correct the wheelchair lifts free of charge (please see 07e095). Owners may contact ricon at 1-818-267-3000 or comm trans at 901-726-9394.
Full defect summary
Comm trans is recalling 111 my 2005-2008 ford e250 and e350 vans built on ford chassis and equipped with ricon platform style wheelchair lifts. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 404, "platform lift installations on motor vehicles." the threshold warning system may not detect the presence of a wheelchair or mobility aid user in a certain spot within the defined threshold area.
Equipment: trailer hitches
Risk: This could result in bending of the hitch channel or the hitch could be pulled off the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Knapheide will offer two remedies to its customers: (1) for those customers who do not use the hitch, the hitch will be removed from the truck bed and replaced with an icc bumper; or (2) for those customers who need a hitch, a receiver hitch assembly will be added to the existing hitch assembly and all suspect weld joints will be re welded. The recall began on august 15, 2008. Owners may contact knapheide at 1-877-473-5763.
Full defect summary
Knapheide is recalling 108 my 2006-2008 pro series truck beds equipped with an icc bumper which included a provision for a ball hitch. There may be an insufficient weld attaching the hitch channel to the supporting structure.
Fuel system: delivery
Risk: Fuel spillage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.
Fix: Dealers will install a bracket on the affected vehicles free of charge. The recall began on may 23, 2008. Owners may contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
Full defect summary
Ford is recalling 64,754 my 2008 f-250 and f-350 single rear wheel, 4x4, 156 inch wheel base pick up trucks equipped with a two piece drive shaft for failing to conform to the fuel spillage requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 301, "fuel system integrity." during a 30 MPH frontal impact into a rigid barrier, the fuel tank can move forward and contact a frame cross member, potentially causing damage to the fuel delivery module which can result in fuel spillage.
Seats
Risk: In the event of a crash, the seat side pivot bracket may crack or break, increasing the risk of injury to the seat occupant.
Fix: Dealers will add a reinforcement to the driver's seat back frame on the 40% split or captain's chair seat equipped with lumbar support or, if necessary, the seat back frame will be replaced. The recall began on march 28, 2008. Owners may contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
Full defect summary
Ford is recalling 87,515 my 2008 f250, f-350, f-450, and f-550 vehicles for failing to comply with all the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 207, "seating systems." some 40% split and captain's chair driver's seats, equipped with lumbar supports, may have improper welds at the joint of the seat back pivot bracket and the seat back frame.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: This condition may prevent the driver air bag from properly deploying and reduce occupant protection in the event of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace your driver air bag module free of charge. The recall began on november 20, 2007. Owners may contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
Full defect summary
Certain vehicles fail to conform to the requirements specified in federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 208, 'occupant crash protection.' the driver air bag module may not have been properly assembled.
Transmission: control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)
Risk: Lack of power or rough operation, unusual noises from the engine or exhaust, white smoke from the exhaust, and potentially a visible flame out the tailpipe can occur.
Fix: Dealers will reprogram the power train control module. The recall began on april 3, 2007. Owners may contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
Full defect summary
On certain trucks equipped with a 6.4l diesel engine, excessive temperatures in the diesel particulate filter in the exhaust system may result from excess hydrocarbons in the exhaust.
Electrical: 12v/24v/48v battery
Risk: Long term contact could cause wire chafe, resulting in copper wire being exposed. If this condition occurs, the battery b+ wire could short to ground increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the battery b+ wire location and, if necessary, reposition the wire. The recall began on april 3, 2007. Owners may contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
Full defect summary
On certain trucks equipped with a 6.4l diesel engine, insufficient clearance of the battery positive (b+) wire to the right hand splash shield bolt may result in the battery b+ wire contacting the splash shield bolt.
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
Alleged loss of steering
Summary
The office of defectsinvestigation (odi) opened pe13-014 after identifying five complaints alleging steering gear failure in model year (my) 2008 ford f-250 and f-350 super duty pick-up trucks and to evaluate the relationship between the design history of the steering gear assembly and the alleged defect.as background, odi investigated steering gear sector shaft fractures in approximately 1.3 million my 1999 - 2001 ford super duty pick-up trucks and my 2000 - 2001 ford excursion sport utility vehicles in engineering analysis ea01-009.the investigation determined that the sector shaft failures were the result of extraordinary, possibly multiple, impacts and not the result of fatigue.no defect
Questions about the 2008 Ford F-350
- What are the most common problems with the 2008 Ford F-350?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: engine (47 complaints, typically around 53,000 miles); steering (47 complaints, typically around 88,500 miles); suspension (15 complaints, typically around 70,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2008 Ford F-350 have?
- 8 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from January 26, 2009 (equipment Adaptive/Mobility). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2008 a bad year for the Ford F-350?
- It is 7th of 14 F-350 model years by number of complaints, with 131 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.