2003 Ford F-350 SDProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 132 owner complaints about the 2003 Ford F-350 SD, most often about the engine and engine cooling. It is covered by 4 safety recalls.

CarFlaw IndexSolid year18% below the F-350 SD median · #15 of 24 years by complaints

Safety recalls4Free fix at dealers Owner complaints13211 with a crash, fire or injury Typical failure mileage28kEngine and engine cooling, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through January 9, 2019. Updated daily.

Complaints by system

Where the 2003 Ford F-350 SD has problems

132 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

51Engine and engine cooling1 crash/fire/injury

16Fuel system, diesel

15Electrical system2 crash/fire/injury

15Tires1 crash/fire/injury

13Power train

7Steering

7Vehicle speed control

6Service brakes, hydraulic

6Fuel system, gasoline

2211 other systems2 crash/fire/injury

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.

Complaints by system
System	Complaints	Crash, fire or injury
Engine and engine cooling	51	1
Fuel system, diesel	16	0
Electrical system	15	2
Tires	15	1
Power train	13	0
Steering	7	2
Vehicle speed control	7	1
Service brakes, hydraulic	6	1
Fuel system, gasoline	6	0
11 other systems	22	2

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

4 recalls

2003 Ford F-350 SD recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

no report yet

Exterior lighting: brake lights

Recall 11V-352 · Jul 13, 2011 · 26,715 vehicles

Risk. NON-FUNCTIONING LIGHTS COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

no report yet

Vehicle speed control

Recall 09V-399 · Oct 13, 2009 · 4,500,000 vehicles

Risk. A VEHICLE FIRE COULD OCCUR WITH OR WITHOUT THE ENGINE RUNNING.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

no report yet

Engine: diesel

Recall 07V-553 · Dec 5, 2007 · 1,176,000 vehicles

Risk. IN THE EVENT OF AN ENGINE STALL, A CRASH COULD RESULT WITHOUT WARNING.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

no report yet

Vehicle speed control

Recall 07V-078 · Mar 6, 2007 · 155,584 vehicles

Risk. OVERHEATING COULD RESULT IN SMOKE, BURN, OR AN UNDERHOOD FIRE.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Ford.

Mileage at failure

When do engine and engine cooling problems start?

28kmiles, median

Based on the odometer reading in 44 engine and engine cooling complaints. 89% were reported before 100,000 miles.

24under 30k miles39under 100k miles5100k miles or more

Owner-reported costs

What owners say repairs cost

Dollar amounts owners wrote in their complaints when describing a repair or a quote. These are not price estimates; a system is shown only when at least 8 owners mentioned a cost.

Fuel system, diesel

8 owners mentioned a cost

$2,000median

Middle half: $1,127 – $4,250

If a problem is covered by a recall, the dealer fixes it for free. Some manufacturers also reimburse owners who paid for a repair before a recall was announced.

Best & worst years

2003 vs. every other F-350 SD year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the F-350 SD median. How we score

0 0 2 0 3 3 14215715812413213021712725 10119 50 43 29 9 7 20920957520546718998 11541 45 14 8

'93'94'95'96'97'98'99'00'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25'26

Avoid
Caution
Solid
Best
Not rated

5 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 2003 Ford F-350 SD, and the recalls they led to.

Sep 22, 2005
SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEADDP05005 · closed Jan 4, 2006
No recall
Feb 23, 2004
ACCELERATOR PEDAL SENSOR (ETC)EA04006 · closed Feb 10, 2005
No recall
Feb 15, 2005
ENGINE STALLINGEA05003 · closed Nov 2, 2005
Led to recall 05V-270
Jun 22, 2006
ENGINE STALLINGEA06012 · closed Dec 7, 2007
Led to recall 07V-553
Oct 7, 2004
ENGINE STALLINGPE04070 · closed Feb 15, 2005
No recall

In owners' words

What F-350 SD owners report

Recent engine and engine cooling complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

I WAS HAULING A LOADED HORSE TRAILER AND HAD JUST MERGED ONTO THE HIGHWAY. AS I WAS TRYING TO ACCELERATE, THE ENGINE WAS "CATCHING" AND WOULDN'T LET ME ACCELERATE PAST 35 MPH AND WAS REVVING VERY HIGH AND WOULDN'T SHIFT UP INTO THE NEXT GEAR. IT FINALLY STALLED AND COMPLETELY SHUT OFF IN THE MIDDLE…
Complaint 10461939 · Jun 16, 2012 · 55,708 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD F-350 SD DIESEL. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A BLOWN HEAD GASKET. THE DEALER REPLACED THE MOTOR BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE BUT DENIED ANY ASSISTANCE WITH REPAIRS TO THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED.…
Complaint 10452402 · Mar 20, 2012 · 25,000 miles

SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM 2003 FORD F-350 SUPER DUTY ENGINE: TRITON 5.4L V8 DATE OF FAILURE: 03-10-11 MILEAGE OF TRUCK: 139414 THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED WHILE TRAVELING ON A STATE HWY51 NEAR POSTVILLE, IA EJECTION OF SPARK PLUG FROM NUMBER 7 CYLINDER ON 5.4L V8 ENGINE. DAMAGE TO CYLINDER HEAD OF ENGINE…
Complaint 10392217 · Mar 19, 2011 · 139,414 miles

Own a 2003 F-350 SD?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.