Ford F-350 Reliability by Year
Based on 2M+ real complaints filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
9,093 NHTSA complaints (1981–2025).Complaint rate: 137.6 per 1,000 vehicles.
Compare Ford F-350 vs:
Should I buy a Ford F-350?
Quick answer from 9,093 NHTSA complaints · 1981–2025
Ford F-350 reliability depends heavily on the model year. Several years show complaint spikes well above the model's own average, while others are meaningfully cleaner. The most commonly reported issue across all years is steering defects. Pick the right year and this F-350 can be a reasonable used buy; pick the wrong one and you're inheriting known problems.
- 2023 Ford F-350· 53 complaints
- 2010 Ford F-350· 81 complaints
- 2013 Ford F-350· 122 complaints
- 2017 Ford F-350· 844 complaints
- 2019 Ford F-350· 731 complaints
- 2000 Ford F-350· 555 complaints
Keep scrolling for year-by-year complaint trends, recall campaigns, and component breakdowns — or click any year above for a full report.
Why these years are worse
The most common issues driving the complaint spikes:
- steering defects — 1,455 complaints (3.4% involved a crash)
- suspension failures — 1,068 complaints (1.3% involved a crash)
- tire defects — 382 complaints (7.3% involved a crash)
- engine problems — 378 complaints (1.3% involved a crash)
- electrical faults — 336 complaints (3.3% involved a crash)
Which Years to Buy & Avoid
Years auto-clustered by complaint volume relative to this model's median.
Rankings based on raw NHTSA complaint counts. Sales volume data not yet available for this model.
Bottom line: Avoid the 1999–2006 Ford F-350 (280 crash-related complaints). The 2023 models had significantly fewer reported issues. Most common issue across all years: Steering.
Avoid These Years
Average
Better Years
Too New
Need 3+ years on the road for reliable complaint data.
A model's reputation is just the start.
Even within the “good” years, individual cars can have hidden accidents, title issues, or odometer rollbacks. Check the actual VIN before you buy — full history report for $4.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).
Complaints by Model Year
NHTSA complaint count per model year
Common Ford F-350 Problems
Most reported component complaints to NHTSA. Bar length = volume; color = crash-involvement rate.
Show full table
| Component | Complaints | Crash % |
|---|---|---|
| Steering Defects | 1,455 | 3.4% |
| Suspension Failures | 1,068 | 1.3% |
| Tire Defects | 382 | 7.3% |
| Engine Problems | 378 | 1.3% |
| Electrical Faults | 336 | 3.3% |
| Wheel Issues | 284 | 4.9% |
| Diesel Fuel System | 236 | 0.4% |
| Tires:Tread/Belt | 234 | 5.1% |
| Transmission / Drivetrain | 229 | 4.8% |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Diesel | 215 | 0.5% |
When Each Problem Spiked
Year × component heatmap. Darker cells = more complaints that year. Reveals which model years a specific defect concentrated in — useful for spotting redesign-cycle quality dips.
Year-by-Year Breakdown
NHTSA complaint count per model year — click any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
| Year | Generation | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981NO DATA | — | 3 | 0 | 2 | View → |
| 1984NO DATA | — | 2 | 0 | 1 | View → |
| 1985NO DATA | — | 4 | 0 | 1 | View → |
| 1986NO DATA | — | 17 | 0 | 1 | View → |
| 1987NO DATA | — | 8 | 0 | 1 | View → |
| 1988NO DATA | — | 34 | 2 | 14 | View → |
| 1989NO DATA | — | 55 | 2 | 6 | View → |
| 1990NO DATA | — | 63 | 0 | 4 | View → |
| 1991NO DATA | — | 34 | 3 | 5 | View → |
| 1992NO DATA | — | 74 | 1 | 7 | View → |
| 1993NO DATA | — | 129 | 6 | 6 | View → |
| 1994NO DATA | — | 126 | 6 | 6 | View → |
| 1995 | — | 196 | 9 | 18 | View → |
| 1996 | — | 167 | 10 | 16 | View → |
| 1997 | — | 191 | 14 | 16 | View → |
| 1998GOOD | — | 20 | 1 | 1 | View → |
| 1999AVOID | — | 700 | 82 | 17 | View → |
| 2000AVOID | — | 555 | 56 | 16 | View → |
| 2001AVOID | — | 369 | 33 | 29 | View → |
| 2002 | — | 285 | 32 | 19 | View → |
| 2003 | — | 264 | 19 | 10 | View → |
| 2004AVOID | — | 375 | 20 | 9 | View → |
| 2005AVOID | — | 439 | 17 | 16 | View → |
| 2006AVOID | — | 398 | 21 | 7 | View → |
| 2007GOOD | — | 91 | 4 | 1 | View → |
| 2008AVOID | — | 322 | 23 | 16 | View → |
| 2009GOOD | — | 79 | 4 | — | View → |
| 2010GOOD | — | 81 | 1 | 2 | View → |
| 2011 | — | 279 | 6 | 5 | View → |
| 2012AVOID | — | 310 | 11 | 5 | View → |
| 2013 | — | 122 | 2 | 4 | View → |
| 2014 | — | 162 | 8 | 1 | View → |
| 2015AVOID | — | 313 | 5 | 10 | View → |
| 2016AVOID | — | 314 | 8 | 8 | View → |
| 2017AVOID | — | 844 | 10 | 7 | View → |
| 2018AVOID | — | 310 | 2 | 6 | View → |
| 2019AVOID | — | 731 | 16 | 6 | View → |
| 2020 | — | 225 | 8 | 3 | View → |
| 2021 | — | 123 | 2 | 6 | View → |
| 2022 | — | 146 | 3 | 1 | View → |
| 2023GOOD | — | 53 | 4 | — | View → |
| 2024TOO NEW | — | 57 | 2 | 4 | View → |
| 2025TOO NEW | — | 20 | 3 | 1 | View → |
Year-by-Year Breakdown
Tap any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
Data Sources & Methodology
Complaints: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database (9,093 records for this model). Public domain data, updated monthly.
Sales data: Not yet available for this model. Complaint counts are shown as raw numbers.
Rate calculation: Complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold = (complaint count / US annual sales) x 10,000. This normalizes for sales volume so high-volume models like Civic or Camry aren't unfairly penalized.
Year classifications: AVOID = 1.5x+ the model's median complaint count. GOOD = 0.6x or below. Years less than 3 years old are marked TOO NEW (insufficient data).
See also: Ford F-350accident & safety statistics from our vehicle history database.
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