2000 Ford F-250 SD Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2000 Ford F-250 Super Duty most often write in about spark plugs blowing out of the engine, stalled engines traced to the camshaft position sensor on diesel trucks, and tire failures. Complaints come in across a wide mileage range, from a few thousand miles to well past 150,000, and many describe sudden events while driving rather than slow deterioration.

1. 1
   Engine cooling

   Diesel engine stalls (camshaft position sensor)

   • 36 complaints (15%)
   • median 99,787 mi at 7.1 yrs old (32 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $476 (median of 6 quotes)
   • filed 2003–2011

   On 7.3L diesel trucks, owners report the engine bucking or cutting out with no warning, sometimes with the check engine light coming on, then restarting after a short wait. Complaints frequently say a dealer replaced the camshaft position sensor, and several note the replacement sensor failed again after tens of thousands of miles. One complaint describes an extended back-and-forth with the dealer before the sensor was identified. Reported from around 45,000 miles up to about 216,000 miles, at highway and in-town speeds alike.

   Recall 07V553000

   What to check: Ask for service records showing when the camshaft position sensor was last replaced, and whether a spare sensor and the tools to change it are kept in the truck.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Failure of camshaft position sensor (cps) caused engine to stall during operation resulting in loss of steering and braking. Fortunately, it was early am and traffic was light allowing me to bring the vehicle to a stop without incident. No advance warning or check engine light. Towed to dealer, cps replaced at my expense.”

   NHTSA complaint #10156876, filed 2006-05, 64,000 miles

   “While on the way home from vacation on 9/18/07 (towing my 32 foot fifth-wheel) my Ford f-250 diesel (7.3 liter) started acting as if the rear-end was slipping. The check engine light came on and then the engine stalled. Luckily I was in a construction area at the time and the speed limit was only 35 MPH. I pulled over and had to be towed to a Ford dealer 10 miles back. Tri star of somerset, pa ( which is a Ford dealer) determined the problem was the cam shaft sensor. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10211119, filed 2007-12, 113,926 miles
2. 2
   Tires

   Tire tread separation and blowouts

   • 39 complaints (17%)
   • median 47,000 mi at 6.0 yrs old (25 state mileage)
   • 6 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2000–2016

   Complaints describe tread separating or the tire blowing apart at highway speed, in several cases damaging fenders, running boards, the bed and exhaust. Owners mention several brands and models of light-truck tire, and some say they had checked inflation and rotated the tires regularly. Damage reports include belt separation and sidewall bulges found before a failure. Mostly reported between about 16,000 and 105,000 miles, typically at highway speeds.

   What to check: Check tire date codes and look for sidewall bulges, cracking near the tread line or uneven wear; ask how old the tires are regardless of remaining tread.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Separation of steel belts on tires imported by foreign tire sales of new jersey. After contacting them two years ago about the recall, they said my tires were not in the batch for the recall. Two of the four tires I purchased have failed with belt separation on two different occasions, causing damage to my vehicle. My tires DOT no. S are dot7dt4fts 1303 and 0403. The batch in the recall are dot7dt4fts 0404.”

   NHTSA complaint #10282917, filed 2009-09, 35,000 miles

   “Two tire failures on firestone steeltex tires. The a/t lt 265/75r16 e stock tire on my Ford f250 super duty pickup. And a steeltex r4s lt 225 75 r on my 32' 5th wheel travel trailer. Truck is a 2000, trailer a 2001 carriage cameo. Both tires properly inflated, not over loaded.”

   NHTSA complaint #10010227, filed 2003-03, 63,410 miles
3. 3
   Engine cooling

   Spark plug ejected from cylinder head

   • 33 complaints (14%)
   • median 103,000 mi at 8.7 yrs old (29 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $350 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2004–2017

   Owners describe a loud bang or tapping noise under the hood, followed by the engine running rough or losing power; several found the spark plug and boot lying on top of the engine, sometimes still firing against the head. The engines involved are mostly the 5.4L and V-10 gasoline units. Some had the hole repaired with a thread insert or a repair tool, and one owner reported the same failure three times on the same truck. Complaints say the dealer or manufacturer declined out-of-warranty help. Reported from roughly 50,000 to over 180,000 miles, often at highway speed or under acceleration.

   What to check: Listen for a tapping or ticking from the top of the engine and ask whether any cylinder has been repaired with a thread insert or head work. A spark-plug torque check or inspection of the plug wells before purchase is worth the cost.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving 65 MPH on the freeway, the spark plug blew out of the engine. Now I am looking for a way to repair this. There is no way to put an new spark plug in the vehicle. I researched this problem online and seems to be a big problem with Ford vehicles.”

   NHTSA complaint #10256438, filed 2009-01, 80,001 miles

   “I also have had a spark plug blowout on my 2000 f250 v-10 engine, I have contacted your company and have been offered no help at all, not even to help get the tool I had to pay $250 for to fix your defect!! There is no other way to describe this problem!!”

   NHTSA complaint #10154991, filed 2006-04, 78,000 miles
4. 4
   Brakes

   Brake pedal to the floor / rusted brake lines

   • 23 complaints (10%)
   • median 77,553 mi at 6.1 yrs old (19 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2001–2017

   Owners report the brake pedal sinking to the floor with little or no braking, sometimes needing several pumps or the parking brake to stop. In several complaints a steel brake line running along the left frame rail near the fuel tank had rusted through and burst, and one owner was told by a dealer that the area is hard to see without a light and mirror. Others describe pedal pulsation and vibration on braking traced to warped rotors and hub or ball joint wear. Reported from roughly 20,000 to 150,000 miles; several failures came on trucks that sat unused for periods.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Have the brake lines along the frame rail inspected for rust, especially above and behind the fuel tank, and check pedal feel and rotor condition on a test drive.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Was pulling my boat out of the water and when stopping heard a loud bang. Stopped truck and saw fluid leaking on to the ground from just forward of the drivers side rear tire. Found fluid to be brake fluid. Brake steel line that runs down the left frame rail had burst near fuel tank. This area hard to see unless using a mirror and light. The brake line was very corroded and had rusted thru in the area that is hardest to see. Replaced the steel brake line to repair. I am the original owner of this truck. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10414903, filed 2011-07, 150,920 miles

   “Dt: the contact complained about a defect in the braking system. When depressing the brake pedal it went to the floor without stopping the vehicle. He had to push the brake pedal several times to stop the vehicle. In addition, power steering worked intermittently. Because of the high cost of repairs the vehicle has not been seen by a dealer.”

   NHTSA complaint #10144563, filed 2005-12, 116,000 miles

Buying note. This model year shows a spread of complaints touching the engine, brakes, tires and transmission, many of them sudden failures while driving, so a pre-purchase inspection focused on the spark plug wells, brake lines, tires and transmission history is worthwhile. Service records showing what has already been replaced matter more than mileage alone on these trucks.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.