2001 Ford F-250 SD Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe two kinds of trouble: engine-related failures such as spark plugs being ejected from the cylinder head and diesel engines shutting down without warning, and driveline/steering complaints including transmission breakage and front-end shake. Reports arrive across a wide mileage range, from vehicles under 30,000 miles to well past 150,000, and many describe the onset as sudden rather than gradual.

1. 1
   Engine cooling

   Spark plug blown out of the cylinder head

   • 52 complaints (18%)
   • median 101,223 mi at 8.1 yrs old (49 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $800 (median of 9 quotes)
   • filed 2005–2016

   Complaints describe a loud pop or bang from under the hood, often followed by a heavy ticking or exhaust-type noise and a loss of power while driving, sometimes while towing or on a grade. Owners of both the 5.4L V8 and 6.8L V10 report the plug leaving the aluminum head with its threads stripped; some had repairs done with a threaded insert that later failed again, and others were quoted full cylinder head replacement. Several owners say the dealer recognized the symptom quickly and that no covered repair was offered. Reported from roughly 40,000 to 120,000 miles in the sample, with a few instances noted earlier.

   What to check: Ask whether any spark plugs or cylinder heads have been repaired, and whether inserts or threaded sleeves were used. A compression or leak-down check and a careful listen for exhaust-type ticking at the plug ports can help.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On the way to work today, my 2001 Ford f-250 blew a spark plug. When this happened, I called a mechanically inclined friend to get his first impression (to avoid being ripped off by the dealership) and he could not fathom it. I thought it strange that when I called a dealerships service department, the technician identified the problem immediately from the sound he heard over the cell phone. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10223738, filed 2008-04, 67,900 miles

   “We have a 2001 Ford f250 sd, 5.4 liter triton v8. There was an awful ticking noise for a few weeks and on monday, july 4th, while restarting the truck it made a huge pop noise followed by a very loud tick that sounded like an exhaust leak. It was so loud that my 2 year old son was scared. After looking under the hood, I saw the spark plug had been dislodged from the head, the threads were stripped and I cannot repair it myself!! …”

   NHTSA complaint #10410810, filed 2011-07, 120,000 miles
2. 2
   Tires

   Tread separation on original tires

   • 37 complaints (13%)
   • median 42,000 mi at 4.5 yrs old (29 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $2,000 (median of 7 quotes)
   • filed 2003–2015

   Complaints describe a vibration or wobble at highway speed followed by the tread peeling away from a still-inflated tire, with the flapping tread damaging fenders, bumpers and side panels. Several owners say the tires were original equipment with tread depth still within spec at the time, and that requests to the tire maker for credit went unanswered. Mostly reported between about 24,000 and 88,000 miles, often at highway speeds.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Check tire brand, date codes and tread condition before driving, and replace any original-equipment tires showing cracking, bulging or uneven wear.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was driving mid day in az in my f-250 xlt crew cab truck when I noticed a slight vibration. I changed lanes and it did not go away. I started to slow down when bam the tire blew. I got over to the shoulder of the road and inspected the tire. It did not lose air at all only the tread had delaminated from it. However the tread had torn up the side of my vehicle as well as the chrome nerf bars and the wheel wells themelf. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10088202, filed 2004-08, 24,562 miles

   “While traveling on turnpike at 75 MPH left front tire tread separated on my steeltex a/t lt265/75r16 load range e tires causing my vehicle to immediately shift to the left across 2 lanes and almost hitting center median wall, caused $2900.00 damage to my vehicle.”

   NHTSA complaint #10082346, filed 2004-07, 42,000 miles
3. 3
   Engine cooling

   Diesel engine stalls or shuts off while driving

   • 35 complaints (12%)
   • median 70,000 mi at 5.7 yrs old (28 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,100 (median of 7 quotes)
   • filed 2003–2015

   Owners of 7.3L diesel trucks describe the engine cutting out with no warning while driving, sometimes restarting right away and sometimes after a wait, and on occasion with loss of power steering and brake assist as a result. Several say replacing the camshaft position sensor resolved the stalling; others had the sensor replaced under a campaign and still had repeat shutdowns, and one notes the truck sometimes does not respond when pulling away. Spread from about 29,000 to 130,000 miles in the sample, with no clear seasonal pattern.

   Recall 07V553000

   What to check: Ask whether the camshaft position sensor has been replaced and keep the part number on file; note any history of intermittent shutdowns or hard starting on the test drive.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I recently bought a used 2001 Ford f-250 with the 7.3 diesel from the local Ford dealer. It had a recent computer reflash, should have told me something. Anyway the cps was bad in it. It would shut down, sometimes starting right back, sometimes after a few minutes. I got tired of the run around so I put a new cps in it myself. I have had no more problems, no thanks to Ford.”

   NHTSA complaint #10188657, filed 2007-04, 60,000 miles

   “2001 f250 diesel stalled without warning today. It did restart, then stalled again. Then restarted and stalled a third time. I'm attempting to drive it to the Ford dealership tomorrow. I understand there has been similar recall on a later model. The vehicle did seem to hesitate several times yesterday but did not stall.”

   NHTSA complaint #10157036, filed 2006-05, 125,000 miles
4. 4
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission failure and harsh shifting

   • 38 complaints (13%)
   • median 64,000 mi at 3.9 yrs old (32 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $3,000 (median of 11 quotes)
   • filed 2003–2017

   Complaints describe sudden loss of drive with no forward or reverse gear, harsh downshifts with a bang when slowing, and in some cases the transmission locking up or breaking internally. Owners of the 4R100 automatic report being told an internal one-way clutch or drum had failed and needed replacement; a few mention a manual gearbox that would not go into park and had shift components replaced. Mostly reported between about 50,000 and 90,000 miles, often while driving at ordinary road speeds.

   5 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask for transmission service records and check fluid condition and color; drive at light and moderate throttle to feel for harsh downshifts, slipping or delayed engagement.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “We have a 2001 Ford F-250 SD truck that has had 3-4 transmission failures since we have owned it. The transmission deteriorates 3-4 months after the warranty expires. On monday, may 29, 2006 we were in a hay field picking up hay when the transmission exploded and caught fire with no warning.”

   NHTSA complaint #10158831, filed 2006-06, 90,000 miles

   “1. While driving at approximately 30 miles per hour, I experienced a sudden and immediate lost of power. The vehicle is a 2001 Ford f-250 with the 4r100 transmission. 2. Luckily traffic was light and I was able to egress to the side of the road without an accident. At another location or time, severe consequences could have occurred. 3. I had the vehicle towed to the local Ford dealership for a diagnostic evaluation. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10086609, filed 2004-08, 64,000 miles
5. 5
   Steering

   Power steering and front-end shake

   • 61 complaints (21%)
   • median 58,000 mi at 5.2 yrs old (48 state mileage)
   • 7 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $2,000 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2002–2018

   Owners describe the steering wheel shaking or the front end wandering, sometimes severely enough to require pulling over, and in some cases losing power assist at low speed or while braking in a parking situation. Some had tires replaced and alignments done without resolving it; others were told the ball joints were sticking, and one long-term owner reports violent shaking after hitting rough pavement even with new steering parts. Reported from roughly 12,000 to 185,000 miles, often felt at highway speed or over bumps.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Test drive over broken pavement and at highway speed, and have the front end checked for play in ball joints, tie rods and wheel bearings before buying.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Nothing lead up to this. I just sold my 2001 f250 xlt to a friend. Within days the truck started shaking violently when they would reach a speed around 40mph. They have taken it to a mechanic and he spent days looking at it and can not find a problem. Its bad enough that it almost caused them to run off the road. Truck had to be parked on the side of the road!!”

   NHTSA complaint #10229216, filed 2008-05, 130,800 miles

   “I own a 2001 Ford f250 super duty 4x4 truck. After purchasing truck used, I replaced all steering components with o.e equipment specifications at certified repair facilities. All facilities certified all steering parts in original specification form. Despite all this, the truck would shake violently upon hitting any kind of rough roads or potholes. After reading other complaints, I realized this is defect with the truck even going to 2007 model year. This truck is dangerous!! Dangerous!! Dangerous!!!!!!!!. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10401211, filed 2011-05, 184,176 miles

Buying note. Check the engine history carefully on these trucks, especially plug or head repairs on the gas engines and sensor replacements on the diesel, and budget for front-end and transmission work given the mileage most of these trucks now carry. Maintenance records and a pre-purchase inspection are worth more here than a low odometer reading.

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.