2003 Ford F-250 SD Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2003 F-250 Super Duty most often report engine-related trouble, especially with the 6.0L diesel: stalling or loss of power, rough running when cold, and coolant or oil leaks around the EGR cooler and turbo system. A separate cluster of complaints concerns spark plugs being ejected from the 5.4L V-8, and front-end vibration or steering shake at highway speed. Many complaints were filed while the trucks were still at low mileage, though transmission and tire reports tend to appear later.

1. 1
   Engine cooling

   Diesel stalling, loss of power, rough running

   • 80 complaints (45%)
   • median 32,000 mi at 2.9 yrs old (73 state mileage)
   • 9 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,878 (median of 7 quotes)
   • filed 2003–2015

   Owners of 6.0L and 7.3L diesel trucks describe the engine cutting out or dropping power without warning, sometimes at highway speed, and sluggish or rough running especially when cold or after a cold start. Complaints mention repeated dealer visits with turbocharger, EGR valve, sensor, injector and computer reprogramming work, and in some cases the problem returned afterward. A few describe the engine quitting with loss of power steering and brakes. Often reported under about 30,000 miles, with further reports up to around 130,000 miles.

   Recall 07V553000Recall 09V399000Recall 07V0780005 related service bulletins

   What to check: Have a diesel specialist scan for stored codes and check service history for turbo, EGR cooler, injector and camshaft sensor work; ask whether the speed control deactivation switch recall was completed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “At high altitudes the 6.0 liter diesel will need 15-20 minutes to warm up before it will go anywhere. If I try to drive truck before that, it will spit sputter and die. I hope I am never in a hurry or have an emergency. Temperature does not seem to affect this, it happens daily no matter what temp is. No fatalities yet, I work construction, if someone on my job gets hurt they may die waiting for truck to warm up.”

   NHTSA complaint #10018844, filed 2003-05, 150 miles

   “I recently purchased a Ford f250 super duty 6.0 liter diesel pickup. This is a new engine just released this year. Their are already many service bulletins on this from Ford. One of the main problems is running rough, stalling, slow response from a stop, etc. Fords latest bulletins to their dealers is their is no fix for this at the present time. This is a dangerous situation which could result in an accident. It is my believe these should be taken off the market until they resolve the problem. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10005071, filed 2003-02, 275 miles
2. 2
   Engine cooling

   Spark plug ejected from cylinder head (5.4L V-8)

   • 26 complaints (15%)
   • median 84,920 mi at 7.6 yrs old (25 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2005–2016

   Owners describe a loud pop followed by a misfire, rough running or a stall, and on inspection one spark plug and its coil are found loose or thrown out of the head with the threads stripped. Some report it happened more than once or in more than one cylinder. Dealers typically quoted a thread-repair insert or replacement head, and several owners said the repair was not covered by warranty. Reported from roughly 53,000 to 141,000 miles; a few occurred earlier.

   What to check: On a 5.4L, ask whether any spark plug thread repairs have been done and listen for a ticking or misfire at idle; a compression or plug-seat inspection before purchase is reasonable.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have a 2003 Ford f250 with 73k miles on it, and I too am another victim of a spark plug blowing out of my 4th cylinder on the passenger side of my truck. Why is Ford not doing anything about this. As much as we pay for these cars and trucks, you would think they would make things right. No wonder u.s. Auto makers are failing. Just more corporate greed.”

   NHTSA complaint #10282815, filed 2009-09, 72,000 miles

   “I was driving on hwy 59 south to home when a spark plug blew out of my 2003 f-250 with 5.4 motor. Number 3 passenger spark plug blew out, truck only has 53,000 miles on it. Truck was towed to dealership and they acted like they never heard of such but that they had a kit to fix it. Cost to fix was $454.36, then the told me no warranty on the fix. Plus tow bill of $149.00 Ford motor company knows of this defect and refuses to do anything!”

   NHTSA complaint #10225313, filed 2008-04, 53,197 miles
3. 3
   Tires

   Tire tread separation and blowouts

   • 18 complaints (10%)
   • median 52,494 mi at 6.7 yrs old (18 state mileage)
   • filed 2003–2014

   Owners describe tread separating from the tire carcass, sometimes as a bulge or thumping, then a blowout that damages the wheel well or fender. Complaints involve several tire brands and sizes, and tires that were still inflated or had remaining tread. Owners typically dealt with the tire maker or a tire shop rather than the vehicle dealer. Mostly reported between about 25,000 and 106,000 miles on the vehicle, on tires of varying age.

   What to check: Check tire date codes and look for bulges, cracks or uneven wear on all four tires, and factor replacement into the price if the tires are old.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The tire lost its tread doing great damage to the side of my truck. The tire did not loose air, it was still properly inflated. This is the second tire of my originals to loose the tread. The first one damaged my front fender.”

   NHTSA complaint #10239236, filed 2008-08, 61,142 miles

   “I bought four yokohama tires lt285/75r16/d geo hts from americas tire store in riverside,ca ,,, in 2006 it was rim & tire package. Never had any issues with the tires until they past 30,000 miles ( there 60,000 mile tires) 8/21/2010 left my house to go pick up my daughter in orange county about half mile from getting on freeway I felt a thumping in the driver side steering tire, when I noticed a separation of the tread from cord in the form of a bubble.(lucky I did not get on the freeway) . …”

   NHTSA complaint #10359585, filed 2010-10, 61,158 miles
4. 4
   Steering

   Front-end shake and steering vibration at speed

   • 10 complaints (6%)
   • median 46,500 mi at 5.3 yrs old (10 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2003–2012

   Owners report the front end or steering wheel shaking or oscillating violently after hitting a bump or dip, usually around 45-60 mph, to the point of slowing down or stopping to regain control. Complaints mention alignment, tire balance, bushings, tie rods, shocks and steering components being checked or replaced without a lasting fix. Others describe loose steering, a detached tie rod, or a pitman arm fault identified by the dealer. Reported from about 30,000 to 170,000 miles, usually at highway speed over uneven road.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Drive it at highway speed over a bumpy stretch before buying and check tie rods, ball joints, track bar and steering box play; a front-end inspection by an independent shop is worthwhile.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I own a 2003 f-250 superduty extended cab two wheel drive Ford pick-up, the front end will shake violently at around 55 miles an hour when you hit a bump in the road or even making a slight right hand curving turn on the highway. It is so bad that I have to pull of the highway to keep control of the truck. I replaced the shocks with monroe gas magnum shocks , no change for the better.”

   NHTSA complaint #10333847, filed 2010-05, 83,225 miles

   “The front end vibrates and oscillates when I hit a bump or rough road conditions driving between 30 and 50 MPH. There is more slack in the steering, and I have to speed up above 50 MPH or slow down below 30 MPH or jerk the wheel from side to side in order to stop the shaking. This occurs every time we drive the truck. The tires have been checked, and from researching, it appears that there is a faulty steering box, but Ford refuses to acknowledge the defect.”

   NHTSA complaint #10331931, filed 2010-05, 60,000 miles

Buying note. Condition and service records matter more than mileage on this model year, particularly for diesel trucks, so have a diesel-capable shop check for coolant leaks, stored codes and prior turbo or EGR work. Also inspect the front end and tires closely, since steering shake and tire age come up often in owner reports.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 80 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.