2005 Ford F-350 SD Problems

What owners report

Complaints about this model year cluster around a violent front-end shake or death-wobble after hitting a bump at highway speed, and around stalling or no-start conditions on 6.0L diesel trucks, where owners were often told the fuel injection control module or EGR cooler was at fault. The shake reports come in from very low mileage up through late ownership, while the diesel stalling and fuel system problems generally appear later in life.

1. 1
   Steering

   Front-end shake (death wobble) over bumps

   • 56 complaints (26%)
   • median 40,000 mi at 4.3 yrs old (51 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2005–2018

   Owners describe the front end or steering wheel shaking violently after hitting a bump, pavement joint, pothole or bridge expansion strip, usually at 35-75 mph. Many say steering control is briefly lost and that the shaking only stops after slowing to roughly 20-50 mph or pulling off the road. Dealers variously replaced tires, sway bar parts, shock mounts or installed a heavier steering stabilizer, and several owners say the condition came back or the dealer could not reproduce it. Reported from a few hundred miles to well past 150,000 miles, most often at highway speed after a bump.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Drive the truck at highway speed over expansion joints and rough patches before buying, and ask whether a steering stabilizer, ball joints or front-end parts have already been replaced for this symptom.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have a 2005 Ford f-350 pick up truck. I have had a problem with severe vibrations since shortly after I purchased the vehicle. I have had the truck to the dealer many times for this problem without resolution. I recently received a letter from Ford about this shimmy problem. The letter recommends maintaining tire pressure. Todate that has not resolved my problem. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10268823, filed 2009-05, 100 miles

   “This problem is not isolated to a particular day or a particular incident; it is a chronic problem that happens when my vehicle hits a hole in the pavement or a hard bump when traveling at 50 MPH or more. My vehicle is a 2005 Ford f350 4x4 and the front end begins to shake violently and in my opinion could cause a head on collision. I have spoken to the Ford dealership and they said there is no recall for this problem. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10270151, filed 2009-05, 35,000 miles
2. 2
   Electrical system

   Stalling or no-start, often tied to fuel injection control

   • 74 complaints (34%)
   • median 65,000 mi at 5.2 yrs old (68 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $2,600 (median of 11 quotes)
   • filed 2005–2015

   Owners report the truck dying without warning while driving, sometimes failing to restart, and dealers attributing it to the fuel injection control module needing replacement. Several owners say the manufacturer told them their vehicle identification number was not included in the related stalling recall. Other reports describe hard or long cranking, rough running and replacement of the cam sensor, crank sensor or engine control module. Mostly between about 33,000 and 180,000 miles; one report at 263,755 miles.

   Recall 05V2700002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the fuel injection control module and related engine sensors have been replaced, and whether the truck has ever stalled while driving.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have 2005 Ford f350 6.0l diesel. Truck stalls on the road and will not restart. I had truck towed to feduke Ford 3 times. Will not fix because they can't duplicate problem. Almost had serious crash when stalled, tractor trailer almost took me and family out. Ford had recall for this defect. Recall#-05s34.NHTSA#-05v270000 I called Ford and they told me my VIN# was not included in recall,I told them my truck has same issue as recall. I need help.”

   NHTSA complaint #10205832, filed 2007-10, 38,000 miles

   “Vehicle stall/die while driving without any warning. When the vehicle dies, unable to turn the steering wheel and no power at all. Have a recall number 05s34, but Ford dealership won't repair it because my VIN isn't on recall. What should I do next?”

   NHTSA complaint #10786312, filed 2015-10, 263,755 miles
3. 3
   Fuel system

   Diesel fuel tank lining breaking down

   • 9 complaints (4%)
   • median 94,000 mi at 5.0 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2008–2012

   Owners describe the inside of the diesel fuel tank shedding lining, sending debris into the fuel system that clogs filters and injectors. Reported effects include loss of power above a certain speed, erratic running and stalling, and dealers recommending a full tank replacement or injector work. Mostly from about 44,000 to 109,000 miles.

   Recall 05V2660003 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the fuel tank or injectors have been replaced, and inspect a fuel filter for dark flakes or sediment at the next service.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I own a 2005 f350 4x4 crew cab power stroke diesel truck. I had the truck in for some warranty work just before it reached over 100.00 miles. I had to have injectors replaced. I later found out that the fuel tank was delaminating. Silver particle and rust is getting into the injecters and clogging filters. I been told that Ford is not covering this problem at all. The truck now has 109,000 miles and I no longer have a warranty on the injector. They never told me till after the warranty was up that the fuel tanks where failing. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10247486, filed 2008-11, 94,000 miles

   “2005 Ford f350 fuel tank lining peeled clogging total fuel system caused truck to breakdown and loose powersteering at high speed. Ford claims there is nothing wrong with gas tank but there has been thousands of the same incident.”

   NHTSA complaint #10260730, filed 2009-03, 69,697 miles
4. 4
   Engine cooling

   EGR cooler leaks, white smoke and loss of power

   • 29 complaints (13%)
   • median 40,300 mi at 3.0 yrs old (27 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $4,800 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2005–2013

   Complaints describe white smoke from the exhaust, a strong coolant smell, overheating and loss of power, with the dealer identifying a leaking EGR cooler and sometimes recommending head gaskets as well. In one case coolant entering the intake was described as causing the engine to stall while pulling onto a road. Reported mostly from about 56,000 to 158,000 miles.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Look for coolant residue or soot around the EGR area, ask if the EGR cooler has been replaced, and check for white smoke or a sweet smell after a cold start.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have a 2005 f350 4x4 drw 6.0 diesel with 70,000 miles, the truck was started one morning and white smoke started coming from the exhaust and the truck had no power, there was no warning and the dealer says its the EGR cooler and recommends that the head gaskets get done also for a total of $4800.00. I have researched this problem and the international built motor has this problem alot but I have not seen any recall on this why??? …”

   NHTSA complaint #10398279, filed 2011-04, 70,400 miles

   “Heavy diesel exhaust odor enter interior/passenger compartment through ventalation system. This occurs everytime we use the truck and it continues no matter if the heater is on or windows rolled up or down, though strong odor when heater is one. Ford looked at truck on 2/4; said they reprogramed PCM. Brought the truck in again on 3/2 and dealer service says nothing is wrong. Truck doesn't even have 3000 miles yet.”

   NHTSA complaint #10112606, filed 2005-03, 2,050 miles
5. 5
   Brakes

   Brake caliper and rear brake corrosion problems

   • 23 complaints (11%)
   • median 20,000 mi at 2.2 yrs old (20 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2005–2014

   Complaints describe calipers dragging so one pad wears out while its pair stays like new, leading to rotor and line damage, and rear brake backing plates rusting through so shoe retainer pins let go and a rear wheel locks. Another report describes the master cylinder casting breaking at the pedal and the brake pedal going to the floor. Most often under about 50,000 miles, though one report came at about 100,000 miles.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Have the brakes inspected on a lift for uneven pad wear and rusted backing plates, and check that the trailer brake controller works if the truck is used for towing.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Rear brake drum failure - backer plate of my Ford f350 has corroded to the extent that the rear brake shoe retainer pins fell inwards and the back brake shoe twisted around grinding in the rear drum. Upon hearing a noise slowed and the rear wheel locked and spun the truck sideways on the road. This is a long wheel base,k crewcab pickup with an 8ft box. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10240319, filed 2008-08, 50,000 miles

   “I was backing loaded trailer down incline toward pond; tow command trailer brake controller did not work properly and the 2005 f-350 super duty truck, with wheels locked, was dragged backward toward the edge of the pond by weight of the trailer and its load; trailer and truck stopped before reaching edge of pond. This has occurred at other times, indicating that brake controller does not provide adequate braking in reverse at low speeds. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10167019, filed 2006-08, 5,000 miles

Buying note. Budget for a careful highway test drive over rough pavement to look for front-end shake, and ask for records on the fuel injection control module, EGR cooler and fuel tank on diesel examples. Neither the recalls nor the service bulletins listed here cover every report, so maintenance history matters more than the recall list alone.

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.