2003 FORD F-350 Complaints

WE WERE USING OUR FORD F350 DIESEL (6.0 MOTOR) WITH 63,000. WE WERE GOING 70 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE PULLING A LOADED 5 HORSE TRAILER WHEN THE TRUCK WOULD NOT ACCELERATE, 15 SECONDS LATER ENGINE CUT OFF. WE WERE IN THE LEFT LANE AND HAD NO POWER TO STEER OFF THE ROAD AND COULD NOT COME TO A FAST STOP BECAUSE OF THE WEIGHT OF THE OF HORSE TRAILER. WE HAD TO COAST APPROXIMATELY 100 YARDS AND PULL OFF ON THE LEFT SIDE BECAUSE TRAFFIC WAS TOO HEAVY AND GOING TO FAST TO LET US OVER TO THE RIGHT SIDE. TRUCK WOULD NOT START AGAIN. HAD TO BE TOWED OFF THE INTERSTATE AND HOME. TOOK IT TO THE REPAIR SHOP AND WAS TOLD THE ENGINE LOCKED UP AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $7500 TO $10000. I CHECKED ON WARRANTY AND BECAUSE IT IS A 2003 IT IS EXPIRED. CALLED FORD AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO RECALLS. IT WAS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION AND CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT WERE IS NOT SOME TYPE OF DEFECT IN THE ENGINE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD F-350 SD. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS, THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION; ALTHOUGH, THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. AN AUTHORIZED TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE INJECTION CONTROL PUMP (ICP); INJECTION PRESSURE REGULATOR (IPR) AND THE WIRING HARNESS WHICH WERE REPLACED ON TWO OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS ALSO TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED. THE COST TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE WAS 3,400. THE FOLLOWING DAY THE ALTERNATOR FAILED AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE CONTACT HAD CONCERNS OF THE SAFETY RISK INVOLVED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 132,000.

I HAVE A SET OF KUHMO TIRES - ROAD VENTURE AT 285/75 -16 WHICH EXPERIENCED THE SAME DEFECTS AS THE KUHMO ROAD VENTURE TIRES CURRENTLY BEING RECALLED (WHICH IS SIDEWALL DELAMINATION AND THEN BLOWOUT) BUT MY TIRES DO NOT FALL UNDER THE CURRENT RECALL. THESE TIRES ARE LESS THAN 2 YEARS OLD AND I NO LONGER FEEL SAFE ON THEM - I WILL REPLACE THEM IN 2 DAYS. I THINK THAT ALL KUHMO TIRES OF THIS LINE SHOULD BE LOOKED AT. *TR

2003 FORD F350 HAS PROBLEMS WITH THE FUEL INJECTORS, TRANSMISSION AND AN OIL LEAK. *NJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AND WHITE SMOKE EMITTED FROM THE TAILPIPE. HE ALSO NOTICED A DELAY OF ENGAGEMENT FROM DRIVE TO REVERSE AND THE FUEL GAUGE WAS STUCK. THE NUMBER 8 INJECTOR HAD FAILED, THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED A NEW PART AND THE FUEL GAUGE NEEDED A NEW SENSOR. IN THE FALL OF 2008, THE VEHICLE DEVELOPED AN OIL LEAK. IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE ICP SENSOR (INJECTOR CONTROL PRESSURE) WAS THE PROBLEM. IN MARCH 2009, WHILE TOWING A TRACTOR, THE TRUCK LOST POWER AND AGAIN IT EMITTED SMOKE AND THERE WAS A HARSH JERK. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE ENGINE FAILED AGAIN. THE NUMBER 1 AND NUMBER 3 INJECTOR HAD FAILED AND THERE WAS A NEW OIL LEAK. *JB

TIRE EXPLOSION AND TREAD SEPARATION BF GOODRICH RUGGED TRAIL T/A TIRE (LT 265/75/16 E). PROPERLY INFLATED ON THE READ OF FORD F350 TRUCK. TRAVELING 55 MPH WITH CLEAR ROAD CONDITIONS, NO ROAD HAZARD ENCOUNTERED. TIRE HAS LEGAL TREAD DEPTH & EVEN TREAD WEAR 54, 279 MILES. TREAD SEPARATION CAUSED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO LEFT REAR OF TRUCK. TRAVELING SOUTH ON J14 NEAR BYRON, CA. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD F350. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE SLOWLY GAINED SPEED DURING ACCELERATION. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS FOR THIS ISSUE AND WAS INFORMED THAT IT WAS A NORMAL CHARACTERISTIC FOR THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT FEELS THAT THE ISSUE WAS A SAFETY RISK BECAUSE A CRASH COULD OCCUR WHILE CROSSING AN INTERSECTION. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 92,000 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

7.3 LTR DIESEL ENGINE HAS A METAL FUEL LINE STRAPPED TO ENGINE BLOCK WITH METAL CLAMP. THE METAL CLAMP EVENTUALLY WEARS A HOLE IN THE METAL FUEL LINE AND THEN DIESEL FUEL IS SPRAYED ON TO BACK OF ENGINE, STARTER AND OTHER ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS. THE METAL FUEL LINE AND CLAMP IS ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE ENGINE AND ATTACHED TO THE BACK OF THE ENGINE BLOCK. I WOULD THINK THERE SHOULD BE SOME KIND OF RUBBER INSULATION AROUND THE FUEL LINE WHERE IT IS HELD BY THE METAL CLAMP. IT IS JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE EVERY ONE F THESE 7.3 LTR ENGINES WILL SUFFER THIS WEAR THROUGH OF THE DIESEL FUEL LINE AND SPRAY FUEL DOWN THE BACK OF THE ENGINE AND ALL OVER THE STARTER AND ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS. IT IS A FIRE HAZARD IN EVERY VEHICLE USING THE 7.3 LTR ENGINE. WEB SITE FORUMS ARE FULL ON THIS EXACT SAME PROBLEM OF WEAR THROUGH OF THE FUEL LINE BY THE METAL CLAMP HOLDING IT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD F350 SUPER DUTY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SOMETHING FELL INTO THE FUEL TANK OR DELAMINATE, WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO STALL, CLOGGED THE INJECTORS, AND CLOGGED THE FUEL FILTER. THE VEHICLE STALLED APPROXIMATELY 55-60 TIMES DUE TO THE DELAMINATION AND WAS BECOMING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. THE LATEST FAILURE OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND THE FUEL LINE HAD TO BE DRAINED SO THAT SHE COULD DRIVE TO HER RESIDENCE. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED, IT BUCKED AND SPUTTERED. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED PRIOR TO THE FAILURE AND THE STEERING WAS INOPERABLE. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER THREE TIMES AND THEY CONTINUOUSLY ADVISED HER TO CHANGE THE FUEL FILTERS DUE TO POOR DIESEL FUEL. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED AND IS PARKED AT THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE MANUFACTURER ALSO STATED THAT THERE WAS BAD FUEL IN THE VEHICLE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 31,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 14,000.

I SMELLED HINT OF RAW FUEL WHEN THE ENGINE WAS WARM FOR 1-2 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE OBVIOUS PROBLEM. 3-4 WEEKS PRIOR TO PROFESSIONAL INSPECTION THERE WAS WHITE SMOKE OUT OF THE EXHAUST FOR 1-2 MINUTES. THIS SMOKE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH ROUGH IDLING THAT WHEN AWAY COMPLETELY UNTIL THE NEXT COLD START UP. THE PRECIPITATING EVENT FOR PROFESSIONAL INSPECTION WAS RAW FUEL SPRAYING ONTO THE TRAILER THAT WAS BEING PULLED. INSPECTION REVEALED RAW FUEL POOLED ON THE HORIZONTAL ENGINE SURFACES AND RAW FUEL IN THE COOLING SYSTEM. THIS WAS VERIFIED BY MANUFACTURER'S DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND FOUND TO BE A LEAKING FUEL INJECTOR CUP. IT WILL REQUIRE CHANGING ALL THE FUEL INJECTOR CUPS. THE DEALER SERVICE AGENT REPORTED THAT THIS SAME PROBLEM HAS BEEN SEVERAL TIMES IN THESE PARTICULAR MODELS. IT IS USUALLY A WARRANTY ITEM. THIS HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED YET AS THIS VEHICLE'S WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED BY TIME LIMIT BUT NOT MILEAGE. THE MANUFACTURER HAS DENIED ANY OBLIGATION TO HELP RESTORE THE VEHICLE TO SAFE OPERATION GIVEN THAT IT SEEMS TO RUN UNIMPAIRED FROM A PERFORMANCE STANDPOINT. *TR

2003 FORD 350 DIESEL, FUEL TANK HAS CONTAMINATION WHICH RUINED PUMP, ONLY 65,000 MILES, COST TO REPAIR $2000, FORD SAYS NOT THEIR PROBLEM, IT'S THE FUEL. *TR