2003 FORD F-350 SD Complaints

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

I'M SURE I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. I HEARD A TICKING NOISE ALSO, THEN MY TRUCK STARTED TO MISS UNDER LOAD. UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHICH CYLINDER IS THE PROBLEM, SOUNDS LIKE ALL MY BE BAD AT SOME TIME. FORD HAS TO BE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM, NOT TAKING THE BLAME IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW THEY RUN THEIR BUSINESS. OOOHHHH WAIT THEY ARE GETTING READY TO GO UNDER. WONDER WHY???? *TR

SLUGGISH, CHUGGING, STALLING OF VEHICLE. HAD INJECTOR CHANGED BY FORD. PROBLEM HAPPENED AGAIN ON 1/19/2007 THEY SAID LINING IN TANK WAS COMING APART IN THE FUEL TANK. FORD CHANGED 3 INJECTORS, FUEL PUMP, FUEL FILTERS AND FUEL TANK. IS HAS NOW HAPPENED AGAIN 11/7/2008 AND IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. *TR

2003 FORD F350. DIESEL 6.0 LITER. HARD TO START EVEN WHEN WARM OUT, NOW IS NOT STARTING AT ALL, HAVE HAD THE SAME OIL LEAKS, AT SPEED OF 55 TO 60 JERKS HARD AND HAS EVEN STALLED WHILE DRIVING. JUST A FEW OF THE PROBLEMS AND WE KEEP SPENDING MONEY TO HAVE FIXED AND THEY JUST RECUR AGAIN. BEEN READING PEOPLE HAVE BEEN HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS AS US. FORD IS NOT DOING ANYTHING TO FIX THIS. *TR

CLUTCHES, LOTS OF THEM, WHEN THEY FAIL ITS HARD TO STOP TRUCK, NOT FROM ABUSE FAILING FROM DEFECTIVE PARTS THIS HAS BEEN ONGOING FOR A YEAR, FORD WONT STAND BEHIND IT, ALSO HAVE HAD LOTS OF CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDERS, WHEN THIS GOES THERE IS NO STOPPING, AM I THE ONLY ONE HAVING THIS PROBLEM? CHECK ONLINE SEEMS LIKE ACROSS THE BOARD CLUTCH PROBLEMS AT FORD. *TR

I HAVE A 2003 FORD F350 KING RANCH WITH A 6.0L DIESEL MOTOR. THE TRUCK HAS HAD A VARIETY OF SOFTWARE FAILURES WITH RESPECT TO THE PCM FOR THE MOTOR WHICH HAS RESULTED IN THE MOTOR COMPLETELY AND INSTANTANEOUSLY SHUTTING DOWN OR CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE TURBOCHARGER RESULTING IN THE TURBO OVER BOOSTING AND BLOWING UP THE INTERCOOLER OR NO PSI OUT OF THE TURBO LEAVING ME AND MY FAMILY STRANDED TWICE IN THE MOUNTAINS PULLING A FULL TWO HORSE TRAILER (6,500 POUNDS). VEHICLE HAS BEEN INTO BAKERSFIELD FORD, VISALIA FORD, RANCHO FORD FOR SERVICE. PCM SYSTEM WAS ALWAYS REFLASHED AND REPAIRS MADE UNDER WARRANTY UNTIL THE MOST RECENT TURBOCHARGER FAILURE 09-28-2008. THE VEHICLE WAS 5 MONTHS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THIS FAILURE COST ME $2,700. TODAY 10-6-2008 THE PCM LOST ALL ITS MEMORY AND I AGAIN LOST POWER ON THE FREEWAY AND WAS NEARLY HIT BY MULTIPLE VEHICLES TRYING TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND OFF THE FREEWAY. THIS WAS FIVE DAYS AFTER GETTING THE TRUCK BACK FROM FORD. A PROCESS WAS WENT THROUGH AT FORD TO RE-LEARN THE "TURBO STRATEGY" AND THE TRUCK WAS RETURNED TO ME WORKING FINE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING AT 70MPH A FUEL INJECTOR FAILED LITTERING THE #3 CYLINDER WITH DEBRIS. A BLUE SMOKE CLOUD IMMEDIATELY BLANKETED THE HIGHWAY REDUCING VISIBILITY TO NEAR ZERO. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO FIND A SAFE LOCATION TO PULL OFF BEFORE THE ENGINE SEIZED. I TOWED THE TRUCK TO THE FORD DEALER FOR AN ESTIMATE FOR REPAIRS. I WAS ADVISED THAT A FUEL INJECTOR HAD FAILED AND IT COULD BE REPAIRED FOR $750. I AUTHORIZED THE REPAIR AND RECEIVED A CALL THAT AFTERNOON THE TRUCK WAS DONE HOWEVER #3 CYLINDER COMPRESSION WAS HALF OF NORMAL. THEY RECOMMENDED A "SHORT BLOCK" WHICH COSTS $8,000 PLUS LABOR. I WAS ANGRY AND PAID THE BILL AND SOUGHT OUT A SECOND OPINION. I CHOSE TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE ENGINE AFTER SEEING THE DAMAGE AND ON THE ADVICE OF THE SECOND MECHANIC. I DID NOT WANT TO PUT THE OLD INJECTORS INTO A NEW MOTOR. THIS WAS NOT THE FIRST INJECTOR TO FAIL ON THIS TRUCK, HOWEVER THE FIRST DID NOT CAUSE CATASTROPHIC FAILURE AND WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, I HAVE HEARD OTHER ANECDOTAL REPORTS OF SIMILAR FAILURES. THIS WAS A WELL MAINTAINED VEHICLE WITH ALL THE WORK DONE AT FORD DEALERSHIPS AT THE RECOMMENDED INTERVALS. I HAD THE MECHANIC SAVE THE DAMAGED PISTON WHICH BEARS THE IMPRINT OF THE INJECTOR DEBRIS INCLUDING PARTIAL PART NUMBER. BEFORE TAKING THE TRUCK FROM THE DEALERSHIP I HAD THEM SUBMIT A REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE FROM FORD TOWARD THE REPAIR WHICH WAS DECLINED. I BELIEVE THIS PART FAILED PREMATURELY @ 120,000 MILES DUE TO A FLAW IN DESIGN OR CONSTRUCTION. I HAVE A REASONABLE EXPECTATION OF GREATER LONGEVITY FOR A HEAVILY BUILT DIESEL ENGINE FOR WHICH I PAID AN EXTRA $6000 OVER BASE PRICE. A FAILURE COULD EASILY HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT DUE TO THE THICK BLUE SMOKE OR THE INABILITY TO GET THE VEHICLE OFF THE ROAD UNDER ITS OWN POWER . *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD F-350 SD. WHILE THE CONTACT WAS EXAMINING HIS VEHICLE, HE NOTICED OIL SPOTS ON THE FLOOR OF THE GARAGE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC AND THEY DISCOVERED THAT THE OIL PAN WAS EXTREMELY RUSTED AND THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED FOR THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 61,800.