2001 FORD F-350 SD Complaints

2001 FORD F-350. ENGINE STALLING, HESITATION. ADVISED PROBLEM WAS CPS FAILURE, COMMON PROBLEM ON FORD POWERSTROKE DIESELS. AFTER MANY STALLS, OLD CPS WAS REPLACED, WAS ADVISED THAT CPS FAILURE CAN HAPPEN OFTEN, EVEN WITH A NEW UNIT. OLD CPS IS AVAILABLE. NO ACCIDENT HAS OCCURRED YET BUT I'M CONCERNED THAT ANOTHER CPS FAILURE COULD BE CATASTROPHIC. *NM

I OWN A 2001 FORD F-350 7.3 LITER DIESEL TRUCK. LAST MONTH I WAS PULLING A TRAILER IN HEAVY TRAFFIC WHEN MY ENGINE DIED. I LOST BRAKES AND STEERING. IT WAS ALL I COULD DO TO FIGHT THE WHEEL OVER TO THE RIGHT AND I USED MY ELECTRIC TRAILER BRAKES TO PULL ME DOWN. WE WERE ALMOST HIT BY MANY CARS. AFTER BEING TOWED, WE FOUND THAT IT WAS A BAD CAM POSITION SENSOR, OR CPS. I HAVE SINCE SPOKEN TO OTHER FORD OWNERS AND MANY OF THEM HAVE HAD SIMILAR EXPERIENCES. THIS IS SCARY! I AM NOW AFRAID TO DRIVE THE TRUCK, ESPECIALLY TO PULL A LOAD. WHAT CAN BE DONE? THANKS. *JB SEE ALSO 10191279. *DSY

THE CPS ON THE VEHICLE FAILED THREE TIMES. TWO OF THE THREE FAILURES LEFT ME STRANDED FOR OVER TWO HOURS WHILE WAITING FOR FORD ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE TO RECOVER THE VEHICLE. THE FREQUENCY OF THE PROBLEM HAS CAUSED ME TO NOW CARRY A SPARE CPS IN MY GLOVEBOX IN THE EVENT OF A FUTURE FAILURE. *NM

WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 35-45 MPH ON 1/23/2005, MY 2001 F-350 FORD CREW CAB, 7.3 TURBO DIESEL, 4-WHEEL DRIVE DUALLY PICKUP TRUCK CAME TO A SUDDEN STOP IN THE ROAD WITH A LOUD EXPLOSION. I WAS ABLE TO RETURN HOME AS I WAS ONLY ABOUT 1-1 1/5 MILES FROM MY HOUSE. WHILE PEERING UNDER THE TRUCK, I NOTICED A LARGE GAPING HOLE IN THE GEAR BOX ON THE FRONT AXLE. IT APPEARED THAT THE EXPLOSION OCCURRED INSIDE THE GEAR BOX HOUSING, BLOWING A LARGE HOLE IN THE METAL CASING. I CONTACTED RICART FORD WHERE I PURCHASED THE TRUCK AND THEY ARRANGED TO HAVE THE TRUCK TOWED. WHEN I INQUIRED ABOUT THIS BEING A FORD PROBLEM, I WAS TOLD THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND I WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ENTIRE COST OF THE REPAIR. THE FINAL COST FOR THE REPAIRS WAS $3478.21 AND THE COST FOR A CAR RENTAL FOR THIS PERIOD OF TIME WAS $426.99. GUIDELINES PER JEFF PENROD, FORD REP: 1. IS THERE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FROM FORD? CURRENT OR EXPIRED? EVEN IF IT WAS EXPIRED, FORD MIGHT HELP PAY FOR THE REPAIRS. 2. DOES THE CAR OWNER GO TO A FORD DEALER FOR MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS? 3. IS THE OWNER RELATED TO A POLITICAL MEMBER OR FAMILY OF POWER/INFLUENCE? IF SO, FORD WOULD PROBABLY HELP. SINCE I DID NOT FIT ANY OF THE ABOVE CATEGORIES, I WAS TOLD THAT FORD WOULD NOT HELP WITH THE REPAIRS. WHEN I ASKED JEFF IF THERE WAS SOMEONE ABOVE HIM I COULD CONTACT, HE INFORMED ME THAT ALL THE DECISIONS COME DOWN TO HIM THAT'S WHY THEY PAY HIM. EVEN IF IT GOES TO THE PRESIDENT, IT WILL COME BACK TO HIM. I ASKED FOR JEFF'S PHONE NUMBER AND I WAS TOLD THAT HE DOES NOT HAVE A PHONE AND THAT I COULD CONTACT HIM THROUGH THE DEALER. WHEN I ASKED THE TECHNICIANS HOW THIS COULD HAVE HAPPENED, THEY HAD NO IDEA. MY BELIEF IS THAT THERE WAS A LATENT DEFECT. HOW ELSE COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED? THIS TRUCK WAS MADE TO TOW AND HAUL HEAVY EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES, OF WHICH I DID NEITHER. *NM

I HAVE A 2001 FORD F-350 WITH THE 7.3 DIESEL MOTOR. I HAVE REPLACED THE CAM SENSOR IN IT TWICE AND THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE ON THE INTERNET UPSET ABOUT THIS. WHEN THE CAM SENSOR FAIL THE TRUCK SHUTS DOWN WHICH CAUSES LOSS OF POWER STEERING, POWER BRAKES, AND ALL CONTROL OF THE TRUCK AND THERE IS NO WAY TO TELL WHEN IT IS GOING TO FAIL. FOR HAS NO RECALLS ON THIS SENSOR AND HAS HAD MANY PROBLEMS WITH IT AND NOTHING IS BEING DONE. IF THIS PROBLEM IS NOT FIXED THEN ITS IS GOING TO KILL SOMEONE IF IT HASN'T ALREADY. I TOW A 3-CAR HAULER WITH THIS TRUCK, IT'S REALLY DANGEROUS WHEN THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN WITH NO WARNING. SOMETIMES THE ENGINE MAY BE RESTARTED AND OTHER TIME I HAD TO WAIT 45 MINUTES.

FORD POWER STROKE DIESEL CAM POSITION SENSOR FAILURE LEADING TO LOSS OF STEERING, BRAKES AND CONTROL OF VEHICLE. SENSOR CAN FAIL WITHOUT WARNING AT ANY TIME AND LEAVE VEHICLE INOPERABLE IN TRAVEL PORTIONS OF HIGHWAY. I WAS TOWING 9,500 LB AT THAT TIME. THE TRAILER BRAKES SAVED THE DAY. I HAD A SPARE CAM POSITION SENSOR ON HAND AND MADE THE REPAIR ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. IT'S THE THIRD CAM POSITION SENSOR ON THE VEHICLE NOW.

THE TREAD SEPARATED FROM THE RIGHT REAR TIRE ON MY 2001 FORD 350 TRUCK. AS IT LEFT, IT DID CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. I REPLACED THE TIRE, SENT THE DAMAGED ONE TO FIRESTONE, WHO HAVE DENIED RESPONSIBILITY, AND ARE SENDING IT BACK-(C.O.D.) THE TIRES WERE ORIGINAL, WITH PLENTY OF LEGAL TREAD LEFT. *NM

DT: 2001 FORD F350. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THREE TIRES EXPERIENCED BELT SEPARATION. THE THIRD BELT SEPARATION WAS ON THE PASSENGER'S FRONT TIRE. THE LAST BELT SEPARATION OCCURRED ON SEPTEMBER 13, 2005 WHILE GOING A 70 MPH. THE TWO PREVIOUS TIRE BLOWOUTS WERE NOT AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED SCRATCHES ON THE PASSENGER'S SIDE RUNNING BOARD AND THE FRONT PASSENGER'S MUD FLAP WERE RIPPED OFF. THE CONSUMER STATED ONE OF THE OTHER TIRES WAS ON THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THESE PROBLEMS ALL OCCURRED WITHIN THE LAST YEAR. *AK (12/07/05) *SC

2001 F-350 SUPER DUTY CREW CAB, THE SCREWS THAT HOLD THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTER CABLE PLATE TO THE STEERING COLUMN SHIFT TUBE, BACKED OUT OF THEIR HOLES. AS THE COMPANY MECHANIC I EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM PREVIOUSLY ON A DIFFERENT TRUCK. I REPAIRED THE PROBLEM THE SAME WAY, LOWERING THE STEERING COLUMN, INSTALLING LONGER BOLTS WITH THREAD LOCK COMPOUND ON THE THREADS, ADDED A NYLOC NUT ON THE END OF THE BOLT. *JB

2001 F-350 SUPER CREW, THE SCREWS THAT CONNECT THE COLUMN SHIFTER TUBE TO THE PLATE THAT THE SHIFTER CABLE CONNECTS TO, BACKED OUT OF THEIR HOLES. THIS ACTION CAUSED AN IMPROPER READING, AND SELECTION OF TRANSMISSION GEAR. THE VEHICLE WAS PUT INTO PARK, AND DID NOT MAKE IT PAST REVERSE. THE TRUCK WAS EQUIPPED WITH AN AFTERMARKET BACK UP ALARM, WHICH ALERTED THE DRIVER, AND AVOIDED A DANGEROUS SITUATION. THE VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO ME (THE COMPANY MECHANIC) FOR REPAIR. I DROPPED THE STEERING COLUMN, THREADED LONGER BOLTS IN THE FACTORY HOLES WITH LOCTITE, TIGHTENED BOLTS THEN ADDED A NYLOC NUT ON THE BACK SIDE. *JB