2003 FORD F-350 SD Complaints

FUEL TANK DELAMINATION LEADING TO STALLING AND EVENTUAL REPLACEMENT OF THE TANK AT MY COST

WHILE PREPARING FOR A CAMPING TRIP THIS PASS SUMMER, I WENT TO CHECK THE OIL LEVEL. WHEN I WENT TO REMOVE THE OIL DIPSTICK, THE DIPSTICK TUBE BROKE, DUE TO CORROSION. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN MY 25 YEARS OF OWNING A VEHICLE FOR THAT TO HAPPEN. IT WOULD BE ALRIGHT, BUT IN ORDER TO REPLACE THE TUBE, IT IS REQUIRED TO REMOVE THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD TO PROPERLY REPLACE IT. IN TURN IT COST MORE MONEY TO REPLACE A PRODUCT THAT SHOULD NOT BREAK. I WAS FUELING MY TRUCK AND WANTED TO CHECK ALL MY FLUIDS.

I PURCHASED LT265/75/16 BF GOODRICH RUGGED TERRAIN T/A TIRES FOR MY TRUCK EXACTLY 5 YEARS AND JUST OVER 21K MILES LATER I HAD 2 SEPARATE TIRE FAILURES LESS THAN A FEW HUNDRED MILES APART. FIRST TIRE A BELT SLIPPED. HAD A GIANT BULGE IN THE TREAD. I PUT MY SPARE ON AND INSPECTED THE OTHER TIRES. ALL OK. NO CRACKS NO DRY ROT. I HAVE PICS. TIRE PRESSURE SET EQUALLY AT 78 PSI. I WAS AWAY CAMPING AND PULLING A 9000 LB TRAILER. LOCAL TIRE STORE DIDN'T HAVE A REPLACEMENT SO I HEADED HOME FIGURED I WOULD REPLACE IT WITH ANOTHER MATCHING TIRE AT HOME. ABOUT 100 MILES LATER WE HAD A SECOND TIRE FAIL. THIS ONE BLEW OUT AT HIGHWAY SPEED, CAUSING A LOT OF DAMAGE TO THE TRUCK AND LEFT ME STRANDED WITH NO SPARE. AFTER DOING SO RESEARCH AND READING BFG RECALLS FOR TIRES SIMILAR TO THIS ONE BUT DIFFERENT SIZES, I AM LEFT TO WONDER IF ALL OF THESE SIZES SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE RECALL TIRES FAILED IN THE SAME MANNER AS MINE THAT WAS NOT INCLUDED ONLY BECAUSE OF THE SIZE AND I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED. I HAD MY WIFE AND 3 KIDS IN THE TRUCK AND IT WAS A DANGEROUS SITUATION. THE TIRE BLEW OUT ON THE PA TURNPIKE. 65 MPH WHILE TOWING A HEAVY TRAILER. SUNNY. 85* DAY. THE BULGED TIRE HAPPENED A LOW SPEED. 25 MPH ON BACK ROADS. ALL OF THESE TIRES SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THE RECALL IT IS DANGEROUS TO HAVE THEM ON THE ROAD.

TIRE FAILURE. DESTROYED MY OUTER FENDER ON 2003 F350 DUALLY DAMAGED INCLUDED, OUTER FENDER, INNER FENDER, DAMAGE TO THE BED OF THE TRUCK, AND DAMAGE TO THE SUPPORT BRACKETS. BOUGHT THIS TRUCK USED ABOUT A MONTH AGO. NOT SURE WHEN THE TIRES WERE PURCHASED. MILEAGE ON TIRES IS AN ASSUMPTION

TRUCK STARTS TO HAVE A VIBRATION AND AT HIGHER SPEED GETS WORSE BY THE TIME YOU THINK IT MAY BE A BAD TIRE YOU MAY GET PULLED OVER BEFORE IT BLOWS OUT OR IT BLOWS DOING EXTENSIVE VEHICLE DAMAGE BEFORE YOU GET STOPPED. BETWEEN 04/15/09 TO 08/16/12 I PURCHASED 6 UNIROYAL LAREDO 265/75R16 TIRES FOR 2003 F-350 FORD TRUCK. ON 9/15/2910 A TIRE SEPARATED AND HAD A HUGE KNOT AND ADJUSTED WITH A NEW TIRE. ON 8/16/2012 ANOTHER TIRE SEPARATED AND HAD A KNOT IT WAS REPLACED AND ADJUSTED WITH A NEW TIRE. SINCE 2012 EVERY ONE OF THE 6 TIRES HAS SEPARATED AND HAD A KNOT. 2 BLEW COMPLETELY BEFORE I COULD GET STOPPED DOING EXTENSIVE VEHICLE DAMAGE. THE LEFT FRONT BLEW OUT IN MAY OF THIS YEAR TAKING ME DIRECTLY INTO INCOMING TRAFFIC AND ALMOST HITTING A COUPLE HEADON ON A MOTORCYCLE AND THEN ENDING UP IN THE INCOMING VECHICLES ROAD DITCH AT 65 MPH. THE TIRE STORE RECCOMENDED TO NOT USE THE UNIROYAL LAREDOS BECAUSE THIS HAS BECOME A COMMON QA ISSUE WITH THIS TIRE. THE TECHNICIAN SHOWED ME WHERE THE TIRES START TO COME APART. I LEFT 2 UNIROYAL LAREDOS ON THE REAR WHEELS AND THE TIRE TECHINICIAN LOOKED AT THE TIRES AND HE SAID THEY STILL LOOKED OPERABLE IN LESS THAN 2 WEEKS LEFT REAR STARTED VIBRATING AND IT HAD A KNOT ON IT. SO NOW ALL UNIROYAL LAREDOS HAVE BEEN REPLACED WITH BFG TIRES. 6 OUT OF 6 TIRES ALL WENT BAD AND THE TIRE STORES KNOW THESE UNIROYAL TIRES ARE DEFECTIVE AND YET UNIROYAL HAS DONE NOTHING TO FIX THE PROBLEM OR RECALLED THE TIRE. THIS IS A EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SAFETY ISSUE WHEN A TIRE BLOWS ON THE FRONT YOU HAVE NO CONTROL OVER THE TRUCK YOUR JUST A BOMB HEADING TO INCOMING TRAFFIC.

I CALLED FORD MOTOR COMPANY ON MY 2003 FORD F350 SD. SC. 4X4 5.4 ENG. WITH THE PROBLEM WITH BOTH EXHAUST MANIFOLDS ROTTING AWAY & THE STUDS & NUTS ROTTING , THEY TOLD ME WE WON'T FIX THE PROBLEM FOR FREE . I WOULD LIKE FOR YOUR HELP TO MAKE FORD MOTOR COMPANY FIX THIS PROBLEMS FOR FREE BECAUSE I TALKED TO MANY FORD DEALERS THEY ARE REPLACING THIS SAME PROBLEMS ON ALL 5.4 ENG. ON FORD TRUCKS AND HAVE TO CHARGE FOR THESE PROBLEMS . PLEASE INVESTAGATE THIS PROBLEMS BEFORE ALL THESE TRUCKS WILL CATCH ON FIRE AND PEOPLE WILL BE INJURY OR FATALITY WILL HAPPEN . PLEASE HELP ME AND MANY PEOPLE CAN GET THESE PROBLEMS FIX FOR FREE FROM FORD MOTOR COMPANY THANKS. *JS

ON 05/31/2013 AFTER DRIVING APROX 50 MILES AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THE TRUCK WAS PARKED AND A SMALL FIRE STARTED DUE TO LEAKING OIL ON THE HOT EXHAUST SYSTEM FROM A RUSTED OIL PAN. THE FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED BEFORE IT CONSUMED THE ENTIRE VEHICLE. I HAVE CONTACTED FORD MOTOR CO. CUSTOMER CARE AND WAS TOLD THAT THE TRUCK WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THAT THE COST TO REPAIR 1500.00 TO 2000.00 WOULD BE MY RESPONSIBILITY. I AM DISABLED AND ON SOCIAL SECURITY WITH A VERY FIXED INCOME AND CANNOT AFFORD THE COST OF THIS REPAIR. FROM LOOKING AT ALL THE OTHER POSTS AND LIVING IN MICHIGAN WITH WINTER SALT, FORD HAS RECALLED MANY OF THEIR VEHICLES DUE TO RUST AND CORROSION OF VARIOUS COMPONENTS THAT COULD CAUSE A ACCIDENT OR DEATH. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS MAJOR PROBLEM WITH FORD TRUCKS AND OTHER VEHICLES WITH THE 7.3 LITER DIESEL ENGINE. I HAVE CONTACTED MY DEALER AND THEY SAID THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE. THE TRUCK IS CURRENTLY PARKED AND UNDRIVEABLE. *TR

BOUGHT TRUCK IN 2009 . ABS LIGHT IS ON WANTED TO FIND OUT IF THERE WAS A RECALL ON HUBS AND IF SO WOULD LIKE TO FIND OUT IF TRUCK WAS SERVICED , AND IF NOT HOW WOULD I PROCEED TO DO RECALL . THANK YOU *TR

VEHICLE WAS ACCELERATING ONTO ON-RAMP TO INTERSTATE 90 WEST BOUND AT PINES ROAD IN SPOKANE VALLEY WA. VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN BY MY WIFE. AT APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH THEIR WAS A LOUD BANG AND NOISE THAT SOUNDED LIKE AN EXHAUST LEAK. VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE SHOULDER AND SHUT OFF. MY WIFE CALLED ME AND I CAME TO INVESTIGATE WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I TURNED THE ENGINE OVER AND DETERMINED IT WAS NOT AN EXHAUST LEAK BUT THAT A SPARK PLUG HAD BEEN BLOWN OUT OF THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ENGINE. IT WAS THE NUMBER 4 SPARK PLUG FROM THE FRONT ON MY V-10 GAS ENGINE. I LOCATED THE BENT SPARK PLUG AT THE APPROXIMATE LOCATION OF WHERE THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. OTHER THAN BEING BENT THE THREADS ON THE PLUG WERE INTACT AND DID NOT APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN CROSS THREADED. I HAD THE PLUGS REPLACED AT JUST OVER 100,000 MILES AS PER THE OWNERS MANUAL. I CHECKED WITH THE AUTO REPAIR SHOP I USED, (AAFES AUTO HOBBY SHOP ON FAIRCHILD AFB), AND INFORMED THEM OF WHAT HAD OCCURRED. THEY INFORMED ME THAT FORD HAD A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ON THIS VERY SUBJECT. THIS APPEARS TO BE A MANUFACTURING DEFECT IN THAT REPLACING SPARK PLUGS SHOULD NOT LEAD TO AN EXPLOSIVE EVENT STRONG ENOUGH TO DENT MY HOOD FROM THE INSIDE. I AM NOW EXPECTING TO HAVE 9 MORE LITTLE TIME BOMBS JUST WAITING TO GO OFF UNDER THE HOOD OF MY TRUCK. I AM JUST THANKFUL THAT MY WIFE HADN'T YET GOTTEN UP TO THE SPEED LIMIT OF 60MPH. *TR

MY WIFE AND I WERE TAKING OUR SON BACK TO COLLEGE. THERE WAS A NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT RIGHT TIRE THAT SOUNDED LIKE THE WARNING FOR YOUR BRAKE PADS, EXCEPT WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES IT DIDN'T STOP. SOUNDED LIKE MY BRAKE ROTOR WAS GRINDING. THE NEXT DAY I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO MY MECHANIC TO HAVE MY BRAKES AND ROTORS CHECKED. THEY WERE FINE, BUT I WAS SURPRISED WHEN MY MECHANIC TOLD ME IT WASN'T MY BRAKES BUT INSTEAD IT WAS MY ALUMINUM ALLOY RIM (FACTORY RIMS) HAD CRACKED ALL THE WAY THROUGH ONE OF THE SPOKES ON THE RIM AND HAD STARTED CRACKING ABOUT AN 1 1/2" THROUGH ANOTHER! I TOLD MY MECHANIC THAT I HAD NEVER HAD THIS HAPPEN BEFORE IN MY LIFE. MY MECHANIC REPLIED THAT HE HAD SEEN THIS SAME THING ON 5 OR 6 OF THE SUPER DUTY'S. SO, I BROWSED THE INTERNET TO SEE IF ANYONE ELSE HAD EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. COME TO FIND OUT THAT THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE HAD THE EXACT PROBLEM NOT ONLY WITH THE ALUMINUM ALLOY RIMS BUT THE STEEL RIMS AS WELL AND NOT SPECIFIC TO ANY YEAR. FROM FLORIDA TO CALIFORNIA ALL OVER THE U.S. INFORMED FORD CUSTOMER RELATIONS OF MY FINDINGS AND THERE RESPONSE WAS TO HOLD ON TO MY RECEIPT IN CASE THERE IS A CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM (CSP) OR A RECALL EVER PUT IN PLACE. *TR