"How reliable is the 2002 Ford F-250 Sd?"

"Based on 281 NHTSA complaints, the 2002 Ford F-250 Sd has a median complaint mileage of 75000 miles. The most common issue is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING."

"What are common problems with the 2002 Ford F-250 Sd?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2002 Ford F-250 Sd is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, accounting for a significant portion of the 281 total complaints filed."

2002 Ford F-250 Sd: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 281 complaints

281

Total Complaints

75,000mi

Median Mileage

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

43,000 25th Percentile

75,000 Median Mileage

104,250 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:DIESEL

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

TIRES

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM

STEERING

TIRES:TREAD/BELT

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES HARD AS IN NEAR EMERGENCY BAKING THE STEERING SYSTEM BECOMES INOPERABLE. SOMETIMES IT FEELS AS IF POWER STEERING IS LOST, OTHER TIMES IT FEELS AS IF THE STEERING LOCKS UP. I FEEL THIS IS A FATAL DESIGN FLAW AND GOES TOTALLY AGAINST ALL INFORMATION THAT THE USE OF ANTI LOCK ..."

"TINTED REAR WINDOW ALONG WITH TOP PROVIDED WITH THE REAR TINITED WINDOW IS NOT CLEAR WHICH REDUCES OR ELIMINATES VISION DEPENDING ON LIGHTING CONDITIONS.*AK *TT"

"BRAKE LOOSE POWER RESULTING IN PEDAL FADE AND HARD BRAKING .THE VEHICLE CAN EXPERIENCE EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE, ALSO HAVE CHANGE PAD TWICE AND ROTOR ONE TIME BY THE DEALER AND PROBLEM STILL REOCURRING. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. TS"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 38 complaints

25th: 67,178 mi Median: 83,000 mi 75th: 118,000 mi

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE 23 complaints

25th: 80,000 mi Median: 95,000 mi 75th: 120,000 mi

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:DIESEL 22 complaints

25th: 52,000 mi Median: 70,733 mi 75th: 86,587 mi

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 21 complaints

25th: 70,500 mi Median: 96,000 mi 75th: 123,575 mi

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 12 complaints

25th: 21,718 mi Median: 42,000 mi 75th: 65,812 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 34 TX: 23 AZ: 15 PA: 15 IL: 14 NY: 14 MI: 10 WA: 9 MD: 9 IN: 9

Who Files Complaints?

42.3%

Original Owners

57.7%

Second+ Owners

Ford F-250 Sd — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1997	52	88,350	VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL	1
1999	303	97,000	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE	20
2000	276	77,100	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:DIESEL	19
2001	331	75,000	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE	12
2003	229	46,000	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:DIESEL	6
2004	345	58,000	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:DIESEL	17
2005	381	42,500	SUSPENSION:FRONT	9
2006	353	40,000	STEERING	5
2007	85	35,000	STEERING	2
2008	175	43,910	STEERING	8
2009	33	48,000	SUSPENSION	1
2010	48	43,163	STEERING	2
2011	189	35,000	STEERING	8
2012	97	54,236	STEERING	3
2013	32	32,000	ENGINE	2
2014	37	67,000	SUSPENSION	3
2015	31	25,250	ENGINE	1
2017	119	24,551	STEERING	0
2018	23	7,050	STEERING	3
2023	74	2,750	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	3
2024	47	9,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	3

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28