"How reliable is the 2003 Ford F-350 Sd?"

"Based on 164 NHTSA complaints, the 2003 Ford F-350 Sd has a median complaint mileage of 45000 miles. The most common issue is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:DIESEL."

"What are common problems with the 2003 Ford F-350 Sd?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2003 Ford F-350 Sd is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:DIESEL, accounting for a significant portion of the 164 total complaints filed."

2003 Ford F-350 Sd: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 164 complaints

164

Total Complaints

45,000mi

Median Mileage

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:DIESEL

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

16,442 25th Percentile

45,000 Median Mileage

90,500 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:DIESEL

FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

TIRES

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

TIRES:TREAD/BELT

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"FORD F350 CREW CAB WITH 6.0-LITER DIESEL ENGINE. THE TURBO RANDOMLY SHUTS DOWN AND THE VEHICLE WILL NOT ACCELERATE OVER 45 - 50 MPH. THE ONLY TEMPORARY FIX IS TO TURN THE ENGINE OFF AND RESTART THE VEHICLE. MY SPOUSE WAS NEARLY REAR ENDED BY A HAY TRUCK WHILE TRYING TO GET ONTO THE HIGHWAY. THE ..."

"I HAD A BRAND NEW 6.0 POWERSTROKE SUPERCHARGER BLOW UP ON ME AND IT ONLY HAD 244 MILES ON IT. SO THE DEALERSHIP GAVE ME A NEW TRUCK. THEN THE NEW TRUCK HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AT 8,000 MILES AND IT WAS THE SUPERCHARGER TO BUT IT ALSO BURNT AN INJECTOR OUT AND TOLD ME I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE AND FORD WAS ..."

"VEHICLE LOST POWER (AND NEVER RETURNED) WHILE PASSING ANOTHER VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AFTER 20 MILES OF DRIVING UNDER THE LOST POWER CONDITION. TOOK THE TRUCK TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE EGR VALVE. THIS HAPPENED AT ONLY 3500 MILES. I WISH FORD WOULD TEST THEIR ..."

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

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