2018 Ford F-250 Problems, Recalls & Reliability
639 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2018 Ford F-250, alongside 10 recall campaigns and 3 defect investigations. It scores 34/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Steering leads the reports, typically around 28,000 miles.
Typical
Where 2018 sits among all F-250 years
What owners report
“Steering wheel oscillated violently on highway apparently after driving over a rough surface of i-85 (ga mm40 s) @ 65 mph”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 F-250
“Truck shakes violently at highway speeds when you hit a rough spot on highway. Death wobble”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 F-250
“Bump in road at highway speed make truck violently shake almost loosing control. Had to slow way down to regain control”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 F-250
“I have experienced violent shaking from the front end of the vehicle at highway speeds (the "death wobble". Vehicle was taken to the dealership, and steering dampener installed. The issue persisted, so i returned to the dealership and the exact same part was replaced. Problem is worse than ever.…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 F-250
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 478 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 27,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 16,000 and 40,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (10)
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Lincoln MKC, Mustang, F-350 SD, F-250 SD, F-450 SD, 2015-2017 Lincoln Navigator, Expedition, 2015-2018 Edge, Transit Connect, 2016-2019 F-550 SD, Transit, 2017-2019 Econoline, and 2019 Ranger vehicles.…
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 13, 2026. Ford owners will receive letters in phases, beginning…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2018 F-Super Duty F-250, F-350, and F-450 4x4 vehicles. A radial damper inside the driveshaft may move out of position over time, which can cause a driveshaft imbalance and result in a fracture.
Fix: Dealers will replace the driveshaft, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 27, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2020 F-Super Duty F-250, F-350, F-450, and 2017-2020 Lincoln Continental vehicles equipped with the 360-degree camera system. Degradation of the camera's anit-reflective lens coating can lead to a foggy or…
Fix: Dealers will replace the rearview camera, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 14, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2022 F-250 and F-350 Super Duty vehicles equipped with gasoline engines and aluminum driveshafts. Underbody heat and noise insulators may loosen and contact the aluminum driveshaft, which could damage the…
Fix: Dealers will inspect and repair the driveshaft as necessary, and properly attach the underbody insulators, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on April 7, 2022. Owners may…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-150, 2018-2020 F-250, F-350, and 2019 Escape vehicles equipped with Continental tires. On the affected vehicles, it is possible that one or more tires were cured for too long during tire production.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tires, and replace them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on March 27, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at…
Icon Vehicle Dynamics, LLC (Icon) is recalling all 05-UP FSD 2.5 Centerline Stabilizer Kits with part number 65050. The kits were sold as an accessory for certain 2005-2021 Ford F-250 4X4 and F-350 4X4 pickup trucks. The foam ring inside the stabilizer…
Fix: Icon will notify owners, and dealers will install a new shock assembly with a revised foam ring and steel support disc, free of charge. The recall began December 21, 2020. Owners may contact Icon…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2019 F-Super Duty F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 SuperCrew Cab vehicles with carpet flooring. If a front seat belt pretensioner deploys as the result of a crash, the sparks may ignite materials such as…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will apply heat resistant tape to the carpet and its insulation, and modify the B-Pillar insulation as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Super Duty F-250, F-350, and F-450 trucks equipped with an electric tailgate latch release switch mounted in the tailgate handle. Water may enter the electrical wiring system and cause a short circuit,…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will modify the tailgate/frame wiring harnesses by adding jumper pigtails to isolate the tailgate release control circuits and will install a new tailgate handle…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2019 F-250, F-350 and F-450 Super Duty trucks. The Daytime Running Lights (DRL) may not dim when the headlight switch is moved into the "On" position. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the…
Fix: Ford has notified owners, and dealers will reprogram the Body Control Module (BCM) software, free of charge. The recall began November 25, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Ford F-150 and 2017-2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty, F-350 Super Duty, F-450 Super Duty, and F-550 Super Duty pick-up trucks equipped with an engine block heater and previously remedied under recall 18V894.…
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will disable the engine block heater from being used. When replacement cables become available, a second notice will be mailed and dealers will replace the…
Federal defect investigations
Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
Component: FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL
The Office of Defect Investigations (ODI) has received 27 complaints alleging diesel fuel leaks due to a fracture in the secondary fuel filter housing in model year (MY) 2015-2021 Ford Motor Company (Ford) F-250, 350, 450, and 550 Super Duty vehicles equipped with 6.7L diesel engines. Of these…
Led to recall campaign 19V864000.
Technical service bulletins
251 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2018 Ford F-250. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2018 Ford F-250 reliable?
The 2018 Ford F-250 drew 639 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 34/100, scored against the model's worst year (2019).
What are the most common 2018 Ford F-250 problems?
The top reported problems for the 2018 Ford F-250 are steering (252 complaints), suspension (198), and other (52).
At what mileage do 2018 Ford F-250 problems show up?
Owners most often report 2018 Ford F-250 problems around 27,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 16,000 and 40,000 miles.
Does the 2018 Ford F-250 have recalls?
10 recall campaigns apply to the 2018 Ford F-250. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.