2001 Ford F-350 Problems, Recalls & Reliability
369 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2001 Ford F-350, alongside 3 recall campaigns and 9 defect investigations. It scores 54/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Wheels & tires leads the reports, typically around 42,092 miles.
Below average
Where 2001 sits among all F-350 years
What owners report
“My spare tire fell out from underneath the truck while driving down the road. Upon inspection the cable that held the tire under the truck was frayed and broke.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 F-350
“Spark plugs blew out? Truck is now sitting at the ford dealership. I have only owned this truck for 8 months and have never heard of anything like this happening on any vehicle prior to this.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 F-350
“Auto. Transmition failure on 2001 f350 superduty fords, this is the 4th one that i know of. The transmition fails to shift from 1st to 2nd gear. My truck has 58,000 miles, and i donot pull any heavy loads.ford said the repairs would be at my cost. If they are having so much trouble w/ them why…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 F-350
“While applying the brake the steering locked up. The vehicle would not steer or move. Please fill in additional information, dealer is aware of the problem. Ph”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 F-350
“Was driving down the rd came to stop light and I had nothing for breaks. I quickly pumped brake and got it to slowdown and made the turn. Went to pull into hospital and had no breaks even tried pumping it again and still had no breaks.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 F-350
“The vehicle just stated honking the horn , no key was in the ignition and no one was driving truck”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 F-350
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 229 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 63,187 miles. Half of those reports fall between 40,000 and 100,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (3)
FORD IS RECALLING MODEL YEARS 1995-2003 WINDSTAR, 2000-2003 EXCURSION DIESEL, 1993-1997 AND 1999-2003 F-250 SD THROUGH F-550 SD DIESEL, 1992-2003 E-150 THROUGH E-550, 1995-2002 EXPLORER, 1997 AND 2002 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER, 1995-1997 AND 2001-2003 RANGER, AND…
Fix: FORD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS THAT DEALERS WILL INSTALL A FUSED WIRING HARNESS IN LINE WITH THE SCDS. ON 1999-2003 WINDSTAR VEHICLES WITH A LEAKING SCDS, DEALERS WILL ALSO INSPECT THE ABS CONTROL MODULE…
CERTAIN FEDERAL-MOGUL REPLACEMENT WHEEL HUB ASSEMBLIES WITH THE BRAND NAMES: NATIONAL, CARQUEST P/NOS. 515020, 515021, 515025, 515053, 515054, 515059, AND 515060, SHIPPED BETWEEN JANUARY 23, 2006, AND DECEMBER 20, 2007, SOLD FOR LIGHT DUTY AND MEDIUM DUTY…
Fix: FEDERAL-MOGUL WILL NOTIFY CUSTOMERS AND WILL REPLACE THE HUB ASSEMBLY FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 7, 2008. OWNERS CAN CONTACT FEDERAL-MOGUL TOLL-FREE AT 877-489-6659.
ON CERTAIN HEAVY DUTY TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH 7.3L DIESEL ENGINES, THE CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR LOCATED ON THE ENGINE OF THE VEHICLE MAY FUNCTION INTERMITTENTLY, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN AN ENGINE STALL.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE SENSOR AND REPLACE IT WITH AN IMPROVED CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 29, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-866-436-7332.
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 07V553000.
Led to recall campaign 05V388000.
Technical service bulletins
68 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on transmission & drivetrain and engine — are on file for the 2001 Ford F-350. 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 2001 Ford F-350 reliable?
The 2001 Ford F-350 drew 369 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 54/100, scored against the model's worst year (1999).
What are the most common 2001 Ford F-350 problems?
The top reported problems for the 2001 Ford F-350 are wheels & tires (70 complaints), engine (58), and transmission & drivetrain (47).
At what mileage do 2001 Ford F-350 problems show up?
Owners most often report 2001 Ford F-350 problems around 63,187 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 40,000 and 100,000 miles.
Does the 2001 Ford F-350 have recalls?
3 recall campaigns apply to the 2001 Ford F-350. 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.