FaultScore

Ford F-350 SD body problems

171 of the 5,142 complaints filed about the Ford F-350 SD are about the body and structure — 3% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2017.

171

Complaints

3%

Share of all complaints

9

Crashes

2

Fires

Body & Structure complaints by model year

1999 F-350 SD 5 2.9%

Median failure at 99,000 miles

2000 F-350 SD 7 4.1%

Median failure at 89,000 miles

2001 F-350 SD 1 0.6%
2002 F-350 SD 3 1.8%

Median failure at 58,347 miles

2003 F-350 SD 3 1.8%

Median failure at 27,671 miles

2004 F-350 SD 6 3.5%

Median failure at 60,000 miles

2005 F-350 SD 3 1.8%

Median failure at 13,115 miles

2006 F-350 SD 1 0.6%

Median failure at 30,000 miles

2007 F-350 SD 1 0.6%

Median failure at 2,000 miles

2008 F-350 SD 3 1.8%

Median failure at 91,000 miles

2009 F-350 SD 2 1.2%

Median failure at 3,756 miles

2010 F-350 SD 1 0.6%

Median failure at 32,461 miles

2011 F-350 SD 1 0.6%

Median failure at 68,500 miles

2012 F-350 SD 1 0.6%

Median failure at 77,271 miles

2013 F-350 SD 1 0.6%

Median failure at 21,320 miles

2014 F-350 SD 1 0.6%

Median failure at 9 miles

2015 F-350 SD 4 2.3%

Median failure at 40,000 miles

2016 F-350 SD 2 1.2%
2017 F-350 SD 45 26.3%

Median failure at 21,610 miles

2018 F-350 SD 24 14.0%

Median failure at 21,261 miles

2019 F-350 SD 23 13.5%

Median failure at 10,000 miles

2020 F-350 SD 12 7.0%

Median failure at 2,510 miles

2021 F-350 SD 3 1.8%

Median failure at 23,000 miles

2022 F-350 SD 10 5.8%

Median failure at 25,000 miles

2023 F-350 SD 5 2.9%
2024 F-350 SD 3 1.8%

What owners said

2023 Ford F-350 SD Millbrook, AL

STRUCTURE:BODY

Overhead clearance lights leaking water when it rains.

NHTSA complaint #11735508 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2020 Ford F-350 SD Winona, MN

STRUCTURE:BODY

Box Separation from the box side to the box rear. box integrity compromised. Truck has always been used under the capacity ratings. I have 2 ford doing the same thing.

NHTSA complaint #11727050 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2017 Ford F-350 SD Anchor Point, AK

STRUCTURE:BODY

My truck had a recall for the door locks freezing, which my truck had an issue with. The dealer performed the recall and 1 of the doors continued to freeze. The door will not latch and it will open when driving down the road. I took it back to the dealer and they charged me to diagnose and confirm it's still doing it. They will not repair it again, they said the recall repair was inadequate and it would cost 900$ to fix.

NHTSA complaint #11714288 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2022 Ford F-350 SD Danbury, CT

STRUCTURE:BODY

Our truck is currently experiencing issue with the driver side door. In cold temperatures, the door will not open from the outside of the vehicle nor the inside of the vehicle. This is a known Ford recall with the F150 series as well. TSB/SSM 50543: SSM 50543 is a Ford Special Service Message addressing freezing door latches on 2021-2022 F-150 trucks. It addresses issues with doors failing to lock, unlock, or open in freezing temperatures due to water intrusion, instructing dealers to inspect and, if necessary, replace door latch cables and actuators. This is EXACTLY what we are experiencing with our 2022 F350.

NHTSA complaint #11712907 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2024 Ford F-350 SD Auburn, WA

STRUCTURE:BODY

Ford Panoramic Sunroof P/N: ml3z-16500a18-c Spontaneously shattered while driving. No foreign object came in contact with the glass. No harsh or unique road conditions during event. No occupants of the vehicle came in contact with glass prior to shattering. The sunroof operation itself, or components adjacent to the sunroof, (e.g. the sunroof shade cover) were not in use during the failure. The glass shattered outwards away form the vehicle causing most of the glass to land in the truck bed, rough a third rained down inside the vehicle onto the occupants. The safety hazard is that glass shards fell down on occupants at enhanced by road speed. There was no way to avoid the shattering. There was no previous indication of wear of stress on the glass in previous weeks or moments prior to the explosion. There was a known class action lawsuit (dismissed) concerning the Ford Panoramic sunroofs spontaneously failing. Beaty v. Ford Motor Company. No official has inspected the vehicle since the failure. An insurance claim was not filed, it was cheaper to perform the repair myself. The repair cost ~$770 in parts ~$120 in shipping fees, 2 hours of labor to clean glass and 30 minutes to install the new panel.

NHTSA complaint #11708659 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2023 Ford F-350 SD Louisville, KY

STRUCTURE

The contact owns a 2023 Ford F-350 SD. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V806000 (Back Over Prevention, Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA complaint #11697750 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2023 Ford F-350 SD Havre, MT

STRUCTURE:BODY

The front doors come open while driving down the road in cold weather. Multiple dealerships have to me to just deal with it. My children have to hold the doors shut while we are going down the road or I have to hold the driver's door shut while driving. There was a recall issued for certain 2023 F-350's regarding a door latch mechanism malfunction but apparently it doesn't apply to my pickup even though me doors don't stay shut while driving and multiple dealerships tell me there is nothing, they can do to fix it. When one of us gets hurt, falls off, or has a door hit by oncoming traffic, what am I supposed to do? The safety of my children does not matter to Ford motor company or their Montana dealerships. It happens regularly, not just once. Speed is not a factor, I can be driving 5 mph or 75 mph when it happens.

NHTSA complaint #11686568 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2016 Ford F-350 SD Godfrey, IL

STRUCTURE:BODY

The junk cab mounts deteriorate so fast the cab settles and crushes the wiring harness causing many electrical issues. There are many forums that talk about bad cab mounts and what components to use to repair them, but in my opinion this is a Ford issue.

NHTSA complaint #11679935 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2023 Ford F-350 SD North Highlands, CA

STRUCTURE

The contact owns a 2023 Ford F-350 SD. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V806000 (Back Over Prevention, Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA complaint #11673460 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2022 Ford F-350 SD Jacksonville, FL

STRUCTURE:BODY

As a Ford owner, I can vividly recall the 1980’s Ford acronym ‘fix or repair daily’. That comes to mind as my 2022 F350 Platinum Dually has been in the shop for one thing or another more times in 3 years than my 2015 Chevy Impala LTZ has in 10 years. But I digress. The reason for this complaint is my latest malfunction on my Ford vehicle. As mentioned previously, it hasn’t been 3 years and yet another issue with my vehicle has come to light. My passenger roof trim has broken at the connection point, which of all things, was connected via rivet…beneath the rear glass. Apparently, this an extremely common issue among 2017 and up Ford Super Duty. There has been no recall issued. And Ford wants the vehicle owners to pay for the repair. It is an absolute horrible design. The plastic breaks often. And to make matters worse, the rear glass had to be removed to replace the trim. Most of the trim snaps in place but the very end, the end that is cheaply made and connected to a metal rivet, is so fragile and thin that after a few months of driving over American bumpy roads and being beating up the Sun, it cracks, breaks lose, sticks up like a sore thumb, and otherwise detracts from the reputation of the Ford Brand. My vehicle is still under the original warranty as I have only 22,240 miles, and I purchased and extended warranty with adds 4 more years. This needs to be remedied and Ford owners need to be compensated for monies spent to repair these manufacturing defects. MY LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP STATES THAT IF THEY BREAK THE GLASS DURING THE REPAIR THAT THE COST OF THE NEW GLASS IS MY RESPONSIBILITY, EVEN UNDER WARRANTY. That is so very wrong and alarming. The repair is $125, to be completed by an outside vendor. The dealer will not even tackle this repair. THE CONNECTION POINT OF THE ROOF TRIM IS A RIVET. Why? THE CONNECTION POINT OF THE ROOF TRIM IS BENEATH THE REAR GLASS, WHICH HAS TO BE REMOVED INORDER TO REPAIR THE DEFECTIVE ROOF TRIM. Why? Why make

NHTSA complaint #11670373 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2024 Ford F-350 SD Cheye, WY Fire

STRUCTURE:BODY

Driver and passenger traveling on [XXX] when white smoke came out of dash. Turned onto [XXX] and stopped. Driver and passenger exited truck and opened hood as smoke was becoming more visible and fire started from under dash. Passenger called 911while Driver used fire extinguisher and attempted unsuccessfully to put out flames as they kept restarting. As the flames increased they heard "popping and banging" noised coming from the truck so they retreated to a safe distance and waited for the fire department. The fire grew to where the cab was fully engulfed in flames before the fire department arrived. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11665061 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2017 Ford F-350 SD at 41,000 miles New Buffalo, MI

STRUCTURE

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-350. The contact stated that there was an untraceable leak on the passenger’s side front door, allowing water to pool inside the footwell. The contact stated that after it rained, the carpet was saturated. The contact was concerned about mold and mildew growing in the carpet, as also a possibility of a short circuit. The contact had not taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic or the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 41,000.

NHTSA complaint #11664843 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2024 Ford F-350 SD Acampo, CA

STRUCTURE

The contact owns a 2024 Ford F-350. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V806000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION, STRUCTURE); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available .

NHTSA complaint #11663683 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2023 Ford F-350 SD Havre, MT

STRUCTURE:BODY

Front doors will not close and latch when it is cold outside. Multiple dealerships have told me there is nothing that they can do to fix this issue. Doors will come open while driving if they don't latch. I often have to use a ratchet strap to keep doors shut from the inside while driving in cold weather. Apparently, according to Ford, I am a stupid girl that should just live with this issue and wait for my kids to fall out of my pickup.

NHTSA complaint #11646448 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2019 Ford F-350 SD at 30,000 miles Temple, TX

STRUCTURE

The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-350. The contact stated while the vehicle was in the automatic car wash, water entered the vehicle from the front windshield. The water leaked into the fuse box and short-circuited the fuse box. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was determined that the seal around the windshield needed to be resealed and the fuse box replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that on a separate occasion while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle abruptly came to a complete stop. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed and determined that the transmission had failed. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred 2 additional times. The dealer diagnosed that the clutch plate failed and gear 1 and gear 2 were heat-welded together. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

NHTSA complaint #11642745 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2017 Ford F-350 SD Vancouver, WA

STRUCTURE:BODY

2017 Ford F-350 with door latches that freeze. There are multiple symptoms which occur whenever the temperature drops below 32 degrees: (1) The door will not open when door handle pulled, (2) the door opens but latch sticks in the "open" position which does not allow door to latch closed, or (3) the door opens while driving due to not being fully latched. I have only had #3 happen once. Primarily, #2 is the scenario that happens most often. I am able to open the driver's door, but cannot drive the vehicle until I am able to exercise or warm up the latching mechanism enough to safely latch the door. This is accomplished by pressing the door lock/unlock switch repeatedly or slamming and holding the door, then pressing the lock button. I am told by the dealership that my VIN does not qualify for Recall 17S33. It did qualify for Customer Service Program 18N03, which was performed in 2022. However, the "fix" did not last beyond a month or so and Ford clearly states that 18N03 is a "One Time Only" repair. It seems to me that Ford knew back in 2017 (or before) they had problems with freezing door latches as this also occurs on the F150 and there have been MULTIPLE recalls that still have not fixed the issue. At best, this is annoying that a $75,000 vehicle cannot be driven until the door has been slammed, exercised, or manipulated enough times to allow the door to latch. This, of course, assume the door opens to begin with. At worst, this vehicle is a rolling deathtrap as the occupants wait for the door to suddenly open while moving. My dealer is no help. They lean on the "One Time Only" clause in 18N03. They have charged parts to my extended warranty without knowing if the part is bad or the cause of the problem, then smile as they tell me there is "no charge" to me.

NHTSA complaint #11637874 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2019 Ford F-350 SD San Marcos, TX

STRUCTURE:BODY

Interior cabin Air Conditioning Unit leaks water inside the cab area. Water leaks below the passenger dash area, creating mold to the carpet and flooring. Water damage caused to the inside of the vehicle on multiple areas around the passenger front side inside the cabin.

NHTSA complaint #11630562 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2017 Ford F-350 SD Morgan Hill, CA

STRUCTURE:BODY

For many months while attemting to slide open or tilt my sun roof the sun roof would jamb and not move. Then one day after I was able to get my sunroof into the tilted up position I was unable to get it to re turn down and sealed. Took my Vehicle to the FORD dealer near me where they confirmed that the sun roof track had been severely damaged and would need to have the entire frame rail replaced at a cost of $6,000+. Upon researching online I have come to find out that many of Ford vehicles equiped with the panoramic sunroof have had this exact same problem and the primary cause of the problem was substandard plastic material being used in the track/frame design that fractures easily and jambs and breaks sunroof components. Because of this problem I was unable to close my sunroof subjecting my vehicle to water damages and forceing me to have the dealer fix it to avoid water damage at an exorbenant cost.

NHTSA complaint #11619661 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2019 Ford F-350 SD at 10,000 miles Bethel Park, PA

STRUCTURE:BODY

The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-350. The contact stated that the roof seam cover had lifted and detached. Additionally, the contact stated that while raining or washing the vehicle, there was water entering the headlight enclosures and the headlights became inoperable. While the vehicle was in park(P), the interior lights turned on without driver input, and turned off while shifted into reverse(R). There was no notification from Ford Pass. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who informed the contact that there were no open recalls but diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the headlight assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.

NHTSA complaint #11605101 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2022 Ford F-350 SD at 50,000 miles Mexico, NY

STRUCTURE

The contact owns a 2022 Ford F-350 SD. The contact stated that while driving during a rainstorm, rainwater leaked in from the rear window into the rear cabin of the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure was due to a faulty rear window seal. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The local dealer was not contacted regarding the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000.

NHTSA complaint #11603997 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other Ford F-350 SD problems