45 of the
630 complaints filed about the Ford F-450 SD
are about the electrical system —
7% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2022.
The contact owned a 2024 Ford F-450 SD. The contact stated that while his fiancée was driving with cruise control set to 57 MPH, there was an abnormally strong smoky odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The driver pulled over to the side of the road and there were flames coming from the engine bay. The driver called 9-1-1. The driver attempted to extinguish the fire with assistance using three fire extinguishers but failed to extinguish the fire. The vehicle became fully engulfed in flames before the Fire Department arrived on the scene. The fire department extinguished the fire; however, the entire vehicle burned, leaving only a fraction of the tailgate intact. Neither a Fire Department nor a Police report was filed. The contact's dog sustained a burn injury; however, the driver was not injured. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and was pending the decision of the insurance company. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided, and the contact was referred to the insurance company for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 9,707.
NHTSA complaint #11757734 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My 2021 Ford F 450 will not actuate the electric over hydraulic brakes on my gooseneck trailer. I was hauling my tractor to one of my hay fields when a car pulled out in front me. I apply my foot to the brake pedal and the truck and trailer did not slow down liked it use to and I almost rear ended the vehicle that pulled out in front of me. After this I try to apply just the trailer brakes using the brake actuator on the dash and the trailer brakes never operated. I check my fuses and they were good and I checked the trailer using another truck and they worked. I then checked the trailer wiring connections on my truck and they were good. I have done a manual reset on my trucks programming and the truck still will not activate the trailer brakes. Please help.
NHTSA complaint #11673852 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2022 Ford F-450SD. The contact stated while driving 50-65 MPH, the vehicle lost drive power and the instrument panel lights started flickering. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was able to restart, and the contact resumed driving. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that both batteries had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000. The VIN was not available.
NHTSA complaint #11641049 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INTEGRATED TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL
Gatormade gooseneck trailers equipped with electric over hydraulic disc brakes will loose trailer connection to ford trucks model years 2022+ and some newer GM trucks upon restart of the vehicle resulting in the loss of trailer brakes. Also randomly while driving the trailer will loose connection with the tow vehicle and loose trailer braking ability. Gatormade is aware of the problem, but refuses to tell customers of the issues and are still selling them with the compatibility issue. They are advising me to try and add resistors to remedy the issue.
NHTSA complaint #11629955 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2024 Ford F-450 SD. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, there was a popping sound coming from behind the instrument panel. The contact stated that there was smoke coming from the instrument panel and through the vents. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road, opened all the windows, and inspected the vehicle but found no failure. The contact reentered the vehicle and noticed flames coming from the middle of the instrument panel. The contact extinguished the fire with a fire extinguisher. Neither the Fire Department nor the Police Department were notified. The vehicle was towed to a dealer however, the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 300.
NHTSA complaint #11629086 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The tailgate has opened randomly on about 4 or 5 occasions most recently the tailgate opened making a right turn while the horse trailer was connected to it and damaged the tailgate. It seems to open on right turns or when washed or been raining. The key is kept in the console and i always apply the parking brake. It is very random. There was a recall/ owner satisfaction program 21m01 but this truck is out of the production date and was advised this was fixed in production so either the repair the "fix" did not work or maybe mine got old stock. the truck has been out of service for this for over 6 weeks and is still at the dealer. two engineers have looked at it and no answers as of today 11-1-2024. We have another 2022 f350 with different production date and that one has open 21m01 on it which was allegedly fixed.
NHTSA complaint #11623119 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
on 6/7/24, while driving around the Baltimore beltway towing a 44' RV in rush-hour traffic a battery warning light appeared. Within 1 min, the vehicle dashboard information went out and the engine stalled. I immediately put the vehicle in neutral and was able to coast to the shoulder without advantage of turn signals on either the RV or truck as a result. Once there I popped the hood and was able to get out to open it, however, there was a fire and my fingers were singed. After opening the hood, I noticed a full engine fire. I yelled for my wife to get out ASAP. I was able to extinguish the fire (thanks to the RV extinguisher), however, a secondary fire started, and a Samaritan help extinguish that fire. A fire department truck appeared, and they cut the batter cable since it seemed to have started the fire. The vehicle was towed back to the dealership where it was purchased. The insurance agent stated a mechanic had informed him; they believe it was the battery that was the cause. All vehicle maintenance was conducted by the dealership due to warranty AND an extended vehicle maintenance plan purchased at the time of sale. Ford has failed to acknowledge any problems with the vehicle and refused to honor the warranty.
NHTSA complaint #11619319 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
on 6/7/24, while driving around the Baltimore beltway towing a 44' RV in rush-hour traffic a battery warning light appeared. Within 1 min, the vehicle dashboard information went out and the engine stalled. I immediately put the vehicle in neutral and was able to coast to the shoulder without advantage of turn signals on either the RV or truck as a result. Once there I popped the hood and was able to get out to open it, however, there was a fire and my fingers were singed. After opening the hood, I noticed a full engine fire. I yelled for my wife to get out ASAP. I was able to extinguish the fire (thanks to the RV extinguisher), however, a secondary fire started, and a Samaritan help extinguish that fire. A fire department truck appeared, and they cut the batter cable since it seemed to have started the fire. The vehicle was towed back to the dealership where it was purchased. The insurance agent stated a mechanic had informed him; they believe it was the battery that was the cause. All vehicle maintenance was conducted by the dealership due to warranty AND an extended vehicle maintenance plan purchased at the time of sale. Ford has failed to acknowledge any problems with the vehicle and refused to honor the warranty.
NHTSA complaint #11619319 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-450 SD. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked on the side of the road, the driver attempted to start the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the battery junction box harness had failed. The dealer replaced the battery junction box harness assembly, engine module, fuse junction box, and the wiring assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact related the failure to TSB Number: 20-2298. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 124,483.
NHTSA complaint #11602615 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Getting this message “Trailer Left TurnLamps Fault Check Lamps”. This is issue is intermittent but it causes the trailer lights, turn signal, stop light and warning lights on the left side to be very very dim and not visible. The lights would be good when trailer is hooked up but it will go dim and not work properly on the road. Those driving behind would not be able to see turn light while moving lanes and possibly causing an accident scenario. Gone to two different dealers and they cannot recreate the issue with their equipment. Called Ford twice to report the issue and concerns. The trailer has been checked by the dealer and showed no issues when hooked up to an independent battery. Have changed the fuse twice but they were not burned out so it was not a fuse issue. Apparently there are no current recalls for my VIN.
NHTSA complaint #11569070 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2023 Ford F-450. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V506000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and determined that parts were 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 and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
NHTSA complaint #11552730 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-450 SD. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the electronic brake control became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact called another local dealer, Ray's Ford Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram 385 Bypass Rd., Brandenburg, KY 40108, and was informed that the vehicle was not covered under a recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V193000 (Electrical System). The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.
NHTSA complaint #11552000 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INTEGRATED TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL
The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-450 SD. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the electronic brake control became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact called another local dealer, Ray's Ford Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram 385 Bypass Rd., Brandenburg, KY 40108, and was informed that the vehicle was not covered under a recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V193000 (Electrical System). The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.
NHTSA complaint #11552000 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INTEGRATED TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL
Towing 18,000 trailer and truck disconnects trailer breaks. This is risking somebodies life… if this is an active recall why arent we being notified about it when we are purchasing a brand new truck to haul. This is a lawsuit waiting to happen
NHTSA complaint #11459750 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INTEGRATED TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL
The trailer brakes fail after a random period of time. Though the trailer works fine with other controllers, the entire trailer was rewired with new brakes and a new 7-pin connector, the problem did not changed - there are no shorts, grounds, opens in the brake circuit, and the ground circuit is OK. There previously were and are no intermittent problems with the trailer. The trailer brakes will start off the trip working, but stop working at random times. I've often noticed that they'll fail shortly after sitting in traffic. After the failure, I remove and reinstall fuse #62 in the under hood fuse box, and the trailer brake operation will be restored for a while. Being aware of this problem, and the dealers being no help (this is a common topic on groups and forums), I regularly manually test trailer brake operation, especially before descending a hill, but sometimes even shortly after confirming proper operation, the trailer brakes will not work. After the failure, I will pull over, then again confirm that they're not working, then R&R the fuse without disturbing any other circuits or connectors, and the trailer brakes will resume operation. Turning the truck off and on does not fix the problem even temporarily. I experience this problem about every hundred miles or so of driving. The truck currently has about 2,500 miles, but the problem was noticed at about 1,100 miles during the first tow. I'd estimate I've experienced the trailer brake failure about seven times.
NHTSA complaint #11458820 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TAILGATE SYSTEM FAULT WARNING HAS BEEN COMING ON ND OD. AND TAIL GATE OPENED UN COMMANDED AND DAMAGED TAILGATE AND HORSE TRAILER. IT WAS POURING RAIN AND GOING LES THAN 10 MILES AN HOUR AND TURNING. THIS STARTED ON DAY 2 OF OWNERSHIP. TRUCK ONLY HAS APROX 1000 MILES ON IT. VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT DCH FORD IN THOUSAND OAKS CALIFORNIA.
NHTSA complaint #11400334 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
THE TAILGATE SYSTEM FAULT LIGHT STARTED COMING ON ON DAY 2 OF OWNERSHIP. HAS BEEN ON AND OFF A FEW TIMES SINCE. THE TALGATE YESTERDAY OPENED UN COMMANDED AND DAMAGED THE TAILGATE AND HORSE TRAILER IT WAS CONNECTED TO. NOTE I FILLED ONE OF THESE I=OUT A MUNTE AGO BUT HAD THE WRONG VIN! SORRY!
NHTSA complaint #11400338 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 FORD F-450 SD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE POWER WINDOWS FAILED TO GO UP AND DOWN. ALSO, THE DOME LIGHTING FAILED TO TURN ON AND THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL CLICKING NOISE. THE CONTACT CALLED A LOCAL DEALER (HARRISONBURG FORD, 3155 S MAIN ST, HARRISONBURG, VA 22801) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS ON THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO NHTSA. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,000.
NHTSA complaint #11065259 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.