2020 Ford F-450 SD: complaints, problems and recalls

The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-450 SD. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V957000 (Fuel System, Diesel); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. 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.

Look up ODI 11687332 at NHTSA ↗

The contact owns a 2022 Ford F-450 SD. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond and shut down unexpectedly. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was restarted and operated as intended. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the fuel system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V957000 (FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL)…

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RADIATOR LEAK AT 43,000 FROM THE JOINT BETWEEN THE PLASTIC END CAP AND ALUMINUM CORE, DRIVER'S SIDE NEAR BUMPER. COST TO REPAIR ESTIMATED AT 1400-1800$ AT ONLY 7K MILES OUTSIDE OF FACTORY WARRANTY. VEHICLE IS USED DAILY WITHIN RECOMMENDED WEIGHT CAPACITIES TO MOVE MATERIALS AND TRAILERS, BUT FOLLOWS A VERY STRICT MAINTENANCE PROGRAM TO ENSURE LONG LIFE.

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THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP FAILED. FORD CLAIMED THAT THIS WAS FROM CONTAMINATED FUEL. FORD HAS TWO FUEL FILTERS AND A WATER SEPARATOR. I PERSONALLY ADDED TWO ADDITIONAL FILTERS AND AN ADDITIONAL WATER SEPARATOR, FOR A TOTAL OF FOUR FILTERS AND TWO SEPARATORS. FORD ALSO HAS A WATER IN FUEL LIGHT THAT IS SUPPOSED TO ALERT THE DRIVER TO CONTAMINATION. AT NO TIME DID THIS LIGHT COME ON. IN SHORT, I BELIEVE FORD HAS A DEFECTIVE FUEL PUMP AND A DEFECTIVE FILTRATION AND WATER ALERTING SYSTEM. THIS TRUCK SHUTDOWN, WITH NO WARNING AT 70 MPH ON A…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 FORD F-450 SD. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AND THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE FUEL PUMP AND MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 650.…

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High pressure fuel pump failed while driving towing a trailer. Was able to pull over safely, entire fuel system needs to be replaced. Unknown if anything else was damaged yet. Vehicle is still in for repairs, estimate is between 9-13k parts and labor. I hope it didn't destroy the entire engine.

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The contact owns a 2022 Ford F-450 SD. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, he started to hear a loud knocking noise coming from the engine. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to reach out to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 168,000.

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Vehicle was being driven by a driver service to be delivered to the home garage after production was completed at the manufacturer. During transit, the operator reported that the low fuel pressure warning light came on immediately followed by flames in the engine compartment.

Look up ODI 11661929 at NHTSA ↗

n October 28th, I left Atlanta, Georgia with a load going to Pittsburgh–Philadelphia. On October 29th, 2025, around 12:30 a.m., I was approximately two miles north of Birch River, West Virginia. While driving uphill at a steady speed of about 60–65 mph, I suddenly heard a loud popping sound, as if something had exploded or blown inside the engine. Right after that, the truck immediately lost power, and I pulled over to the shoulder as quickly as I could. As I was stopping, I saw flames coming through the hood directly in front of me, mostly fr…

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THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP FAILED. FORD CLAIMED THAT THIS WAS FROM CONTAMINATED FUEL. FORD HAS TWO FUEL FILTERS AND A WATER SEPARATOR. I PERSONALLY ADDED TWO ADDITIONAL FILTERS AND AN ADDITIONAL WATER SEPARATOR, FOR A TOTAL OF FOUR FILTERS AND TWO SEPARATORS. FORD ALSO HAS A WATER IN FUEL LIGHT THAT IS SUPPOSED TO ALERT THE DRIVER TO CONTAMINATION. AT NO TIME DID THIS LIGHT COME ON. IN SHORT, I BELIEVE FORD HAS A DEFECTIVE FUEL PUMP AND A DEFECTIVE FILTRATION AND WATER ALERTING SYSTEM. THIS TRUCK SHUTDOWN, WITH NO WARNING AT 70 MPH ON A…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 FORD F-450 SD. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AND THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE FUEL PUMP AND MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 650.…

Look up ODI 10640781 at NHTSA ↗

High pressure fuel pump failed while driving towing a trailer. Was able to pull over safely, entire fuel system needs to be replaced. Unknown if anything else was damaged yet. Vehicle is still in for repairs, estimate is between 9-13k parts and labor. I hope it didn't destroy the entire engine.

Look up ODI 11633674 at NHTSA ↗

n October 28th, I left Atlanta, Georgia with a load going to Pittsburgh–Philadelphia. On October 29th, 2025, around 12:30 a.m., I was approximately two miles north of Birch River, West Virginia. While driving uphill at a steady speed of about 60–65 mph, I suddenly heard a loud popping sound, as if something had exploded or blown inside the engine. Right after that, the truck immediately lost power, and I pulled over to the shoulder as quickly as I could. As I was stopping, I saw flames coming through the hood directly in front of me, mostly fr…

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AS PER YOUR ODI RESUME #RQ14-005, MY RV BUILT ON 2012 CHASSIS EXPERIENCED EGT SENSOR MALFUNCTION TO NUMBER 13 AND 14. THIS OCCURRED ON I-75 OUTSIDE OF LEXINGTON, KY. I WAS VERY LUCKY TO BE IN THE RIGHT LANE AND JUST BARELY PULLED TO THE SHOULDER BEFORE THE ENGINE SHUTDOWN. HAD TO CALL STATE POLICE BECAUSE OF THE CLOSE PROXIMITY TO TRAVEL LANE AND VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR OTHER VEHICLES. THIS TRIP STARTED IN CLEMMONS, NC, AND INCLUDED 2 TUNNELS WHICH COULD HAVE BEEN A DISASTER IF THE INCIDENT OCCURRED IN EITHER ONE. CALLED FORD ABOUT RECALL …

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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.

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Connected to 5th wheel, intermittently the brakes would "buck" and "grab" when braking. Message to the effect of braking wire malfunction.

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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 availabl…

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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…

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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 Depa…

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TL* THE CONSUMER OWNS A 2017 FORD F-450. THE CONSUMER STATED HER HUSBAND WAS DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH THE VEHICLE UNEXPECTEDLY THE DRIVE SHAFT SHOUT OUT AND THE CAD FELL APART IN TWO PIECES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO (VICTOR FORD INC 1400 US-12, WAUCONDA, IL 60084) THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALER AND THE CONTACT HAS LITTLE INFORMATION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THIS FAILURE. THE CONSUMER REFERENCED THE FAILURE TO (NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V212000 POWER TRAIN) VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE APPROXIMATE MILEAGE …

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WIRE HARNESS FOR TRANSMISSION WAS NOT SECURED PROPERLY,CAME LOOSE AND WRAPPED AROUND DRIVESHAFT RIPPING IT OFF, AND CAUSED AN COOLANT LINE TO ALSO PULL OFF, NOTED ON TOW BILL. VEHICLE WAS RUNNING FINE, 70MPH ON FREEWAY...MADE A LOUD POP NOISE AND TRANSMISSION WAS GRINDING BAD...PULLED OVER AND SHUT IT OFF IMMEDIATELY, LOTS OF ANTIFREEZE UNDER TRUCK AND WIRE HARNESS RIPPED OFF AND WRAPPED AROUND FRONT DRIVESHAFT (6-8FT OF THE WIRE HARNESS)*DT CONSUMER STATED TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED BEFORE BY ANOTHER DEALER AND THE CURRENT DEALER STATED IT WA…

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The contact owns a 2021 Ford F-450 SD. The contact stated that the vehicle was designed with a feature known as neutral idle control (NIC), where the vehicle automatically shifted into neutral(N) while at a complete stop to reduce fuel consumption. The contact stated that while at a stop with the feature engaged, the vehicle abruptly jerked, or hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the transmission was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The dealer…

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I have had severe vibration in the rear of my pickup and have been to the dealer 5 or 6 times,they tell me all is normal and it's the nature of this $120,000 pickup. But for only having 28,000 miles they did say the rear driveline and carrier bearing could be the culprit,they replaced and still have the same problem and now it has a howling noise when it starts to vibrate at 62 per hour and doesn't go away till after 76 miles per hour,very disappointed as the dealer tells me they don't know and has been no recalls of this but you read online t…

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Less than 4000 miles- first transmission failed while pulling a large trailer- ford replaced the transmission and the new transmission, only 200 miles later did the same thing when pulling a trailer, up hill. It throws the transmission into 10th gear and you loose all power, Check engine light comes on and it slams back into 4th gear. Will not shift in or out of 4th. We were almost in a head on collision pulling a trailer because it did it while passing a semi and we had no power. Two transmissions this low of mileage seems like it must …

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THE A/C COMPRESSOR JUST WENT OUT FOR THE SECOND TIME AND FROM WHAT IT LOOKS TO ME IS WHY THE SECOND FAILURE HAS OCCURRED IS BECAUSE THE DEALERSHIP DID NOT REPLACE THE CONDENSER AS WAS REQUIRED AND ALSO PAID FOR BY ME. THE TRUCK HAS THE "DEATH-WOBBLE" EVEN THOUGH I HAVE REINFORCED THE STEERING IN GENERAL AND IS VERY DANGEROUS. HOWEVER, DUE TO JUST THESE TWO ISSUES AND THE OTHERS IT HAS HAD WHICH ARE FAILED WATER PUMP, TURBO, STARTER AND HYDRO-BOOST BRAKE BOOSTER WITH THE WATER PUMP GOING OUT AT ABOUT 50,000 MILES AND THEN THE TURBO AT ABOUT 82,…

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WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WITH A TRAILER AND A LOAD CONNECTED TO THE TRUCK THE CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM MESSAGE SUDDENLY APPEARED WITHIN THE MESSAGE DISPLAY, AS WELL AS THE ABS LIGHT, TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT, AND THE PARKING BRAKE LIGHT. IMMEDIATELY WE ATTEMPTED TO SLOW DOWN AND PULL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. FORTUNATELY TRAFFIC WAS NOT TOO CONGESTED AROUND US AND WE WERE DRIVING ON A RELATIVELY FLAT ROAD AT THE TIME. THE VEHICLE HAD LOST VIRTUALLY ALL BRAKING POWER AND THE WE BASICALLY HAD TO COAST TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE VEHICLE IS A 2016 F…

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COMPLETE BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE WITH ONLY 830 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. ON JULY 19, 2019 WHILE APPROACHING AN INTERSECTION ON E. CAUSEWAY APPROACH IN MANDEVILLE, LA. I APPLIED THE BRAKES TO STOP FOR A RED LIGHT, THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SLOWING ENOUGH TO AVOID HITTING THE VEHICLES AHEAD OF ME AT THE INTERSECTION. I RAPIDLY DOWN SHIFTED THROUGH THE GEARS TO REDUCE SPEED AND ALSO APPLIED THE PARKING BRAKE TO HELP REDUCE SPEED. WHILE THE VEHICLE DID SLOW DOWN IT WAS NOT ENOUGH TO AVOID HITTING THE TRAFFIC AHEAD, SO I VEE…

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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…

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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, …

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Vehicle does not remember its previous settings: The following features may or may not be on, even if you have actively went through and turned them off or on. Local dealership has had this truck over 4 times and for days at a time. Nothing has been resolved of these safety functions. Rear automatic emergency braking Engine brake Lane departure warning (which actually jerks steering wheel if it is on and you get close to the edge of the lane) Lane centering assistance These safety sensitive functions turn themselves on and off, no matter the am…

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