Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1999 Ford F-250 SD owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The vehicle rolled off hill after being parked 60 minutes. Truck was in first gear with emergency brake on! This happened in November of 2001. Received recall notice from Ford motor company during May of 2002 and had service completed May 29th of 2002. On February 28th 2003 the same truck rolled off another hill while in first gear with the emergency brake on, after being parked over 45 minutes! There seems to be a design problem with the emergency brakes and/or transmissions/gear ratio in this model truck***recall did not work!!!!. A person should be able to put this truck in either first gear or reverse with the emergency brake on and come back and find your truck parked in the same place, not two blocks away on top of another car! Especially after a recall for this problem!!!! Absolutely ridiculous. How else is the general public to park these vehicles? …
Approaching intersection applied brakes and brake pressure failed. Rear impacted another vehicle and pushed them into another vehicle. Upon inspection after accident passenger side brake line was hanging and leaking fluid. Had truck towed back to my shop and removed all 3 lines to have replaced with stainless braided lines. Upon intersection of the driver and passenger side brake lines the crimp clamps located under the rubber covering on rubber line before it turns into steel and goes into caliper. Spoke with brake line builder and states that it is an everyday occurrence. Replace front and rear lines on vehicle. The rubber stores all the moisture,salt,sand and other elements. I was ticketed with careless driving from rear ending the truck in front of me. I have pictures of the line for visual inspection.
While backing a jet ski trailer down a boat ramp the brake pedal came completely disconnected from the other components and laid against the firewall. This made the brake system unusable. The truck was finally stopped with the parking bake plus the trailer jack knifing to the left and into the left rear quarter panel of the pickup bed. The yellow retaining pin that holds the brake pedal post within the ? Stabalizing mount and the electrical sensor module was found on the floorboards. Once reconnected the brake system performed normally.
1999 Ford SD f250 crew cab long bed - diesel 6 spd manual: front left break line cut by engine plastic splash shield. Vehicle has 158K miles no rust on break line but you can tell that the splash shield has been rubbing against the metal line. There is obviously not enough clearance created in the splash shield design. I am not sure if this applies only to diesel applications due to the hydraulic power assist . This almost created serious accident when the line ruptured; we were pulling a 26 ft trailer which had electric breaks that help stop the vehicle before we reached a major intersection. The truck had just been in for service at the Ford dealership two days before for various services. There was no warnings the breaks were firm and the they went withg one step of last step on the break. …
Tl contact owns a 1999 Ford f250 super duty. When the contact applied the emergency brake, the coil unraveled and fell out of the brake. He stated that the emergency brake would not engage if the vehicle was parked on an incline. The recall repair for NHTSA campaign id number 02V068000 (parking brake:conventional: mechanical:linkage and cable) was performed on October 17, 2005. The dealer stated that they were not responsible for performing the repair a second time. The vehicle was taken to another mechanic and he performed the repair. The mechanic speculated that the first repair had never been made. The parts from the repair are available, if needed. The purchase date was unknown. The current mileage was 95,000 and failure mileage was 94,470.
Truck wanders on road and pulls when brakes applied, dealer was told of this problem since viehicle was purchased they never could find the problem. I have owned this viehicle for 3 years and have replaced brake pads 3 times and have had to replace the hubs twice myself at my expence out of warranty now. There was almost a fatality when I applied the brakes my truck pulled me into the ditch sliding and rocking from drivers side to passenger side up on two wheels. My airbag light flashes on and off. Who knows if they even work. My overdrive switch has been replaced 4 times and is broke again. Door ajar lite on constantly. But quality Ford cant find or offer me some kind of solution. They need to be investigated.
Dt: the consumer owns a 1999 Ford f-250 super duty pickup. The consumer felt that the brakes were assembled improperly. The disc brakes were installed with anti-squeal pads with two sets on the right rear and on the left side there were no anti-squeal pads. The consumer replaced the components at his own expense. The consumer replaced the right rear brake rotor and the rear brake pads. While trying to adjust the parking brake the consumer realized that the parking brake adjuster on the right wheel was missing. The consumer contacted the manufacturer, but they did not resolve any of the concerns. (12/02/05)
Brake line failure! The portion of the brake line between the frame rail and the fuel tank is subject to extreme rusting as debris is not easily cleared from this area. (sand, mud, water, ect...) this area becomes weak, and the rusting caused a rupture when applying my brakes at a stop sign in a shopping center parking lot. The front brakes/rear brakes do not have separate fluid reservoirs. This caused complete braking failure. I had to use the parking brake to stop the vehicle in a parking spot! Thank god this incident happened in a parking lot rather than driving 5 boy scouts at 55 MPH on a highway.
Applied brake pedal, went to floor, no brakes. The brake line ruptured. I investigated to see where the leak was, the entire line from the undercarriage back is badly corroded, all the way up to where it connects to the line coming from the master cylinder (enen the coupling is corroded). There is obviously a chemical reaction occurring between metals. I had this happen in my driveway with no speed, used my emergency brake to stop truck, if this had been a normal stop (e.g., a stop in traffic, it most likely would have resulted in serious injury or death. There was no warning of this pending failure.
While towing a trailer (with equalizer) the left rear emergency brake cable rubbed against inside of left tire causing the brake cables rubber sleeve to wear down to the metal braiding and the tire to be worn down to the sidewall cords (caught before tire rupture) . There isn't a bracket or retaining system in place to prevent this from happening. I had to re-route the cable slightly and restrain it with electrical cable ties. It seems that this condition only happens when the vehicle is under a load. The tire and cable need to be replaced, and are still on hand.
Brake complaints in other F-250 SD years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 1999 Ford F-250 SD?
NHTSA has 33 complaints about the brakes of the 1999 Ford F-250 SD, 13% of the model year's 249 complaints. The component named most often is foundation components › hoses, lines/piping, and fittings (8 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Ford F-250 SD brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 1999 Ford F-250 SD, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1999 Ford F-250 SD brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 93,000 miles, and 11% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to brakes problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.