Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
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).
I have a 1999 f250 super duty pickup 7.3 diesel. As I was driving it one evening I smelled smoke and saw smoke coming from under the dash and up in the defroster area at the windshield. It then began to flame up from those areas and I slowed the vehicle down and jumped out,fearing I was going to get burned. It was late at night on a country road at 2 am. And the truck burned for almost a half hour before anyone drove by me to call 911. By the time the f.d. Got there the vehicle was totaled destroyed and totaled engulfed in flames. I had a small one gallon gas/oil mixture container( for my chain saw on the floor of the vehicle) which had less than half a gallon in it. I told my insurance co. Of that fact. The insurance co. Now wants me to be deposed under oath. I have nothing to hide and will allow that. …
I have a 1999 Ford super duty pickup. I was driving home after my sons baseball practice and the unthinkable happened. My truck made a loud bang and noticed a burning smell. I stopped to see what the problem with my truck. As I opened the hood I saw a flash of light and saw the engine on fire. I immediately shut the truck off and grabbed my sons water bottle to try to stop the fire. Luckily I was able to smother the fire out with a baseball glove. My son and I waited for over an hour for the tow truck. The vehicle was towed to a local garage. I was shocked to find out the repair bill of $2700!!!!!! The shop said the spark plug blew out of the engine and caused a fire. And to make matters worse they said this was a known problem with the Ford v8 engine!!! I am so upset! …
My 1999 Ford f-250 super duty 7.3 power stroke diesel engine had intermittent engine failure while driving. This caused the vehicle to die in precarious locations, such as intersections and freeways. This originally occurred within two weeks of the vehicle purchase date when it was new in October 1998. I have researched this problem, and the cps was the known cause. I have owned the vehicle since it was new. I have not received a recall notice from Ford, and have been unable to locate a recall on their power stroke website. According to the many websites dealing with the power stroke diesel, both the 7.3 and the 6.0 ltr models, this problem was consistent throughout the marketplace. …
Vehicle was parked for the night (ignition was off). Vehicle burned due to fire from under the hood caused by electrical failure. Total loss (repairs to exceed value). Vehicle is still in my possession. I was recently made aware of a Ford recall for cruise control components causing underhood fires of similar nature and consequence on similar vehicles.
Vehicle seemed to be running fine. Parked in my driveway and 70 minutes later my wife came home and found the truck on fire. Heavy fire was ensuing from the driver side wheel well as well as out the front driver side grill.
The vehicle was parked for twenty minutes. There was a loud noise, the consumer went to see what caused the noise, and discovered, the vehicle engine was on fire. The fire department responded to put the fire out.
A spark plug blew out of the engine which is due to a design flaw that Ford motor co. Is well aware of. This can happen when the engine is new or it has many thousands or, in my case, hundreds of thousands, of miles on it. Ford is well aware of the problem, and they have been forced to make the necessary repairs on vehicles that are still under warranty. For those vehicles, like mine, that are no longer under warranty, the full cost of the repair is left up to the consumer. The average repair cost for this major malfunction is $2,500.00-$3,500.00. …
First we started to hear a ticking sound from engine. Dealer said it was something to do either with the fuel system or the y-collector on the exhaust. They advised to change y-collector with something less performance oriented, sounded incorrect so I obivously declined. Soon after while traveling down in baja Mexico we were climbing a mello grade when bamm!!! We lost most of our power and it sounded as though we were riding a large lawn mower without a muffler. Since we were in Mexico with no cell service, we crawled all the way home after midnight. Upon inspection, rear passanger spark plug had blown through the threads and took the coil with it. Replaced with cold-fusion coil, but still sounds as though main bearings aren't going to make it much longer!!!!
I was merging into the right lane of the freeway to exit the freeway and there was a loud bang and my truck decelerated and caused the person behind me to swerve to avoid running into the back of me. I took my truck to my local ase certified mechanic and was told the third spark plug on the pasenger side had blown out of the aluminium cylinder head. The cylinder plug opening was bored out and tapped. An insert was then put into place and the spark plug replaced. The total cost of this was ~$450. After much research I have discovered that this is a very common occurence on the Ford triton engines and that Ford is doing everything they can to avoid taking any responsibility for this apparent design defect. This stinks!!!
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.
NHTSA investigations
Engine compartment fires
Ea05-005 is closed with Ford?s actions in recalls 05v-017, 05v-388, and 06v-286, recalling approximately 6.7 million vehicles equipped with texas instruments speed control deactivation switches (scds).the brake systems in these recalled vehicles generate a vacuum that can potentially cause the scds to fail and, in certain switch installation orientations, catch fire.Ford is also including the entire population of…
Electrical complaints in other F-250 SD years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 1999 Ford F-250 SD?
NHTSA has 34 complaints about the electrical system of the 1999 Ford F-250 SD, 14% of the model year's 249 complaints. The component named most often is ignition (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Ford F-250 SD electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system 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 electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 100,000 miles, and 3% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 5 fires and 2 injuries to electrical system 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.