Most common 2001 Ford F-350 SD problems
Share of the 158 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Ford F-350 SD complaints by model year
Best F-350 SD years: 2014, 2013, 2012. Years to avoid: 2017, 2019, 2020, 2018, 2022. Compare all years →
2001 Ford F-350 SD recalls (2)
Vehicle speed control
Ford is recalling model years 1995-2003 windstar, 2000-2003 excursion diesel, 1993-1997 and 1999-2003 f-250 sd through f-550 sd diesel, 1992-2003 e-150 through e-550, 1995-2002 explorer, 1997 and 2002 Mercury mountaineer, 1995-1997 and 2001-2003 ranger, and 1994 f53 vehicles equipped with the texas instruments speed control…
Remedy: Ford will notify owners that dealers will install a fused wiring harness in line with the scds. On 1999-2003 windstar vehicles with a leaking scds, dealers will also inspect the ABS control module connector and repair…
Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Diesel
On certain heavy duty trucks equipped with 7.3l diesel engines, the camshaft position sensor located on the engine of the vehicle May function intermittently, possibly resulting in an engine stall.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the sensor and replace it with an improved camshaft position sensor free of charge. The recall began on December 29, 2007. Owners May contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 8 possible defects involving the 2001 Ford F-350 SD:
Front seat belt buckle assembly
Under recall campaign (01V227), Ford recalled approximately 1.3 million vehicles to inspect and if necessary replace the front driver and/or passenger seat belt buckle.approximately 1.1 million owners responded by taking their vehicles to a dealer for inspection of the buckle using a specialized buckle test tool.Ford reported that 829,927 vehicles had both buckles pass the tool test and another 167,336 vehicles had…
Engine stalling
The cam position sensor (cps) provides a critical signal to the subject vehicle (sv) engine management system, the loss of which results in an engine stall.during pe06-011, Ford stated in their response to odi that it is continuing to investigate allegations of cps related engine stall and further advised that an update will be provided upon completion of the investigation.Ford data shows that 20% of the 716,000 svs…
Engine stalling
In a December 3, 2007 letter, Ford advised NHTSA that it will conduct a safety recall to replace the cam position sensor (cps) in approximately 1.2 million subject vehicles to address reports of engine stalling.a new design cps with improved performance and durability will be installed as a remedy.owner notifications will begin in December 2007.
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…
Front seat belt buckle assembly
During the initial recall campaign in 2001, the subject vehicles were inspected by Ford dealerships using a test tool that would detect a defective front seat outboard seat belt buckle assembly.approximately one million vehicles passed the inspection test for one or both front buckles.subsequent to the recall service action, odi received 15 consumer reports alleging that a passed inspection buckle subsequently…
Accelerator pedal sensor (etc)
Failure counts from odi?s analysis are stated above; see the additional problem experience discussion in the summary report.Ford data contained duplicative reports for 4 odi complaints and 1 crash.three crashes were allegedly due to intermittent operation of the electronic throttle control (etc) pedal, one crash occurred when an etc disabled vehicle was struck by another motorist, one report contained no detail.the…
Sector shaft fractures
This ea was opened based on a response received from Ford motor company to an information request (ir) submitted during sq00-018.Ford stated in an internal service message that it had changed the steering gear sector shafts and pitman arms installed 1999 model year f-series super duty vehicles on March 22, 1999.Ford stated that these design changes were implemented to make improvements in vehicle steering and…
Spark plug ejection from cylinder head
On September 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 Ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or…
What 2001 Ford F-350 SD owners say
Engine & cooling all 40 →
I parked my truck, turned off the ignition and removed the key at 7:00 am. At 8:03 am I heard what sounded like an explosion. I ran to the front of the house and my 2001 Ford f350 was on fire! The entire engine area was engulfed in flames. Using two garden hoses until the fire department arrived, I was able to contain the majority of the damage to the engine area. There weren't any prior issues to signify that there was something wrong with the engine. I routinely brought my vehicle in for it's scheduled maintenance. I never received a recall notice about the defective cruise control switch that was installed in a group of Ford trucks, of which my truck was part of.
1.)Ford f-350 parked in the morning at 8:04 am after taking daughter to school. After sitting for almost 15 hours truck caught on fire and burned to the ground at approx. 11:00 pm. At night, after everybody was suppose to be in bed. I happened to hear a popping and hissing noise and saw flames glowing from under the engine between the tires. Huge oak tree near it was caught on fire, burnt appx. 35 feet into the air, other vehicle next to it were damaged and house was in danger of being caught on fire per fire dept. ( they hosed the house down first) 2.) only happened once. 3.) fire dept called to put out raging fire.
Wheels & tires all 34 →
Tl contact owns a 2001 Ford f350 super duty vehicle with cooper discover stt p351/85r16 tires. While driving approximately 60 MPH the front passenger side tire blew out. The vehicle was towing a race car which was destroyed along with the truck and all of its contents, which caught fire due to the blow out. A passenger in the vehicle sustained a major concussion and the driver sustained a compounded left wrist injury. A police report was filed. The approximate failure mileage was 214,000.
Driving west bound on I-40 in a 01 Ford f350 dually diesel pulling an enclosed car trailer w/55 Chevy belaire. Front drivers side tire tread peeled off which caused us to go into median and the truck jackknifed against the car trailer and was titled off the ground about 3 feet. Truck was a total loss. Husband sustained back injury. Tire was a cooper discoverer s/t lt255/85r16
Transmission & drivetrain all 28 →
I have several complaints with my truck....all of which were potential safety risk. First was the transmission failure mine and my dad's ,both failed at similar times at identical trucks. -after Ford gave us the run around we took the trucks to a repair shop and had transmissions fixed.....note that the failure of the coast clutch in transmissions prevented the trucks from engine breaking. This was particularly serious when towing, which was what this truck was made for. My dad found out the transmission failed on his way down a mountain pass in colorado pulling a 11,000 pound fifth wheel. The next complaint was regarding the cam position sensor, which failed faster than can replaced. The next complaint was about the brake system. I have dealt with dealerships time and time again to try to resolve the problem, and they couldn't do it, so I fixed it myself! …
I was driving my 2001 Ford f350 to work. Just as I turned off the highway my truck lurched and the rear wheels began to skid. I put my truck into neutral and the rear wheels began to roll again. I coasted to a stop on the shoulder of the road. I tested the brakes and they where fine. I tried reverse and forward and everything seemed fine. I was close to work and the road shoulder was very narrow so I decided to see if I could get to work. The truck started out fine. However when it shifted to 3rd gear it lurched again and the rear wheels began to skid. I manually shifted back to second gear and the truck resumed normal operation for that gear. After talking to a number of transmission mechanics the consensus was clear. The 'mechanical diode' on the direct drum was seized. This problem is well documented. It is common on 2001 fords trucks with the 4r100 transmission. …
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2001 Ford F-350 SD a good car?
Based on 158 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2001 F-350 SD rates average: 1.4× as many complaints as a typical year of the F-350 SD at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2001 Ford F-350 SD?
The engine & cooling — 40 complaints, 25% of all complaints for this model year, most often about engine › diesel. Next are the wheels & tires (34) and transmission & drivetrain (28).
How many recalls does the 2001 Ford F-350 SD have?
There are 2 recalls for the 2001 Ford F-350 SD, the most recent from October 13, 2009 (vehicle speed control). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Ford F-350 SD?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2014, 2013 and 2012. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2017, 2019, 2020, 2018 and 2022. See the full Ford F-350 SD years comparison.
At what mileage do 2001 Ford F-350 SD problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 58,000 miles; 41% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.