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 2001 Ford F-350 SD owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
After the fact heads up regarding potentially catastrophic power loss. At about 10 years and 100,000 miles the vehicle started blowing the #19 5amp fuse, dashboard lights go out but the dangerous consequence is a loss of power, can't clear traffic in a left turn or go up hill, have to back down. Known problem online, some people just replace the fuse with a 10amp, the cause is a wire in the steering column was through it's insulation and shorts. Mine happened more frequently always after turning left. Ford service ignored the online info and told me I needed a new $700 fuel pump. That did not help and I demanded they open the steering column and fix the wire, no problems since, I am assuming this has never been reported since I had to google for the answer. …
Tl contact owns a 2001 Ford f350 super duty. The contact noticed smoke rising from the hood while the vehicle was idling. He opened the hood and noticed flames coming from the wiring harness. The dealer stated that the speed control sensor May have caused the fire. His VIN was not included in recall number 06V286000 for the vehicle speed control because his vehicle has a diesel engine. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 189,000 and current mileage was 193,000.
Tl contact owns a 2001 Ford f-350 diesel. The contact stated that after having the vehicle stored in a garage for 11 months he observed that it was engulfed in flames. The manufacturer was contacted and replied in a letter advising him that a recall notice 09V399000 (vehicle speed control) was mailed in November 2010; however, the contact never received the letter. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was approximately 135,000.
2001 Ford f-350 caught fire while parked. Authorities called the fire department to come extinguish the fire. The consumer stated he previously had some wiring repairs made to the fuse box going to the rear lights, because the wiring had melted. (ohio traffic crash report # 10-0110-50) sent in additional voq. Updated 04/14/08. The consumer also stated the front wheel bearing had failed prior to the fire.
Ford f350 super duty xlt lariat 7.3l powerstroke diesel 2001 model my truck has a factory installed engine block heater, which I have to use to get it to start on cold mornings. At 7:15 am, I was talking to my wife on our cordless phone & it went dead. After some searching, I found out that the circuit breaker had tripped. This circuit breaker powers the wall the phone base station was plugged into, and that wall is shared with the garage. After some more searching, I could not locate the short that caused the trip and I reset the breaker. It tripped again. I had to take my daughter to school, so I figured I would wait and look some more when I came home. I opened my garage door to find my truck on fire. The plug for the engine block heater had shorted out, melted & caught fire....this caught my truck on fire. …
My f-350 super duty diesel suddenly shut down while driving during rush hour without any warning, losing total power: power steering and brakes. Not being able to move it due to traffic and since it wouldn't start police were notified so that an accident would not occur. Eventually it was towed to a near by parking lot and then towed directly to the dealer where they notified me that my cam sensor was bad and needed to be replaced. Not thinking much of it a few days later someone told me that they are known for going bad and I had better keep one in my glove box as a spare or I might find myself stranded again. This concerns me since my wife sometimes drives it and we have 3 children, not to mention that it cost me $420.00.
I received a "recall" notice from Ford about my f350 truck, the recall is not listed on your web site???? Last time I received a "recall" from Ford I took my truck to the local dealer and they left all four battery connections loose which ruined my alternator, they denied having touched the battery connections yet their own service report had a check mark next to "battery connections inspected" now they sent me this recall about a speed control sensor and when I called the number provided they basically told me I have no recourse if the local dealer damages my truck again, and if I do not bring the truck in Ford is not responsible for my injury or any loss associated with the "recall" help please!
I have a 2001 Ford f-350 with the 7.3 diesel motor. I have replaced the cam sensor in it twice and there are many people on the internet upset about this. When the cam sensor fail the truck shuts down which causes loss of power steering, power brakes, and all control of the truck and there is no way to tell when it is going to fail. For has no recalls on this sensor and has had many problems with it and nothing is being done. If this problem is not fixed then its is going to kill someone if it hasn't already. I tow a 3-car hauler with this truck, it's really dangerous when the engine shut down with no warning. Sometimes the engine May be restarted and other time I had to wait 45 minutes.
Cps- cam position sensor failures. 2001 f350 7.3 powerstroke. While driving thru a construction zone on I-40 westbound, truck just died. Luckily I was able to get off the road with out being run over by extremely heavy traffic. Truck was towed to Ford dealer and the technician said truck died to cps failure. 02/2005. Cps failure again,04/18/2007 but thank god this time it was in the intel parking lot. I had truck towed home. 107 dollars for cps. Replaced cps and truck is once again running fine. Ford corporation is fully aware of this problem with this sensor and will do nothing about it. This is a extremely dangerous problem that could have ended tragically for me.
2001 Ford f350 SD 7.3 diesel automatic trans. Fuse keeps blowing when manually gearing down to second,sometimes all on its own. When this happens, the engine goes to idle, the throttle doesn't respond, the gauges go dead I'm dead in the water. Sense I can't push the truck, I have to get out and replace the fuse where it sets to get going again. Now my overdrive lock out is inoperative. My main concern is that the truck just stops moving, when the fuse blows right in the middle of a intersection! So how's that for a safety hazard? Can anyone spell lawsuit?
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-350 SD years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2001 Ford F-350 SD?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the electrical system of the 2001 Ford F-350 SD, 13% of the model year's 158 complaints. The component named most often is ignition (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Ford F-350 SD electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2001 Ford F-350 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 2001 Ford F-350 SD electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 100,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 5 fires and 0 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.