Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
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).
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.
Tl contact owns a 2001 Ford f-350. The vehicle was parked in a driveway when it suddenly caught fire. The fire department extinguished the fire and a fire report was available. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact called the dealership to explain the failure but the dealer stated that they were unaware of any such failures. The contact planned to call the manufacturer when the complaint was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 231,000.
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.
My 2001 Ford f350 5.4 engine while driving blew a spark plug out of the cylinder head and caused a small fire under the hood of the truck. I was able to put out because I happened to have a small fire extinguisher on board.
Consumer complained about an engine block heater problem. The block heater cord caught on fire, burning the entire engine department. Also, it caught the fifth wheel trailer which the truck was parked underneath.
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! …
Spark plug blown out from threaded position in engine head while engine running due to product defect. Spark plug and spark coil pack left "floating" in engine compartment creates a very dangerous engine compartment fire condition as vacated and open spark plug hole being injected with combustible(gas) is susceptible to engine compartment and spark plug coil pack still producing spark. When Ford was contacted contacted they indicated this was a known product defect and driving the vehicle was dangerous as a result. They indicated they are well aware of this situation and it's frequency of occurrence. There is a class action lawsuits pending in (ca.) on this very same issue. My vehicle was towed to dealership, Ford autoserve, tilton nh 03276, for repair. Repair costs were not covered by Ford. …
The oil pans on most late model Ford 7.3 liter power stroke diesels has a severe problem with the oil pans rusting through, causing massive oil leaks, possible fire hazards, and severe engine failure, if the problem is not caught in time. The cost to have this repaired is close to two thousand dollars, and this problem is extremely well documented among owners of vehicles equipped with this engine. Ford has done nothing to correct this problem, no recalls, no TSB's, nothing. A new OEM oil pan from Ford is close to $400 dollars, an aftermarket close to $100. The way to rectify this problem is to remove the entire engine from the vehicle, a job requiring extensive training and skill, as well as extremely expensive equipment. (in order to do the job properly, and safely). …
1.events - taking a trip from wasilla, ak to fairbanks, ak (300 mile trip) temp started at 28 deg at wasilla -47 in fairbanks. After about 150 miles the truck stutter a few times after about 200 miles the truck died. Would not start nothing. Waited for about 20 min (in -27deg weather) then the truck started up and I got about another 25 miles now it was about -32 someone pulled over to let my kids keep warm three girls ages 2, 4, 6 and let me take warm up brakes in there car while I tried to find out what was failing. I had a code reader with me. It showed no codes. Then some guy pulled over he was driving a Ford as well. But he carried a extra c.p.s. With him and the tools. 2.failure and consequences- the failure was a cps in the 2001 f-350 7.3 the consequences were not that bad only because of 2 very nice people that helped me. …
Related recalls
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 investigations
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.
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…
Engine complaints in other F-350 SD years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2001 Ford F-350 SD?
NHTSA has 40 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2001 Ford F-350 SD, 25% of the model year's 158 complaints. The component named most often is engine › diesel (21 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Ford F-350 SD engine problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 07V-553 (diesel, Dec 5, 2007). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2001 Ford F-350 SD engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 80,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 7 fires and 0 injuries to engine & cooling 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.