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 2003 Ford F-350 SD owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
On 05/31/2013 after driving aprox 50 miles at highway speeds the truck was parked and a small fire started due to leaking oil on the hot exhaust system from a rusted oil pan. The fire was extinguished before it consumed the entire vehicle. I have contacted Ford motor co. Customer care and was told that the truck was out of warranty and that the cost to repair 1500.00 to 2000.00 would be my responsibility. I am disabled and on social security with a very fixed income and cannot afford the cost of this repair. From looking at all the other posts and living in michigan with winter salt, Ford has recalled many of their vehicles due to rust and corrosion of various components that could cause a accident or death. Please investigate this major problem with Ford trucks and other vehicles with the 7.3 liter diesel engine. I have contacted my dealer and they said this is a very common problem. …
While preparing for a camping trip this pass summer, I went to check the oil level. When I went to remove the oil dipstick, the dipstick tube broke, due to corrosion. This is the first time in my 25 years of owning a vehicle for that to happen. It would be alright, but in order to replace the tube, it is required to remove the exhaust manifold to properly replace it. In turn it cost more money to replace a product that should not break. I was fueling my truck and wanted to check all my fluids.
I was traveling down rte 37w in toms river nj when a loud "boom" occurred in my engine followed by a continuous loud "ticking" sound. I had my vehicle towed (2003 Ford f-350) to the local Ford dealership for investigation. After speaking with lead technicians at Ford, I was informed that this is a very common issue with Ford motors and they are surprised this has not been recalled. My spark plug was ejected out of the cylinder head due to lack of threading within the cylinder head. This will cost approx $4000.00 to repair this. I have contacted Ford directly and they cannot assist me with this repair and do not recognize this to be a problem with Ford motors. I started doing my own research on this issue via internet and have come across hundreds of cases and complaints of this issue happening with Ford engines. There is even a class action suit that is in the works out of california. …
The engine of a 2003 Ford went out and was replaced with a new engine by the Ford dealer ship. A few days after we got the truck back it was driven approx. 600 miles, pulling a trailer, when the engine began to back fire and sputter going down the interstate. The truck was pulled to the side of the road and shut off. The engine was checked for any visual problems and then started again. After it was restarted the engine began to pick up RPM. At that point the egnition was shut off and the key removed. The engine continued to run! The engine continued to increase it's RPM until I thought the engine would blow up. I told my grandwon who was traveling with me to hit the ditch and I tried to remove the battery cables. I finally had to leave for fear the engine would blow up in my face. The engine did blow but no fire was started. …
Ford motor company put out defective coolants on their 6.0l diesel engines. I have/had 2003 f350 king ranch truck with 67,000 miles. Ford warranties diesel engines to 5 year 100,000. On June 24, 2008, I was driving when my truck overheated. I pulled off the road and called Ford north scottsdale. They said that the ejr coolants are not good on those trucks and most likely it gave out. They told me to get it to the nearest dealership. I dropped the truck off at bell Ford in arizona on Tuesday June 24 to learn that my warranty expired May 28, 2008. I got diagnostics done and the head gaskets blew. Bell Ford said they blew because the coolant went out and blew out the water, which overheated the coolants. We contacted Ford motor company and they had 2 cst (mark & steve) "resolve" the dispute and say they cant help us. …
Vehicle was accelerating onto on-ramp to interstate 90 west bound at pines road in spokane valley wa. Vehicle was driven by my wife. At approximately 30 MPH their was a loud bang and noise that sounded like an exhaust leak. Vehicle was driven to the shoulder and shut off. My wife called me and I came to investigate what had happened. I turned the engine over and determined it was not an exhaust leak but that a spark plug had been blown out of the right side of the engine. It was the number 4 spark plug from the front on my v-10 gas engine. I located the bent spark plug at the approximate location of where the incident occurred. Other than being bent the threads on the plug were intact and did not appear to have been cross threaded. I had the plugs replaced at just over 100,000 miles as per the owners manual. …
I have a 2003 Ford f350 king ranch with a 6.0l diesel motor. The truck has had a variety of software failures with respect to the PCM for the motor which has resulted in the motor completely and instantaneously shutting down or catastrophic failure of the turbocharger resulting in the turbo over boosting and blowing up the intercooler or no psi out of the turbo leaving me and my family stranded twice in the mountains pulling a full two horse trailer (6,500 pounds). Vehicle has been into bakersfield Ford, visalia Ford, rancho Ford for service. PCM system was always reflashed and repairs made under warranty until the most recent turbocharger failure 09-28-2008. The vehicle was 5 months out of warranty and this failure cost me $2,700. …
I smelled hint of raw fuel when the engine was warm for 1-2 months prior to the obvious problem. 3-4 weeks prior to professional inspection there was white smoke out of the exhaust for 1-2 minutes. This smoke was associated with rough idling that when away completely until the next cold start up. The precipitating event for professional inspection was raw fuel spraying onto the trailer that was being pulled. Inspection revealed raw fuel pooled on the horizontal engine surfaces and raw fuel in the cooling system. This was verified by manufacturer's dealer service department and found to be a leaking fuel injector cup. It will require changing all the fuel injector cups. The dealer service agent reported that this same problem has been several times in these particular models. It is usually a warranty item. …
We were using our Ford f350 diesel (6.0 motor) with 63,000. We were going 70 MPH on the interstate pulling a loaded 5 horse trailer when the truck would not accelerate, 15 seconds later engine cut off. We were in the left lane and had no power to steer off the road and could not come to a fast stop because of the weight of the of horse trailer. We had to coast approximately 100 yards and pull off on the left side because traffic was too heavy and going to fast to let us over to the right side. Truck would not start again. Had to be towed off the interstate and home. Took it to the repair shop and was told the engine locked up and needs to be replaced at a cost of $7500 to $10000. I checked on warranty and because it is a 2003 it is expired. Called Ford and was told there was no recalls. …
Took truck in to get computer updates (132000 mi). Dealer discovered 12 quarts of fuel in crankcase. Had to get injector seals replaced ($1200). I know of at least 4 other owners of this model to have this problem. In August 2004 had to have front end rebuilt even though I had done required maintenance ($450)vehicle lost power (12/20/04)(182000 mi). Stopped to check for problem. Engine restarted. I shut it off and tried to restart. It would turn over but not start. Had towed to dealer. They had 20 different codes come up on computer diagnostic. As of 12/28/04 it still will not start and dealer still has no idea why. Most recent estimate for this repair at least $1200 an have not been able to work since breakdown.
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
Twenty five of the odi failure reports are duplicative of Ford complaints.twenty odi reports do not contain a VIN (and May or May not be duplicative of Ford reports).the 14 alleged crashes and 2 alleged injuries were all minor.submitted during preliminary evaluation (pe) 04-070, Ford's response to odi's information request (ir) letter contained about 5,000 consumer reports (mors) and 8,700 field reports (cqis).Ford…
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 2003 Ford F-350 SD?
NHTSA has 55 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2003 Ford F-350 SD, 42% of the model year's 132 complaints. The component named most often is engine › diesel (18 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 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 2003 Ford F-350 SD engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 30,000 miles, and 38% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 2 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.