Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (fuel pump, injectors, fuel tank, hybrid and EV propulsion).
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).
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. …
Faulty Ford fuel tank. Diesel tanks are delaminating, causing fuel line/filter to clog and vehicle not to run properly. 6/16/10 replaced fuel filter, ran for one day. Took truck to henry curtis Ford on 6/17/10, they told us about delamination, not their fault. Charged us $909.28 to remove tank, clean and replace micron filter. Hcford says that the new gas tanks from Ford are on back order, not available until approx. Sept 2010. On 6/30/10 truck runs improperly again,fuel filter clogged due to delamination, changed fuel filter. On 7/1/10 truck runs bad again, leave truck again with henry curtis Ford with an odometer reading of 73812 and a 1/4 tank of gas. They called and said the fuel filter is clogged, they again want to pull the tank and replace the micron filter at a charge of $900 + only eleven days after they just did it. …
I purchased my Ford f350 on January 16, 2007 from john bleakly Ford, in georgia my fuel injectors have gone bad since then. On 7/22/07 my truck suddenly lost power it would turn but won't rev and after a while will not even turn. It was finally diagnosed as faulty injectors. I have a $27,000 truck loan and have only paid 4 months on this truck. I am a sole proprietor and have a family to support. I strongly believe there is an ongoing problem with their fuel injectors in the 6.0 liter engine. After many hours of research, I have learned that there was a first massive recall in April, 2003 for 66,720 trucks Ford sold with the 6.0 liter diesel engine to replace the fuel injection control pressure sensor. I ve also learned there were nearly 500 buybacks of trucks with engines so badly flawed that they couldn't be fixed. …
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. …
Tl contact owns a 2003 Ford f350 super duty. The contact stated that something fell into the fuel tank or delaminate, which caused the vehicle to stall, clogged the injectors, and clogged the fuel filter. The vehicle stalled approximately 55-60 times due to the delamination and was becoming progressively worse. The latest failure occurred while driving 55 MPH. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle and the fuel line had to be drained so that she could drive to her residence. When the vehicle was restarted, it bucked and sputtered. There were no warning indicators illuminated prior to the failure and the steering was inoperable. She took the vehicle to the dealer three times and they continuously advised her to change the fuel filters due to poor diesel fuel. The vehicle has not been repaired and is parked at the contact's residence. …
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. …
7.3 ltr diesel engine has a metal fuel line strapped to engine block with metal clamp. The metal clamp eventually wears a hole in the metal fuel line and then diesel fuel is sprayed on to back of engine, starter and other electrical components. The metal fuel line and clamp is on the passenger side of the engine and attached to the back of the engine block. I would think there should be some kind of rubber insulation around the fuel line where it is held by the metal clamp. It is just a matter of time before every one f these 7.3 ltr engines will suffer this wear through of the diesel fuel line and spray fuel down the back of the engine and all over the starter and electrical components. It is a fire hazard in every vehicle using the 7.3 ltr engine. Web site forums are full on this exact same problem of wear through of the fuel line by the metal clamp holding it.
Tl contact owns a 2003 Ford f-350 SD. While driving approximately 40 MPH on normal road conditions, the engine stalled without warning. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and resumed normal operation; although, the failure recurred intermittently. An authorized technician stated that the failure was contributed to the injection control pump (icp); injection pressure regulator (ipr) and the wiring harness which were replaced on two occasions. The vehicle was also towed to an authorized dealer to have the transmission replaced. The cost to repair the vehicle was 3,400. The following day the alternator failed and the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer. The contact had concerns of the safety risk involved. The failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 132,000.
On the Ford f350 7.3 diesel, the clamp beneath the turbo holding the high pressure diesel fuel line in place is a poor design. The clamp appears to be aluminum with a rubber coating. The rubber coating wears away and the fuel line passes metal on metal through the clamp causing wear. In this particular case the pinhole leak in the high pressure fuel line caused by the wear created a mist of fuel to be blown on the hot turbo causing a flammable cloud of diesel. I immediately shut the vehicles ignition off and stood by with an extinguisher. This is going to happen again to somebody and needs to be repaired. Somebody is going to be injured or the vehicles engine compartment will catch fire. The fuel line needs to pass through a clamp of better design.
2003 Ford f350 superduty 6.0 powerstroke. I purchased it new on November 28, 2003. Twelve hours and 68 miles later the transmission locked up at 45 miles an hour. I had it towed to the dealer and they yet to fix problem. I would like another new truck. The dealer will not give me one. I can't believe the run-a-round the dealer is giving me. They don't care that the truck was just purchased. They are taking there sweet time of fixing the truck. There were also other problems with the injectors, PCM, and TCM. With all these factors and being 12 hours old and only 68 miles, you would think out of courtesy Ford or the dealer would give me a identical new truck. It's so frustrating it took the whole enjoyment of owning a new truck.
Fuel System complaints in other F-350 SD years
Frequently asked questions
How common are fuel system problems on the 2003 Ford F-350 SD?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 2003 Ford F-350 SD, 18% of the model year's 132 complaints. The component named most often is fuel injection system (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Ford F-350 SD fuel system problems?
No. NHTSA lists no fuel & propulsion system recall for the 2003 Ford F-350 SD, though it has 4 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 2003 Ford F-350 SD fuel system problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 89,000 miles, and 14% before 25,000 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.