Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2017 Ford F-350 SD owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-350. The contact stated that there was an untraceable leak on the passenger's side front door, allowing water to pool inside the footwell. The contact stated that after it rained, the carpet was saturated. The contact was concerned about mold and mildew growing in the carpet, as also a possibility of a short circuit. The contact had not taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic or the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 41,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-350. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH, the tailgate fell. The contact indicated there was no warning prior to the tailgate falling on several occasions. The contact also stated the four rear outer aluminum rims were constantly allowing the tires to lose air pressure. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and diagnosed tailgate failure was confirmed. The dealer repaired the tailgate; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 10,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-350. The contact stated that while hauling a trailer and reversing, the powered tailgate erroneously opened and struck the trailer. During the failure, the tailgate and the trailer were damaged. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 103,000.
The tailgate has been malfunctioning since day one and I had it kind of working here and there but then it ended up coming apart completely and the backup camera has been lost due to that and I just seen that that is a problem that they've had with many of these vehicles and I would love to get that fixed. Also because I do not have no backup camera on this truck it's just crazy. I mean I use it for work and I pull a lot of trailers and it was just you know. I don't even know what to say. I would please love it if somebody could help me get these problems fixed with Ford. I have tried and tried to no avail. I think they're trying to wait for me to get many many miles on my truck. I started trying to get this stuff fixed when I was back at $65,000 mi. You know and they was will not fix nothing. I realized that the door had water in it way back then and they just won't fix it. …
For many months while attemting to slide open or tilt my sun roof the sun roof would jamb and not move. Then one day after I was able to get my sunroof into the tilted up position I was unable to get it to re turn down and sealed. Took my Vehicle to the FORD dealer near me where they confirmed that the sun roof track had been severely damaged and would need to have the entire frame rail replaced at a cost of $6,000+. Upon researching online I have come to find out that many of Ford vehicles equiped with the panoramic sunroof have had this exact same problem and the primary cause of the problem was substandard plastic material being used in the track/frame design that fractures easily and jambs and breaks sunroof components. …
Doors on truck will not latch as they freeze in the cold weather. This has been an ongoing issue since 2019. I have brought it to the dealership and they say there is no recalls. I have to use a ratchet strap to keep my door from opening! This is extremely unsafe! When you go under Ford's site there are other trucks having the same issue and they say to go to the dealership to fix the issue. I have copied the info below: Description Door latch freezing concerns Campaign# 18N03 Next Steps Contact your local dealer for next steps.
My truck had a recall for the door locks freezing, which my truck had an issue with. The dealer performed the recall and 1 of the doors continued to freeze. The door will not latch and it will open when driving down the road. I took it back to the dealer and they charged me to diagnose and confirm it's still doing it. They will not repair it again, they said the recall repair was inadequate and it would cost 900$ to fix.
2017 Ford F-350 with door latches that freeze. There are multiple symptoms which occur whenever the temperature drops below 32 degrees: (1) The door will not open when door handle pulled, (2) the door opens but latch sticks in the "open" position which does not allow door to latch closed, or (3) the door opens while driving due to not being fully latched. I have only had #3 happen once. Primarily, #2 is the scenario that happens most often. I am able to open the driver's door, but cannot drive the vehicle until I am able to exercise or warm up the latching mechanism enough to safely latch the door. This is accomplished by pressing the door lock/unlock switch repeatedly or slamming and holding the door, then pressing the lock button. I am told by the dealership that my VIN does not qualify for Recall 17S33. It did qualify for Customer Service Program 18N03, which was performed in 2022. …
I'm April of 2018 the electric tailgate on my 2017 Ford f-350 started opening on its own anytime and anywhere. It did not matter if the truck was in park or in gear but did not open at speeds above 10 MPH or so. After going to the Ford dealership in elkhart in. I was told there was nothing that could be done because if they unhooked the wiring l could not open the tailgate. I pull a 5th wheel trailer with the truck so this was not an option if l wanted a tailgate. I tried to watch the best l could before taking off to make sure the tailgate was closed when l would move the truck. I did not notice that it had come down again and made a turn with the trailer hooked to the truck. Needless to say the tailgate was crushed beyond use and broke a twilight lens at the same time. …
Ford f350 uncontrollable steering oscillation beginning around 12/3/18 @ approximately 20,000 miles on truck I began experiencing vibrations in steering. Reached out to dealer from where vehicle was purchased new 1 year earlier. Reported issues and was informed its a known issue but could not be seen till January 15,2019. On 12/16/18 while merging lanes on highway(approx.60 MPH) steering wheel began shaking uncontrollably causing vehicle to swerve lane to lane. Control was able to be regained only after slowing to minimal speed(assuming 20 MPH or so). Incident caused all immediate traffic to stop. Vehicle was driven into breakdown lane . Upon exiting vehicle ,a witness to incident also pulled over . As a owner of a 17 f250 he informed me of what is called deathwobble which he had experienced in prior months. …
Related recalls
Structure › Frame and members › Underbody shields
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2022 F-250 and F-350 Super Duty vehicles equipped with gasoline engines and aluminum driveshafts. Underbody heat and noise insulators may loosen and contact the aluminum driveshaft, which could damage the driveshaft and cause it to fracture.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and repair the driveshaft as necessary, and properly attach the underbody insulators, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on April 7, 2022.
NHTSA investigations
Power Tailgate Release Systems
In January 2021, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Recall Query (RQ21-001) to assess allegations of post-recall remedy uncommanded tailgate openings in model year (MY) 2017-2019 F-250/350/450 Ford trucks. Besides the recall remedy launched in January 2020, Ford also implemented a production update in November 2019.
Body complaints in other F-350 SD years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2017 Ford F-350 SD?
NHTSA has 45 complaints about the body & structure of the 2017 Ford F-350 SD, 8% of the model year's 574 complaints. The component named most often is body (39 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2017 Ford F-350 SD body problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 22V-087 (underbody shields, Feb 16, 2022). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2017 Ford F-350 SD body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 22,000 miles, and 55% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to body & structure 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.