Most common 1999 Ford F-350 problems
Share of the 413 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Ford F-350 complaints by model year
Best F-350 years: 2009, 2007, 2013. Years to avoid: 1999, 2000, 1997. Compare all years →
1999 Ford F-350 recalls (12)
Vehicle speed control
On certain trucks equipped with speed control, gasoline or natural gas engines, the speed control deactivation switch May overheat.
Remedy: Dealers will install a fused wiring harness into the speed control system free of charge. The recall began on August 7, 2006. Owners May contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332. (note: also see recalls 05V017 and 05V388)
Parking brake › Conventional › Mechanical › Linkage and cable
On certain pickup trucks equipped with manual transmissions, failure of the front parking brake cable input button could result in failure of the parking brake system to hold the vehicle stationary.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the front parking brake cable and the controller and verify the performance of the parking brake system. Owner notification began April 5, 2002.
Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly
Vehicle description: pickup trucks equipped with gasoline engines and 8 foot boxes, May not fully satisfy the requirements of FMVSS no. 301, "fuel system integrity." in a 30 MPH frontal barrier crash test, a fuel tank vapor recovery valve separated internally.
Remedy: Dealers will install a stop plate assembly on the vehicle frame to prevent recovery valve contact with a frame crossmember during the impact sequence.
Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly
Vehicle description: gasoline and diesel engine pickup trucks equipped with 8 foot beds, do not fully satisfy the requirements of FMVSS no. 301, "fuel system integrity." the fuel tank front strap isolator May not be properly positioned which could result in the strap cutting the tank during a 30 MPH front barrier test,…
Remedy: Dealers will reposition the front strap isolator.
Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly › Mounting
Vehicle description: pickup trucks equipped with 6" beds manufactured from January 5, 1998 through June 4, 1999, do not not fully satisfy the post crash test static rollover requirements of FMVSS no.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel tank locator bracket with a similar bracket whose design has been revised to incorporate more rounded surfaces where contact with the tank occurs.
Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly
Vehicle description: gasoline and diesel engine pickup trucks equipped with 6" and 8" beds manufactured from January 5, 1998 through March 21, 1999, do not not fully satisfy the post crash test static rollover requirements of FMVSS no.
Remedy: Dealers will augment the box-to-chassis attachment by installing box-to-chassis retaining cables.
Show 6 more recalls
Vehicle speed control
Vehicle description: certain 1997-1999 rhd explorer equipped with 4.0l ohv/sohc engines and cruise control built from May 29, 1996 through March 4, 1999; 1998-1999 explorer/mountaineers equipped with 4.0l ohv/sohc or 5.0l engines or 1998-1999 rangers equipped with 2.5l, 3.0l ffv/efi or 4.0l engines and cruise control built from…
Remedy: Dealers will replace the cruise control cables. At the present time, the replacement cables are not available. Customers are being advised not to use the cruise control system until a replacement can be made.
Air bags › Frontal › Sensor/control module-inactive
Vehicle description: light duty trucks. The cast tow hooks changes the crash pulse of the vehicle in frontal barrier impacts and the air bag sensor was not calibrated to this new crash pulse which May cause the air bags to deploy in lower speed impacts than design intent.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the cast tow hooks with forged hooks.
Steering › Gear box (other than rack and pinion)
Vehicle description: medium duty trucks and chassis-cabs. One or more of the four rivets on the lower steering shaft flex coupling May not have been crimped during the sub-assembly process.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the lower steering shaft rivets and replace any shafts with uncrimped rivets.
Parking brake
Vehicle description: super duty single rear wheel pickup trucks. The parking brake system, when engaged with a force of 125 pounds applied to the park brake foot control, May not hold the vehicles on a 20 degree grade. This does not comply with the requirements of FMVSS no. 105, "hydraulic brake systems."
Remedy: Dealers will burnish the parking brake using a specified procedure.
Electrical system › 12V/24V/48V battery › Cables
Vehicle description: supercab pickup trucks. The positive battery cable is taped to the negative cable which contains a clip to secure the assembly to the side frame rail. If incorrectly positioned, the positive battery cable can contact the air conditioning compressor pulley.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and/or modify the battery cable clips to ensure that they are properly located.
Equipment › Mechanical › Integrated jack/leveler/stabilizer
Vehicle description: supercab pickup trucks with dual rear wheel, and wide frame. The jacks provided with these vehicles are too large to be stowed securely under the seat as intended and were placed loose on the floor in the rear of the cab.
Remedy: Dealers will replace these jacks.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 4 possible defects involving the 1999 Ford F-350:
Parking brake failure
On May 11, 1998, Ford motor company filed a defect information report concerning parking brake failure on certain 1999 f-350 super duty vehicles built at the kentucky truck plant from January 26, 1998 through April 24, 1998; recall 98v-101.the reduction in parking brake effectiveness May occur on some of these vehicles, and is caused by the rust preventative coating the surface of the parking brake lining material…
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…
Rapid tire deflation
This investigation was opened on certain Ford pickup trucks and vans to evaluate the effects of a valve stem ejection (with rapid air loss) and a slow leaking valve stem on vehicle handing.during the investigation, odi evaluated over 1,100 complaints and warranty claims, conducted vehicle dynamic testing on a subject vehicle with the failure mode replicated, interviewed owners, and examined complaint vehicles in the…
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…
What 1999 Ford F-350 owners say
Wheels & tires all 108 →
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Ford f-350 equipped with hankook dynapro as tires, size: 235/85r16. While driving above 45 MPH, the vehicle would swerve uncontrollably. The contact also noticed that the front tires were wearing down quickly and unevenly, but the rear tires showed no failures. The local tire store was contacted and stated that they no longer serviced or sold hankook tires. The contact called the manufacturer and left a voice message. The vehicle failure mileage was 370,000. The tire failure mileage was unknown.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Ford f-350, equipped with alcoa wheels, size: 16 x 6. While driving 55 MPH, the wheels vibrated. The contact pulled the vehicle over and noticed that the front driver side wheel spokes were fractured. The contact was able to change the wheel and drive the vehicle home. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was not able to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was not notified. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 130,000.
Brakes all 78 →
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Ford f-350. While the contact's father was driving 55 MPH, he swerved to avoid striking another vehicle. When the brake pedal was depressed, the driver's side tires did not stop and the steering seized. As a result, the driver struck a tree and the vehicle rolled into a ditch. A police report was filed. The air bags did not deploy. The contact's father sustained blunt force trauma to the torso and was fatally injured upon impact. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000. The VIN was not available.
Front left tire hub broke off causing the truck to hit a bridge, driver says the truck dropped down and then hit the bridge, the tire fell off before impact with the bridge, this accident totalled our truck and did significant damage to the bridge. Have compalined to Ford, they will not replace truck, says it was our fault, but we know the tire fell off, the investigator told us the nut on the inside backed off, causing the front left tire and hub to break off, and it was in noway our fault, is a defect in the truck..
Transmission & drivetrain all 64 →
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Ford f-350. While the vehicle was at the dealer for routine maintenance, the mechanic indicated that the rear axle was faulty and would need to be replaced. Although the vehicle had not experienced any failures, the rear axle was replaced. The contact indicated that approximately 30,000 miles, later the mechanic indicated that the rear axle was faulty again and the axle was replaced a second time. After having the axle replaced, the contact was unable to shift to the sixth gear while driving approximately 65 MPH. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 363,000. Updated 7/14/15 updated 10/16/2017
Takata recall. I was driving down the road and my truck shut off randomly my overdrive light started flashing after this and continued to flash and still shuts off so I replaced my fuel filter, cps sensor and it still shuts off. It's like I'm goin down the road and it stalls. It does it more than once when I'm driving I just shut it off and start it again.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1999 Ford F-350 a good car?
Based on 413 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 1999 F-350 rates avoid: 4.0× as many complaints as a typical year of the F-350 at the same age. It is one of the F-350 years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 1999 Ford F-350?
The wheels & tires — 108 complaints, 26% of all complaints for this model year, most often about tread/belt. Next are the brakes (78) and transmission & drivetrain (64).
How many recalls does the 1999 Ford F-350 have?
There are 12 recalls for the 1999 Ford F-350, the most recent from August 1, 2006 (vehicle speed control). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Ford F-350?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2009, 2007 and 2013. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 1999, 2000 and 1997. See the full Ford F-350 years comparison.
At what mileage do 1999 Ford F-350 problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 108,000 miles; 23% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 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.