Most common 2001 Ford F-450 SD problems
Share of the 23 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Ford F-450 SD complaints by model year
Best F-450 SD years: 2018, 2020, 2014. Years to avoid: 2022, 2021, 2008, 1999, 2000. Compare all years →
2001 Ford F-450 SD recalls (7)
Vehicle speed control
Ford is recalling model years 1995-2003 windstar, 2000-2003 excursion diesel, 1993-1997 and 1999-2003 f-250 sd through f-550 sd diesel, 1992-2003 e-150 through e-550, 1995-2002 explorer, 1997 and 2002 Mercury mountaineer, 1995-1997 and 2001-2003 ranger, and 1994 f53 vehicles equipped with the texas instruments speed control…
Remedy: Ford will notify owners that dealers will install a fused wiring harness in line with the scds. On 1999-2003 windstar vehicles with a leaking scds, dealers will also inspect the ABS control module connector and repair…
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.
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)
Visibility › Windshield wiper/washer › Motor
Vehicle description: passenger cars, sport utility vehicles, and light and medium duty pickup trucks. A switch located in the plastic cover of the wiper motor gear case could malfunction and overheat, potentially resulting in loss of intermittent wiper function, loss of wiper park function, complete loss of wiper function, or…
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the date code on the wiper motor. Motors built with the suspect time frame will have the wiper motor gear case cover replaced. Owner notification began August 20, 2001.
Seat belts › Front › Buckle assembly
Vehicle description: passenger and sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks, and minivans. Equipped with seat belts supplied by trw. It is possible that the driver's and/or front passenger's outboard seat belt buckle May not fully latch. Ford crown victoria built at st.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the front outboard seat belt buckles and if the buckle fails the inspection process, it will be replaced. Owner notification began July 25, 2001.
Air bags › Frontal
Vehicle description: passenger and sport utility vehicles. The inflator canister in the driver air bag module May have an inadequate weld near the igniter.
Remedy: Dealers will install a driver air bag module. Owner notification began March 19, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a…
Show 1 more recall
Tires › Valve
Vehicle description: trucks equipped with commercial truck tires that have steel cords in the tire sidewall. The valve stems May have been torn or damaged during assembly and could leak causing sidewall damage.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the valve stems for leakage, and will replace both the valve stem and the tire if leakage is present. Owner notification began March 28, 2001.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 7 possible defects involving the 2001 Ford F-450 SD:
Front seat belt buckle assembly
Under recall campaign (01V227), Ford recalled approximately 1.3 million vehicles to inspect and if necessary replace the front driver and/or passenger seat belt buckle.approximately 1.1 million owners responded by taking their vehicles to a dealer for inspection of the buckle using a specialized buckle test tool.Ford reported that 829,927 vehicles had both buckles pass the tool test and another 167,336 vehicles had…
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.
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…
Front seat belt buckle assembly
During the initial recall campaign in 2001, the subject vehicles were inspected by Ford dealerships using a test tool that would detect a defective front seat outboard seat belt buckle assembly.approximately one million vehicles passed the inspection test for one or both front buckles.subsequent to the recall service action, odi received 15 consumer reports alleging that a passed inspection buckle subsequently…
Accelerator pedal sensor (etc)
Failure counts from odi?s analysis are stated above; see the additional problem experience discussion in the summary report.Ford data contained duplicative reports for 4 odi complaints and 1 crash.three crashes were allegedly due to intermittent operation of the electronic throttle control (etc) pedal, one crash occurred when an etc disabled vehicle was struck by another motorist, one report contained no detail.the…
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…
Sector shaft fractures
This ea was opened based on a response received from Ford motor company to an information request (ir) submitted during sq00-018.Ford stated in an internal service message that it had changed the steering gear sector shafts and pitman arms installed 1999 model year f-series super duty vehicles on March 22, 1999.Ford stated that these design changes were implemented to make improvements in vehicle steering and…
What 2001 Ford F-450 SD owners say
Fuel & propulsion system
Jan 23, 2007-the truck was taken to the shop due to missing while driving and stalling out. Diagnostics were done, changed the fuel filter and replace cam shaft sensor. Feb. 12, 2007 - same issues missing in engine and stalled out. Taken to auto repair shop . Cleaned all cables and charged batteries. March 2, 2007 - missing in engine and stalls out. Diagnostics time 60 or 65 no power . Replace air filter and unstick turbo July 9, 2007- missing in engine and stalling out. Taken to shop. Diagnostics done. Replaced wire assembly and gasket. Sept. 12, 2007 - still missing replaced fuel filter whining in shop for state inspection. Sept. 24, 2007 - engine missing , while in shop to replace transmission added can of carb cleaner nov. 21, 2008 - missing, stalled on road, would not start towed to the shop , diagnostics done. …
F450 stake body dump truck started hesitating at all speeds. Found out that the diesel fuel gas tanks are delaminating on the inside and clogging the fuel system. This repair costs $2,400. A big truck driving down the road that is running fine and then all of a suddenly starts to hesitate is extremely dangerous. Ford trucks seem to be the only ones having this problem. I feel Ford should be required to recall these trucks and fix the problem for safety purposes.
Brakes
While driving 35 MPH, pressure was applied to brake pedal to stop vehicle and the brake pedal fell to the floorboard unexpectedly. Driver was unable to bring vehicle to a stop before truck traveled approximately 75 yards and rear-ended a stopped car. Dealership has examined vehicle and could not determine cause of the problem. Please provide any additional / information / documentation.
The drivers seat belt disengaged, causing the consumer to drive with the seat belt unlocked. The seat belt was repaired three times and failed three times(ongoing problem), the brake problem was repaired three times and failed three times, the front/rear brakes would not disengage on repeated occasions the problem continued, the front and rear tires would shake and or vibrate which was due to a tire defect per dealer. There were flat spots on the tires. (the tires were sold with the vehicle) continental/general
Wheels & tires
While driving, the tire blew out. Upon inspection, tread was gone and there was a huge hole in the sidewall. There was only 6000 miles on this tire. Tires were inspected and pressure checked just a few hours prior to this incident. Reported it to Firestone when I returned home, asking if there was any problem with this type of tire, but all they did was send a tracking number wt20020819-0000000185. They said they would respond in the next several days. That e-mail was sent on 8/19/02, we have not heard from them since. ***dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut-over to artemis****770776
Within 2 weeks time, two tires blew out on my Ford f-450 business truck. When I called a tire service to fix them out on the road they told me there was a recall on all these tires because of faulty valve stems. Then I found out it was only for all halliburton company tires only. Ford told me it was a general/continental tire problem.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2001 Ford F-450 SD a good car?
Based on 23 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2001 F-450 SD rates use caution: 4.0× as many complaints as a typical year of the F-450 SD at the same age. It is one of the F-450 SD 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 2001 Ford F-450 SD?
The fuel & propulsion system — 7 complaints, 30% of all complaints for this model year, most often about storage › tank assembly. Next are the brakes (6) and wheels & tires (5).
How many recalls does the 2001 Ford F-450 SD have?
There are 7 recalls for the 2001 Ford F-450 SD, the most recent from October 13, 2009 (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-450 SD?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2018, 2020 and 2014. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2022, 2021, 2008, 1999 and 2000. See the full Ford F-450 SD years comparison.
At what mileage do 2001 Ford F-450 SD problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 60,000 miles; 36% 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.