Most common 1999 Ford F-550 SD problems
Share of the 61 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Ford F-550 SD complaints by model year
Best F-550 SD years: 2018, 2013, 2017. Years to avoid: 2000, 1999, 2004, 2006, 2005. Compare all years →
1999 Ford F-550 SD recalls (8)
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)
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.
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.
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.
Show 2 more recalls
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.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 4 possible defects involving the 1999 Ford F-550 SD:
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…
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 1999 Ford F-550 SD owners say
Transmission & drivetrain all 23 →
We purchased our f550 from fact. On 2/7/99, in dec 1999 the 4 speed auto transmission went out with 9470 miles on the vehicle. Three weeks before replacing with a remanufactured transmission, we were told that the remanufactured are better as they are completly gone through; apparently the new ones are not. Also had to repair a major oil leak by replacing several hoses, o rings and the right cylinder head high pressure oil line and fitting. May 4 of 2000 repair to the switches in the door latch along with misc inside elec repairs. July 24, 2001 engine overheating, dealer replaced gaskets, thermostats and other related items, service document indicated recall work done but no explaination as to what. September 2, 2003 truck fire, burns an employee attempting to extinguish. …
As the consumer attempted to stop the vehicle, the pedal went to the floor and stayed. The master cylinder and slave cylinder had excess were on the pressure plate fingers. The transmission was hard to shift into reverse and low gear. The hard clutch made noise. The clutch company was well aware of Ford's problem and had re-engineered and designed a new package to remedy the problem. There was fuel leaking at the fuel filter, the sway bar was broken, the door ajar light stayed on, engine oil leak, and the gas cap was broken.
Wheels & tires
Consumer stated since 10/02, vehicle had experienced 2 tire blowouts while towing a travel trailer. Consumer detected a bubble in a 3rd tire, but removed it before a blowout could occur. All affected tires were original. 1st blowout was the outside left rear dual. 2nd blowout was the right inside dual. Ts jg tire info: general continental lmt-460 225/70r19.5 original dot no- * provide**
Tire blow outs and bulge in sidewall of tire. The consumer has experienced three different tire failures. Two failures were blowouts which occurred while pulling a travel trailer, the third was a bulge in the sidewall which was detected before the tire completely failed. The tire appeared to be in good physical condition with no visible cracks or defects.
Engine & cooling
We purchased our f550 from fact. On 2/7/99, in dec 1999 the 4 speed auto transmission went out with 9470 miles on the vehicle. Three weeks before replacing with a remanufactured transmission, we were told that the remanufactured are better as they are completly gone through; apparently the new ones are not. Also had to repair a major oil leak by replacing several hoses, o rings and the right cylinder head high pressure oil line and fitting. May 4 of 2000 repair to the switches in the door latch along with misc inside elec repairs. July 24, 2001 engine overheating, dealer replaced gaskets, thermostats and other related items, service document indicated recall work done but no explaination as to what. September 2, 2003 truck fire, burns an employee attempting to extinguish. …
As the consumer attempted to stop the vehicle, the pedal went to the floor and stayed. The master cylinder and slave cylinder had excess were on the pressure plate fingers. The transmission was hard to shift into reverse and low gear. The hard clutch made noise. The clutch company was well aware of Ford's problem and had re-engineered and designed a new package to remedy the problem. There was fuel leaking at the fuel filter, the sway bar was broken, the door ajar light stayed on, engine oil leak, and the gas cap was broken.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1999 Ford F-550 SD a good car?
Based on 61 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 1999 F-550 SD rates avoid: 7.1× as many complaints as a typical year of the F-550 SD at the same age. It is one of the F-550 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 1999 Ford F-550 SD?
The transmission & drivetrain — 23 complaints, 38% of all complaints for this model year, most often about clutch assembly. Next are the wheels & tires (18) and engine & cooling (10).
How many recalls does the 1999 Ford F-550 SD have?
There are 8 recalls for the 1999 Ford F-550 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-550 SD?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2018, 2013 and 2017. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2000, 1999, 2004, 2006 and 2005. See the full Ford F-550 SD years comparison.
At what mileage do 1999 Ford F-550 SD problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 65,000 miles; 26% 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.