What breaks most · 1990 to 2014 model years
FORD F-250 problems by year
Owners have filed 3,571 safety complaints with NHTSA about the FORD F-250 across model years 1990 to 2014. Three years stand out: 1999 for tires complaints, 2000 for tires complaints and 1997 for tires complaints. The quietest years are 1990, 2010 and 2009.
- Years to check closely: 1999, 2000, 1997
- Fewest complaints: 1990, 2010, 2009
- Complaints on file
- 35711990 to 2014, all trims
- Worst year
- 1999572 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 218191 fires · 149 injuries · 15 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 69kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 142Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Fuel system (1) | |
| 106 | 5 | 7 | Fuel system (26) | |
| 119 | 4 | 7 | Fuel system (30) | |
| 129 | 5 | 9 | Fuel system (36) | |
| 122 | 5 | 10 | Brakes (hydraulic) (23) | |
| 184 | 11 | 4 | Brakes (hydraulic) (38) | |
| 174 | 10 | 5 | Tires (35) | |
| 301 | 20 | 14 | Tires (42) | |
| 56 | 2 | 9 | Suspension (14) | |
| 572 | 54 | 19 | Tires (105) | |
| 312 | 32 | 10 | Tires (106) | |
| 211 | 15 | 9 | Tires (47) | |
| 144 | 11 | 7 | Engine and cooling (23) | |
| 104 | 6 | 7 | Engine and cooling (24) | |
| 135 | 7 | 7 | Engine and cooling (44) | |
| 118 | 3 | 1 | Steering (28) | |
| 200 | 10 | 3 | Suspension (76) | |
| 51 | 2 | 4 | Steering (20) | |
| 140 | 8 | 6 | Steering (59) | |
| 37 | 0 | 1 | Steering (23) | |
| 34 | 2 | 0 | Steering (9) | |
| 146 | 4 | 2 | Steering (57) | |
| 113 | 1 | 1 | Suspension (38) | |
| 39 | 1 | 0 | Suspension (14) | |
| 21 | 0 | 0 | Suspension (9) |
What fails on the 1999 FORD F-250
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tires | 18% |
105 | 6 | — |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 17% |
97 | 4 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1999 FORD F-250 |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 12% |
66 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1999 FORD F-250 |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 11% |
61 | 3 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 1999 FORD F-250 |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 8% |
48 | 5 | Shop steering parts for the 1999 FORD F-250 |
| Air bags | 7% |
39 | 30 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 6% |
32 | 5 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 1999 FORD F-250 |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 5% |
29 | 1 | Shop fuel system parts for the 1999 FORD F-250 |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Vehicle experienced extended stopping distance. Dealership was informed of the rusted brake line, but did not resolve the problem. *ak
-
When vehicle is at idle, turning the steering wheel is impossible. It's extremely difficult to maneuver the truck in and out of parking spaces without risking hitting another vehicle or a person.
-
Dt: the contact states there is a NHTSA recall campaign 97v171000 concerning the gear position indicator. This vehicle has the same problems as indicated in the recall, but it is not included in the recall due to VIN. The contact repaired the vehicle at his own expense.*ak
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which FORD F-250 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1999, 2000, 1997 carry the most filings on the FORD F-250. The 1999 alone has 572 complaints, led by tires.
What is the most common FORD F-250 problem?
On the 1999 model year, the most-reported component is tires with 105 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do FORD F-250 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all FORD F-250 complaints that include mileage is about 69,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.