IllustrationMY F250 WHEN I WAS EXITING FOOT ON BRAKE TO SLOW DOWN THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP AND ALMOST WENT OFF THE ROAD THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME IT HAS HAPPENED EVERYTIME I HIT THE BRAKE AND TRY TO TURN THE WHEEL LOCKS
2008 Ford F Super Duty
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all F Super Duty years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
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When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
20–25K
525–50K
850–75K
675–100K
6100–150K
2150K+
29 reports with mileage · 2 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Steering. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
0 crash reports0 fire reports1 injury reports
What owners actually said
31 reportsI PURCHASED USED IN 2012 AND IT'S ALWAYS BEEN VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER WITH A VERY WIDE TURNING RADIUS. I'VE DRIVEN OTHER FORDS AT A LOCAL AUCTION HOUSE SAME YEAR/MODEL THAT STEER FINE AND TURN TIGHTER. I BELIEVE THERE IS A DEFECT IN MINE THAT'S DIMINISHING ITS SAFETY AND USABILITY.
2008 FORD F450 6.4L TURBO DIESEL PROBLEMS MY WIFE TRUCK BROKE DOWN ON HER WITH 137000 MILES ON IT COMING BACK FROM SOUTH CAROLINA IN JULY 2016. MECHANICS FOUND METAL SHAVING IN THE OIL FILTER HOUSING. LONG STORY SHORT, HAD TO HAVE THE LONG BLOCK REPLACED ON THE TRUCK. 15,000 DOLLARS TO FIX THIS ISSUE. APPEARS WE ARE NOT…
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2008 FORD F450 6.4L TURBO DIESEL PROBLEMS MY WIFE TRUCK BROKE DOWN ON HER WITH 137000 MILES ON IT COMING BACK FROM SOUTH CAROLINA IN JULY 2016. MECHANICS FOUND METAL SHAVING IN THE OIL FILTER HOUSING. LONG STORY SHORT, HAD TO HAVE THE LONG BLOCK REPLACED ON THE TRUCK. 15,000 DOLLARS TO FIX THIS ISSUE. APPEARS WE ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES WHO ARE HAVING THIS ISSUE. THREE MORE PEOPLE WE KNOW WHO JUST BOUGHT 2008 FORD F450 SD 6.4L TRUCKS HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUE. ONE FAMILIES TRUCK BROKE DOWN ON THEM THREE WEEKS AFTER BUYING IT ON THERE WAY HOME FROM A HORSE SHOW. SAME THING HAPPEN TO THE OTHER FAMILY. COMMON FACTOR IN ALL THREE STORIES...METAL SHAVINGS IN OIL FILTER HOUSING. NONE OF THE TRUCKS WERE LOW ON FLUID. APPEARS 6.4L ENGINES HAVING THE SAME ISSUES AS 6.0L ENGINES. INVESTIGATION NEEDS TO BE DONE ON 6.4L ISSUES AND HOLD FORD ACCOUNTABLE TO REPAIR THESE ENGINES OR REFUND THE MONEY THAT WAS SPENT TO FIX THESE ENGINES IF REPAIR HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE. *TR
THE OEM RADIATOR LEAKS FROM JOIN BETWEEN PLASTIC AND ALUMINUM
I WAS TRAVELING DOWN A TWO LANE ROAD IN MY 2008 F250 PICKUP (DIESEL) ON 26 JAN 2016 ABOUT 35 MPH, AND CAME UPON A STOP SIGN. I RELEASED THE GAS PEDAL AND STARTED BRAKING. THE ENGINE STARTED ACCELERATING, EVEN THOUGH I WAS APPLYING THE BRAKES. THE VEHICLE WAS IN FOUR WHEEL DRIVE (HIGH), SO ALL FOUR TIRES WERE SPINNING FAST, AND K…
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I WAS TRAVELING DOWN A TWO LANE ROAD IN MY 2008 F250 PICKUP (DIESEL) ON 26 JAN 2016 ABOUT 35 MPH, AND CAME UPON A STOP SIGN. I RELEASED THE GAS PEDAL AND STARTED BRAKING. THE ENGINE STARTED ACCELERATING, EVEN THOUGH I WAS APPLYING THE BRAKES. THE VEHICLE WAS IN FOUR WHEEL DRIVE (HIGH), SO ALL FOUR TIRES WERE SPINNING FAST, AND KEPT THE VEHICLE MOVING FORWARD. I STOOD ON THE BRAKE PEDAL WITH BOTH FEET, AND AFTER GOING SEVERAL FEET INTO THE INTERSECTION, IT FINALLY STOPPED. I QUICKLY SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL, AND A FEW SECONDS LATER THE PROBLEM STOPPED. I THEN CONTINUED ON MY WAY. THE VEHICLE HAD 37,062 MILES.
RANDOMLY AND WITHOUT WARNING A GREEN WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON MY DASHBOARD WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON A BUSY HIGHWAY. DATE WAS 12/1/2015. I LOST POWER AND HAD TO PULL OVER ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. THERE WAS NO POWER WHEN I TRIED TO ACCELERATE. THERE WAS NO RESPONSE WHEN I WOULD STEP ON THE GAS PEDAL. IT WAS IDLING VERY ROUGH, I TURNE…
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RANDOMLY AND WITHOUT WARNING A GREEN WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON MY DASHBOARD WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON A BUSY HIGHWAY. DATE WAS 12/1/2015. I LOST POWER AND HAD TO PULL OVER ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. THERE WAS NO POWER WHEN I TRIED TO ACCELERATE. THERE WAS NO RESPONSE WHEN I WOULD STEP ON THE GAS PEDAL. IT WAS IDLING VERY ROUGH, I TURNED OFF THE TRUCK WAITED A COUPLE OF MINUTES THEN TRIED TO TURN THE TRUCK ON AGAIN AND THE WRENCH LIGHT CLEARED. IT WENT BACK TO "NORMAL" AND I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE OFF THE HIGHWAY. I'VE READ AND ALSO TALKED TO OTHER FORD OWNERS AND THEY HAVE SAID THE SAME THING, IT IS THE (PCM) POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE. THIS COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING ON A BUSY HIGHWAY. NOTE: I HAD MY WHOLE FAMILY WITH ME.
WHILE TRAVELLING ON A STRAIGHT, SLIGHTLY DOWNHILL, DRY SECTION OF HIGHWAY AT A SPEED OF APPROXIMATELY 40 MILES PER HOUR, AN EXAGGERATED SHAKING BEGAN ON THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT TIRE OF THE VEHICLE. THIS QUICKLY BECAME AN ALMOST UNCONTROLLABLE BOUNCING OF THE TRUCK. IT BECAME INCREASINGLY VIOLENT IN JUMPING TO THE POINT IT MAD…
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WHILE TRAVELLING ON A STRAIGHT, SLIGHTLY DOWNHILL, DRY SECTION OF HIGHWAY AT A SPEED OF APPROXIMATELY 40 MILES PER HOUR, AN EXAGGERATED SHAKING BEGAN ON THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT TIRE OF THE VEHICLE. THIS QUICKLY BECAME AN ALMOST UNCONTROLLABLE BOUNCING OF THE TRUCK. IT BECAME INCREASINGLY VIOLENT IN JUMPING TO THE POINT IT MADE IT DIFFICULT TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. I BRAKED AND SLOWED TO UNDER 20 MPH WHEN IT STOPPED. PULLED OVER, CHECKED ALL, NOTHING OUT OF SORTS. NO SIGN OF MECHANICAL FAILURE OR TIRE TROUBLE. FELT LIKE FLAT TIRE AT FIRST.
WE PURCHASED A USED 2008 FORD F250 SUPER DUTY TRUCK THAT HAD BRAND NEW TIRES JUST A FEW MONTHS AGO FROM A DEALERSHIP HERE IN HAWAII. (FEDERAL COURAGIAM A/T LT 285/70R17) WE ALSO PURCHASED A 2 YEAR BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY. APPARENTLY DEFECTIVE TIRES ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THIS WARRANTY. TIRES ARE BUBBLING ON INSIDE SIDEWALL. TOOK…
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WE PURCHASED A USED 2008 FORD F250 SUPER DUTY TRUCK THAT HAD BRAND NEW TIRES JUST A FEW MONTHS AGO FROM A DEALERSHIP HERE IN HAWAII. (FEDERAL COURAGIAM A/T LT 285/70R17) WE ALSO PURCHASED A 2 YEAR BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY. APPARENTLY DEFECTIVE TIRES ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THIS WARRANTY. TIRES ARE BUBBLING ON INSIDE SIDEWALL. TOOK VEHICLE TO TIRE SERVICE LOCATION AND WAS TOLD TO REPLACE TIRE IMMEDIATLY. THIS WAS JUST A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO. NOW SECOND TIRE DOING SAME BUBBLING AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED TODAY. IT HAS BEEN RECOMMENDED THAT ALL TIRES BE REPLACED AND ARE DEFECTIVE AND DANGEROUS. COULD CAUSE ACCIDENT/INJURY/DEATH.
DURING THE COURSE OF DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THE ENGINE SHUT OFF AND THE TRUCK LOST ALL POWER. REQUIRED STEERING OFF THE HIGHWAY AND STOPPING WITH THE LOSS OF ALL POWER STEERING AND BRAKE ASSIST. IN TRAFFIC. TRUCK WOULD NOT RESTART ONCE WAS PULLED OFF ONTO SIDE OF HIGHWAY. IF TRUCK HAD BEEN TOWING DOWN A STEEP GRADE IT WOULD HA…
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DURING THE COURSE OF DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THE ENGINE SHUT OFF AND THE TRUCK LOST ALL POWER. REQUIRED STEERING OFF THE HIGHWAY AND STOPPING WITH THE LOSS OF ALL POWER STEERING AND BRAKE ASSIST. IN TRAFFIC. TRUCK WOULD NOT RESTART ONCE WAS PULLED OFF ONTO SIDE OF HIGHWAY. IF TRUCK HAD BEEN TOWING DOWN A STEEP GRADE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE TO STOP. UPON HAVING TRUCK REPAIRED IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS A BAD EXHAUST GAS TEMPERATURE SENSOR.
WHILE, DRIVING THE TRUCK THE STEERING ERRATICALLY JERKS IN AN OVER STEERING FASHION. IT IS A REPEATING PROBLEM AND IS VERY DANGEROUS. *TR
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1PE13014 · Alleged Loss Of Steering
Opened May 7, 2013 · Closed Jan 31, 2014
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Steering; Steering:gear Box (other Than Rack And Pinion)
The Office of DefectsInvestigation (ODI) opened PE13-014 after identifying five complaints alleging steering gear failure in model year (MY) 2008 Ford F-250 and F-350 Super Duty pick-up trucks and to evaluate the relationship between the design history of the steering gear assembly and the alleged defect.As background, ODI investigated steering gear sector shaft fractures in approximately 1.3 million MY 1999 - 2001 Ford Super Duty pick-up trucks and MY 2000 - 2001 Ford Excursion sport utility vehicles in Engineering Analysis EA01-009.The investigation determined that the sector shaft failures were the result of extraordinary, possibly multiple, impacts and not the result of fatigue.No defect in design, manufacturing or materials was identified in the sector shaft.EA01-009 was closed August 19, 2003 with 169 complaints, resulting in a rate of 12.9 incidents per 100,000 vehicles after approximately one year of service.Ford increased the diameter of the sector shaft from 1.375 inches to 1.625 inches at the start of MY 2005 production, increasing the resistance of the steering gear assembly to torsional overload by approximately 48% and changing the failure mode from sector shaft fracture to cracked or broken sector shaft gear teeth.The redesigned steering gear assembly was used in approximately 1.1 million MY 2005 through 2009 Ford Super Duty pick-up trucks, including the subject vehicles.Figure 1 shows the basic steering system design used in Ford Super Duty trucks investigated in EA01-009 and PE13-014. Figure 2 shows the locations of failures resulting from impact related torsional overloading of the sector shaft for the subject vehicles and the prior generation Ford Super Duty trucks investigated in EA01-009.Figure 3 shows an example of a failed sector shaft investigated in EA01-009 and comparisons of fracture surfaces of sector shafts failing from fatigue loading and from torsional overload.Ford provided field return part analysis of failed steering gears from MY 2005 through 2009 Super Duty trucks found evidence of broken sector shaft gear teeth and piston damage consistent with incidents of single event overload (Figure 4).Laboratory analysis found no evidence of fatigue or material property defects in any of the fractures.Analysis of complaint rates by vehicle build month showed no patterns indicating potential manufacturing quality issues and no difference before and after Ford introduced design changes to the input shaft and sector shaft seals in July 2007 to address potential leak concerns (Figure 5).Analysis of failures by time in service indicates a random failure pattern/distribution, consistent with incidents of impact induced overload (Figure 6). The complaint rate for the subject vehicles after approximately 5 to 6 years, 7.1 incidents per 100,000 vehicles, is lower than the rate observed in EA01-009. Furthermore, similar to the condition investigated in EA01-009, a number of incident records include evidence of impact loads (e.g., curb strikes) and several alleged crashes include incidents in which information suggests that the steering gear failure was most likely a result of crash forces, rather than the cause of the crash.A safety-related defect has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist.The agency will monitor this issue and reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.The ODI complaints cited above can be reviewed at ww
Additional source detail variants (2)
Steering
The Office of DefectsInvestigation (ODI) opened PE13-014 after identifying five complaints alleging steering gear failure in model year (MY) 2008 Ford F-250 and F-350 Super Duty pick-up trucks and to evaluate the relationship between the design history of the steering gear assembly and the alleged defect.As background, ODI investigated steering gear sector shaft fractures in approximately 1.3 million MY 1999 - 2001 Ford Super Duty pick-up trucks and MY 2000 - 2001 Ford Excursion sport utility vehicles in Engineering Analysis EA01-009.The investigation determined that the sector shaft failures were the result of extraordinary, possibly multiple, impacts and not the result of fatigue.No defect in design, manufacturing or materials was identified in the sector shaft.EA01-009 was closed August 19, 2003 with 169 complaints, resulting in a rate of 12.9 incidents per 100,000 vehicles after approximately one year of service.Ford increased the diameter of the sector shaft from 1.375 inches to 1.625 inches at the start of MY 2005 production, increasing the resistance of the steering gear assembly to torsional overload by approximately 48% and changing the failure mode from sector shaft fracture to cracked or broken sector shaft gear teeth.The redesigned steering gear assembly was used in approximately 1.1 million MY 2005 through 2009 Ford Super Duty pick-up trucks, including the subject vehicles.Figure 1 shows the basic steering system design used in Ford Super Duty trucks investigated in EA01-009 and PE13-014. Figure 2 shows the locations of failures resulting from impact related torsional overloading of the sector shaft for the subject vehicles and the prior generation Ford Super Duty trucks investigated in EA01-009.Figure 3 shows an example of a failed sector shaft investigated in EA01-009 and comparisons of fracture surfaces of sector shafts failing from fatigue loading and from torsional overload.Ford provided field return part analysis of failed steering gears from MY 2005 through 2009 Super Duty trucks found evidence of broken sector shaft gear teeth and piston damage consistent with incidents of single event overload (Figure 4).Laboratory analysis found no evidence of fatigue or material property defects in any of the fractures.Analysis of complaint rates by vehicle build month showed no patterns indicating potential manufacturing quality issues and no difference before and after Ford introduced design changes to the input shaft and sector shaft seals in July 2007 to address potential leak concerns (Figure 5).Analysis of failures by time in service indicates a random failure pattern/distribution, consistent with incidents of impact induced overload (Figure 6). The complaint rate for the subject vehicles after approximately 5 to 6 years, 7.1 incidents per 100,000 vehicles, is lower than the rate observed in EA01-009. Furthermore, similar to the condition investigated in EA01-009, a number of incident records include evidence of impact loads (e.g., curb strikes) and several alleged crashes include incidents in which information suggests that the steering gear failure was most likely a result of crash forces, rather than the cause of the crash.A safety-related defect has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist.The agency will monitor this issue and reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.The ODI complaints cited above can be reviewed at ww
Steering:gear Box (other Than Rack And Pinion)
The Office of DefectsInvestigation (ODI) opened PE13-014 after identifying five complaints alleging steering gear failure in model year (MY) 2008 Ford F-250 and F-350 Super Duty pick-up trucks and to evaluate the relationship between the design history of the steering gear assembly and the alleged defect.As background, ODI investigated steering gear sector shaft fractures in approximately 1.3 million MY 1999 - 2001 Ford Super Duty pick-up trucks and MY 2000 - 2001 Ford Excursion sport utility vehicles in Engineering Analysis EA01-009.The investigation determined that the sector shaft failures were the result of extraordinary, possibly multiple, impacts and not the result of fatigue.No defect in design, manufacturing or materials was identified in the sector shaft.EA01-009 was closed August 19, 2003 with 169 complaints, resulting in a rate of 12.9 incidents per 100,000 vehicles after approximately one year of service.Ford increased the diameter of the sector shaft from 1.375 inches to 1.625 inches at the start of MY 2005 production, increasing the resistance of the steering gear assembly to torsional overload by approximately 48% and changing the failure mode from sector shaft fracture to cracked or broken sector shaft gear teeth.The redesigned steering gear assembly was used in approximately 1.1 million MY 2005 through 2009 Ford Super Duty pick-up trucks, including the subject vehicles.Figure 1 shows the basic steering system design used in Ford Super Duty trucks investigated in EA01-009 and PE13-014. Figure 2 shows the locations of failures resulting from impact related torsional overloading of the sector shaft for the subject vehicles and the prior generation Ford Super Duty trucks investigated in EA01-009.Figure 3 shows an example of a failed sector shaft investigated in EA01-009 and comparisons of fracture surfaces of sector shafts failing from fatigue loading and from torsional overload.Ford provided field return part analysis of failed steering gears from MY 2005 through 2009 Super Duty trucks found evidence of broken sector shaft gear teeth and piston damage consistent with incidents of single event overload (Figure 4).Laboratory analysis found no evidence of fatigue or material property defects in any of the fractures.Analysis of complaint rates by vehicle build month showed no patterns indicating potential manufacturing quality issues and no difference before and after Ford introduced design changes to the input shaft and sector shaft seals in July 2007 to address potential leak concerns (Figure 5).Analysis of failures by time in service indicates a random failure pattern/distribution, consistent with incidents of impact induced overload (Figure 6). The complaint rate for the subject vehicles after approximately 5 to 6 years, 7.1 incidents per 100,000 vehicles, is lower than the rate observed in EA01-009. Furthermore, similar to the condition investigated in EA01-009, a number of incident records include evidence of impact loads (e.g., curb strikes) and several alleged crashes include incidents in which information suggests that the steering gear failure was most likely a result of crash forces, rather than the cause of the crash.A safety-related defect has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist.The agency will monitor this issue and reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.The ODI complaints cited above can be reviewed at ww