NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Engine And Engine Cooling complaints
33 reportsClear category filterMileage unknown · Aug 6, 2019
Engine And Engine Cooling
HAVE HAD NUMEROUS PROBLEMS WITH THE COOLING SYSTEM ON THIS VEHICLE. HAD THE AIR CHARGE COOLER REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY AT AROUND 70,000 MILES. THE RADIATOR WAS LEAKING AS WELL BUT DEALER REFUSED TO REPLACE IT AND WANTED 1400.00 TO REPLACE. WAS LOSING COOLANT AT A RATE OF ABOUT 1 GALLON A WEEK GOING THRU THE AIR CHARGE COOLER AND …
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HAVE HAD NUMEROUS PROBLEMS WITH THE COOLING SYSTEM ON THIS VEHICLE. HAD THE AIR CHARGE COOLER REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY AT AROUND 70,000 MILES. THE RADIATOR WAS LEAKING AS WELL BUT DEALER REFUSED TO REPLACE IT AND WANTED 1400.00 TO REPLACE. WAS LOSING COOLANT AT A RATE OF ABOUT 1 GALLON A WEEK GOING THRU THE AIR CHARGE COOLER AND OUT THE EXHAUST. AT 89,000 MILES I HAD TO PAY $1947.00 TO REPLACE BOTH THE VERTICAL AND HORIZONAL EGR COOLERS. AGAIN, DUMPING A GALLON OF COOLANT INTO THE EXHAUST SYSTEM A WEEK CAUSING SEVER SMOKING AND POLLUTANTS. THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM THAT THOUSANDS OR PROBABLY MILLIONS OF F-250 AND OTHERS WITH THE 6.4L DIESEL ENGINE. FORD REFUSED TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND DO A TOTAL RECALL ON THESE ILL DESIGNED TRUCKS. I CANNOT BELIEVE THEY HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO GET AWAY WITH TURNING THEIR HEAD ON THIS DESIGN FLAW AND NOT MADE TO CORRECT THE AIR CHARGED COOLERS, PLASTIC RADIATORS AND THE EGR COOLERS.
NHTSA ODI #11242558
55,666 miles · May 1, 2013
Engine And Engine Cooling
ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS MY 08 FORD F250 6.4 HAS HAD EXCESSIVE BLUISH WHITE SMOKE FROM THE EXHAUST WHILE DRIVING AND LASTS AROUND 20 SECONDS. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND SITUATION MET ALL CRITERIA OUTLINED IN TSB 11-2-2. CAC WAS REPLACED. HOWEVER, VEHICLE STILL INTERMITTENTLY HAS SAME PROBLEM. ON ONE OCCURRENCE THE SMOKE WAS SO EXCESS…
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ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS MY 08 FORD F250 6.4 HAS HAD EXCESSIVE BLUISH WHITE SMOKE FROM THE EXHAUST WHILE DRIVING AND LASTS AROUND 20 SECONDS. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND SITUATION MET ALL CRITERIA OUTLINED IN TSB 11-2-2. CAC WAS REPLACED. HOWEVER, VEHICLE STILL INTERMITTENTLY HAS SAME PROBLEM. ON ONE OCCURRENCE THE SMOKE WAS SO EXCESSIVE THAT A MOTORCYCLE TRAVELING BEHIND ME ALMOST RAN OFF THE ROAD DUE TO VISIBILITY. FORD STATES THAT THIS IS NORMAL.
NHTSA ODI #10512134
6,240 miles · Apr 30, 2013
Engine And Engine Cooling
ON 2 OCT 2008, RADIATOR WAS DISCOVERED TO BE CRACKED AND LEAKING AT LEFT LOWER CORNER AT 6,240 MILES AND WAS REPLACED BY FORD UNDER 3YR/36000 WARRANTY. FORD INSTALLED DEGAS BOTTLE "T" FITTING TO ELIMINATE ANY FURTHER RADIATOR FAILURE. ON 12 MAR 2012, RADIATOR WAS DISCOVERED TO BE CRACKED AND LEAKING FROM LEFT LOWER CORNER AT 47…
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ON 2 OCT 2008, RADIATOR WAS DISCOVERED TO BE CRACKED AND LEAKING AT LEFT LOWER CORNER AT 6,240 MILES AND WAS REPLACED BY FORD UNDER 3YR/36000 WARRANTY. FORD INSTALLED DEGAS BOTTLE "T" FITTING TO ELIMINATE ANY FURTHER RADIATOR FAILURE. ON 12 MAR 2012, RADIATOR WAS DISCOVERED TO BE CRACKED AND LEAKING FROM LEFT LOWER CORNER AT 47,895 MILES. FORD SAID FAILURE WAS CAUSED DUE TO AN HYPER-EXTENDED THERMOSTAT. FORD REPLACED THERMOSTAT UNDER WARRANTY BUT WOULD NOT COVER RADIATOR UNDER WARRANTY. RADIATOR WAS REPLACED BY NON-FORD MECHANIC. ON 25 APR 2013 RADIATOR WAS DISCOVERED TO BE CRACKED AND LEAKING FROM RIGHT SIDE SEAM AT 58,520 MILES. FORD WAS CONTACTED AND OFFERED NO HELP OUTSIDE OF WARRANTY. RADIATOR WAS REPLACED BY NON-FORD MECHANIC OUTSIDE OF WARRANTY. IT DOESN'T TAKE A ROCKET SCIENTIST TO KNOW THERE IS SOMETHING SERIOUSLY WRONG WITH THE 08 F250 6.4 COOLING SYSTEMS THAT FORD FAILS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR. I TOW A 35FT 5TH WHEEL SEVERAL TIMES A YEAR AND MY BIGGEST FEAR IS THE RADIATOR GOING OUT WHILE TOWING. IF THE RADIATOR BLEW AND THE TRUCK WENT INTO "REDUCED POWER" MODE, THERE IS A GREAT POSSIBILITY THAT A LIFE THREATENING INCIDENT COULD OCCUR, ESPECIALLY WHILE TOWING ON A STEP INCLINE. I HOPE FORD FIGURES THIS OUT SOON BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT.
NHTSA ODI #10512136
Mileage unknown · Apr 9, 2013
Engine And Engine Cooling
CPSC# I1310184A. 2008 FORD F-250. CONSUMER STATED THAT HE HAS HAD NUMEROUS PROBLEMS WITH THE COOLING SYSTEM. STATED THE RADIATOR WAS LEAKING ALSO. *LN THE CONSUMER STATED HE WAS LOOSING A GALLON OF COOLANT A WEEK. IT WAS GOING THROUGH THE AIR CHARGE AND OUT THE EXHAUST. AT 89,000 MILES, HE HAD TO PAY $ 1947.00 TO REPLACE BOTH T…
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CPSC# I1310184A. 2008 FORD F-250. CONSUMER STATED THAT HE HAS HAD NUMEROUS PROBLEMS WITH THE COOLING SYSTEM. STATED THE RADIATOR WAS LEAKING ALSO. *LN THE CONSUMER STATED HE WAS LOOSING A GALLON OF COOLANT A WEEK. IT WAS GOING THROUGH THE AIR CHARGE AND OUT THE EXHAUST. AT 89,000 MILES, HE HAD TO PAY $ 1947.00 TO REPLACE BOTH THE VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL EGR COOLERS. AGAIN, DUMPING A GALLON OF COOLANT INTO THE EXHAUST SYSTEM A WEEK WHICH CAUSED SEVERE SMOKING.
NHTSA ODI #10508006
70,000 miles · Sep 18, 2012
Engine And Engine CoolingPower TrainFire
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD F-250 SD. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE TURBO ENGINE STALLED WITH AN ILLUMINATION OF A WARNING INDICATOR. THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO PERFORM ROUGHLY WITH SMOKE AND FLAMES EMITTING FROM THE EXHAUST. WHEN THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF THE FLAMES WERE NO LONGER VISIBLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN A…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD F-250 SD. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE TURBO ENGINE STALLED WITH AN ILLUMINATION OF A WARNING INDICATOR. THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO PERFORM ROUGHLY WITH SMOKE AND FLAMES EMITTING FROM THE EXHAUST. WHEN THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF THE FLAMES WERE NO LONGER VISIBLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO STATED THE TURBO CHARGER WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED AND INCLUDING OTHER DEFECTIVE PARTS. THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO THE RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 07V139000 (POWER TRAIN: AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION: CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM)). THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED THE IDENTICAL DEFECT AS STATED IN THE RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND THEY INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000. UPDATED 11/01/12*LJ
NHTSA ODI #10475851
128,000 miles · Jun 14, 2012
Engine And Engine Cooling
LIFTERS AND CAM HAVE FAILED. AND HAS TRASHED THE MOTOR. HAVE ASKED FOR HELP FROM FORD AND THEY HAVE DENIED CLAIM. THE PROBLEM WITH THIS IS THAT $55,000.00 TRUCK THAT IS ADVERTISED TO BE SUPER DUTY AND SHOULD LAST 400000 TO 500000 MILES WITH ONLY MINER ENGINE REPAIRS, THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING. FORD KNOWS FOR A FACT THAT THEY …
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LIFTERS AND CAM HAVE FAILED. AND HAS TRASHED THE MOTOR. HAVE ASKED FOR HELP FROM FORD AND THEY HAVE DENIED CLAIM. THE PROBLEM WITH THIS IS THAT $55,000.00 TRUCK THAT IS ADVERTISED TO BE SUPER DUTY AND SHOULD LAST 400000 TO 500000 MILES WITH ONLY MINER ENGINE REPAIRS, THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING. FORD KNOWS FOR A FACT THAT THEY HAVE A FAULTY MOTOR AND FAULTY INTERNAL PARTS ON ALL THE 2008 THRU 2010 6.4 L DIESEL MOTORS. THAT'S WHY THEY DESIGNED A NEW MOTOR AND ARE SUING NAVISTAR THE ENGINE DESIGNER. NOW YOU CAN GO ALL OVER THE INTERNET AND FIND THOUSANDS OF CUSTOMERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS AND MORE. FORD KNOWS THAT THE LIFTERS WILL FAIL AT SOME PREMATURE POINT, AND THE ROCKER ARMS WILL BREAK. ONE OF THE PROBLEMS IS THAT THERE IS SO MUCH BACK PRESSURE ON THE MOTOR DUE TOO THE PARTICULATE FILTER. THAT HAS EVEN BEEN RE-DEIGNED IN THERE NEW 6.7 MOTOR. WHY IS THERE NOT A RECALL ON THIS MOTOR OR SOME KIND OF MANDATORY RETROFIT OR FINANCIAL AID TO FIX THESE PROBLEMS. ON ANOTHER NOTE I HAVE ALL MOST HAD A LEAST 8 HEAD ON COLLISIONS FROM LOST POWER DUE TO THE EGR COOLERS FAILING OR THE PARTICULATE FILTER CLOGGING UP. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS ENGINE ALSO YOU CAN BE IN GREAT DANGER WHEN TRYING TO PASS SOMEONE. I HOPE TO HEAR FROM SOME ONE SOON.. THANK YOU IN THIS MATTER. HOW CAN FORD TURN THEIR BACKS ON LOYAL AMERICANS.......
NHTSA ODI #10461797
20,000 miles · Nov 6, 2011
Engine And Engine Cooling
1/1/10 ISN'T THE FIRST SMOG-OUT, BUT DEFINITELY THE WORST & MOST DANGEROUS. WHILE DECENDING FROM THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN IN GATLINBURG IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC WHERE IT TOOK 45-60 MINS TO GO 2 MILES, THE EXHAUST CLEANING WAS BLOWING SUFFOCATING AND BLINDING BLUE SMOKE CONTINUOUSLY. THEN GOING THROUGH TOWN WHERE PEOPLE ARE W…
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1/1/10 ISN'T THE FIRST SMOG-OUT, BUT DEFINITELY THE WORST & MOST DANGEROUS. WHILE DECENDING FROM THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN IN GATLINBURG IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC WHERE IT TOOK 45-60 MINS TO GO 2 MILES, THE EXHAUST CLEANING WAS BLOWING SUFFOCATING AND BLINDING BLUE SMOKE CONTINUOUSLY. THEN GOING THROUGH TOWN WHERE PEOPLE ARE WALKING UP & DOWN BESIDE THE ROAD (STILL IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC) IT WAS STILL SMOGGING THE PEOPLE WALKING AND PEOPLE DRIVING BEHIND ME COULD NOT SEE. IF A MOTORCYCLE OR PERSON ENDED UP BESIDE US WHEN WE HAD TO STOP FOR TRAFFIC LIGHTS, THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN SEVERELY BURNED. IT CONTINUED TO CLEAN DOWN TO PIGEON FORGE FOR A TOTAL OF 1-1/2 TO 2 HOURS. FORD ENGINEER WAS SUPPOSED TO RECALIBRATE TO MAKE SURE IT DIDN'T CLEAN IF UNDER 35 MPH, BUT IT DOES IT ALL THE TIME, SOMETIMES DAY AFTER DAY FOR HOURS. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10434350
64,000 miles · Aug 17, 2011
Engine And Engine Cooling
LEAKING RADIATOR THAT IS A $1,200 REPAIR. *KB
NHTSA ODI #10419802
37,064 miles · Jun 24, 2011
Engine And Engine Cooling
I CAME HOME FROM WORK, SHUT MY VEHICLE OFF, CLIMBED OUT AND NOTICED THAT SOMETHING WAS DRIPPING FROM THE FRONT END. GOT UNDER AND FOUND THAT THE RADIATOR WAS LEAKING AND AT A PRETTY GOOD RATE. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP TO ASK DETAILS ABOUT IT AND AGREED TO DROP IT OFF THE NEXT DAY. I HAD TO REFERENCE THEM TO A TSB 09-23-1 CONCERN…
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I CAME HOME FROM WORK, SHUT MY VEHICLE OFF, CLIMBED OUT AND NOTICED THAT SOMETHING WAS DRIPPING FROM THE FRONT END. GOT UNDER AND FOUND THAT THE RADIATOR WAS LEAKING AND AT A PRETTY GOOD RATE. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP TO ASK DETAILS ABOUT IT AND AGREED TO DROP IT OFF THE NEXT DAY. I HAD TO REFERENCE THEM TO A TSB 09-23-1 CONCERNING THE RADIATOR LEAK DUE TO A HYPER EXTENDED THERMOSTAT. A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER I GET A CALL AND WAS TOLD THAT THE THERMOSTAT "SEEMS" TO BE FINE AND THAT I WOULD HAVE TO BEAR THE COST OF THE RADIATOR REPLACEMENT AT $1400. FORD REPLACED THESE RADIATORS IN JOB 1 TRUCKS IF THEY WERE LEAKING AT THE TIME THE VENTURI TEE WAS BEING INSTALLED IN THE COOLING SYSTEM. I HAD THE RECALL DONE BUT IT WASN'T LEAKING AT THE TIME. I HAVE 37K MILES ON IT. I'VE NEVER OVER HEATED IT, OVER SPED IT AND I TAKE CARE OF MY VEHICLE. THE FORD DEALERSHIP IS TELLING ME THAT IF THEY REPLACED THE PARTS, SENT THEM TO FORD AND FORD FOUND THEY WERE STILL GOOD, I WOULD THEN GET BILLED BACK LATER. AS OF RIGHT NOW, I HAVE NOT HAD THEM CONTINUE WITH THE WORK ON THE TRUCK. THE MAIN REASON IS BECAUSE THAT IS A COSTLY REPAIR AND I FEEL THAT FORD SHOULD COVER THIS KNOWING IT'S A PROBLEM. THERE WAS A RECALL AS I STATED EARLIER, AND AT LEAST 2 TSB'S STATING THAT THEY KNOW IT'S A PROBLEM. IT'S DISAPPOINTING THAT FORD IS STICKING IT TO PEOPLE LIKE ME FOR A DEFECTIVE PART. IT'S CRACKED AND NO ONE CAN TELL ME HOW IT CRACKED. WHEN ASKED, THE SERVICE MANAGER STATED, "THAT'S THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION." WHAT MAKES THIS EVEN WORSE, I'M ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY AND AM PREPARING FOR A DUTY STATION MOVE IN AUGUST. I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE TO TOW MY RV AND FAMILY OF 5, NOT FOR IT TO BREAK AND NO APPARENT REASON FOR IT BESIDES THE DEFECTIVE PART THAT FORD KNOWS ABOUT. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10408738
29,000 miles · Jun 21, 2011
Engine And Engine Cooling
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD F250 SUPER DUTY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD LOSE POWER WHILE DRIVING UP AN INCLINE OR SPORADICALLY AT ANY SPEED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC AND TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE, BUT WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE DEALER REPLACED THE EXHAUST SENSO…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD F250 SUPER DUTY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD LOSE POWER WHILE DRIVING UP AN INCLINE OR SPORADICALLY AT ANY SPEED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC AND TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE, BUT WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE DEALER REPLACED THE EXHAUST SENSOR AND THE INSTRUMENT PANEL CLUSTER BUT THE FAILURE WAS NOT CORRECTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND A CLAIM WAS FILED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 29,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 33,000.
NHTSA ODI #10407754
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