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2008 Ford F-250 Sd

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2008 Ford F-250 Sd do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 89.

Counts are not adjusted for sales, age, mileage exposure or reporting. A lower count does not establish that a car is problem-free.

About this comparison →
141Owner complaints

Model-year median: 89

0Recall campaigns

View recall details →

1Investigations

View investigation details →

Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗ Model-level counts do not show whether a particular VIN is affected or repaired.

Inspection summary

2008 Ford F-250 Sd

NHTSA snapshot: September 18, 2026. 141 owner complaints · 0 recall campaigns · 1 investigations.

Counts are not failure probabilities and are not adjusted for sales, age, mileage exposure or reporting. One report may name several categories. Comparison method and limitations.

Top reported categories (up to 5)

  • Steering: 39 reports
  • Engine And Engine Cooling: 33 reports
  • Tires: 12 reports
  • Service Brakes, Hydraulic: 10 reports
  • Electrical System: 9 reports

Full reported-category list and vehicle report

Recall links

    No recall campaigns in this snapshot.

    Check a VIN with NHTSA. Model-level history does not establish whether a particular VIN is affected or repaired.

    Print the top reported categories, recall links, snapshot date and comparison limits.

    How this year compares

    Owner complaints by model year

    Other model years Selected year
    295
    2005    274
    2006    54
    2007    141
    2008    23
    2009    32
    2010    122
    2011
    Compare all F-250 Sd years →

    Counts vary with age, sales, mileage exposure and reporting. They are not failure rates.

    What owners reported most

    Steering
    39    Engine And Engine Cooling
    33    Tires
    12    Service Brakes, Hydraulic
    10    Electrical System
    9
    All reported categories
    Engine
    9    Service Brakes
    8    Power Train
    7    Structure
    7    Unknown Or Other
    6    Vehicle Speed Control
    6    Suspension
    5    Fuel System, Diesel
    4    Fuel/propulsion System
    3    Seat Belts
    3    Wheels
    3    Air Bags
    2    Equipment
    1    Fuel System, Gasoline
    1    Fuel System, Other
    1    Traction Control System
    1    Trailer Hitches
    1    Visibility
    1

    Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

    When problems were reported

    Mileage at the reported incident

    127 reports with mileage · 14 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 39 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
    • Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 33 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
    • Tires. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

    NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

    6 crash reports3 fire reports2 injury reports

    Fuel/propulsion System complaints

    3 reports
    Clear category filter
    37,060 miles · Jan 27, 2016
    EngineFuel/propulsion SystemVehicle Speed Control

    I WAS BACKING UP IN THE PARKING AREA OF MY HOUSE IN MY 2008 F250 (DIESEL), AND APPLIED THE BRAKES TO STOP AND CHANGE DIRECTION. AS I STARTED BRAKING, THE ENGINE STARTED ACCELERATING, EVEN THOUGH I WAS APPLYING THE BRAKES. THE VEHICLE KEPT MOVING BACKWARD, AND I HAD TO STAND ON THE BRAKES AND SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL TO GET IT TO STOP…

    Read full complaint

    I WAS BACKING UP IN THE PARKING AREA OF MY HOUSE IN MY 2008 F250 (DIESEL), AND APPLIED THE BRAKES TO STOP AND CHANGE DIRECTION. AS I STARTED BRAKING, THE ENGINE STARTED ACCELERATING, EVEN THOUGH I WAS APPLYING THE BRAKES. THE VEHICLE KEPT MOVING BACKWARD, AND I HAD TO STAND ON THE BRAKES AND SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL TO GET IT TO STOP MOVING BACKWARD. AFTER A FEW SECONDS THE PROBLEM STOPPED. I THEN CONTINUED ON MY WAY. THE VEHICLE HAD 37,060 MILES.

    NHTSA ODI #10822686

    80,121 miles · Apr 8, 2015
    Electrical SystemEngineFuel/propulsion System

    WE PURCHASED THIS 2008 FORD F-250 SUPER DUTY NEW AT THE FORD STORE IN SAN LEANDRO, CA ON JULY 21, 2007 AND CONTINUE TO BE THE ORIGINAL OWNERS. THIS VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH A 6.4 TURBO-DIESEL ENGINE. THIS VEHICLE IS SUBJECT TO TSB 07-26-2 (WIRING HARNESS DEFECT ON HPFP) ISSUED AUGUST 2007. ON THE MORNING OF MARCH 27, 2015, W…

    Read full complaint

    WE PURCHASED THIS 2008 FORD F-250 SUPER DUTY NEW AT THE FORD STORE IN SAN LEANDRO, CA ON JULY 21, 2007 AND CONTINUE TO BE THE ORIGINAL OWNERS. THIS VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH A 6.4 TURBO-DIESEL ENGINE. THIS VEHICLE IS SUBJECT TO TSB 07-26-2 (WIRING HARNESS DEFECT ON HPFP) ISSUED AUGUST 2007. ON THE MORNING OF MARCH 27, 2015, WHILE ACCELERATING ONTO A FREEWAY AND AT AN APPROXIMATE SPEED OF 50 MPH, THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN WITHOUT ANY WARNING. I LOST ALL ACCELERATION AND THE ENGINE DIED. BRAKING AND STEERING WERE ALSO DIMINISHED. I GOT LUCKY AND WAS ABLE TO AVOID A COLLISION AND COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP (BUD ADAMS - CASTRO VALLEY, CA; BAR#:228593 CAL#:66801). DIAGNOSIS REVEALED A SHORT IN THE WIRING OF THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP GASKET WIRING HARNESS (THE SUBJECT OF TSB 07-26-2 WHEREIN FORD RECOGNIZED ON OR ABOUT AUGUST OF 2007 A PROBLEM WITH UNPROTECTED WIRING WITHIN THE HPFP WIRING HARNESS). REPAIRS WERE EXTREMELY COSTLY ($3,791.89 REDUCED TO $2,591.89) BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY THIS INSTANTANEOUS FAILURE WITHOUT WARNING IS GOING TO CAUSE AN ACCIDENT, INJURY OR DEATH; IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME. I GOT LUCKY. I SEE OTHER COMPLAINANTS WHO HAD HOURS STUCK IN THE DESERT, SOMEONE WITH A LOAD OF CATTLE STUCK WITHOUT WARNING, THE LIST GOES ON. IN EACH REPORTED INSTANCE THE OPERATOR DESCRIBED AN IMMEDIATE LOSS OF POWER PLANT WITH NO WARNING. I URGE THE NTSB TO INVESTIGATE THESE UNPLANNED SHUT DOWNS OF THIS VEHICLE'S POWER PLANT. UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES THIS MAY LEAD TO LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, COLLISION, INJURY AND POSSIBLY DEATH. FORD HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS ISSUE SINCE AUGUST OF 2007 YET HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL. SOME MAY SAY THIS IS DUE TO THE LARGE COSTS INVOLVED TO REMOVE AND REPLACE THE HPFP GASKET AND WIRING HARNESS (IN PART INVOLVING THE REMOVAL OF THE VEHICLE'S CAB). *TR

    NHTSA ODI #10704582

    44,000 miles · Feb 13, 2013
    Fuel System, DieselFuel/propulsion SystemSteering

    THE STEERING WHEEL STARTED TO GET SOME PLAY WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE. THE STEERING EVENTUALLY WENT COMPLETELY OUT. THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD SPIN FREELY WITHOUT THE WHEELS MOVING WHATSOEVER. *TR

    NHTSA ODI #10497982

    Recall campaigns

    0

    No 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 ↗

    Defect investigations

    1

    PE13014 · 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

    An investigation is not a finding of a defect, and closure does not prove a vehicle is problem-free.