"How reliable is the 2003 Ford F-250?"

"Based on 148 NHTSA complaints, the 2003 Ford F-250 has a median complaint mileage of 90000 miles. The most common issue is Tires."

"What are common problems with the 2003 Ford F-250?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2003 Ford F-250 is Tires, accounting for a significant portion of the 148 total complaints filed."

2003 Ford F-250: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 148 complaints

148

Total Complaints

90,000mi

Median Mileage

Tires

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

24,289 25th Percentile

90,000 Median Mileage

144,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Tires

Engine

Electrical System

Engine And Engine Cooling

Service Brakes

Steering

Tread/Belt

Suspension

Automatic Transmission

Engine

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"CONSUMER CALLED COMPLAINING ABOUT HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKES ALSO STATES THAT WHEN HE STEPS INTO THE BRAKE PEDAL THE VEHICLE TURNS VIOLENTLY TO THE LEFT. DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND NO DIAGNOSIS WAS NOT DONE. TS"

"WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY THE STEERING COLUMN HAS A LOT OF PLAY INSIDE OF THE STEERING WHEEL. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION DEALER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. TS"

"CONSUMER STATES WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE WITH NO WARNING THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF. DEALER NOTIFIED. TS"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Tires 14 complaints

25th: 108,831 mi Median: 143,450 mi 75th: 147,500 mi

Engine 13 complaints

25th: 93,250 mi Median: 112,687 mi 75th: 184,626 mi

Electrical System 11 complaints

25th: 98,000 mi Median: 130,000 mi 75th: 146,000 mi

Engine And Engine Cooling 10 complaints

25th: 8,257 mi Median: 17,300 mi 75th: 22,966 mi

Service Brakes 7 complaints

25th: 146,965 mi Median: 157,500 mi 75th: 167,500 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 20 PA: 12 NC: 9 MD: 8 NY: 8 TX: 8 MI: 7 OK: 6 WA: 6 IN: 6

Who Files Complaints?

29.7%

Original Owners

70.3%

Second+ Owners

Ford F-250 — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1991	145	94,177	Switch	5
1992	149	91,000	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	6
1993	183	152,500	Tank Assembly	6
1994	156	114,581	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	7
1995	238	115,000	Front	12
1996	212	125,000	Tires	11
1997	348	114,000	Tires	21
1998	76	114,500	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	2
1999	702	94,000	Tires	61
2000	417	75,768	Tires	39
2001	269	67,000	Tires	20
2002	189	89,000	Engine	15
2004	201	55,079	Engine And Engine Cooling	12
2005	207	65,000	Steering	4
2006	332	61,200	Steering	14
2007	84	42,000	Steering	3
2008	255	75,000	Steering	12
2009	92	69,000	Steering	0
2010	109	80,400	Steering	2
2011	384	70,000	Suspension	8
2012	418	78,000	Suspension	5
2013	153	78,000	Suspension	2
2014	235	83,154	Suspension	3
2015	425	70,300	Steering	7
2016	424	62,000	Steering	9
2017	1713	30,000	Steering	18
2018	615	28,252	Steering	10
2019	1912	20,000	Steering	25
2020	336	41,900	Power Train	4
2021	200	43,000	Fuel System, Diesel	5
2022	136	40,000	Power Train	4

Active Recalls (7)

Federal safety recalls issued for this vehicle.

Tail Lights

Campaign 11V352000 | 13/07/2011

NON-FUNCTIONING LIGHTS COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE SWITCHES FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 15, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD MOTOR COMPANY CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP CENTER AT 1-866-436-7332.

Headlights

Campaign 09E025000 | 11/05/2009

DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.

Exterior Lighting

Campaign 09E012000 | 07/04/2009

DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.

Electrical

Campaign 07E066000 | 28/08/2007

IF THE TRAILER LIGHTS ARE NOT WORKING PROPERLY, A VEHICLE CRASH CAN OCCUR.

ALL OF THE DEFECTIVE TOW PACKAGES ARE STILL AT THE DISTRIBUTOR LEVEL AND HAVE NOT BEEN SOLD TO ANY CONSUMERS.

Exterior Lighting

Campaign 06E049000 | 24/05/2006

WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

CK MOTORSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE NONCOMPLIANT LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 1, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CK MOTORSPORT AT 1-909-610-7211.

Headlights

Campaign 06E052000 | 12/06/2006

DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

SABRY LEE WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER FULL CREDIT FOR ANY NONCOMPLIANT HEADLAMP. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON JUNE 14, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABRY LEE ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE AT 1-866-467-2279.

12V/24V/48V Battery

Campaign 04V327000 | 07/07/2004

IF THE GROUND WIRE IS LOOSE, ELECTRICAL CURRENT MAY FLOW TO THE RADIO SUPPRESSION STRAP CAUSING IT TO HEAT AND POTENTIALLY MELT OR IGNITE ADJACENT COMPONENTS WHICH COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ENGINE GROUND STUD AND THE RADIO SUPPRESSION STRAP AND ADJACENT COMPONENTS WILL BE INSPECTED FOR DAMAGE AND REPLACED, IF NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 23, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.

Extend Your Tire Life

Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.

Check tire pressure monthly — underinflation is the #1 tire killer
Rotate tires every 5,000-7,500 miles
Get an alignment check annually
Inspect for uneven wear patterns which indicate alignment or suspension issues
Replace tires when tread reaches 4/32 inch — don't wait for 2/32

Vehicle Rankings

Most complained Worst transmissions Worst engines Worst brakes Most crashes Compare vehicles

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Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28