2006 Ford F-250 SD problems & reliability
274 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2006 Ford F-250 SD, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
6 complaints report injuries (8 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 144 | 53% |
| Steering | 102 | 37% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 18 | 7% |
| Tires | 16 | 6% |
| Electrical System | 9 | 3% |
| Wheels | 9 | 3% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 8 | 3% |
| Engine | 7 | 3% |
| Service Brakes | 7 | 3% |
| Visibility | 5 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 40,000 miles (middle 50% between 22,500 and 65,050 miles), based on 239 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Front end vibration while driving around 60mph which turns into a real bad shimmy sometimes. Steering wheel shakes violently. Have received a couple of notices from ford motor co. That tell me they are aware and to just slow down when it happens. This has happened several times since I had the truck since 2011. No…”
Suspension · filed Dec 8, 2017
“Cpsc: the right front tire developed a terrible bounce atspeeds less than 30 mph. I returned the truck to rick's tires and he contacted freeservice tires. *bf the consumer was advised the belts separated on the left. The tire was replaced. The right rear tire exploded while towing a boat. The tired had a large hole…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Jun 26, 2017
“Emergency brakes do not hold. Have had them checked for adjustment several times. Is a major problem with a manual transmission as it has no park pins. Although my insurance covered it, it actually rolled into another building on my property. I have to us a wood block against the wheel to stop it from rolling on all…”
Service Brakes · filed Apr 15, 2017
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- VIOLENT FRONT END OSCILLATION
Engineering Analysis EA08007 · opened Mar 14, 2008 · closed Mar 31, 2009
- VIOLENT FRONT END OSCILLATION
Preliminary Evaluation PE07057 · opened Nov 15, 2007 · closed Mar 14, 2008
Technical service bulletins
105 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2006 Ford F-250 SD. The 10 most recent:
When performing any transmission fluid changes or topoffs involving MERCON SP, MERCON LV has replaced all versions of MERCON SP and can be used going forward. Mixing MERCON LV and MERCON SP in the same transmission is…
SSM 51909 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 7, 2023
Some 2005-2021 F-Super Duty 4x4 vehicles operated in extreme dust, mud or tar sand conditions may exhibit accelerated 4x4 vacuum hub seal and or wheel bearing wear as a result of harsh operating conditions. A knuckle…
SSM 49495 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 27, 2021
These SKUs are Trailer Brake Control Modules. The customer communication requested return of unsold inventory due to an internal software issue. The internal software issue leads to a false check trailer brake message…
DOR-Z2E6B-08 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 8, 2020
Some 2005-2020 F-Super Duty 4x4 vehicles operated in extreme dust, mud or tar sand conditions may exhibit accelerated 4x4 vacuum hub seal and or wheel bearing wear as a result of harsh operating conditions. A knuckle…
SSM 48494 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 29, 2020
This SKU is a Spare Tire Hoist. Test results identified that the pull force parameter was not within specification, as a precautionary measure unsold inventory was requested to be returned for testing and containment…
DOR-U2J7Y-02 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 13, 2020
This SKU is a Spare Tire Hoist. Test results identified that the pull force parameter was not within specification, as a precautionary measure unsold inventory was requested to be returned for testing and containment…
DOR-C2C6H-02 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 13, 2020
Some 2002-2008 F-Super Duty, F-150 and Mark LT vehicles may exhibit concern during or after programing the VSM. The programming may fail or vehicle symptoms such as inoperative door locks, dome lamps, door ajar…
SSM 48157 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 2, 2019
Some 2005-2019 F-Super Duty 4x4 vehicles operated in extreme dust, mud or tar sand conditions may exhibit accelerated 4x4 vacuum hub seal and or wheel bearing wear as a result of harsh operating conditions. A knuckle…
SSM 47979 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 14, 2019
This SKU is a front upper ball joint. The Customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect for ball studs with excessive rotational friction in the ball joint assembly. Excessive friction in the…
DOR-B8H4Z-11 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 2, 2018
Some 2005-2017 f-super duty 4x4 vehicles operated in extreme dust, mud or tar sand conditions may exhibit accelerated 4x4 vacuum hub seal and or wheel bearing wear as a result of harsh operating conditions. A knuckle…
SSM 46345 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 27, 2017
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2006 Ford F-250 SD has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2006 Ford F-250 SD?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 40,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.