1999 Ford F-250 problems & reliability
581 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1999 Ford F-250, alongside 5 safety recall campaigns. 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.
30 complaints report injuries (38 injured, 2 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1999 Ford F-250 vehicles were involved in 129 fatal crashes with 65 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Tires | 107 | 18% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 97 | 17% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 66 | 11% |
| Power Train | 61 | 10% |
| Steering | 49 | 8% |
| Air Bags | 40 | 7% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 32 | 6% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 29 | 5% |
| Suspension | 28 | 5% |
| Electrical System | 25 | 4% |
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 99,500 miles (middle 50% between 63,818 and 155,250 miles), based on 108 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“i was involved in a collision on US30 3 miles west of Rainer Oregon. where I struck another Ford truck while cruising at 55 mph. The vehicle I struck pulled in front of me, my vehicle was severely damaged in the front end and the steering wheel and lower dash panel injured me.,”
Air Bags · filed Sep 29, 2023
“The Belt in the tire separated while driving. This caused a "Bubble" to form causing my truck to shake violently and required changing to the spare tire. If this happened on the highway I could have lost control and caused an accident. I took my truck to a tire installer who documented the above finding and noted the…”
Tires · filed Nov 4, 2022
“My fiancé & I were driving down a 35mph road & I told her my steering wheel was a little crooked & I don't remember hitting anything to knock out of alignment. We got to my friends house to move a car trailer for him up his steep driveway. I hooked up to the trailer pulled it out, moved it around to line up to back up…”
Steering · filed Mar 1, 2022
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEAD
Defect Petition DP05005 · opened Sep 22, 2005 · closed Jan 4, 2006
- ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES
Engineering Analysis EA05005 · opened Mar 22, 2005 · closed Aug 2, 2006 · led to recall 08V025000
- PARKING BRAKE FAILURE
Recall Query RQ00010 · opened Mar 13, 2000 · closed Jan 12, 2001 · led to recall 98V101000
- STEERING SHAFT FRACTURE
Preliminary Evaluation PE98061 · opened Nov 18, 1998 · closed Dec 7, 1998
Technical service bulletins
246 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1999 Ford F-250. The 10 most recent:
Safety recall 11S21 - Fuel tank strap fracture - requests for recall service action
TSB160073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 21, 2016
For 1997-2003 F-150, 2004 F-150 Heritage, 1997-1999 F-250 Light Duty, or 2002-2003 Blackwood vehicles Safety Recall 11S21 has been issued for vehicles that are operated in high corrosion areas for an extended period…
16-0073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 21, 2016
Ford/lincoln: safety recall regarding high corrosion areas for operating, for an extended time, vehicles where both or one strap of fuel tank can fracture, after contacting ground. Model 1997-99 f250 ld, 1997-03 f150…
TSB-14-0164 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 9, 2014
Ford/lincoln: safety recall issued due to one or both fuel tank straps fracturing due to being in high corrosion areas for an extended period and dislodging fuel tank. Model 1997-99 f250, 1997-03 f150, 2004 f150…
TSB-14-0147 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 11, 2014
Some 1997-2008 vehicles equipped with a 4.6l 2v, 5.4l 2v, or 6.8l 2v engine--spark plug thread repair procedure--not covered under new vehicle limited warranty. *nj this includes f-53 motorhome chassis. Updated 2/23/10…
07212 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 1, 2007
Intermittent rough idle - non-commanded egr (exhaust gas recirculation valve) flow. *tt
05417 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 7, 2005
Service tips before arc welding on the frame or body of a unit. *tt
18406 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 1, 2005
A cold weather reverse engagement stall. *tt
18376 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2005
General (pcm) power train control module programming procedures. *tt
042107 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 13, 2004
Vehicle lean sag when observed from rear of vehicle. *eh
04236 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 29, 2004
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 1999 Ford F-250 has 5 NHTSA recall campaigns — 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 1999 Ford F-250?
- · 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 99,500 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.