2003 Ford F-250 problems & reliability
116 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2003 Ford F-250, alongside 2 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.
4 complaints report injuries (4 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2003 Ford F-250 vehicles were involved in 112 fatal crashes with 42 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 24 | 21% |
| Tires | 20 | 17% |
| Electrical System | 13 | 11% |
| Engine | 13 | 11% |
| Power Train | 12 | 10% |
| Steering | 11 | 9% |
| Service Brakes | 8 | 7% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 8 | 7% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 7 | 6% |
| Suspension | 6 | 5% |
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 78,900 miles (middle 50% between 24,822 and 140,725 miles), based on 76 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The customer purchased a vehicle from Metro Motors on May 8, 2026, after visiting the dealership three times and speaking with multiple sales representatives. During each visit, the customer specifically stated that the vehicle would be used to tow a trailer and repeatedly asked whether it was safe and suitable for…”
Service Brakes · filed Jun 30, 2026
“The contact owned a 2003 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while her husband was driving home, there was black smoke coming from the exhaust, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the residence and turned off. The contact stated that while attempting to restart the vehicle, the…”
Engine · filed May 1, 2025
“Truck had no check engine light then caught on fire going down the road and burned to ground within seconds Incident report 46-24-05039 08_30-74 US-30 - PA 74 30 W”
Service Brakes · filed Oct 6, 2024
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 STALLING
Preliminary Evaluation PE04070 · opened Oct 7, 2004 · closed Feb 15, 2005
Technical service bulletins
44 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2003 Ford F-250. The 10 most recent:
Service tips before arc welding on the frame or body of a unit. *tt
18406 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 1, 2005
Lack of power, surge, and/or diagnostic trouble codes p2263 or p0299. *tt
18397 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 1, 2005
A cold weather reverse engagement stall. *tt
18376 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2005
Warning indicators-parking aid-reverse sensing system (rss) and forward sensing system (fss)-false activation of warning tone-service tips. *mj update. *tt
0471 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 31, 2004
General (pcm) power train control module programming procedures. *tt
042107 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 13, 2004
Memontary return to idle during aggressive acceleration - diagnostic trouble code (dtc) p0123. *tt
042411 · 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
General power train control module (pcm) programming procedures. *tt
04217 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 2004
Vacuum pump inoperative or runs continuously - climate control defaults to defrost. Oasis. To also include 2005 super duty f-series, excursion, and f650/750. *tt
18223 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 1, 2004
Multiple vehicles - fuel level indication concerns - service tip. Various models including 2005 super duty f-series, excursion, expedition, explorer, mountaineer and aviator. *tt
18217 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 1, 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 2003 Ford F-250 has 2 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 2003 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 78,900 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.