2002 Ford F-350 SD problems & reliability
124 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2002 Ford F-350 SD, alongside 3 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.
5 complaints report injuries (6 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 41 | 33% |
| Tires | 27 | 22% |
| Electrical System | 16 | 13% |
| Fuel System, Diesel | 10 | 8% |
| Power Train | 7 | 6% |
| Steering | 7 | 6% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 5 | 4% |
| Unknown OR Other | 5 | 4% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 5 | 4% |
| Suspension | 4 | 3% |
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 64,500 miles (middle 50% between 40,110 and 110,935 miles), based on 106 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Improper protection of the oil pan to elements causes metal pan to rot prematurely gear box for steeering not designed properly for the weight class of truck constantly breaking causing sloppy steering and loss of control 2 leaf springs on front end are only rated to a weight of 1950lbs for a 1 ton truck that weighs…”
Suspension · filed Dec 6, 2018
“Vsm has failed this controls the door ajar and power locks. Power locks fail to function or are hyper active (locking and unlocking by themselves). Door ajar light flashing and emitting a sound indication a vehicle's door is not secure while driving after vehicle has warmed up.”
Electrical System · filed May 11, 2017
“Periodically, when setting the cruise control at different speeds, it won't immediately engage, which means that there is a loss of speed of around 5 mph. Then it will engage, kick down a gear, and accelerate super quick. Scary if you are not prepared.”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed Mar 29, 2017
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- ENGINE STALLING
Engineering Analysis EA06012 · opened Jun 22, 2006 · closed Dec 7, 2007 · led to recall 07V553000
- 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
- ACCELERATOR PEDAL SENSOR (ETC)
Engineering Analysis EA04006 · opened Feb 23, 2004 · closed Feb 10, 2005
Technical service bulletins
42 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2002 Ford F-350 SD. The 10 most recent:
NEW VEHICLE DEMONSTRATION / DELIVERY HOLD Emissions Recall 25E09 Certain 2022 Model Year F-250 - F-600 Vehicles with 6.7L Engines Powertrain Control Module Programming and Particulate Matter Sensor Installation
25E09 · Emissions · issued Jun 24, 2026
Certain 2011-2022 Model Year Super Duty Vehicles Equipped with 6.7L Engine - Emission Control Information Label Update for Qualified Vehicles
24L05 · Other · issued Sep 24, 2025
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
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
Ford: the restraint control module (rcm) when using vcm ii, would have an error code 35 and diagnostic trouble code (dtc) b1035, and difficulty attempting programmable module installation (pmi). Model 2001-2004 f-super…
ASI-44408 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 1, 2014
Ford trucks service campaign: see document search button for owner letter. Vehicles have experienced severe steering wheel and front wheel vibrations and oscillations after traveling over a bump or dip in the road…
LP-09L02 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 1, 2013
1999-2008 7.3l/6.0l/6.4l/4.5l diesel f-super duty - clean the charge air cooler (cac) system after certain turbo or engine failures - service tip. *nj
20228 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 2008
Water in the fuel tank behind rear axle - 6.0l, 6.4l and 7.3l diesel engine. *kb updated 2/29/08. *nj
07312 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 1, 2007
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 2002 Ford F-350 SD has 3 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 2002 Ford F-350 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 64,500 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.