2018 Ford F-350 SD problems & reliability
198 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Ford F-350 SD, alongside 9 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 (5 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Steering | 101 | 51% |
| Suspension | 77 | 39% |
| Wheels | 25 | 13% |
| Structure | 24 | 12% |
| Unknown OR Other | 20 | 10% |
| Electrical System | 12 | 6% |
| Back Over Prevention | 10 | 5% |
| Engine | 7 | 4% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 4 | 2% |
| Fuel System, Diesel | 4 | 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 25,000 miles (middle 50% between 14,577 and 39,735 miles), based on 139 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“My wife reported a strong smell fuel in the passenger compartment of my 2018 F350 6.7L Diesel vehicle while returning home from work. Upon inspection under the hood when power was turned on I discovered a strong stream of fuel from the filter cap.”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Mar 14, 2026
“My truck's tailgate has started opening on its own while driving, again. Previous recalls on this issue were performed when parts were available. This is a safety hazard to anyone behind me if anything falls out of the truck bed while driving. Today, 2/3/2026, it opened again. A bucket fell out of the truck bed…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Feb 3, 2026
“Steering Effort Control Module failed. This is a known concern with these vehicles. Many Super Duty's have this happen. It is a very expensive repair. The steering effort changes, the vehicle becomes out of alignment and other things like cruise control, wipers, etc may fail as part of this issue.”
Steering · filed Jan 14, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Sogefi Secondary Diesel Fuel Filter Leak
Preliminary Evaluation PE24014 · opened May 9, 2024 · open
- Power Tailgate Release Systems
Recall Query RQ21001 · opened Jan 15, 2021 · closed Jan 10, 2024
- Power tailgate opens unintended
Preliminary Evaluation PE18011 · opened Oct 12, 2018 · closed Dec 12, 2019 · led to recall 19V864000
Technical service bulletins
253 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2018 Ford F-350 SD. The 10 most recent:
Harvest Program 25H05 – Supplement #1 Certain 2011-2021 Model Year Vehicles Software Verification Harvest Program
25H05 S1 · Other · issued Apr 29, 2026
Customer Satisfaction Program 25N15 - Supplement #1 Certain 2015-2019 Model Year Multiple Vehicle Lines Rear View Camera Inspection For One-Time Replacement
25N15 S1 · Other · issued Apr 20, 2026
Advance Notice – Customer Satisfaction Program 25N17 Certain 2015-2025 Model Year Multiple Vehicle Lines Rear View Camera Replacement If Required After Dealer Evaluation
25N17 · Other · issued Mar 25, 2026
Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with wired keyless entry keypad systems and accessory wireless keyless entry keypad systems may or may not come with a wallet card containing the master code. Unlike the integrated…
SSM 54601 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 24, 2026
Certain 2015-2019 Model Year Multiple Vehicle Lines Rear View Camera Inspection For One-Time Replacemen
25N15 · Other · issued Jan 5, 2026
Certain 2015-2019 Model Year Multiple Vehicle Lines Rear View Camera Inspection For One-Time Replacement
25N15 · Other · issued Dec 22, 2025
Some 2017-2026 F-Super Duty vehicles may exhibit a pull/drift condition during braking. This may be due to the brake pads needing to be broken in. Repeated, heavy brake applications may assist to resolve the pull/drift…
SSM 54448 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 16, 2025
Special Field Action 25L02 Certain 2017-2024 Model Year California Emissions-Certified Vehicles Transmission Control Assembly Reimbursement
25L02 · Other · issued Dec 2, 2025
This article supersedes TSB 24-2165 to update the TSB Service Procedure. Some vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit various SYNC performance related concerns including but not limited to: Display…
TSB 25-2570 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 26, 2025
This is a proactive investigation program by Ford Motor Company to inspect a limited number of affected vehicles that are customer-owned. Ford is voluntarily conducting this program to evaluate the software currently…
25H05 · Other · issued Nov 19, 2025
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 2018 Ford F-350 SD has 9 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 2018 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 25,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.