2009 Ford F-350 problems & reliability
28 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2009 Ford F-350, 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.
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2009 Ford F-350 vehicles were involved in 20 fatal crashes with 4 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension → | 18 | 64% |
| Steering → | 14 | 50% |
| Wheels | 5 | 18% |
| Engine | 4 | 14% |
| Service Brakes | 2 | 7% |
| Tires | 2 | 7% |
| Unknown OR Other | 2 | 7% |
| Air Bags | 1 | 4% |
| Electrical System | 1 | 4% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 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 104,000 miles (middle 50% between 52,250 and 158,857 miles), based on 20 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Yes the steering wheels are coming loose on all these trucks. Customers are having to fix their own steering wheels because there are no recalls. I don't believe steering wheels should be coming loose. The only thing they've done to fix it is make it easier to fix on the newer models.”
Steering · filed May 29, 2026
“My truck has the death wobble for the second time. I took it to Red McCombs Ford in San Antonio, Texas and they charged me to fix what is an inherently bad design flaw in the F350 that I own. The wobble stopped and has now reappeared. The death wobble is real. I want it fixed for free or I want Ford to buy my truck…”
Tires · filed Nov 27, 2024
“When I hit a bump at between 55 and up, the Truck develops a death wobble even after having all the steering components, including ball joints, tie, rod ends, stabilizer, bar, shocks, replaced”
Steering · filed Aug 7, 2024
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
7 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2009 Ford F-350.
In monitoring our technical service inquiries and technical service bulletins from Ford, there is the potential for moderate to severe steering wheel oscillation (wobble) to occur. After extensive testing and outside…
PC-01.12.2016 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 12, 2016
Ford: the malfunction indicator lamp (mil) on and diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) p0713 and/or p0710 regarding torqshift transmission. Model 2008-2009 f-53 motorhome chassis, low cab forward, 2008-2010 f-250, f-350…
TSB-13-12-22 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 8, 2014
Roush industries service campaign: see document search button for owner letter. The emission control labels do not meet standards. *rm
ER-2011-001P · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 1, 2011
Ford: some continental tires might have uneven wear, vibration, or the possible tread detachment. 2008-2009 f250/f350. *rm updated 8/3/11. *pe
CSP-11B24 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 14, 2011
Comm-trans lund: some 2009-2011 models may have the air bag inicator flashing with a stored trouble code. This is a software problem. *rm
SIS-21841 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 2011
Ford: if there is an intermittent lack of power, surge, or hesitation while driving the brakes will override acceleration. *rm
AS-21769 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 1, 2011
Ford: vehicles may run rough, hard start after refueling, clicking noise under hood, and have trouble codes stored. *rm
TSB11-1-5 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 1, 2011
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 2009 Ford F-350 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 2009 Ford F-350?
- · 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 104,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.