Ford F-250 SD fire or smoke problems

Filed Sep 22, 2026 · NC · fire

Driving for 10 minutes when I started smelling a burnt smell. 30 to 45 seconds later I noticed smoke coming out the vents. A few seconds later (while at a stop sign at this point) I see smokecoming out of the hood. Vehicle would not go into park. After several attempts I finally was able to get the vehicle in park and get it to shut off. Opened the hood, saw a small 1 inch flame behind the motor near the firewall on the driversside and immediately called the fire department or emergency responders. Within 3 mins my vehicle was up in flames for a catastrophic vehicle loss.

Filed Sep 8, 2026 · Fuel system · 144,000 miles · TX · fire

The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-250 SD. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, there was an abnormal diesel odor on the inside of the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to exceed 65 MPH, and there was white to gray smoke coming from under the hood. The contact pulled over with the engine still running and after opening the hood, the contact became aware of diesel fuel squirting out from the secondary fuel filter. The contact stated that the fire consumed the vehicle. The fire was coming from underneath the driver's side hood and driver’s side wheel well. The Fire Department was contacted and extinguished the fire coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot, and it was deemed a total loss by the insurance company. The manufacturer was contacted by phone and was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 144,000.

Filed Jun 17, 2026 · Engine · CA · fire

Truck started loosing power And caught fire at the red light

Filed Jun 10, 2026 · Electrical · GA · fire

Car was parked in the driveway, it had not been driven for over two days and it caught on fire just sitting. It looks as if it is a electrical fire

Filed May 15, 2026 · Fuel system · CA · fire

On 5/8/2026 at 1555 hours, while driving at normal freeway speed under normal driving conditions, vehicle began an exhaust system regeneration cycle. During the course of the region cycle, vehicle began to smoke excessively and realizing this wan not normal, I was able to yield to the right shoulder of the roadway. Almost immediately the vehicle ignited on fire and completely burned to the ground. The fire appeared to have commenced in the engine compartment, driver side near the firewall. The location of which appears to be consistent with reports of fuel filter failures I have read about in the past. The resulting fire ignited nearby brush which burned several hundred feet of brush and resulted in the spillage of diesel fuel and coolant which combined from the resulting melting of the coolant system and fuel tank and lines. This incident put both me and surrounding communities at risk, particularly from the resulting fire and HAZMAT spill. The vehicle was in good running condition prior to this incident. The incident was investigated by the Templeton California Highway Patrol.

Filed Mar 25, 2026 · Electrical · TX · fire

I was driving the truck and suddenly smoke came out from behind the radio. I stopped and checked and saw that the truck was on fire. I immediately tried to turn it off with the few water bottles that I had with me. I had no luck and the entire truck burned up.

Filed Feb 20, 2026 · Engine · 190,000 miles · CA · fire

The contact owned a 2017 Ford F-250. The contact stated while driving 22 MPH and attempting to depress the brake pedal, the brake pedal was firm and difficult to depress. The brake pedal was depressed with both feet and the vehicle started slowing down. There was no warning light illuminated. After coming to a complete stop, the contact saw smoke coming from the grill underneath the windshield wipers and the lower windshield. The contact exited the vehicle and there was fire coming from the engine compartment and entering the cabin of the vehicle. The contact exited the vehicle, ran to the neighbor’s house and grabbed the garden hose and started spraying water on the hood; however, smoke and the fire increased and the fire was too hot for the house to put out the flames. The contact called 9-1-1 for assistance and the Fire Department arrived on the scene and extinguished the Fire. The Police showed up on scene to direct traffic. There was no injuries sustained. A Police Report was filed, but the report number was not provided. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and opened a case and provided the contact with the case number. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.

Filed Feb 19, 2026 · Fuel system · 44,000 miles · CA · fire

The contact owned a 2023 Ford F-250 Super Duty. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the engine seized. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road. The contact exited the vehicle and noticed flames were emitting from under the hood and wheel well. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact did not sustain any injuries. The police and fire department were called to the scene. The fire department extinguished the flames. The contact suspected that the fire started near the fuel pump. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The contact attempted to tow the vehicle out of the towing yard, and the towing company refused to release the vehicle to the contact. The manufacturer was notified of the fire and informed the contact that the vehicle was in their possession and was at an unknown location. The insurance company was notified about the fire. The contact stated that it was unclear if the vehicle was insured. The failure mileage was 44,000.

Filed Feb 18, 2026 · Brakes · CA

I have about 6,000 miles on the vehicle which was purchased new. There were 2 incidents prior to 2/15/26 (the 3rd incident), but it was only this 3rd incident whereby I could identify the problem. The 2 early incidents I only experienced the smell of burning rubber when driving and exiting the vehicle. Which, i couldn't fathom where it was coming from. And, there was probably a month between incidents. This latest 2/15/26 incident, I was driving and started smelling rubber again, but now I happened to have my fuel mileage indicator on and saw my fuel indicator drop from it's normal average of 17mpg to about 6 mpg. I immediately suspected the parking brake had independently engaged but there was no light or any indication of that on my dashboard screen. I pulled over, turned the engine off, got out and smelt strong scent of rubber burning. While standing next to the vehicle (the engine is off mind you) and making a note of this event on my phone, I heard hydraulics start and stop underneath the truck . That made me suspect the parking brakes even more. I got in, started up, and drove. All was back to normal, no more burning rubber or bad mileage. There's a software glitch PROBLEM here and I have to believe I'm not the only one! After this, I'll be reaching out to Ford to see what they're going to do.

Filed Feb 4, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · TX · fire · 1 injury

I have a 2026 F-250 diesel with 6K miles on it that caught fire about 3-5 minutes after using it to jumpstart a UTV. I ensured to cook all cables up correctly, as I've jumpstarted many times, but the first time with this vehicle, utilizing the drivers side battery. Jumping the UTV went just fine as expected, and I disconnected the cables and shut the truck hood with no sparks, smoke, or flames at the time. Within 3-5 minutes, I noticed there were flames coming from inside my truck at the center dashboard area. We attempted to extinguish the fire ourselves, but the fire department was ultimately called. If my son had not gotten out of the truck to get into the UTV with me, he would have been in the back seat when the fire started. The truck was pulled close to my barn when the fire started, which caused damage to the barn. A fire investigator hired by my insurance, and the fire marshal came out to my home to inspect the truck, and both determined it was not my fault the truck caught fire. There were no warning labels indicating the drivers side battery should not be used to jump start vehicles. The fire investigator stopped at a local ford house, and none of the employees were aware the drivers side battery should not be used to jumpstart vehicles either. I found information online that mentions fires occurring in 2025 & 2026 due to cracked fuel return lines, and engine heater block problems. The fire investigator stated if I was able to find that information online, that the manufacturer likely knows there are problems, and chose to sell the vehicles anyways. My truck is currently waiting to be inspected by a Ford Engineer to try and determine the cause. This fire put myself, my son, barn, and animals at risk. If Ford knows about any potential fire hazards, they should have never released the truck for sale. Due to the fire, I had smoke inhalation, and visited my PCP a few days after. I'm still waiting for the fire departments report.