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2001 Ford F-250 problems

The most common problem on the 2001 Ford F-250 is tires, typically around 45,000 miles. It has 1.4 times the complaints of a typical F-250 model year.

Typical year1.4x the typical complaints
Year score
51/100
Owner complaints
220
Recalls
4
Service bulletins
36
Worst area
Tires

The worst 2001 Ford F-250 problems

Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.

Problems by type

Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.

Specific symptoms reported on the 2001 Ford F-250

Tire blowout 34Fire or smoke 18Adaptive cruise 11Seat belt 7Power steering loss 6No deployment 5

Recalls 4

Vehicle speed controlReported August 1, 2006 · 1,200,000 vehicles affected
What is wrong
On certain trucks equipped with speed control, gasoline or natural gas engines, the speed control deactivation switch may overheat.
Risk
Overheating could result in smoke or burn and an underhood fire.
Remedy
Dealers will install a fused wiring harness into the speed control system free of charge. The recall began on august 7, 2006. Owners may contact ford at 1‑866‑436‑7332. (note: also see recalls 05v017 and 05v388)

Recall number 06V286000 · Recall details

Visibility: windshield wiper/washer: motorReported August 8, 2001 · 1,083,000 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Vehicle description: passenger cars, sport utility vehicles, and light and medium duty pickup trucks. A switch located in the plastic cover of the wiper motor gear case could malfunction and overheat, potentially resulting in loss of intermittent wiper function, loss of wiper park function, complete loss of wiper function, or ignition of the plastic cover material. Switch malfunction is most likely to occur when the intermittent setting of the wipers is being used, or when snow or ice obstructs the blades from returning to the "parked" position at the bottom of the windshield. These vehicles were built at the following assembly plants: atlanta plant from 2/11/00 through 7/31/00; chicago plant from 2/14/00 through 8/4/00; kansas city plant from 2/26/00 to 9/4/00; kentucky truck plant from 2/18/00 to 8/31/00; michigan truck plant from 2/23/00 through 8/3/00; norfolk plant from 2/21/00 through 7/27/00; wayne stamping and assembly plant from 2/25/00 through 8/15/00; and wixom plant from 2/15/00 through 8/8/00.
Risk
Loss of visibility while driving increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the date code on the wiper motor. Motors built with the suspect time frame will have the wiper motor gear case cover replaced. Owner notification began august 20, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1‑866‑436‑7332.

Recall number 01V258000 · Recall details

Seat belts: front: buckle assemblyReported July 16, 2001 · 1,400,000 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Vehicle description: passenger and sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks, and minivans. Equipped with seat belts supplied by trw. It is possible that the driver's and/or front passenger's outboard seat belt buckle may not fully latch. Ford crown victoria built at st. Thomas assembly plant from 4/17/00 - 5/29/01 mercury grand marquis built at st. Thomas assembly plant from 4/17/00 - 5/29/01. Lincoln town cars built at wixom assembly plant from 3/27/00 - 5/30/01. Lincoln navigators built at michigan truck plant from 4/11/00 - 5/31/01. Ford windstars built at oakville assembly plant from 3/23/00 - 5/30/01. Ford rangers built at twin cities plant from 3/28/00 - 5/30/01, and also at the edison plant from 3/13/00 - 5/25/01. Ford f-150 truck built at norfolk plant from 4/18/00 - 5/25/00; at ontario plant from 5/10/00 - 5/28/01; at kansas city plant from 9/11/99 - 5/25/01; and at cuautitlan plant from 5/16/00 - 6/9/01. Ford super duty f-250, f-350, f-450, and f-550 trucks built at kentucky plant from 4/17/00 - 5/27/01; and at cuautitlan plant from 5/16/00 - 6/19/01. Ford excursions built at kentucky plant from 4/17/00 - 10/2/00. Ford expeditions built at michigan truck plant from 4/11/00 - 5/31/01.
Risk
In the event of a crash, the restraint system may not provide adequate occupant protection, increasing the risk of personal injury to the seat occupant.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the front outboard seat belt buckles and if the buckle fails the inspection process, it will be replaced. Owner notification began july 25, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1‑866‑436‑7332.

Recall number 01V227001 · Recall details

Air bags: frontalReported March 12, 2001 · 268 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Vehicle description: passenger and sport utility vehicles. The inflator canister in the driver air bag module may have an inadequate weld near the igniter.
Risk
In the event of a vehicle crash, the driver air bag may not deploy as intended, potentially resulting in reduced occupant protection, or a burn injury.
Remedy
Dealers will install a driver air bag module. Owner notification began march 19, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673.

Recall number 01V082000 · Recall details

See all 4 recalls for the 2001 Ford F-250

Defect investigations

Spark plug ejection from cylinder headOpened September 22, 2005, closed January 4, 2006

On september 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or ejected from the engine.as of december 8, 2005, odi is not aware of any allegations where the alleged defect resulted in a loss of vehicle control, a crash, an injury, or a fatality in any of the 10,319,810 subject vehicles.in addition, odi is aware of only two incidents where the vehicle stalled without restart.information contained in the odi consumer complaints and obtained from 72 telephone interviews with complainants showed the following:(1) 99% of the complaints were on my 1997 to 2002 subject vehicles.(2) most the complainants reported hearing a loud pop while driving or upon starting up the vehicle followed by a loud, repetitive clicking or popping sound.(3) many of the complainants reported that the popping sound was accompanied by some loss of vehicle power; however, in 99% of the incidents reported, the vehicle did not stall.in the very few incidents where the vehicle did stall, most vehicles could be restarted.(4) only a small percentage of the complainants cited that they smelled gas or a slight burning smell when the incident occurred.(5) in all but a very few incidents, vehicle damage was limited to the engine.in one incident, the complaint reported that the fuel rail was damaged and replaced after one of the spark plugs ejected from the engine; however, the complainant reported that the damage did not result in any type of fuel leak or fire.in another incident, the only incident where a fire was alleged, the complainant reported that no fluid leak was observed, but that a fire resulted after the spark plug had ejected from the engine and he had restarted the vehicle and driven to another location.none of the complainants reported any damage to the vehicle hood.(6) only two complainants reported that they observed what appeared to be some drops of fuel coming from the cylinder where the spark plug had failed or on the spark plug itself; however, each of these complainants reported that there was no smoke or flames as a result of his incident.as the petitioner noted, and odi?s analysis showed, it is possible for a spark plug to detach from the engine cylinder threads in the subject vehicles.however, odi?s analysis of 474 complaints describing such incidents found only a very few alleged any safety-related consequences.none of these showed any evidence of a serious safety consequence.given the large population and relatively long exposure time of the subject vehicles, the complaint analysis indicates that the risk to motor vehicle safety from the alleged defect is very low.in view of the foregoing, it is unlikely that the federal safety agency would issue an order for the notification and remedy of the alleged defect at the conclusion of the investigation requested in the petition.therefore, in view of the need to allocate and prioritize the federal safety agency?s limited resources to best accomplish the agency?s safety mission, the petition is denied.

DP05005

Engine compartment firesOpened March 22, 2005, closed August 2, 2006

Ea05-005 is closed with ford?s actions in recalls 05v‑017, 05v‑388, and 06v‑286, recalling approximately 6.7 million vehicles equipped with texas instruments speed control deactivation switches (scds).the brake systems in these recalled vehicles generate a vacuum that can potentially cause the scds to fail and, in certain switch installation orientations, catch fire.ford is also including the entire population of 1998 explorers.ford has informed odi that testing to determine the cause of failures in the 1998 explorers will continue after this investigation is closed.odi believes that the vehicles exhibiting the factors causing scds failure described in this report correlate well with the observed failure rates on these vehicles by model and model year.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that a safety-related defect does not exist in the non-recalled vehicles manufactured with scds that are not included in ford?s recalls.odi will continue to monitor the non-recalled population for incidence of engine compartment fires.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.see attached closing report for details.

EA05005

Front seat belt buckle assemblyOpened February 17, 2005, closed July 6, 2005

During the initial recall campaign in 2001, the subject vehicles were inspected by ford dealerships using a test tool that would detect a defective front seat outboard seat belt buckle assembly.approximately one million vehicles passed the inspection test for one or both front buckles.subsequent to the recall service action, odi received 15 consumer reports alleging that a passed inspection buckle subsequently failed to latch or inadvertently unlatched during use.in addition, ford has identified 543 owner and field reports alleging buckle failure subsequent to passing the inspection test.ford tested and examined over 100 warranty-returned buckles and found that 44% of the buckles had no problem or a condition not related to the recall inspection (non-latch related buckle damage or foreign contamination).warranty claims were highest during the 18-month period after the start of the recall (july 2001) and have been declining during the past 24 months.over the past 12 months, ford has received approximately 12 warranty claims per month out of a vehicle population of about one million.complaints counts are also decreasing.during the past seven months, odi has received only two complaints. A safety-related defect has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.

EA05004

Front seat belt buckle assemblyOpened October 22, 2004, closed February 17, 2005

Under recall campaign (01v227), ford recalled approximately 1.3 million vehicles to inspect and if necessary replace the front driver and/or passenger seat belt buckle.approximately 1.1 million owners responded by taking their vehicles to a dealer for inspection of the buckle using a specialized buckle test tool.ford reported that 829,927 vehicles had both buckles pass the tool test and another 167,336 vehicles had one buckle pass.odi and ford received complaints alleging seat belt buckle failure shortly after passing the original recall inspection service.complainants alleged that the buckle failed by either not latching or false-latching (partial engagement of the latch to the latch plate).a false-latched buckle may release with minor movement or impact against the buckle housing including inadvertent release while the vehicle is in motion.odi is upgrading this recall query to an engineering analysis (ea05-004) to further analyze the field performance of those vehicles that ford dealers passed (one or both buckles) using ford's inspection test (997,263 vehicles).

RQ04011

Technical service bulletins for the 2001 Ford F-250 36

Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.

See all 36 bulletins for the 2001 Ford F-250

What 2001 Ford F-250 owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Mar 29, 2025 · Transmission · TX

When im in traffic, starting out driving or merging between intersections my truck decides to either hard shift or not shift at all. Several times ive had to lay on my horn in an attempt to warn oncoming vehicles that i have no power and cannot accelerate and several times it has nearly caused an accident. I purchased the truck used and have yet to take it into the dealership to have them inspect the issue though from what i’ve read thus far is that ford calls this problem “normal operation” and has been less than understanding when people attempt to have this obvious defect resolved. There are no warning lights that come on when this happens. I can have my truck inspected by whomever, whenever need be. I will also be returning to the dealer to use my warranty to help deal with this issue. The date this most recently happened causing a near miss was today, though there has been an occasional but recurring situation almost weekly.

Filed Apr 18, 2022 · Tires · 230,000 miles · GA

The contact owns a 2001 Ford F-250 equipped with Toyo tires, Tire Line: HT Open Country, Tire Size: LT265/75/R16, DOT Number: CXLTCAK4815. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was shaking and felt like the front tires were bouncing. The contact veered to the side of the road, where he noticed that the tires were deformed. The contact continued to drive. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the tread belt was separating. The front tires were replaced; however, the failure reoccurred with the rear tires. The vehicle was taken to an independent tire mechanic where the rear tires were replaced under an unknown recall. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred on the front tires. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not provide any assistance. The tires were not replaced. The tires were replacement equipment. The tire failure mileage was 30,000. The vehicle failure mileage was approximately 230,000.

Filed Jan 24, 2022 · Airbags · LA · crash · 2 injuries

Was T-Boned in the passenger side of the truck which changed my direction of travel resulting in hitting a tree head on. Neither frontal air bags deployed. The frontal impact was hard enough to push the tree 18 to 20 inches into the engine compartment bending the frame where the front bumper was attached. The accident resulted in a fatality. I'm just confused why neither air bag deployed. I have had this truck since it was new so I know it's history. There was not any warnings lights on, No air bag warning lights, No modifications were ever done to the truck. All stock. There was never any indication that the air bags were not operating normal. So Why did they malfunction?

Filed Oct 14, 2020 · Wheels · 100,000 miles · NV

Tailpipe is close enough to spare tire to melt tire. Tire is unusable. Later vehicles have a heat shield in place to prevent this. Ford should have recalled earlier units.

Filed Jul 22, 2020 · Electrical · 120,000 miles · NE

While shopping my f250 tryed to burn down in parking lot 2nd time at a school soccer game and 4 the third time right in front of my house and still after thousands in repairs still same issue ford needs to man up an address this situation..... [xxxx] key never in truck all three times this has occured redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Apr 12, 2020 · Brakes, Engine · 333,350 miles · IN

Spark plugs keep blowing out of the engine, while accelerating, has done five times,, when it does vehicle stalled possibly care cause an accident, almost got hit by a truck trying to turn,

Filed Feb 25, 2020 · Acceleration, Brakes · 240,000 miles · MS

Location master cylinder cruise control deactivation sensor leaking brake fluid non functional brakes and cruise control.

Filed Oct 3, 2019 · Acceleration · CA · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford f-250. While the vehicle was stationary in a parking lot, the contact noticed smoke underneath the hood. The contact exited the vehicle, opened the hood, and noticed flames. The contact was able to extinguish the fire with water and noticed that an unknown plug related to the cruise control was melted. No police or fire reports were filed. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was able to be driven. The contact's VIN was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 05v017000 (vehicle speed control). The vehicle was taken to el cajon ford (located at 1595 e main st, el cajon, ca 92021, (619) 312-4107) where it was diagnosed that the unknown plug related to the cruise control needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Sep 20, 2019 · Electrical, Engine · 144,840 miles · VA · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford f-250. The contact received a recall notice for the federal safety agency campaign number: 05v017000 (vehicle speed control). While the vehicle was parked, smoke spontaneously emerged from under the hood and the vehicle caught fire without warning. The contact extinguished the fire. The vehicle was taken to battlefield ford commercial truck center (8980 mathis ave, manassas, va 20110, (703) 368-3231) who stated that they were waiting on authorization. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A fire report was not filed and there were no injuries. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 144,840.

Filed Apr 26, 2019 · Engine · IL

2001 ford f250. Consumer writes in regards to issues with the motor. *ld the consumer stated the motor would back fire and blow out. The consumer stated there was a recall on the motor, but the manufacturer would not honor the recall. *js the consumer stated the vehicle blew it's last spark plug.

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Questions about the 2001 Ford F-250

Is the 2001 Ford F-250 reliable?

Owners have filed 220 complaints about the 2001 Ford F-250, 1.4 times a typical F-250 model year.

What is the 2001 Ford F-250 year score?

The 2001 Ford F-250 scores 51 out of 100 (below average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Ford F-250: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.

What is the most common problem with the 2001 Ford F-250?

Tires, with 48 complaints, typically around 45,000 miles. Next is engine (34).

How many recalls does the 2001 Ford F-250 have?

4 recalls, covering vehicle speed control, visibility and seat belts.

What year does the Ford F-250 have bad tires?

The Ford F-250 model years with the most tires complaints are 1999 (107 complaints), 2000 (107 complaints) and 2001 (48 complaints).

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