I have had multiple incidents of my truck shutting off completely while driving. The latest incident resulted in a "catastrophic engine failure". In the latest incident occurring in April 2025, I was driving on [XXX] . [XXX] is a two-lane highway with no divider, navigating through mountainous terrain. I was driving up a hilly area when my truck shut off, and I lost all power steering. There is no shoulder on this part of the freeway, with an approximate 40-foot embankment. I was able to navigate the vehicle to the side of the road and position it just before the beginning of a guard rail beginning allowing me some grace. Due to no shoulder space, I was effectively parked on the white containment line of the road. I had my [XXX] daughter and wife in the car. I had to wait for a break in traffic to be able to open the driver's door due to the proximity to the active highway. I was safely get the truck towed to the nearest FORD dealership, where it was determined the engine was in "catastrophic failure" due to oil engine overfill. I informed FORD that my last oil change was with the FORD dealership and within the recommended time frame. I was informed by a technician that there is an ongoing issue with this engine make (6.4-liter, diesel). The technician stated that FORD is aware of the issue. The technician stated that fuel gets mixed with the oil and causes an "engine oil overfill". None of these issues stems from negligence but rather an unakknowledged issue by FORD. There was a check engine light that appeared at the time of failure. The check engine light had come on, at which point I contacted a mechanic to schedule an appointment. When I arrived for my appointment, the check engine light had disappeared, and I was told that no codes would alert if the actual check engine light was not on during the inspection. That same scenario occurred on approximately 3 occasions. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Ford F-350 loss of power problems
110 of the 2,894 owner complaints about the Ford F-350 describe sudden loss of power, most of them for the 2004 model year.
- owner complaints
- 110
- worst model year
- 2004
- typical repair cost reported
- $7,000
- typical mileage
- 69,750
By model year
Often reported together
Power steering loss 28Stalling 20Engine failure 7Check engine light 7Fuel pump 6Fire or smoke 5Won't start 2Brake failure 2
Trouble codes mentioned
P2A00 1P2291 1P20BA 1P0087 1
What owners say
The contact owns a 2012 Ford F-350. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the message "Loss of Engine Power" was displayed before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and DTC: P0087, P2291, and P2A00 were retrieved. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 128,843.
My 2013 F-350 Super Duty 6.7 Diesel truck has a problem with the DEF system and power loss. I had a check engine light come on, and an AutoZone scan shows a P20BA Power Train System and a few other codes were noted (see attached documents). I took it to my selling dealer, and they confirmed the Reductant Heater needs to be replaced. I found out there is a recall for this defective part on just about every Ford F-Series 6.7 Diesel "except" my specific year and model. The recall on all of the other F-Series trucks have the same defective part as my truck has. Why is Ford getting away with this. If the part installed in my truck is the same defective part that is being replaced on all of the other trucks, why is my truck not included in the recall, it is the same defective part. It is costing me over $1,700.00 to replace a known to Ford and NTSB, a defective part. I would think Ford should be ordered to include my truck in the recall or replace at cost of parts only and not the full-blown excessive charge I am having to pay. PLEASE HELP
CP4 high pressure fuel pump catastrophic failure. My fuel pump grenades and I lost all power on a busy road. I was able to use momentum after the loss of power to safely exit the roadway. I had no warning lamps prior to failure my vehicle will not start now and is currently at a shop being investigated.
While driving at 40-50 MPH the vehicle will lose power and then then stalls while moving leading to loss of power. The loss power of affects the power steering posing a direct threat for an auto collision due to the difficult in steering the moving vehicle into an emergency lane. Avoided several accidents with this truck. Once it is stalled it can take numerous times to restart the vehicle. This issue seems to occur more on slopes going up hill. This does not seem to occur as often going downhill or on areas with no incline. Currently vehicle has 126,931.8 miles on it. Regularly serviced and otherwise running fine.
We have been maintaining our vehicle and had no warning lights at the time our truck died . At the time of the incident it had oil and water. We were driving on the florida turnpike at full speed when suddenly, the truck started shuddering, and then it completely lost power. A cloud of blue-white smoke came out of the back of our truck. We were lucky to be able to get off of the turnpike to a safe place. We could have been killed. The mechanic has determined that the engine is locked up and can't be fixed. Our truck only has 134,000 miles - it should not have blown up like this.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford f-350. While driving 75-80 MPH, the vehicle lost power and stalled without warning. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to autonation ford brooksville (7200 south broad street, brooksville, fl 34601, (866) 483-4606), nick nicholas ford inc (2901 fl-44, inverness, fl 34453,(352) 726-1231), and crystal ford (2440 nw, us-19, crystal river, fl 34428, (352) 795-7371); however, they were unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and provided case number: 24710433w3g5b1. The contact was referred to a local dealer. The failure mileage was 96,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford f-350. While driving at unknown speeds, the vehicle went into power mode and lost power. In addition, the check engine indicator illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer (walts live oak ford, 1109 ohio ave n, live oak, fl 32064, (386) 362-1112) where it was diagnosed that the exhaust sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was called, but failed to respond. The failure mileage was 150,000.
While towing our fifth-wheel trailer with our ford f350 drw truck, the diesel particulate filter (dpf) caught fire. While towing our fifth-wheel, we turned from the highway onto a city street in mesa, az. We heard a loud "pop" and thought we blew a tire. After pulling over and checking that all tires were fine, we continued on. We noticed reduced power to the truck and the turbo boost was zero. We pulled over again to look for signs of a problem. We looked under the hood and did not see any obvious hoses blown or issues. The truck was still running, so we continued on slowly as we were almost home. Near ellsworth/thomas road in mesa, I got a notice, "reduced engine power," as my 14yo son yelled, "there's smoke coming out of the truck." we pulled over again and my wife and son saw flames shooting out of the tailpipe and the exhaust system was glowing red hot. The dpf was blowing flams out towards the ground. We emptied a fire extinguisher with no effect. Our trailer has a water hose so we sprayed water on it for about 10 min to cool it down and stop it from reigniting. We did not call police as my wife and I share nearly 40 years of law enforcement experience. We extinguished the fire and called for a tow. After $10,000 in repairs, we have received no response from ford. We have not filed an insurance claim yet and are working to contact ford again. Ford knows there is a problem with the def/dpf systems. Drivers have no instrumentation to see the temp readings on the four temp gauges along the exhaust system. How are there no error codes or notices when a vehicle is on fire??? My and my wife's experience handling emergencies prevented a total loss of our vehicle and potential death of our family. Pics attached. Pics of red hot exhaust are not our vehicle, but a vehicle that had the same issue. This is what ours looked like.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford f-350. While driving 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled and lost power. The service advisory indicator illuminated. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle; however, the engine failed to crank and the check engine indicator illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 112,102.
Related recalls
Engine
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 F-350/450/550 Ambulance Package vehicles manufactured February 22, 2010, through October 19, 2012 and equipped with a 6.7L diesel engine. Due to an exhaust sensor problem, the vehicles may experience loss of power followed by an engine stall.
- Risk
- An unexpected engine stall increases the risk of a crash. Additionally, if this were to occur when the ambulance is transporting a patient, there is an increased risk of injury to the patient.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the exhaust gas temperature sensor, free of charge. The recall began on November 25, 2013. Owners may contact Ford Motor Company Customer Relationship Center at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's recall campaign number is 13S10.
Recall number 13V535000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling: exhaust system: manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
- What is wrong
- Manning Equipment Inc. LLC (Manning) is recalling certain model year 2012 Ford F-350, F-450 and F-550 gasoline engined dual rear wheel chassis vehicles manufactured October 2011 through June 2012. The tailpipe on the exhaust system does not extend out beyond the edge of the body, allowing heat to build up in rear curbside storage compartment.
- Risk
- Excessive heat build up in rear compartment could result in fire.
- Remedy
- Manning Equipment has notified owners, and dealers will install tailpipe extensions free of charge. The recall has already begun. Owners may contact Manning Equipment at 1‑502‑426‑5210.
Recall number 13V380000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling: engine: gasoline
- What is wrong
- The sound insulation on the engine side of the dash panel can contact the exhaust manifold.
- Risk
- Contact between the insulation and the hot exhaustmanifold may result in a engine compartment fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will modify the sound insulator at no cost to owners.
Recall number 92V112000 · Recall details
Questions about the Ford F-350 loss of power
Which Ford F-350 years have sudden loss of power problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2004 (19 complaints), 2011 (12 complaints) and 2005 (10 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix sudden loss of power on the Ford F-350?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $7,000 (median of 10 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used Ford F-350?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history