The secondary fuel filter. There was a loud boom and the engine compartment caught on fire. Within 10 minutes the whole truck was engulfed in flames. The truck is completely burnt. The insurance company has inspected the vehicle. No warning lights on the console lit up, no prior symptoms or failure. All happened very suddenly.
Ford F-550 SD fire or smoke problems
22 of the 466 owner complaints about the Ford F-550 SD describe fire, smoke or burning smell, most of them for the 2000 model year.
- owner complaints
- 22
- worst model year
- 2000
- typical mileage
- 36,012
Is there a fix? There are 9 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
- 20221
- 20212
- 20192
- 20151
- 20143
- 20071
- 20042
- 20031
- 20022
- 20012
- 20003
- 19992
Often reported together
Check engine light 2Stalling 1Overheating 1Loss of power 1Harsh shifting 1Fuel pump 1Brake failure 1Adaptive cruise 1
What owners say
Operator was driving a 2021 Ford F550 equipped with an Altec AT48M aerial upfit. As he was driving the operator noted that the check engine light came on and almost immediately followed by the message center displayed "Low Fuel Pressure" warning. As he was preparing to stop, he could see smoke coming out from under the hood of the truck. As he exited the cab, he could see smoke and flames coming out of the truck.
The contact owned a 2022 Ford F-550. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle started smoking and flames came from the left side of the engine. The vehicle inadvertently veered to the right of the road. In addition, the contact noticed smoke and flames were coming from the front passenger’s side and the rear of the vehicle. As a result, of the fire the contact sustained smoke inhalation that required medical attention. The Fire Department extinguished the fire. The contact was unaware of a Police report being filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000.
The operator was driving on the highway when the instrument cluster illuminated with a variety of warnings. The vehicle was pulled to the side of the highway and the operator exited to see the engine compartment was on fire. The vehicle was towed back to the yard and an initial inspection was completed. It was found that the fire was primarily located on the driver side engine compartment, similar to previous fires that we have experienced in our fleet this year.
I was waiting at a red light and my truck started smoking and caught fire
While driving down the road at approximately 45 mph, under normal conditions, with no warning indicators the low fuel pressure light came on. When the driver stopped the vehicle he lost all power and observed smoke emanating from the underside and hood of the vehicle. Prior to him exiting the vehicle he observed flames shooting out from under the console towards his feet. Upon exiting the vehicle I saw flames under the hood of the vehicle and utilized his supplied fire extinguisher to attempt to put the fire out. This was futile and to our benefit he had a pressure washer and 119 gallons of water that he was able to put into action to subdue the fire. Noting that the drivers side front fender melted off and a hole melted in the drivers side hood from the fire. The entire engine compartment was burned as well as melted components and plastic in the passenger compartment of the vehicle from the fire.
Tl* the contact owned a 2007 ford f-550. The contact stated that while the transmission was in the park position and with the engine idling suddenly flames were present coming from under the hood of the vehicle. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. During the incident the vehicle was destroyed. A report was taken by the sheriff's deputy. The owner, a fire department director, determined that the fire was caused by a faulty engine turbo charger. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The failure mileage was 6,000. The consumer stated 2007 brush truck is going back to weis fire saftey in kansas for a rebuild. The consumer stated the insurance company deemed the turbo charger as the cause of the fire.
2015 ford f550 v10 gas motor, the engine block heater shorted out and caught fire. Luckily only the license plate and an extension cord were damaged as well as the block heater itself. Contacted the truck dealer and ford fleet, and no one cares. Vehicle was parked. I just happened to walk past and heard the crackling noise. Super hot, very lucky to just be there at that moment.
Tl* the contact owned a 2014 ford f-550 crane vehicle. While the vehicle was parked and unoccupied, it caught fire overnight under the hood. The fire department arrived and extinguished the fire. The fire department provided bfi job number: 304652019, which indicated that the fire originated in the engine compartment. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer and dealer were not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 26,242. The VIN was invalid.
Tl* the contact owns a 2014 ford f-550. While the vehicle was parked and unoccupied, it caught fire overnight under the hood. It was unknown if the fire department was notified. The manufacturer and dealer were not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 36,012.
Related recalls
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2026 F-250 SD, F-350 SD, F-450 SD, F-550 SD, F-600, 2026 F-150, and F-750 SD vehicles. The analog cluster’s tachometer and speedometer may become stuck or move erratically, providing inaccurate readings to the driver. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) Number 101, "Controls and Displays."
- Risk
- A speedometer that fails to display accurate vehicle speed can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the instrument cluster modules, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, are expected to be mailed in October 26, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in December 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26C46. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on on October 7, 2026.
Recall number 26V653000 · Recall details
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2026 F-550 SD, F-450 SD, F-350 SD, F-250 SD, and 2025 F-150 vehicles. The Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) may fail at startup.
- Risk
- An instrument panel display that does not show critical information, such as warning lights or vehicle speed, increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- The instrument panel cluster software will be updated by a dealer or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 5, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S88.
Recall number 25V540000 · Recall details
Electrical system: integrated trailer brake control
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2022 F-150, 2022 Maverick, Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 22V‑193. Due to a software error, a towed trailer equipped with an electric or electric-over hydraulic brake system may not brake.
- Risk
- Loss of trailer brake functionality can extend the distance required to stop, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will update the integrated trailer brake control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 11, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S18.
Recall number 25V132000 · Recall details
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2023 Escape, Super Duty F-250, Super Duty F-350, Super Duty F-450, and Super Duty F-550 vehicles equipped with a digital instrument panel cluster. The module may have been improperly soldered, preventing the instrument panel from illuminating. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 101, "Control and Displays."
- Risk
- An inoperable instrument panel cannot show critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, which may increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the module or instrument panel as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on November 4, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23C25.
Recall number 23V506000 · Recall details
Electrical system: integrated trailer brake control
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2022 F-150, 2022 Maverick, Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 vehicles. Due to a software error, a towed trailer equipped with an electric or electric-over hydraulic brake system may not brake.
- Risk
- Loss of trailer brake functionality could result in extended stopping distance, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will update the integrated trailer brake control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 22, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S17.
Recall number 22V193000 · Recall details
Electrical system: software
- What is wrong
- Ford is recalling certain model year 2011 ford f-150, f-250, f-350, f-450, f-550, edge, and lincoln mkx trucks manufactured from october 25, 2010, through november 20, 2010. These vehicles were inspected using integrated diagnostic system (ids) that had a custom software routine to read the suspect body control module (bcm) serial number. Based on the serial number the bcm was either not affected or replaced. The custom software routine was not reading the correct set of characters, and was not able to identify a bcm that required replacement affected bcms may have the potential for an internal short.
- Risk
- If an electrical short develops, an overheating condition may occur which could result in a vehicle fire.
- Remedy
- Dealer will inspect the body control module and if necessary replace it free of charge. The safety recall began on march 7, 2011. Owners may contact ford motor company customer relationship center at 1‑866‑436‑7332.
Recall number 11V128000 · Recall details
Electrical system: 12v/24v/48v battery
- What is wrong
- On certain trucks equipped with a 6.4l diesel engine, insufficient clearance of the battery positive (b+) wire to the right hand splash shield bolt may result in the battery b+ wire contacting the splash shield bolt.
- Risk
- Long term contact could cause wire chafe, resulting in copper wire being exposed. If this condition occurs, the battery b+ wire could short to ground increasing the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the battery b+ wire location and, if necessary, reposition the wire. The recall began on april 3, 2007. Owners may contact ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673.
Recall number 07V140000 · Recall details
Electrical system: wiring
- What is wrong
- Certain pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles and vans equipped with 6.0l diesel engines may experience stalling without warning while driving and may or may not restart.
- Risk
- Should the engine stall, a vehicle crash could occur.
- Remedy
- Dealers will upgrade the fuel injection control module (ficm) wire harness or replaced, and/or have a new injection control pressure (icp)) sensor connector installed free of charge. The recall began on july 22, 2005. Owners may contact ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673.
Recall number 05V270000 · Recall details
Electrical system: 12v/24v/48v battery
- What is wrong
- On certain pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles equipped with 6.0l diesel engines, the engine ground stud that attaches the negative battery terminal eyelet to the engine block may be loose.
- Risk
- If the ground wire is loose, electrical current may flow to the radio suppression strap causing it to heat and potentially melt or ignite adjacent components which could result in a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the engine ground stud and the radio suppression strap and adjacent components will be inspected for damage and replaced, if necessary. The recall began on july 23, 2004. Owners should contact ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673.
Recall number 04V327000 · Recall details
Questions about the Ford F-550 SD fire or smoke
Which Ford F-550 SD years have fire, smoke or burning smell problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2000 (3 complaints), 2014 (3 complaints) and 1999 (2 complaints).
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