2003 Ford F-350: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 2003 Ford F-350. The newest campaign is 11V352000. NHTSA received the report on 13 Jul 2011. The NHTSA record gives the component Exterior Lighting / Brake Lights. NHTSA has 62 complaints on file for this model year. 2 NHTSA investigations name this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 11V352000, in the NHTSA record

Dealers will replace the switches free of charge. The safety recall began on august 15, 2011. Owners may contact ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 29 Mar 2018. Recall file through 29 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

2 campaigns, newest first. 110,402 units in total.

11V352000Received 13 Jul 2011. 26,715 units.
Exterior Lighting / Brake Lights
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Ford is recalling certain model year 2011 ranger trucks built from january 25, 2011, through april 25, 2011 at the twin cities assembly plant, and service parts distributed to dealers for certain 2004 through 2011 model year ranger trucks, 2002 through 2005 model year excursion vehicles, and 2002 through 2007 model year f-250, f-350, f-450, and f-550 trucks for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." the multi-function switch was shipped with a subcomponent (slider) that may experience deformation. A multi-function switch with a deformed slider may malfunction causing the turn signal, tail lights, hazard warning signal flashers and/or brake lights not to activate.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Non-functioning lights could increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the switches free of charge. The safety recall began on august 15, 2011. Owners may contact ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Manufacturer campaign number 11C18. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 15 Aug 2011.
04V327000Received 7 Jul 2004. 83,687 units.
Electrical System / 12v/24v/48v Battery
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
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, in the NHTSA record
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.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Manufacturer campaign number 04S15. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 22 Jul 2004.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

62 complaints, 67 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

2003 Ford F-350
All 2003 vehicles

2003 Ford F-350: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	2003 F-350	All 2003 vehicles	F-350, all years	Mentions
Engine and Engine Cooling	253.7	108.8	134.9	17
Vehicle Speed Control	179.1	45.3	38.8	12
Electrical System	104.5	122.3	43.5	7
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	89.6	83.2	162.5	6
Tires	74.6	29.3	162.9	5
Steering	59.7	42.7	92.2	4
Fuel System, Gasoline	59.7	43.8	39.7	4
Air Bags	29.9	45.8	25	2
Seat Belts	29.9	14.1	9.9	2
Suspension	29.9	62.1	54.7	2

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 16.

Complaints that report a crash: 8
Complaints that report a fire: 7
Injuries in the complaints: 5
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 20 Oct 2010

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 2003 Ford F-350, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2003, with 23 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 2003 Ford F-350
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
DP05005	Defect petition	SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEAD	Engine and Engine Cooling / Engine	22 Sep 2005	4 Jan 2006
PE04070	Preliminary evaluation	ENGINE STALLING	Engine and Engine Cooling / Engine / Diesel	7 Oct 2004	15 Feb 2005

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

Follow by RSS:Ford recallsVehicle recalls

Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 2003 Ford F-350The recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 2003 Ford F-350: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/ford/f-350/2003/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 29 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 29 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 29 Mar 2018
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: FORD MOTOR COMPANY

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 2003 Ford F-350?: 110,402 units in 2 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Ford F-350 have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 50 recall campaigns for the Ford F-350, model years 1991 to 2013. 2 of them name the 2003 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 2003 Ford F-350 name most often?: Engine and Engine Cooling: 17 of 67 component mentions, or 253.7 per 1,000. For all 2003 vehicles the figure is 108.8 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2003 Ford F-350 open?: No. Each of the 2 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.