2001 Ford F-350 Problems: 5 Known Issues

On the 1999-2003 Ford F-350 7.3L Power Stroke V8 diesel, the 4R100 four-speed automatic fitted to 1999-2003 F-350s behind the 7.3L Power Stroke is the weak link in an otherwise durable driveline, and F-350 duty cycles - fifth-wheel and gooseneck towing near a 20,000 lb-plus combined weight - expose it. Two failure patterns dominate owner reports. First, on early 2001 units (roughly the first six months of production) Ford used a mechanical diode one-way clutch on the direct drum in place of the roller sprag; when the diode seizes the truck can lurch and skid the rear wheels on the shift into third, and Ford went back to a roller sprag. Second, the torque converter and the undersized factory cooler let fluid temperatures climb during towing, cooking the clutch packs and sending debris through the valve body and pump. A Ford TSB (02-21-1) also documents the torque converter external access dust plug falling out under severe-duty use, allowing fluid loss.

On the 1999-2003 Ford F-350 7.3L Power Stroke V8 diesel, the 1999-2003 F-350 with the 7.3L Power Stroke uses a camshaft position sensor at the front of the engine to time injection. The original black-bodied sensor fails intermittently, most often when it is damp or heat-soaked, cutting injection and stalling the engine without warning. Because these are hydro-boost brake and hydraulic-assist steering trucks, a stall at speed means a hard pedal and heavy steering - the reason NHTSA treated it as a safety defect. Owners describe stalling in rain, stumbling at low rpm, and no-start conditions that clear after the engine cools. Ford recalled roughly 1.17 million 1997-2003 vehicles with the 7.3L, including F-350, F-450 and F-550 Super Duty, and replaced the black sensor with a revised gray unit. The recall does not cover 1994-1996 7.3L trucks, which use the same sensor design.

On the 1999-2007 Ford F-350, the exhaust manifold bolts on the 6.0L and 7.3L Power Stroke diesel engines break due to thermal cycling, causing exhaust leaks with a ticking noise especially on cold starts. Broken bolts are very difficult to extract.

On the 1999-2016 Ford F-350, f-350 dually trucks run a full-floating rear axle (a Dana 80 on most, a Sterling 10.5 on some gas duallies) whose hubs carry adjustable tapered inner and outer bearings with a seal riding on the innermost part of the spindle. Unlike a sealed unit bearing, this design is a maintenance item, and the loads a DRW F-350 carries - a pin weight applied well behind the cab by a gooseneck or fifth wheel, plus the extra outboard tire - make bearing preload and lubrication critical. Owners across ford-trucks.com and thedieselstop.com report the seal weeping gear oil onto the brakes, followed by a growl that changes with load, and eventually a spun or destroyed bearing. Gear oil reaching the rear brake friction is the safety consequence, on a truck that is already brake-limited when loaded.

On the 1999-2016 Ford F-350, the 1999-2016 Super Duty cab has a double-wall rocker and cab-corner structure that traps water and road debris and rots from the inside out. On the F-350 the pattern is worse than on lighter trucks for two structural reasons: dual rear wheels throw far more salt spray and grit up onto the rear arches and cab corners than a single-rear-wheel truck, and F-350s spend disproportionate time in plow, farm and construction service where the truck is wet and salted constantly. Failure shows first as bubbling paint at the bottom of the cab corner behind the door, then perforation at the rocker seam and the rear wheel arch on the bed. Because the inner rocker is part of the cab structure, extensive rot is a structural and inspection problem, not just cosmetic.