2018 Ford F-350 SD: problems, recalls and reliability
10 recalls and 201 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is steering (37% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · 3 new complaints in the last 90 days · latest recall Sep 2025
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 201 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-350 SD. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle in the driveway of their residence, the DPF regeneration process activated and completed, and the vehicle was turned off. The contact exited the vehicle. Approximately 15 minutes later, the contact discovered flames coming from under the hood. The fire department responded and extinguished the fire. The cause of the fire was not determined. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 150,000.”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Aug 2026
“Ford Motor Company deployed an over-the-air software update to my 2018 Ford F350 that corrupted the Body Control Module. The software error permanently locked the vehicle into a speed-restricted 'MyKey' safety mode, leaving me with an altered vehicle and no admin access to bypass it. Ford Corporate is refusing to fix the corrupted software deployment. I do not and never have had a second key and they are now saying I must purchase this and pay for my truck to be reset.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Aug 2026
“Our 2018 Ford F-350 Super Duty diesel with the 6.7L Power Stroke engine has a well-known, massive fuel system concern involving the Bosch CP4 high-pressure fuel pump. This pump failed and it sheds metal shavings throughout the entire fuel system. Repair cost $13k. Per other consumer and google results: The CP4 Fuel Pump Issue. The Defect: The Bosch CP4 pump is designed for European diesel fuel, which has more lubrication than American diesel. When it lacks sufficient lubrication, it can score itself and self-destruct. The Damage: Metal debris floods the fuel rails, lines, and injectors, requiring a complete replacement of the fuel system components.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Jul 2026
Show 7 more owner reports
“My wife reported a strong smell fuel in the passenger compartment of my 2018 F350 6.7L Diesel vehicle while returning home from work. Upon inspection under the hood when power was turned on I discovered a strong stream of fuel from the filter cap.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Mar 2026
“My truck's tailgate has started opening on its own while driving, again. Previous recalls on this issue were performed when parts were available. This is a safety hazard to anyone behind me if anything falls out of the truck bed while driving. Today, 2/3/2026, it opened again. A bucket fell out of the truck bed. Fortunately no one was behind me. My truck is available for inspection. I have not contacted the dealer yet for their inspection/diagnosis. There are no warnings when this happens. It has forced me to strap the tailgate so it can't open unexpectedly.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Feb 2026
“Steering Effort Control Module failed. This is a known concern with these vehicles. Many Super Duty's have this happen. It is a very expensive repair. The steering effort changes, the vehicle becomes out of alignment and other things like cruise control, wipers, etc may fail as part of this issue.”Owner report · Steering · Dec 2025
“The car had not been driven and was only in use for about 20 minutes. Then, the check engine light came on. I was planning to take the next exit to investigate. About a minute after the check engine light came on, several other lights came on. They stopped about 20 seconds later. The car began to smoke and as I was pulling over, smoke began to enter the cab. When I pulled over, the car began was on fire. Highway patrol and Cal Fire arrived. Cal Fire put the fire out. It was a total loss. Highway 101 was shut down for a bit while the truck was on fire.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Jul 2025
“Truck went into limp mode wile driving on highway had to have trailer towed 980 miles egr cooler rubbing on wire harness on firewall staffing wires ro short out fuel injection this is a manufacturer defect.why would egr cooler and electrical wire harness be placed so close is a big safety and fire hazard ....cost of repairs at ford dealer in Columbia Tennessee $800 for repairs”Owner report · Electrical System · Jun 2025
“The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-350. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH and coming to a stop, the vehicle stalled in the middle to the road. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart and was pushed to side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the high-pressure fuel pump had exploded, causing metal shavings intrusion in the fuel system. The dealer determined that the entire fuel system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 138,000.”Owner report · Fuel System, Diesel · Jun 2025
“The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-350. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle experienced a "death wobble". The contact then received notification for Customer Satisfaction Program: 20N04 (Steering Linkage Damper Extended Coverage). The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the repair was performed; however, the failure recurred approximately 5,000 miles after the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was also referred to the NHTSA Hotline to file a safety complaint. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 38,320.”Owner report · Suspension · Jun 2024
When filing, owners marked a crash in 1 of these complaints and injuries in 5 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 10 campaigns
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Lincoln MKC, Mustang, F-350 SD, F-250 SD, F-450 SD, 2015-2017 Lincoln Navigator, Expedition, 2015-2018 Edge, Transit Connect, 2016-2019 F-550 SD, Transit, 2017-2019 Econoline, and 2019 Ranger vehicles. The rearview camera may display a distorted, inverted, or blank image when the vehicle is in reverse.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 13, 2026. Ford owners will receive letters in phases, beginning January 2026 and June 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S89. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 25V270. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning September 8, 2025.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2018 F-Super Duty F-250, F-350, and F-450 4x4 vehicles. A radial damper inside the driveshaft may move out of position over time, which can cause a driveshaft imbalance and result in a fracture.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the driveshaft, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 27, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S74.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2019 F-250, F-350 and F-450 Super Duty trucks. The Daytime Running Lights (DRL) may not dim when the headlight switch is moved into the "On" position. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Remedy: Ford has notified owners, and dealers will reprogram the Body Control Module (BCM) software, free of charge. The recall began November 25, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19C10.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-150, 2018-2020 F-250, F-350, and 2019 Escape vehicles equipped with Continental tires. On the affected vehicles, it is possible that one or more tires were cured for too long during tire production.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tires, and replace them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on March 27, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S10.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2022 F-250 and F-350 Super Duty vehicles equipped with gasoline engines and aluminum driveshafts. Underbody heat and noise insulators may loosen and contact the aluminum driveshaft, which could damage the driveshaft and cause it to fracture.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and repair the driveshaft as necessary, and properly attach the underbody insulators, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on April 7, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S09.
Icon Vehicle Dynamics, LLC (Icon) is recalling all 05-UP FSD 2.5 Centerline Stabilizer Kits with part number 65050. The kits were sold as an accessory for certain 2005-2021 Ford F-250 4X4 and F-350 4X4 pickup trucks. The foam ring inside the stabilizer "through shaft" may block the piston ports, possibly causing the steering to lock up.
Remedy: Icon will notify owners, and dealers will install a new shock assembly with a revised foam ring and steel support disc, free of charge. The recall began December 21, 2020. Owners may contact Icon customer service at 1-951-689-4266.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2019 F-Super Duty F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 SuperCrew Cab vehicles with carpet flooring. If a front seat belt pretensioner deploys as the result of a crash, the sparks may ignite materials such as carpeting or insulation within the B-pillar area.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will apply heat resistant tape to the carpet and its insulation, and modify the B-Pillar insulation as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin January 20, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S52.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Super Duty F-250, F-350, and F-450 trucks equipped with an electric tailgate latch release switch mounted in the tailgate handle. Water may enter the electrical wiring system and cause a short circuit, activating the switch and releasing the tailgate latches.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will modify the tailgate/frame wiring harnesses by adding jumper pigtails to isolate the tailgate release control circuits and will install a new tailgate handle release switch, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin January 20, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S48.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2020 F-Super Duty F-250, F-350, F-450, and 2017-2020 Lincoln Continental vehicles equipped with the 360-degree camera system. Degradation of the camera's anit-reflective lens coating can lead to a foggy or cloudy rearview camera image.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the rearview camera, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 14, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S51.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Ford F-150 and 2017-2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty, F-350 Super Duty, F-450 Super Duty, and F-550 Super Duty pick-up trucks equipped with an engine block heater and previously remedied under recall 18V894. During the previous repair, the block heater cable's splice connector may have been damaged.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will disable the engine block heater from being used. When replacement cables become available, a second notice will be mailed and dealers will replace the engine block heater cord, free of charge. The recall began May 31, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S11.
How other years compare
Counts are not adjusted for time on the road here - see all F-350 SD years ranked fairly for the age-adjusted comparison.
Check your exact F-350 SD by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2018 Ford F-350 SD reliable?
NHTSA has 201 owner complaints and 10 recall campaigns on record for the 2018 Ford F-350 SD. The most complained-about area is steering (37% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2018 Ford F-350 SD problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 25,000 miles or less.
Does the 2018 Ford F-350 SD have open recalls?
10 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning back over prevention. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.