2005 Ford F-250 Problems and Recalls (139 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 2005 Ford F-250 is Engine (25% of 139 owner reports). There are 1 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Engine — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 139 complaints · 1 recalls

What problems show up on the 2005 Ford F-250?

35 of 139 filings named Engine (25% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Suspension (26 reports).

This snapshot lists no safety recalls for this year. That is not a clean bill of health. Still check the VIN at nhtsa.gov.

The 2004 has 146 reports on file; this year has 139. A smaller lifetime total is not a clean bill of health. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.

What to check before you buy a 2005 Ford F-250

A useful visit to this page takes five minutes. YearTell does not score years and cannot see the vehicle in front of you.

  1. Look up the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov. This year has 1 campaigns on file below.
  2. Engine. Have a shop check for oil consumption, coolant leaks, rough idle and unusual engine noise.
  3. Suspension. Listen for clunks over bumps and look at tire wear for alignment issues.
  4. Steering. Check for play in the wheel, noises on lock and whether it tracks straight.
  5. Skim a few owner reports below for Engine. Look for the same symptom repeating.
  6. Take that list to a mechanic. Do not turn the complaint total into a score.

What owners reported

System named most often: Engine 35 complaints · 25.2% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 3
  • Fires 3
  • Injuries 1
  • Deaths 0
All Ford F-250 years →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Which systems owners named

Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.

Which systems owners named Engine (ENGINE) appears in 35 of 139 owner complaints (25.2%) in this vehicle snapshot. Engine (ENGINE): 35 complaints, 25.2% of reports Engine (ENGINE) 2 fire reports 35 · 25.2% Suspension (SUSPENSION): 26 complaints, 18.7% of reports Suspension (SUSPENSION) 26 · 18.7% Steering (STEERING): 24 complaints, 17.3% of reports Steering (STEERING) 1 crash reports 24 · 17.3% Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM): 13 complaints, 9.4% of reports Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 1 crash reports 1 fire reports 13 · 9.4% Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN): 10 complaints, 7.2% of reports Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 10 · 7.2% Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES): 9 complaints, 6.5% of reports Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 9 · 6.5% Wheels (WHEELS): 5 complaints, 3.6% of reports Wheels (WHEELS) 5 · 3.6% Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM): 4 complaints, 2.9% of reports Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 4 · 2.9% Body / frame (STRUCTURE): 3 complaints, 2.2% of reports Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 3 · 2.2% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 39 complaints, 28.1% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 1 crash reports 39 · 28.1% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
Engine (ENGINE) 35 25.2% 0 crashes · 2 fires
Suspension (SUSPENSION) 26 18.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Steering (STEERING) 24 17.3% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 13 9.4% 1 crashes · 1 fires
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 10 7.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 9 6.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Wheels (WHEELS) 5 3.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 4 2.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 3 2.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 39 28.1% 1 crashes · 0 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

When reports and recalls showed up

When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.

When reports and recalls showed up Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Oct 2004; the first recall shown was reported in Oct 2006. 2004-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2008-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2009-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2009-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2010-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2010-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2010-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2011-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2011-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2012-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2012-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2013-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2014-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2014-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2016-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2016-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2018-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2019-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2019-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2021-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2022-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2022-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Oct 2004 Oct 2025 Recall campaign 06E087000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E087000 Investigation PE07057 ● Investigation PE07057 Investigation EA08007 ● Investigation EA08007
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2004-Q4 Owner reports 1
2007-Q2 Owner reports 2
2007-Q3 Owner reports 2
2007-Q4 Owner reports 1
2008-Q1 Owner reports 5
2008-Q3 Owner reports 3
2009-Q1 Owner reports 1
2009-Q2 Owner reports 4
2009-Q3 Owner reports 4
2010-Q1 Owner reports 1
2010-Q2 Owner reports 6
2010-Q3 Owner reports 7
2010-Q4 Owner reports 2
2011-Q1 Owner reports 3
2011-Q2 Owner reports 2
2011-Q3 Owner reports 5
2011-Q4 Owner reports 7
2012-Q1 Owner reports 8
2012-Q2 Owner reports 1
2012-Q3 Owner reports 1
2012-Q4 Owner reports 1
2013-Q1 Owner reports 4
2013-Q3 Owner reports 1
2013-Q4 Owner reports 1
2014-Q1 Owner reports 2
2014-Q2 Owner reports 4
2014-Q3 Owner reports 4
2014-Q4 Owner reports 2
2015-Q1 Owner reports 2
2015-Q2 Owner reports 2
2015-Q4 Owner reports 5
2016-Q1 Owner reports 2
2016-Q2 Owner reports 3
2016-Q3 Owner reports 2
2017-Q2 Owner reports 2
2017-Q3 Owner reports 1
2017-Q4 Owner reports 3
2018-Q1 Owner reports 1
2018-Q2 Owner reports 2
2018-Q3 Owner reports 1
2019-Q1 Owner reports 3
2019-Q2 Owner reports 1
2019-Q3 Owner reports 2
2019-Q4 Owner reports 1
2020-Q1 Owner reports 2
2020-Q3 Owner reports 1
2021-Q1 Owner reports 1
2021-Q2 Owner reports 3
2021-Q4 Owner reports 3
2022-Q2 Owner reports 1
2022-Q3 Owner reports 3
2022-Q4 Owner reports 1
2024-Q2 Owner reports 1
2024-Q3 Owner reports 1
2024-Q4 Owner reports 1
2025-Q1 Owner reports 1
2025-Q2 Owner reports 1
2025-Q4 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 06E087000
Defect investigation 1 PE07057
Defect investigation 1 EA08007
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (1)

Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.

  1. Recall campaign 06E087000

    Safety recall 06E087000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    BRAKE FAILURE CAN OCCUR, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    HARSCO WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND PROVIDE A REPAIR KIT ALONG WITH REPAIR INSTRUCTIONS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN IN SEPTEMBER 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HARSCO AT 507-235-7112.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

What owners actually wrote

Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07
Safety incident filters
Showing 8 of 139 complaints · page 1 of 6
2025-10-09Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 11692282
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Odometer Fraud. The contact owns a 2005 Ford F-250. The contact purchased the vehicle from a private seller on social media. The contact stated that the sellers advertisement indicated the odometer mileage was 96,000. The contact later purchased a new vehicle and decided to sell the existing vehicle. The existing vehicle was posted on social media for sale. A potential buyer noticed the vehicle and obtained a Carfax report. The potential buyer then sent a copy of the Carfax report to the contact. The Carfax report indicated that the odometer was reported at 303,000 in 2023. The contact then contacted the seller and informed the seller of the discrepancy. The contact was informed that the odometer had been swapped prior to the sale. The contact stated that seller then deleted the advertisement from social media and rejected all further communications with the contact.
2025-04-06Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 11653078
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Electrical system fails every day. It affects the engine, transmission, radio, windows, gauges. Wiring issue causes the radio to just go out, windows stop working, all gauges stops working, the transmission doesn't shift right, engine doesn't run right. Yes vehicle is available for inspecting. Engine cuts off and won't start back, leaves you stranded side the road. Truck stalls in front of other vehicles. Windows won't roll down when it's 100 degrees inside truck. Fuel gauge doesn't let you know when there's no fuel again leaving you stranded beside the road. Other gauge don't work could cause more damage. Yes it has been inspected my mechanic and he said there are wiring issues. No warning lamps or anything now but the wrench light has came on allot. There is a wiring recall on this year truck but said mine doesn't fall under that recall and I don't know why because I'm having this issue
2025-01-15Suspension (SUSPENSION)
NHTSA ODI 11636147
CrashFireInjuryDeath
While driving at 65 Mph, towing a fifth wheel camper, encountered a mildly rough section of highway when entire front end began to wobble and shake violently. Slowed the vehicle, maintaining control. When going back up to speed, the same shaking occured again. Also noted a less violent shaking at 45 mph. Took vehicle to have new tires rebalanced but did not change condition much. Inspected front end components. Currently replacing steering damper and shocks in hopes of correcting issue. All other components new or nearly new (3 years) with no issues. Vehicle and components can be inspected, and all replaced parts will be kept for inspection if required. Safety of my vehicle and others on busy highway could have been compromised had I not slowed and maintained control. The problem is being dealt with by me, as I do most maintenance on vehicle. The vehicle has not been seen or inspected by others except by tire mechanic who noted no obvious issues but did re-balance all tires. There was NO advance warning of a failure or compromise.
2024-10-15Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 11619962
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact owns a 2005 Ford F-250. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard a loud rumbling noise that sounded like rocks in the engine. In addition, the contact stated that when the vehicle was parked and the engine was turned off, the vehicle was started, however, the vehicle did not start. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact stated that her husband was an independent mechanic and had recently replaced several unknown parts, however the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 246,808.
2024-08-05Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
NHTSA ODI 11606568
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Wrench light comes on, but truck goes into limp loses power very dangerous don't know if it's going to cause me to be rear-ended, steering goes back and forth right to left can't hardly hold it in road
2024-04-10Steering (STEERING)
NHTSA ODI 11582251
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The back bed rails rot/rust very quickly and trying to buy new beds run 4500$ along with o2 sensors ir intake sensors go out of blue no reasoning let alone the power steering lines rusting very very quickly
2022-10-02Wheels (WHEELS)
NHTSA ODI 11487504
CrashFireInjuryDeath
In 2014, I got the “Ford death wobble” in the right front. VERY scary and dangerous. Trying to quickly slow down to stop it in traffic is almost as dangerous as the wobble itself. You have very little to no control with the steering when it happens. I had to repair the problem out of pocket because Ford won’t do anything about it. Now, two weeks ago, I had the same death wobble happen at 70 mph on the left front. So frightening. My passengers thought we had a blowout and we’re about to crash. I successfully slowed it down but this problem is a road hazard to me and everyone else on the road. So now, once again, it’s on me to shell out to fix a problem that should have been a recall a long time ago but Ford won’t step up and do the right thing. Please give us some relief here.
2022-09-27Steering (STEERING)
NHTSA ODI 11486705
CrashFireInjuryDeath
towing a trailer, traveling at 70 mph, I hit a pothole and vehicle violently shook. The episode lasted for approx 30 seconds. It was very Difficult to maintain control and I almost ran off the road. It happened several times before I took it for repairs. The stabilizer bar was replaced, however the violent shaking has still continued.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 2005 Ford F-250?

Owners named Engine most often — 35 of 139 reports (25%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 2005 Ford F-250?

NHTSA lists 1 safety recall campaigns. This snapshot lists none, which is not a clean bill of health. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.

What should I inspect before buying a 2005 Ford F-250?

Look up the VIN for open recalls. Have a shop check for oil consumption, coolant leaks, rough idle and unusual engine noise. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.

Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?

No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.

EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources