U.S. public vehicle records

2009 Ford F-250 SD problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

23 owner complaints analyzed

0 distinct recall campaigns

30,507 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2009 model year. Data snapshot: 2026-09-12 (September 12, 2026). 21 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Steering is the most frequently named component, appearing in 7 of 23 complaints (30.4%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Steering behavior	6	26.1%
Transmission and shifting	2	8.7%
Braking behavior	2	8.7%
Fuel system concerns	1	4.3%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Steering

Suspension

Wheels

Engine

Engine And Engine Cooling

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine

Engine And Engine Cooling:Exhaust System

Exterior Lighting

Steering: 7; Suspension: 7; Wheels: 3; Engine: 2; Engine And Engine Cooling: 2; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine: 2; Engine And Engine Cooling:Exhaust System: 1; Exterior Lighting: 1

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 8; 25,000 to 49,999: 5; 50,000 to 74,999: 1; 75,000 to 99,999: 3; 100,000 to 149,999: 2; 150,000 and above: 2

Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (8). 2 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2009: 2; 2010: 3; 2011: 5; 2012: 3; 2013: 3; 2014: 1; 2015: 3; 2016: 2; 2017: 1

Pattern summary

Steering leads the component reports. Steering behavior appears in 6 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 2 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 2 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10362871 · 2010-10-29 (October 29, 2010)

2009 FORD SUPER DUTY: THIS VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN ENGINE ON (3) DIFFERENT OCCASIONS WHILE I WAS DRIVING IT. NO STEERING, BRAKES OR CONTROL OF VEHICLE WAS COMPLETELY LOST. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO FORD DEALER ON EVERY OCCASION AND THEY SAID THEY CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. DANGEROUS. WE INSTALLED A FLIGHT DATA RECORDER ON THE VEHICLE TODAY TO MONITOR AND RECORD THIS SO WHEN IT HAPPENS AGAIN FORD CANNOT DENY THE FACTS ND EVADE THE RESPONSIBILITY. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 25,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10362871 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10522996 · 2013-07-03 (July 3, 2013)

THE STEERING LOCKS UP AFTER MAKING A RIGHT HAND TURN. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS,CALLED THE DEALERSHIP THEY SAID THEY HAVEN'T HAD ANY OTHER COMPLAINTS OTHER THAN MINE. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 70,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10522996 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10313382 · 2010-02-23 (February 23, 2010)

APPROXIMATELY 3 DAYS AGO, AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SLIPPED BRIEFLY, OCCURRED AGAIN ON 2/22/10. SELF-CORRECTED BOTH TIMES. VEHICLE WAS HAULING ENCLOSED CARGO TRAILER CONTAINING 3 ATV'S. PARKED VEHICLE AND SHUT OFF IGNITION, VEHICLE WAS IN PARK. APPROXIMATELY 3 MINUTES LATER NOTICED SMOKE FROM UNDER HOOD. FIRE SPREAD TOO RAPIDLY FOR EFFECTIVE USE OF FIRE EXTINGUISHER. ENGINE COMPARTMENT WAS FULLY INVOLVED UPON FIRE DEPT ARRIVAL, WITH RADIANT HEAT AND SMOKE DAMAGE TO THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. THE VEHICLE IS CONSIDERED A TOTAL LOSS. UPON INVE…

Owner-reported narrative. 9,880 miles reported. Look up ODI 10313382 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10379544 · 2011-01-29 (January 29, 2011)

DURING WET WEATHER CONDITIONS (HUMIDITY AND RAIN ESPECIALLY) AND AFTER APPROXIMATELY 30-40 MINUTES OF STEADY STATE DRIVING ON AT FREEWAY SPEEDS; THE TRUCK WILL HESITATE WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS PRESSED TO THE FLOOR. THE ENGINE RPM WILL INCREASE WITH THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFT, THEN THE ENGINE RPM WILL IMMEDIATELY FALL BACK DOWN BY ABOUT 500 RPM FOR APPROXIMATELY 5-7 SECONDS BEFORE RETURNING TO A FULL THOTTLE ENGINE SPEED. DURING THIS TIME OF RPM FLUCTUATION IT FEELS/SOUNDS LIKE A STUMBLE AND/OR MISS IN THE ENGINE. THIS IS A COMMON OCC…

Owner-reported narrative. 30,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10379544 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10955274 · 2017-02-17 (February 17, 2017)

MY F-250 HAS HAD EVERY BRAKE CALIPER LOCK UP AND CAUSE TOTAL BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE AND REPAIR. STARTING AT 40K MILES IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY BUT THERE IS AN OBVIOUS DEFECT IN THE DESIGN IF EVERY CALIPER HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM. MY SHOP DID A REPAIR HISTORY SEARCH AND FOUND THAT THE 2009S HAD A HIGHER FAILURE RATE THAN OTHER YEARS. I ALSO HAD THE MANIFOLD WARP AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT AT JUST 40K MILES. THANKS - DAN

Owner-reported narrative. 40,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10955274 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10440358 · 2011-12-19 (December 19, 2011)

WHILE DRIVING WITH FUEL LEVEL BETWEEN 1/8 AND 1/4 TANK, TRUCK SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY. THE "50 MILES TO EMPTY" INDICATOR HAD ILLUMINATED APPROX. 2 MILES BEFORE FAILURE. HAD TRUCK TOWED TO DEALER AND WAS FORCED TO PAY APPROX. $250 FOR DIAGNOSTIC AND TOW. DEALER COORDINATED WITH FORD CORPORATE AND DETERMINED I DROVE TRUCK UNTIL FUEL WAS EMPTY. APPROX. 4 WEEKS LATER, TRUCK SHUT DOWN AGAIN. DEALER EXPLAINED I WOULD HAVE TO "PLACE A BET" THAT THE FUEL INDICATOR SENSOR WAS "OUT OF TOLERANCE." THEY WOULD HAVE TO REMOVE FUEL TANK AND CHECK SENSOR. …

Owner-reported narrative. 21,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10440358 at NHTSA ↗