FORD F-550 SD · model year

2013 FORD F-550 SD

3 NHTSA complaints, and 9 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2013FORDF-550 SD carries 3 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2013 F-550 SD is engine with 1 filings, followed by power train (1) and tires (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 9 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle, the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 177 investigation files overlapping the 2013 F-550 SD, and 8 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page, a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

3
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

3 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ENGINE1
POWER TRAIN1
TIRES1

Recalls (9)

15V17500025/03/2015

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2015 Ford F-350, F-450, and F-550 trucks manufactured February 22, 2010, to January 30, 2015, and equipped with ambulance or fire engine preparation packages. The affected vehicles may detect an incorrect Exhaust Gas Temperature Sensor

14V36000023/06/2014

EQUIPMENT

Palfleet Truck Equipment Company, LLC (Palfleet) is recalling certain model year 2009-2013 Ford F-350, F-450, and F-550 super duty vehicles modified by Palfleet and equipped with certain Muncie Power Products PTO Assemblies. In the affected vehicles, oil may leak from the PTO pressure switch onto a

14V33600018/06/2014

EQUIPMENT

Dual-Tech, Inc. (Dual-Tech) is recalling certain model year 2009-2014 Ford F-550 Super Duty trucks modified by Dual-Tech, equipped with certain Muncie Power Products PTO Assemblies. In the affected vehicles, oil may leak from the PTO pressure switch onto a thermal blanket covering the exhaust.

14V32800013/06/2014

EQUIPMENT

Iowa Mold Tooling Co., Inc. will notify owners and dealers to inspect the Muncie PTO pressure switch to determine if it is from the range of defective switches and if required, remove the pressure switch assembly and put a plug in the port where the PTO switch had been installed. This switch was nev

14V32600013/06/2014

EQUIPMENT

Manning Equipment Inc. LLC (Manning) is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Ford F-350 Super Duty, F-450 Super Duty, and F-550 Super Duty vehicles modified by Manning and equipped with certain Muncie Power Products PTO Assemblies. In the affected vehicles, oil may leak from the PTO pressure swit

14V32700012/06/2014

EQUIPMENT

Stahl is recalling certain model year 2009-2014 Ford F-350 Super Duty, F-450 Super Duty, and F-550 Super Duty vehicles modified by Stahl and equipped with certain Muncie Power Products PTO Assemblies. In the affected vehicles, oil may leak from the PTO pressure switch onto a thermal blanket coverin

14V38200010/06/2014

EQUIPMENT

Somerset Welding & Steel, doing business as J&J Truck equipment (J&J), is recalling certain model year 2009-2013 Ford F-350, F-450, and F-550 Super Duty chassis with 6.8L gasoline engines modified by J&J to be equipped with certain Muncie Power Products PTO Assemblies. In the affected vehicles, oil

14V37900010/06/2014

EQUIPMENT

Utility Truck Equipment Company, LLC (Utility Truck) is recalling certain model year 2010-2013 UTLI41A, 2011 UTLN41, and 2012 UTLN46 aerial trucks manufactured December 2010 to September 2013 equipped with certain Muncie Power Products PTO Assemblies installed on 2010-2013 Ford F-350, F-450 and F-55

14V30700004/06/2014

EQUIPMENT

Tactical Vehicle Outfitters (Tactical) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Ford F-350 and F-550 vehicles modified by Tactical and equipped with certain Muncie Power Products PTO Assemblies. In the affected vehicles, oil may leak from the PTO pressure switch onto a thermal blanket covering the

Recent Complaints

20150909TIRES

COMPLETE TREAD SEPARATION OF DRIVER FRONT TIRE LESS THAN 3 YEARS OLD AND LESS THAN 20,000 MILES ON I-10 NEAR WILCOX, AZ. ENROUTE TO AS MUTUAL AID SEARCH AND RESCUE CALL NORMAL TRAFFIC TRAVELING APPROX. 70 MPH.

Mileage: 19,980

20140704ENGINE

TURBO WILL OVER BOOST TO 31 PSI AND THE ENGINE WILL GO IN TO A FAIL SAFE MODE REDUCING POWER TO 5 MILES AN HOUR WITHOUT WARNING. CAUSING YOU TO HAVE TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TURN OFF THE ENGINE AND RESTART TO CLEAR THE FAIL SAFE MODE. THIS HAS HAPPEN TO ME OVER 12 TIMES. FORD HAS REPLACED THE TURBO TWICE UNDER WARRANTY. THE PROBLEM SEEMS FIXED FOR THE FIRST 30 - 40 THOUSAND MILES. THEN THE SAME PROBLEM RECURS. THE BIGGEST HEADACHE WITH THIS PROBLEM IS IT TAKE WEEKS AND SOME TIMES MONTHS FOR FORD TO DIAGNOSE. DO TO THE FACT THAT WHEN THIS HAPPENS NO ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND NO FAULT CODE IS STORED. FORD WILL NOT WARRANTY THE PART OUT UNTIL THEY GET A FAULT CODE. THE ONLY TIME THE TRUCK WILL THROW A FAULT CODE IS WHEN THIS PROBLEM HAPPENS TWICE ON THE SAME DAY. MOST OF THE TIME IT ONLY HAPPENS ONCE A DAY. I FIND THIS PROBLEM TO BE A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. DO TO THE FACT THAT IT HAPPENS WITHOUT WARNING AND YOU CAN'T ALWAYS MAKE IT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD UNDER REDUCED POWER. BE I

Mileage: 65,000

20140704POWER TRAIN

TURBO WILL OVER BOOST TO 31 PSI AND THE ENGINE WILL GO IN TO A FAIL SAFE MODE REDUCING POWER TO 5 MILES AN HOUR WITHOUT WARNING. CAUSING YOU TO HAVE TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TURN OFF THE ENGINE AND RESTART TO CLEAR THE FAIL SAFE MODE. THIS HAS HAPPEN TO ME OVER 12 TIMES. FORD HAS REPLACED THE TURBO TWICE UNDER WARRANTY. THE PROBLEM SEEMS FIXED FOR THE FIRST 30 - 40 THOUSAND MILES. THEN THE SAME PROBLEM RECURS. THE BIGGEST HEADACHE WITH THIS PROBLEM IS IT TAKE WEEKS AND SOME TIMES MONTHS FOR FORD TO DIAGNOSE. DO TO THE FACT THAT WHEN THIS HAPPENS NO ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND NO FAULT CODE IS STORED. FORD WILL NOT WARRANTY THE PART OUT UNTIL THEY GET A FAULT CODE. THE ONLY TIME THE TRUCK WILL THROW A FAULT CODE IS WHEN THIS PROBLEM HAPPENS TWICE ON THE SAME DAY. MOST OF THE TIME IT ONLY HAPPENS ONCE A DAY. I FIND THIS PROBLEM TO BE A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. DO TO THE FACT THAT IT HAPPENS WITHOUT WARNING AND YOU CAN'T ALWAYS MAKE IT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD UNDER REDUCED POWER. BE I

Mileage: 65,000

Compare 2013FORDF-550 SD to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 8 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2013 FORD F-550 SD have?
The 2013 FORD F-550 SD has 3 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2013 FORD F-550 SD?
Yes, the 2013 FORD F-550 SD has 9 recall(s). The most common affected component is POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM). Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2013 FORD F-550 SD?
The most-complained component for the 2013 FORD F-550 SD is ENGINE with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include POWER TRAIN and TIRES.
Is the 2013 FORD F-550 SD safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.