Selling a junk or broken-down Ford F-250

Before you decide, look at two things. Run the VIN for open recalls, and on a 2017-2019 4x4, ask whether Ford's steering damper coverage still applies. Both are explained below.

Forty years of F-250, era by era

Every tally here was read off NHTSA's complaint and recall downloads dated October 10, 2026. NHTSA logs the truck under several names over the years (F-250, F-250 SD, F250 HD, F250 LD); all of them are counted here.

A campaign that spans two eras is counted in both rows. Across all years NHTSA lists 136 separate campaigns.

1984-1998: fuel, fire and parking recalls

Recall 86V111 covers 1985-1986 trucks built without a nose shield on the midship fuel tank, so they failed the federal fuel-system crash test. On 1988-1991 trucks, recall 96V071 replaced an ignition switch that can short inside and smoke or burn in the steering column. Recall 94V169 put a wedge in the parking brake of 1992-1994 trucks because its self-adjust pawl can slip and let the truck roll. On 1997-1998 light-duty pickups, recall 97V171 says the shift cable can pop off its column bracket, so moving the lever to Park may not put the transmission there.

1999-2007: the first Super Duty and two Power Strokes

For 1999 Ford rebuilt the F-250 and F-350 as the Super Duty, with its own chassis, powertrain and body, built at Kentucky Truck in Louisville. These model years hold 4,048 complaints, the most of any era. On the 1999, 146 of 830 name the engine and cooling system and 133 name the tires.

The diesels drew recalls. Recall 07V553 covers 1,176,000 heavy-duty trucks from 1997-2003 with the 7.3: the camshaft position sensor can cut in and out and stall the engine. The 6.0 that took over in 2003 has recall 04V327, for a loose engine ground stud, and 05V270, for 2004-2005 trucks that can stall without warning.

Then there is the cruise control switch. Ford recalled its speed control deactivation switch again and again because, as NBC News put it, the system "could corrode over time, overheat and ignite." NHTSA's F-250 records list five of those campaigns, each with its own reach. 07V336 covered 1993 trucks. 05V388 covered 1994-1999 pickups and SUVs with speed control. 06V286 (1994-2002) and 07V078 (2003) covered trucks with gasoline or natural gas engines. 09V399 covered the diesels, in NHTSA's words "1993-1997 AND 1999-2003 F-250 SD THROUGH F-550 SD DIESEL". Dealers first disconnected the switch, then fitted a fused wiring harness. A sixth campaign, 08V051, swapped out harnesses from earlier repairs on some 1993 F-Series that did not match the truck's circuit polarity. Complaints on 1994-2003 F-250s report a fire 252 times.

2007-2016: steering takes over the file

From the 2007 through the 2019, steering is the component named most in every model year. Recalls get scarce: the 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2014 have none. On 3,973 trucks from 2015 with the 6.2 gas or 6.7 diesel and the 6R140 automatic, recall 14V204 fixed software that could leave the truck in Reverse while the display read Drive. On the 2016, recall 22V337 covers 310,203 trucks where dust in the clock spring can cut the driver air bag circuit.

2017-2019: the shaking steering wheel

The 2019 and 2017 have the most complaints of any F-250 year, 1,164 and 1,155, and steering appears in 661 and 652 of them. Ford service bulletin 19-2274, dated September 10, 2019, is about the 2017-2019 four-wheel-drive F-250 and F-350. Cross broken pavement or a bridge seam above 45 mph and the wheel can go on wobbling. The bulletin says this "may be due to excessive lag/lash of the steering linkage damper," and its repair is a new damper. NHTSA has not tied the complaint counts to that one cause.

Program 20N04, from April 30, 2020, kept that damper under warranty for seven years or 100,000 miles on 2017-2019 4x4 trucks built at Kentucky Truck between October 8, 2015 and November 3, 2019, or at Ohio Assembly from February 5, 2016 to November 13, 2019. It pays for one repair with a redesigned damper.

2020 on: driveshafts, columns and a pump

• Driveshafts and axles: 22V087 (247,445 gas 2017-2022 trucks, loose insulators striking an aluminum driveshaft), 22V880 (18,808 2017-2018 4x4s, a shifting driveshaft damper), 23V595 (41,555 2023 trucks, a left rear axle shaft that may break) and 26V119 (11,431 2025-2026 trucks, a failing friction weld).
• Steering columns: On 115,539 trucks from 2020-2021, recall 25V626 deals with an upper steering shaft that can separate from the column. 25V163 covers 2025 trucks whose column shifter can come off, leaving no way into Park.
• Diesel fuel pump: 24V957 covers 295,449 2020-2022 trucks. Biodiesel deposits can foul the high-pressure pump's rollers until it fails. The remedy is a PCM and TCM software update.
• Trailers: 26V104, filed February 2026, covers 4,381,878 Ford and Lincoln vehicles, 2022-2026 F-250s among them. The trailer module can drop communication, leaving trailer lights or brakes without function.

NHTSA complaints and recalls by model year

"Fire reported" tallies complaints where the owner marked a fire. A recall spanning a group of years appears once in that row. The right-hand column skips NHTSA's catch-all category.

Repair the truck, or sell it?

Set a written repair quote against what a running F-250 of the same year, engine and mileage brings. If the quote eats most of that, selling the truck unrepaired usually wins. A few checks can change the answer:

1. Open recalls. Enter the VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup. On a 2025 truck, check for 25V401 before it moves at all.
2. Shake on a 2017-2019 4x4. Ask a Ford dealer about program 20N04 before paying for steering parts.
3. Diesel that stalls or won't run. On 1997-2005 trucks, see whether 07V553 or 05V270 was ever done. If the engine itself is gone, the blown engine guide walks through the choice.
4. Newer diesel. Ford's current Power Stroke warranty runs 5 years or 100,000 miles. That is today's term for new trucks; older ones had different terms.

For what moves the number on a dead truck, see what a junk car is worth.

Handing over the F-250 whole

1. Gather the details: VIN, mileage, gas or diesel, 2WD or 4x4, and the problem in a sentence.
2. Ask for an offer online, or call (877) 421-6008.
3. Describe the spot. Gravel pad, barn, curb, mechanic's back lot. A flat tire, a seized axle or a locked column decides which rig gets sent. Pickup is free anywhere in the US.
4. Keep it complete. Leave the catalytic converters, wheels, tailgate and batteries in place. Anything already removed changes the offer, so list it.
5. When the tow rig shows up, the driver needs the signed title, a look at your photo ID, and any keys still around. Plate rules differ by state; after you sell lists them. Lost the title? Read the no-title guide.

Other Ford trucks: the F-150, the F-350 and the Excursion, or every Ford we cover.