Table 1 shows three common electrical system related problems of the 2008 Ford F-450.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Car Will Not Start problems | |
| Electrical System problems | |
| Integrated Trailer Brake Control problems |
Vehicle lost complete power while driving on interstate at cruising speed. There were absolutely no warnings, the engine just quit, disabling the vehicle in high speed traffic. The dealer repair was to replace wiring harness for high pressure fuel pump due to wires shorting the engine after the insulation was chafed by internal contact with other engine parts, which was a known issue with this engine for builds prior to August 20, 2007, according to a Ford TSB: 07-26-2. This part is completely internal and not subject to inspection until failure. My family and I were extremely fortunate that we were able to get safely to the shoulder of the interstate with many semi's and cars around us when the failure occurred. Also, since engine wouldn't start at all, we were subjected to extreme cold weather conditions while waiting for tow vehicle, over 2 hours. This is a potential life-threatening defect!! losing all power in seconds without warning in high-speed traffic is unacceptable, Ford!.
Injectors turbo exhaust and alot more problems, been towed 6 times been to the dealer over 30 times went through lemon law didn't qualify vehicle to heavy.
In 2007 I purchased a 2008 Ford F-450 . . It includes a Ford brake control system. I own a 5th wheel RV trailer with dexter electric over hydraulic disc brakes. I traded in a 2006 Ford f-350 truck with a Ford brake controller and with which I had towed the trailer over 20,000 miles with no braking difficulty. Recently we encountered some brake controller issues including erroneous dashboard display messages. I have learned from other purchasers of a 2008 Ford F-450 who were also towing RV trailers that they were experiencing issues. We began to develop erratic braking performance as we were braking to a stop. The brake controller was rapidly sending and stopping sending voltage to the trailer brake system repeatedly, causing us to nearly hit vehicles in front of us or surge into traffic. . A Ford dealer. Service tech's did some checking- I was told that everything was working correctly. I contacted dexter axle company and spoke to a dexter engineer. He was familiar with braking problems associated with the F-450. He was in contact with Ford to discuss the issues. He said that Ford has agreed that it has a "quality issue" the controller is not compatible with electric over hydraulic braking systems. Ford did not tell him of any plans to correct the issue I then learned from a Ford dealer service tech. That they were aware of the problem but that there is nothing they can do to fix it. Ford's customer care center said they were unaware of any such problems but consulted with a Ford "rep" who did confirm that there is a problem but that Ford has not issued any advice to its dealers about the problem, has not issued any sort of recall, and suggests that I purchase and have installed an aftermarket trailer brake control system to "replace" Ford's own system. Ford would not be willing to reimburse me the cost of their suggested repair. Ford assigned a case number to my complaint and it is 1506491018.