2019 Ford F-550 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Structure:body (3) · Steering (2) · Fuel/Propulsion System (2)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Ford F-550 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (4)
Seats:mid/Rear Assembly 2019-08-28 · campaign 19V633000 · 639,137 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 F-150 and 2019-2020 F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 Super Duty pickup trucks, and 2018-2019 Ford Explorer, 2019-2020 Expedition, and 2020 Escape vehicles equipped with driver and/or passenger's manual front seat back recliner mechanisms. Also included are certain 2020 Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator vehicles equipped with rear outboard seats and manual seat back recliner mechanisms. The recliner mechanisms may be missing the third pawl
Risk: A seat back with an improperly assembled recliner mechanism may have reduced strength and may not adequately restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and Ford and Lincoln dealers will inspect the seat structure and replace them, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 21, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19C07.
Equipment 2019-05-29 · campaign 19V398000 · 13 vehicles
Defect: LGE Coachworks, Inc. (LGE Coachworks) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Ford E-450, F-550, and Freightliner M2-based vehicles equipped with ASA Electronics Voyager back-up camera displays. The displays may unexpectedly revert back to the factory default settings which may cause the camera image to be reversed.
Risk: The driver may inadvertently turn the wrong direction to avoid an object behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: ASA will notify LGE Coachworks owners, and dealers will replace the displays, free of charge. The recall began May 9, 2019. Owners may contact ASA customer service at 1-800-384-4400 or LGE Coachworks at 1-800-209-3985.
Exterior Lighting:brake Lights 2019-03-22 · campaign 19V226000 · 8 vehicles
Defect: Watts Manufacturing, LLC (Watts Manufacturing) is recalling certain 2019 First responder vehicles built on Ford F-550 chassis and equipped with Whelen brake lights. Depending on the specific wiring of the vehicle, these brake lights may illuminate when the brake pedal has not been pressed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Risk: If the brake lights incorrectly illuminate, it can confuse other drivers, possibly increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Watts Manufacturing will notify owners and Whelen dealers will replace the brake lights, free of charge. The recall began March 19, 2019. Owners may contact Watts Manufacturing customer service at 1-785-404-6003.
Engine 2018-12-18 · campaign 18V894000 · 410,289 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Ford F-150 and 2017-2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty, F-350 Super Duty, F-450 Super Duty, and F-550 Super Duty pick-up trucks equipped with an engine block heater. Water and contaminants may get into the block heater cable's splice connector causing corrosion and damage.
Risk: When the heater is plugged in, prolonged corrosion could cause a resistive short, increasing the risk of overheated or melted wiring which can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will disable the block heater cable, free of charge. Once parts are available, Dealers will replace the engine block heater cable, free of charge. The recall began June 3, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S45.
Service bulletins (15)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-06-23 · 25N10S1 · Other
certain 2017-2025 f-450 – f-600 chassis cab upfitted with an aerial bucket frame rail crack
Unknown Or Other 2024-08-07 · SSM 52787 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2017-2020 f-150 and 2017-2019 f-super duty vehicles may not successfully complete the transmission characterization/solenoid idn procedure using the integrated diagnostic system (ids) scan tool. this may be due to the ids not being at the latest software level
Equipment:other:owners/Service/Other Manual 2023-06-08 · SAN-Vol1 I1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the service awareness newsletter is an informal communication that contains information that may not be presently available in a tsb, ssm, gsb, or other electronic communication. this article includes information on warranty, technical service tips and other service information.
Power Train 2023-05-03 · 20N04 S2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certain 2017-2019 my f250/f350 and all f450/550 vehicles steering linage damper replacement. reason for this supplement: updated program terms, includes new mobile service repair assessment and updated owner letters with revised program terms.
Structure:frame And Members 2022-09-19 · 21B04 S4 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certain 2017 through 2020 model year f550 equipped with payload plus upgrade package frame rail crack program terms: program will be extended for an additional year; urgency/expiration date: program will be extended for an additional year owner refunds: refunds have been extended to december 31,
Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module:software 2021-10-22 · TSB 21-2367 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2018-2019 f-super duty vehicles equipped with a 6.7l engine may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (mil) with diagnostic trouble codes (dtc) p2459, p245a and/or p259f stored in the powertrain control module (pcm). this may be due to the pcm software. to correct the condition, fol
Showing the 6 most recent of 15 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-08-18 · Steering · 116,563 mi“the complaint was filed on behalf of the contact's employer. the contact's employer owns a 2019 ford f-550. the contact stated that while the driver was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was swerving from side to side. no warning lights were illuminated. the vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road. the vehicle was taken to the dea…”
2025-08-12 · Power Train · 100,000 mi“the contact owns a 2019 ford f-550. the contact stated that upon noticing an abnormal burning odor, the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the wiring underneath the driver's side of the dashboard was replaced; however, the failure recurred. the mechanic replaced the wiring a second time; however, the failure persisted. the power tr…”
2025-07-10 · Fuel/Propulsion System · 🔥 fire“while driving down the road a passerby got our drivers attention to tell them the truck was on fire. when he pulled over and got out the truck went up in flames fast from under the hood. due to the heavy damage we are unsure where the fire started. it has not been inspected by anyone yet. it was towed to our shop. the driver reported there was…”
2025-01-13 · Engine · 53,000 mi · 🔥 fire“the contact owned a 2019 ford f-550. the contact stated while the vehicle was parked, turned on, and unoccupied, there was smoke coming from the vehicle. the contact stated that the front of the engine compartment had caught fire. the vehicle was extinguished by the fire department. a fire report was filed however, the cause for the failure was no…”
2024-11-14 · Fuel/Propulsion System · 🔥 fire“a clogged fuel filter caused an engine fire. there were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms prior to the failure. the fuel filter has been known to be problematic for these trucks, in yet there has been no recall. a simple google search shows these fires are common. the vehicle has been in for service at the dealership many times but no on…”
2024-10-17 · Structure:body“purchased truck used and discovered frame was cracked shortly after i had taken it in to ford several times because alignment wouldn’t keep vehicle from feeling bouncy (hopping) going down the road. at no point did anyone tell me of a customer satisfaction program that was in place for my vehicle for a frame repair/replacement. instead they strung …”
2024-07-31 · Structure · 130,000 mi“the contact owns a 2019 ford f-550. the contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal sound coming from the subframe. the contact stated that the failure recurred increasingly while driving on a bumpy road surface. the contact stated that while inspecting the frame, he noticed that the frame rail behind the cab was fractured…”
2024-06-04 · Engine“our company has been proactively replacing some of the older fuel filters in our fleet as part of a safety campaign. a fuel filter on vin [xxx] was replaced yesterday (xxx) with a ford motocraft filter. today (xxx), the operator was driving the unit when they started to smell smoke in the cab. by the time they pulled over, the cab had smoke insi…”
2023-06-14 · Structure:body“the contact's company owns a 2019 ford f-550. the contact stated while the vehicle was stationary, an employee noticed that the cab and chassis was in a v-shape. the contact stated that a mechanic arrived at the location; upon inspection, the mechanic stated that the frame rail was fractured. the vehicle was not drivable. the contact spoke to the l…”
2023-06-14 · Structure:body“the contact's company owns a 2019 ford f-550. the contact stated that the vehicle was inspected by a mechanic, and the contact was informed that the frame rail was fractured. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. a dealer was not contacted. the manufacturer had been informed of the failure. the failure mileage was unknown.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.