AI Damage1999 Ford F Super Duty: common problems
Owners of the 1999 Ford F Super Duty filed 93 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and tires. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 93
- involving a crash
- 6
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 24% of all complaints
- 2 Tires 18% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 17% of all complaints
- 4 Engine and cooling 13% of all complaints
- 5 Electrical system 8% of all complaints
- 6 Fuel system 6% of all complaints
- 7 Exterior lighting 4% of all complaints
- 8 Parking brake 4% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 22 complaints (24% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Tires: 17 complaints (18% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 16 complaints (17% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 12 complaints (13% of all).
- Electrical system: 7 complaints (8% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 93 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | 22 | 2 | 0 |
| Tires | 17 | 2 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 16 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Parking brake | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
The accident occurred april 20th,on my driveway due to a failure with the power steering / brake assist pump. The truck was totaled and my wife sustained a severe neck strain and missed five weeks of work. We reported the accident to ford the week of april 22.
I was driving east bound on riverside drive felt a little shake and it went away with in a few seconds the tire tread came off and was beating the wheel well of my truck and then it blew after the tread separation and locked the front tire up and pulled me into oncoming traffic where I side swiped a van coming at me…
With parking brake fully set to the floor, truck rolled down boat launch smashing boat trailer into dock. With parking brake completely set to floor, on level ground, driver accidently left vehicle in drive and exited with motor running. Truck rolled forward nearly running over driver.
1999.5 ford-f350 diesel steering sector shaft snapped. Driving down highway, steering wheel was off 1/4 turn. In parking lot, shaft snapped and steering wheel spun freely without any wheel movement. Looks like there was an investigation, action # ea01009 (sector shaft fractures) but no recall.
Fuel tank straps rusting front and rear.....the rear strap broke allowing fuel tank to drop.
The rear support strap had failed from corrosion. The front strap was still intact but severely corroded as well. Fuel lines into the top of the tank were severed due to the strap failure. Vehicle was purchased new and is lightly used, thus the low mileage for the year of the vehicle.
It cost me $520.00 to have it towed and repaired. The second time the plug blow (2007), it cost me $620.00 to have it towed and repaired. Yesterday (06/02/2012), it cost me $740.00 to have it towed and repaired.
Ford f-250 super duty pick up truck caught fire while sitting in the garage. Insurance vehicle arson investigator determined cruise control switch component was source of ignition in fire. Half my house burned down as a result of fire.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 3,735 of 36,659 model years in the NHTSA data (top 10% most complained about).
On average one model year of the F Super Duty has 20 complaints (21 years in the data). This year has 93, above average.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Other years of this model
- F Super Duty 19928 sources
- F Super Duty 19933 sources
- F Super Duty 199420 sources
- F Super Duty 199512 sources
- F Super Duty 19968 sources
- F Super Duty 199724 sources
- F Super Duty 199814 sources
- F Super Duty 200063 sources
- F Super Duty 200132 sources
- F Super Duty 200234 sources
- F Super Duty 200327 sources
- F Super Duty 200414 sources
- F Super Duty 200527 sources
- F Super Duty 200831 sources
- F Super Duty 99994 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1999 Ford F Super Duty?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, tires, powertrain. Total complaints: 93. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: tires: bulges, blowouts (13%), smoke, burning smell, fire (6%), vibration (6%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1999 Ford F Super Duty?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1999 Ford F Super Duty from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1999 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-06.