2005 Ford F Super Duty: common problems

Owners of the 2005 Ford F Super Duty filed 27 complaints with NHTSA, most often about steering and engine. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 27
involving a crash: 1

What fails most often

1 Steering 37% of all complaints
2 Engine 30% of all complaints
3 Suspension 26% of all complaints
4 Fuel system 19% of all complaints
5 Electrical system 15% of all complaints
6 Fuel/propulsion system 15% of all complaints
7 Vehicle speed control 15% of all complaints
8 Electronic stability control 7% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Steering: 10 complaints (37% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engine: 8 complaints (30% of all).
Suspension: 7 complaints (26% of all).
Fuel system: 5 complaints (19% of all).
Electrical system: 4 complaints (15% of all).

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 27 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

vibration9 · 33%
loss of power / limp mode3 · 11%
steering or power steering problems3 · 11%
won't start2 · 7%
rust, corrosion1 · 4%
infotainment or screen glitches1 · 4%
smoke, burning smell, fire1 · 4%
stalls while driving1 · 4%
warning lights, check engine1 · 4%
windows, sunroof1 · 4%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Steering	10	1
Engine	8	0
Suspension	7	0
Fuel system	5	0
Electrical system	4	0
Fuel/propulsion system	4	0
Vehicle speed control	4	0
Electronic stability control	2	0
Wheels	2	0
Air bags	1	0
Engine and cooling	1	0
Service brakes	1	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 steering box failed, the steering failed causing the operator to lose control and then hitting a snow bank which ultimately cause a roll over.
Steering · crash · 2014-03-07 · NHTSA complaint #10567796
Bumps, pot holes, dips, etc.) at speeds about 40mph or above, the front of the truck shakes very violently, and the steering wheel moves quickly and strongly, alternating rapidly between clockwise and counter-clockwise movements.
Steering · 2018-03-07 · NHTSA complaint #11076611
When cruising at highway speeds and you hit a bump the truck hops and shakes in a dangerous way. I have only gotten letters from ford saying to use the correct tires and psi rating. Which I have and it still happens.
Steering · 2018-02-13 · NHTSA complaint #11072649
While driving on interstate the vehicle turned off and had no steering nor brakes at 70 mph luckily traffic wasn't to bad and I was able to coast to safety put the truck in park restarted the vehicle it took a few times to crank got it started pulled of the interstate as I was turning at the exit the vehicle shut off…
Fuel system · 2016-12-09 · NHTSA complaint #10934033
Start driving down the road and all gauges go dead (no power) radio & cruise control & windows & intagrated brakes all go out. No matter at any speeds. The scary one is when we have our 44 ft sundowner rv combo horse trailer at 70 mph on cruise control and this happens and you have no gauges or trailer brakes, no…
Electrical system · 2015-08-19 · NHTSA complaint #10749884
Air bag deployed out of steering wheel unexpectedly after making a left turn.
Air bags · 2013-12-27 · NHTSA complaint #10557470
No warning lights, no check engine light had ever displayed previously to this incident. Vehicle would not start, towed to local ford dealer. Engine teardown revealed loss of high pressure oil; and ficm failure and glow plug module fault by obd and check engine light that now's continuously illuminated.
Engine · 2013-11-27 · NHTSA complaint #10554042
On 7-11-2012 I noticed a stress crack from spoke to spoke near the alloy wheel out side near tire bead. I was unable to repair this rim and discarded it to recycling center. Purchased a used one from canada costing $500.00 plus shipping.
Wheels · 2013-07-01 · NHTSA complaint #10522600

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

20113
20128
20137
20144
20152
20161
20182

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 7,189 of 36,659 model years in the NHTSA data (top 20% most complained about).

On average one model year of the F Super Duty has 20 complaints (21 years in the data). This year has 27, above average.

What to check before buying

Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
Fuel system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 2005 Ford F Super Duty?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: steering, engine, suspension. Total complaints: 27. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: vibration (33%), loss of power / limp mode (11%), steering or power steering problems (11%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2005 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 2005 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 2005 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.