2008 Ford F-350 Powertrain & Transmission Problems

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD F-350 SD. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL NOISE FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE WENT INTO LIMP MODE. A LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND ADVISED THE CONTACT TO CALL NHTSA. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 212,425. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

EXCESSIVE WHITE SMOKE OUT OF EXHAUST, ESPECIALLY WITH ACCELERATION. SMOKE HAS A FOUL ODOR ALSO. CAN HEAR A KNOCKING SOUND IN ENGINE ON DECELERATION (SIMILAR TO BAD WHEEL BEARING HUMS), ONLY DOES IT IF TURBO IS OVER 150-200 PSI, BUT WILL DO IT EVERY SINGLE TIME. 'DRIVE TO CLEAN EXHAUST' DISPLAYED ON DASH. COMPLETED RECOMMENDED DRIVE CYCLE (OVER 30MPH FOR AT LEAST 20 MINUTES, I DROVE FOR 45 MINS) AND MESSAGE STILL APPEARS. "WRENCH" SYMBOL DISPLAYED ON DASH. PER OWNER'S GUIDE THE RTT DISPLAYS WHEN ENGINE HAS DEFAULTED TO "LIMP-HOME" OPERATION OR WHEN TRANSMISSION PROBLEM HAS BEEN DETECTED.. THE LIGHT COMES ON EVERY TIME VEHICLE IS DRIVING NOW, AND STAYS ON ENTIRE TIME.

I NOTICED A PLUM OF WHITE SMOKE OUT THE TAIL PIPE. THAT INDICATED STEAM, WATER IN THE SYSTEM TO ME. ALL THE GAUGES WERE NORMAL AND I STOPPED THE VEHICLE AND CHECKED THE FLUID LEVELS. NO OBVIOUS PROBLEM. I CALLED MY LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP AND THEY COULD NOT GET IT IN FOR 36 HOURS. I DROVE IT .4 MILES HOME AND PARKED IT. AT THE APPOINTED TIME I DROVE TO NORTH COUNTRY FORD. IT TOOK THEM ANOTHER DAY TO FIND THE DIESEL MECHANIC WHO COULD WORK ON THE VEHICLE. 24 HOURS LATER I AM TOLD THE ENGINE IS BLOWN; FLUID GOT INTO THE MANIFOLD AND WAS SUCKED INTO THE # 3 CYLINDER. DEPENDING ON THE AMOUNT OF PARTS THAT COULD BE SALVAGED THE COST OF REPLACEMENT COULD EXCEED $ 12,000. THIS VEHICLE HAS 95,000 MILES ON IT. IT HAS HAD TOW OTHER INCIDENTS WITH THE ENGINE AND DRIVE TRAIN: IN DECEMBER OF LAST YEAR, IN PREPARATION FOR A TRIP TO ARIZONA I HAD THE TRANSMISSION SERVICED. ABOUT 1400 MILES LATER THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO SLIP WHEN WE ENCOUNTERED ANY HILLS OR MOUNTAINS. I PARKED THE TRAILER AND TOOK THE TUCK TO CASSA FORD. THEY HAD THE TRUCK FOR 4 DAYS AND $ 1600.00 WORTH OF REPAIRS. I ASKED IF ANYTHING DONE AT THE TIME IT WAS SERVICE OR THE DRIVING FROM THE FIRST SIGN OF TROUBLE HAD CAUSED OR EXACERBATED THE PROBLEM. THEY SAID NO, IT WAS A PUMP PROBLEM. IN 2011, IT BEGAN TO BLOW BLACK SMOKE OUT THE TAILPIPE; THE DASH SCREEN INDICATED IT WAS CLEANING THE EXHAUST. WITHIN 5 MINUTES THE ENGINE SPUTTERED AND DIED. I CALLED FORD I WAS TOLD TO WAIT AN HOUR AND TRY TO RESTART THE VEHICLE; GIVE THE ENGINE AN OPPORTUNITY TO 'RE-SET' ITSELF. THAT DIDN'T WORK! A TOW WAS SENT AND THE VEHICLE TOWED TO NELSON FORD DEALER IN FERGUS FALLS, MINNESOTA. IT WAS A FAILED EGR VALVE. THE REPAIR WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY.

FORD F350 WITH 6.4L DIESEL HAD CHECK ENGINE LIGHT (CEL) ILLUMINATE WHILE DRIVING. ENGINE IMMEDIATELY SLOWED TO IDLE (800RPM) AND WOULD NOT RESPOND TO THROTTLE INPUTS. WAS NOT ABLE TO CLEAR ROADWAY AND BLOCKED TRAFFIC ON BUSY URBAN ROAD. DEALER WAS "NOT ABLE TO FIND ANYTHING WRONG", YET "PERFORMED CALIBRATION UPDATE ON PCM". I WAS INFORMED "THIS NEEDS TO BE DONE AS VEHICLE AGES AND SENSORS WEAR." REVIEWED OWNERS MANUAL AND DID NOT LOCATED MAINTENANCE INTERVAL FOR "CALIBRATION UPDATES TO PCM." I AM CERTAIN THIS IS AN INHERENT PCM SOFTWARE CODE ERROR LEADING TO COMPLETE LOSS OF ENGINE OPERATION. A DANGEROUS SITUATION ON CONGESTED ROADWAYS. *TR

ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS, WHEN VEHICLE IS STOPPED, WITH BRAKE DEPRESSED, THE ENGINE REVS UP AND VEHICLE WANTS TO ACCELERATE FORWARD AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. THE ONLY WAY TO STOP THE ACCELERATION IS TO GET THE VEHICLE TRANSITIONED IN TO PARK AND CUT THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO THREE DEALERS, WHOM ARE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE AND CORRECT THE PROBLEM. FORD HAS NOT BEEN RESPONSIVE. VEHICLE IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. *TR

I HAVE A 2008 350 SUPER DUTY FORD TRUCK. I HAVE ABOUT 35,000 MILES ON THE TRUCK AND IN THOSE MILES I HAVE HAD ABOUT A DOZEN INCIDENTS WHERE THE TRUCKS AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION DID NOT START FROM A DEAD STOP IN 1ST. GEAR. IN STEAD IT MUST HAVE STARTED IN 3RD. OR 4TH GEAR RESULTING IN WHAT WOULD BE A VERY UNDERPOWERED START. I WOULD PRESS THE ACCELERATOR TO THE FLOOR WHICH WOULD RESULT IN THE TRANSMISSION DOWN SHIFTING AND THE WHEELS SPINNING EVEN WHEN PULLING A 5TH WHEEL TRAILER. TWICE, WHILE EMPTY, I NEARLY HAD AN ACCIDENT WHEN I NEEDED A RAPID RESPONSE TO ENTER TRAFFIC. THE LAST TIME THIS HAPPENED WAS 8/25/2010. WHEN I HAVE TAKEN THIS COMPLAINT TO A FORD DEALERSHIP, THEY SAY THEY CAN NOT FIND ANY CODES, HOWEVER THE LAST TIME THE DEALER DID A COMPUTER UPDATE ON THE TRUCK AND THAT WAS ABOUT 10 MONTHS AGO AND I THOUGHT THE PROBLEM WAS SOLVED. I MET ANOTHER PERSON WITH THE SAME POWER TRAIN AS MINE WHO HAD THE SAME PROBLEM, FINALLY HIS TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE YOU INVESTIGATE THIS ISSUE, IT MAY SAVE A LIFE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD F-350. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE SHOOK VIOLENTLY AFTER GOING OVER A SPEED BUMP. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO BEACH FORD LOCATED AT (2717 VIRGINIA BEACH BLVD, VIRGINIA BEACH, VA 23452) HOWEVER, THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THE FAILURE WAS KNOWN AS THE DEATH WOBBLE. AN UNKNOWN REPAIR WAS PERFORMED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO BEACH FORD TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE TURBO CHARGER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 20,000.

TRUCK CAUGHT ON FIRE WHILE DRIVEING DOWN RAOD

I WAS NOTIFIED BY FORD THAT MY 2008 F-350 6.4 DIESEL PICKUP HAD TWO RECALL NOTICES TO BE PERFORMED. ON 1.29.08 I TOOK THE TRUCK TO CAPISTRANO FORD AND THEY PERFORMED RECALL 08B06 AND RECALL 08B07. SINCE THEN THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION HAS NOT PERFORMED THE SAME. I PULL A FIFTH WHEEL TRAILER. THE DRY WEIGHT OF THE TRAILER IS ABOUT 9000LBS. WHEN GOING DOWNHILL THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION NO LONGER DOWNSHIFTS TO ASSIST IN BRAKING AND DOWNHILL SPEED CONTROL. THE TRANSMISSION IS EQUIPPED WITH A TOW/ HAUL SETTING ON THE END OF THE SHIFT LEVER. BEFORE THE RECALL THIS FEATURE WORKED GREAT. AS YOU START DOWN A HILL, TAKING YOUR FOOT OFF THE GAS THE TRUCK WILL COAST AND THEN BEGIN TO PICK UP SPEED. WHEN THE TRANSMISSION SENSED THE INCREASE IN SPEED WHILE COASTING, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD AUTOMATICALLY DOWNSHIFT. IT WOULD DO THIS AT ANY SPEED. AFTER THE RECALL, THE TRANSMISSION WILL NOT DOWNSHIFT UNTIL LONG AFTER IT HAS ANY AFFECT ON BRAKING OR SPEED CONTROL. WHILE BRAKING, SOMETIMES HARD IF IT IS A STEEP HILL, THE TRANSMISSION WILL DOWNSHIFT AND THE TRUCK WILL SHUTTER. IT IS A SHORT BURST THAT IS VERY NOTICEABLE AND OBVIOUSLY NOT NORMAL.THE SHUTTER NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE THE RECALL. I HAVE TAKEN IN BACK TO FORD TWICE AND THEY SAY THAT THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE (TCM) WAS REPROGRAMMED AS PART OF RECALL 08B07 BUT THEY CAN NOT CHANGE IT BACK TO THE ORIGINAL PROGRAM. IN SHORT, FORD WILL NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS. THE OPERATIONAL SAFETY OF THE VEHICLE, WHILE TOWING LOADS THAT THE TRUCK IS DESIGNED TO TOW, HAS BEEN COMPROMISED. FORD SAYS THEY CAN NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. IS ANYONE ELSE HAVING THIS PROBLEM? ACCORDING TO FORD THIS COMPLAINT HAS NOT BEEN MADE. IF I'M THE ONLY ONE HAVING THE PROBLEM, THEN FORD SHOULD FIX MY TRUCK. *TR

WHEN TRUCK GOES INTO REGENERATION MODE(ON DRIVE OR REVERSE) IT IS SOMETIMES VERY HARD TO KEEP IT UNDER CONTROL...IT WANTS TO ACCELERATE--- NORMALLY IT GOES UP TO 1200 TO 1300 RPM BUT ON 2 OR 3 TIMES ITS GONE UP TO 1500, 1 TIME IT WENT UP TO 2300 RPM ( THAT'S NOT SAVE )--------2 TIMES ENGINE LOST POWER WHILE DRIVING AT 65-70 MPH...TRUCK MAKES A LOUD METAL TO METAL NOISE WHEN YOU GO FROM DRIVE TO REVERSE AND WHEN YOU START MOVING... *TR