2010 Ford F-250: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2010 Ford F-250
On the 2010 Ford F-250, the failure owners report most often is other steering problem, and the reports cluster around 85,000 miles. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 80,000 miles. Overall it scores 62 out of 100, high risk for a 2010.
High risk for a 2010 — 268th riskiest of the 275 2010 vehicles we can rate. 109 owner reports; fleet size borrowed from other years of the same model.
What owners report breaking
Owners have reported 25 named failure modes on the 2010 Ford F-250, and the three most-reported carry 57% of everything filed.
Other steering problem leads with 28 reports, about 0.6 per 1,000 vehicles and with the middle half of reports between 54k to 105,000 miles.
Other suspension problem follows with 28 reports, usually reported between 51k to 110,000 miles.
Other wheel or tire problem follows with 6 reports, median 40,000 miles.
By system, the reports fall mostly into steering (31), suspension (31) and fuel (9).
At what mileage it happens
80 of the reports on the 2010 Ford F-250 came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 80,000 miles.
Cumulatively, 30% by 50,000 miles, 73% by 100,000 miles and 91% by 150,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed.
The busiest stretch is between 90,000 and 100,000 miles, which alone holds 13% of the dated reports.
21% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
Showing the 12 most-reported failure modes of 25. The full list is in the table below.
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
- Dashed the median reported mileage
How bad it is when it goes
Across the named modes, 1 mentions a crash, 3 a fire and 2 an injury. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 3.82, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: other steering problem at $350–$2,400, other suspension problem at $350–$2,000, other wheel or tire problem at $200–$1,500 and differential or transfer case failure at $900–$4,200. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
10% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other steering problem | steering | 28 | 18 | 54k | 86k | 103k | 0.6 | $350–$2,400 | High |
| Other suspension problem | suspension | 28 | 20 | 51k | 86k | 110k | 0.6 | $350–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other wheel or tire problem | wheels | 6 | 5 | — | 38k | — | 0.1 | $200–$1,500 | High |
| Differential or transfer case failure | drivetrain | 3 | 3 | — | 64k | — | 0.1 | $900–$4,200 | High |
| Fuel tank, filler or EVAP failure | fuel | 3 | 3 | — | 138k | — | 0.1 | $250–$1,800 | Moderate |
| Steering rack, gear or tie rod failure | steering | 3 | 1 | — | 85k | — | 0.1 | $700–$2,600 | High |
| Control arm, ball joint or bushing failure | suspension | 3 | 3 | — | 91k | — | 0.1 | $400–$2,200 | High |
| Other engine problem | engine | 3 | 2 | — | 22k | — | 0.1 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Other powertrain problem | transmission | 3 | 3 | — | 32k | — | 0.1 | $400–$4,500 | High |
| Other speed control problem | adas | 3 | 3 | — | 60k | — | 0.1 | $250–$2,000 | Critical |
| Fuel pump failure | fuel | 2 | 2 | — | 128k | — | 0.0 | $600–$2,600 | High |
| Other electrical problem | electrical | 2 | 2 | — | 7k | — | 0.0 | $250–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other fuel system problem | fuel | 2 | 2 | — | 85k | — | 0.0 | $300–$2,200 | High |
| Electrical fire or melted wiring | electrical | 1 | 1 | — | 69k | — | 0.0 | $1,500–$9,000 | Critical |
| Piston, ring or cylinder wall damage | engine | 1 | 1 | — | 133k | — | 0.0 | $3,000–$9,500 | Critical |
| Radiator or coolant leak | cooling | 1 | 1 | — | 129k | — | 0.0 | $350–$1,900 | High |
| Fuel injector failure | fuel | 1 | 1 | — | 80k | — | 0.0 | $450–$2,800 | Moderate |
| Fuel gauge or level sensor failure | fuel | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $300–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Alternator or charging system failure | electrical | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $450–$1,600 | High |
| Ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure | electrical | 1 | 1 | — | 40k | — | 0.0 | $250–$1,500 | High |
| ABS module or sensor failure | brakes | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $500–$2,400 | High |
| Tire blowout or tread separation | wheels | 1 | 1 | — | 26k | — | 0.0 | $200–$1,500 | Critical |
| Catalytic converter failure | emissions | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $900–$3,500 | Moderate |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Other body or interior problem | body | 1 | 1 | — | 66k | — | 0.0 | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Unclassified problem | other | 8 | 6 | — | 49k | — | 0.2 | — | Moderate |
This year had no usable recall paperwork, so the fleet-size estimate is the median of other years of the same model. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
How often, against how many were built
Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2010 Ford F-250 draws about 2.5 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 85th percentile of complaint rates among 2010 vehicles we can rate.
That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. This year had no usable recall paperwork, so the fleet-size estimate is the median of other years of the same model.
The working figure is 43,996 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2010 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Other steering problem
I just bought this vehicle and was driving the highway at 65 MPH. I went over the expansion joint on a bridge and lost control of the vehicle. It jumped into the next lane. Thank god no one was in the other lane and no one got hurt. My family and others could have been killed. The dealership said the steering damper was bad. I'm sorry but a bad steering damper when you are traveling 65 MPH over a small bump should not make your vehicle jump into the next lane and loose control. This must be fixed by ford. I am reading that other people have had to have all of the front end parts replaced and then the problem returns again. What is the NHTSA doing about this? Do not have VIN at this time my truck is at the dealers. *tr
While driving on crowded interstate hwy. Vehicle makes contact with a expansion joint and truck goes into severe wobble and shaking. Had to brake speed in moving traffic to almost a complete stop to cure wobble. Very dangerous and scary. Luckily drivers were courteous enough to let me get it under control without running into my rear and causing a pile up. Have had vehicle in repair shop to inspect with no identifiable solution. Now have a fear of returning back home the 500 miles. Wife is paranoid and fearful. This is the third occurrence in the last year. Manufacturers need to find a fix for this or serious injury could occur. *js
Other suspension problem
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 ford f-250 diesel. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle would start shaking violently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. As a precaution, the dealer replaced the dual shocks and tires. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure persisted. The failure mileage was 30,000 and the current mileage was 46,000.
About 6 months after the purchase of my 2010 ford f250 king ranch 4x4 my truck began to have serious shimming in the front in when I would hit bumps on highways. This schim is listed as the death wobble on many websites. I have had the front end repaired 3 times and going on the fourth time today when I took the truck in for service. I spoke to my service manager and asked if he knew of a permanent fix and he spoke to the shop foreman and advised me they can only fix this problem tempoarily. This last time this happened I was pulling my 35 foot travel trailer and almost rolled my truck with my family in the vehicle. This is a very serious and dangerous issue and I am having trouble understanding why a major safety recall has not been filed. You can google f250 death wobble and you will see tons of websites with information about this and complaints that ford has no fix for this issue. I think if ford can not fix a major safety issue like this then they should replace these trucks with new ones. It seems to be the year 2008-2010 with the major issues. Every friend I know that owns one of these trucks has said they have the same…
Other wheel or tire problem
At various speeds, the front end begins shaking violently like you have just blown a tire. When you slow down it settles back. This problem was checked by an ase mechanic and suggested I balance my tires. After doing so, the problem still occurs.
While driving my 2010 ford f250 super duty on the highway I drove over a bump in the road. The truck began to shake violently. It felt like it was going to fall apart while still in motion. I tried to hit the brake but that seemed to exacerbate the problem. I tried to adjust the steering wheel in hopes to align some defunct component. Nothing seemed to help except to let off the gas and attempt to control the vehicle and avoid a potential fatal accident. This really was a frightening event, it was all I could do to maintain a safe distance around me so not to collide with other drivers.
How it ranks in the 2010 field
The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.
Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.
- Left fewer and less serious reports
- Right more, or worse
- Marker this vehicle
Better and worse years of the same car
High risk for a 2010 — 268th riskiest of the 275 2010 vehicles we can rate. Because the ranking is against the same model year only, age cancels out of it.
Across the 19 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 1998 comes out best at 58 and 2004 worst at 80, with 2010 itself at 62.
If the model year is negotiable, 1998, 2009, 1997 and 2014 score lower than 2010 by a margin worth acting on. Same body, same engines, different luck — usually a supplier change or a mid-cycle fix, which the complaint data can show but never explain.
Within the 2008–2014 generation specifically, 2009 is the strongest year at 58 and 2011 the weakest at 71.
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Within the 2008-2014 generation, 2009 Ford F-250 scores best at 58 and 2011 Ford F-250 worst at 71.
What to look at before buying one
The mileages below are where the first quarter of reports for each mode had already been filed, which makes them the point at which a fault is worth looking for rather than the point at which it happens: other suspension problem from about 51k and other steering problem from about 54k.
On a 2010 Ford F-250 with more miles than that on it, the useful question to put to a seller or a mechanic is whether other suspension problem has been dealt with, and if so with what parts and at whose expense. A car that has already had the repair is in a different position from one that has not.
Treat it as where to point the inspection, not as a prediction. A well-maintained example can sail past every mileage on this page, and a neglected one can fail well before the first of them.
What this page cannot tell you
109 owner reports; fleet size borrowed from other years of the same model. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 109 reports, 80 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 73% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
The failure modes are assigned by software reading the owner's own words, which is accurate in bulk and wrong in individual cases. A mode with a handful of reports may contain a misfiled one.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 2010 Ford F-250?
The most-reported failures are other steering problem (28 reports, median 85,000 miles), other suspension problem (28 reports, median 85,000 miles) and other wheel or tire problem (6 reports, median 40,000 miles). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
At what mileage do 2010 Ford F-250 problems start?
Other steering problem is the earliest failure mode to show up, with a median reported mileage of 85,000 miles and a quarter of reports before 55,000 miles. Across all failure modes on this year, the median report sits at 80,000 miles.
Is the 2010 Ford F-250 reliable?
It scores 62 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 268th riskiest of the 275 2010 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2010 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.
Which year of the Ford F-250 is best?
Within the 2008–2014 generation, 2009 scores best at 58 out of 100 and 2011 worst at 71. Same body, same engines, different luck.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed