The Ford F-250 Super Duty is a pickup truck on steroids. On the road, it is very distinguishable because of its enormous size-like Arnold Schwarzenegger who cannot be missed anywhere he stands. But like the good Governor, the F-250 has flaws. Here are the most common complaint reported by owners and car review sites:

Fuel tank

In 2008, Ford recalled more than 64,000 F-250 and F-350 4x4s with diesel engines. The reason for the recall is that the drive shaft does not comply with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Number 301. In an event of a frontal impact with speed above 30mph, the frame cross member may contact the fuel tank and cause a fuel leak. In the presence of a spark, the leaking fuel may cause fire.

Death wobble

Many owners of the Ford F-250 Super Duty trucks complain about death wobble, or front end vibration that happens when the one tire hits a bump in the pavement at high speed-usually between 40 and 50mph. While many vehicles are plagued with this problem-those vehicles equipped with coil spring front suspension with a panhard bar or track bar-Ford's death wobble is nothing less than horrible. This is not exclusive to F-250. The F-150 and the F-350 have been found to suffer from this vibration.

Interior

While this vehicle's exterior looks imposing, the interior, particularly and dashboard is somewhat outdated. Some might like it, but some will find it a little overwrought.

Transmission

Transmission can go out as early as 50,000 miles. This would be fine if it is covered by warranty, but a very expensive repair on the part of the owner if not.

Brakes

The brakes don't really give the right feel that they are properly biting. Drivers experience excessive brake pedal travel. This results to excessive stopping distance. The problem is attributed to the master cylinder malfunction.

Seat belts

This problem is for the first-generation Ford F-250 Super Duty. The seat belt buckles may not completely latch, thus the seat belts may not provide the right restraint in case of a crash. Ford will replace the buckles at no cost.

Ford originally used the name, "Super Duty" in the 60s for its line of heavy duty trucks, and not the Ford F-Series trucks we know today. The "Super Duty" was only given to the F-Series (first to the F-250 and F-350, and later to the Ford F-450 and F-550) after GM and Chrysler copied the term "Heavy Duty," which was the original name of the Ford trucks during the 80s and the early 90s. If you're confused, let's put it this way. During the 80s and the early 90s, all heavy duty Ford trucks were coined as "Heavy Duty." After GM and Chrysler used the term "Heavy Duty" to their trucks, Ford changed theirs to "Super Duty." Now it's clear.

The 2012 Ford F-Series, including the F-250 Super Duty has been rated best-in-class in conventional towing and payload capacity.

The Ford F-250 Super Duty 6.7 L V8 has the lowest NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) compared to other vehicles in its class.

European-made vehicles are named using letters that denote the series and series of digits that describes the approximate size of the engine in liters multiplied by 100 or 10, depending on the rule of the car manufacturer. Such doesn't apply to the Ford F-Series Super Duty Trucks. The Ford F-250 doesn't denote that it has a 2.5 L engine. Instead, Ford uses the "250" digits to denote that it is a three-quarter ton (or 1,500 lbs capacity) truck. Ford F-150 is a half-ton truck. The Ford 350 is a one-ton truck. The Ford 450 is a 1 1/2 ton truck.

The new generation Ford F-250 Super Duty is offered in four trims. All these can be bought either with a 6.2L Flex-Fuel engine or the 6.7L diesel engine. To differentiate which one is the XL, XLT, Lariat, and the King Ranch, you just have to look at the exterior features. The XL's grille is black bar-style. The XLT and the Lariat come in chrome grille. To distinguish these two apart, look at the door handles: XLT has black door handles while the Lariat has body color door handles. Meanwhile, the King Ranch has a body color grille surround with chrome insert.

The Ford F-250 Super Duty is compatible with B20 biodiesel and E85 fuel.

Part of the storied Ford F-Series line of pickup trucks, the Ford F-250 Super Duty pickup straddles the line between the luxurious hauling capabilities of the lighter F-150 and the tough-as-nails reliability of the heavy-duty Ford F-350. Coupled with a respectable fuel mileage and fairly low emissions, the F-250 is an obvious choice for many who want a refined yet highly functional ride. However, despite its benefits, the F-250 has had its share of problems. Some of the more common issues associated with the Ford F-250 Super Duty parts include the following:

Engine

One of the usual problems with the Ford F-250 involve the failure of the idle air control valve (IACV), the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve, and the differential pressure feedback EGR (DPFE) sensor. Some F-250 models with 5.4-liter and 6.8-liter engines have also shown problems with the ignition coils and boots, while trucks equipped with turbodiesel engines often have problems with camshaft position (CMP) sensor failure.

Suspension

Many Ford-F250 trucks have shown signs of shaking and loss of control. Whenever the truck goes into a hard turn or hits a bump, the ABS would kick and render the driver powerless to control the vehicle. There have also been reports of noticeable shimmying when hitting small bumps, ripples, and other irregularities on the road. The source of the problem is commonly isolated to the stock steering dampener of the vehicle; some car owners have resorted to replacing the stock dampeners with aftermarket performance products and have seen significant reduction of vibrations and other steering problems.

Accessories

Another common problem with the F-250 is water damage to the fuse panel under the dash and the generic electronic module (GEM) at the back of the panel that controls the power windows and other related electrical devices in the F-250. The water from the windshield leaks, and this can reach the fuse panel and GEM, damaging these two parts and causing the vehicle to not start.

In some F-250 diesel models, the Drain Water Separator dashboard message would also intermittently turn on and off. The common source of this problem is the buildup of rust in the fuel lines due to contaminated gasoline and a damaged fuel filter. In some cases, the problem is not covered by the vehicle warranty.