1981 Ford F Super Duty Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1981 Ford F Super Duty, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Engine1100.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE SMALL EXHAUST MANIFOLD THERMALLY CONTROLLED VALVE USED TO PREHEAT INTAKE MANIFOLD WHEN COLD FAILED IN THE OPEN POSITION CAUSING SEVERAL ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES PLUS EXHAUST GASSES ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THIS SIX(6) CYLINDER ENGINE RESULTING IN OVERHEATING OF FIREWALL AND PREMATURE FAILURE OF THE ALTERNATOR. EXHAUST NOISE IS EXCESSIVE. VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION IN BILLINGS, MT AT THE MOST RECENT FIRES.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .