Selling a junk Ford F-250
Any F-250 sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.
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What owners report about the Ford F-250
NHTSA has 5,084 owner complaints on file for the Ford F-250, model years 1995 to 2022, the 89th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are steering (825, 16%), suspension (778, 15%), tires (487, 10%). 253 complaints involved a crash, 198 a fire, and 72 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 81,000 miles. The 1999 model year has the most complaints (702). Data as of 2026-10-12.
When the top complaint is steering, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to deciding whether to repair or junk: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.
Ford F-250 by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 238 | Brakes | 12 | 20 | 4 | 130,000 |
| 1996 | 212 | Tires | 11 | 25 | 5 | 125,000 |
| 1997 | 348 | Tires | 21 | 20 | 14 | 114,000 |
| 1998 | 76 | Brakes | 2 | 1 | 9 | 114,500 |
| 1999 | 702 | Tires | 61 | 17 | 19 | 94,000 |
| 2000 | 417 | Tires | 39 | 15 | 10 | 79,000 |
| 2001 | 269 | Tires | 20 | 32 | 9 | 67,000 |
| 2002 | 189 | Engine and cooling | 15 | 13 | 7 | 89,000 |
| 2003 | 151 | Engine and cooling | 7 | 10 | 7 | 92,500 |
| 2004 | 202 | Engine and cooling | 12 | 4 | 7 | 67,125 |
| 2005 | 207 | Steering | 4 | 4 | 1 | 65,000 |
| 2006 | 332 | Suspension | 14 | 8 | 3 | 64,250 |
| 2007 | 84 | Steering | 3 | 0 | 4 | 42,000 |
| 2008 | 256 | Steering | 12 | 6 | 6 | 77,000 |
| 2009 | 92 | Steering | 0 | 1 | 1 | 69,000 |
| 2010 | 109 | Steering | 2 | 3 | 0 | 85,000 |
| 2011 | 384 | Suspension | 8 | 6 | 2 | 75,000 |
| 2012 | 423 | Suspension | 5 | 8 | 1 | 83,404 |
| 2013 | 153 | Suspension | 2 | 2 | 0 | 82,750 |
| 2014 | 236 | Suspension | 3 | 3 | 0 | 83,154 |
| 2015 | 1 | Suspension | 0 | 0 | 2 | — |
| 2022 | 3 | Fuel system | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.
Ford F-250 recalls
NHTSA lists 51 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for fuel system (8), lights (6), tires (5). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.
- 2015 model year, driver assistance (campaign 25V270000, Apr 2025): Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015 F-250, F-350, F-450, Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, and MKC vehicles. The rearview camera printed circuit board terminal header connector may be loose or damaged, which…
- 2015 model year, equipment (campaign 19V401000, May 2019): VCI Emergency Vehicle Specialists (VCI) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Ford F-550, 2014 E-350 and E-450, 2015 F-250 and F-450, 2016 E-450, 2017 E-350, F-450 and E-450, 2018 F-350, 2010 E-450, 2005-2006 E-450, 2009 E-450 …
- 2007 model year, seats (campaign 19V238000, Mar 2019): Vantage Mobility International, LLC (Vantage) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford Transit Van, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, and 2007 Ford F-250-based shuttle vehicles equipped with Freedman GO-3S foldaway seats. When the back…
- 2012 model year, transmission and drivetrain (campaign 11V582000, Dec 2011): FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 F-150 VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 9, 2011, THROUGH SEPTEMBER 22, 2011, AND MODEL YEAR 2012 F-250, F-350, F-450 AND F-550 HEAVY DUTY VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER …
- 1997 model year, fuel system (campaign 11V385000, Jul 2011): FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN 1997 THROUGH 2003 MODEL YEAR FORD F-150, 2004 MODEL YEAR FORD F-150 HERITAGE, 1997 THROUGH 1999 MODEL YEAR F-250 LESS THAN 8,500 LBS. GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT RATING (GVWR), AND 2002 AND 2003 LINCOL…
What a Ford F-250 is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk F-250 on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.
Guides for selling this car
Should you junk or repair your car? 
How much is my junk car worth? 
How junkyards price cars 
Catalytic converters and junk cars 
How to prepare your car for the junkyard 
Junk car scams and how to avoid them Other Ford models
- Ford F-150 44,577
- Ford Explorer 38,749
- Ford Escape 36,252
- Ford Focus 29,852
- Ford Fusion 28,862
- Ford Windstar 19,399
- Ford Edge 18,133
- Ford Taurus 16,270
Questions people ask
- What is a junk Ford F-250 worth?
- What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same F-250 gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Ford F-250 that doesn't run?
- Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
- Should I fix an open recall before selling a Ford F-250?
- Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
- Where do these Ford F-250 numbers come from?
- From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.