1981 Ford F350 Recalls, Complaints & Specs

4 safety recalls list the 1981 Ford F350, and owners have filed 2 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.

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4 safety recalls for the 1981 Ford F350

Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.

1. Carrier/rack (equipment)

   NHTSA 82V024000 Reported March 15, 1982 12,500 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   The reinforcement for the in-box spare tire carrier may have been attached using incorrect hex head bolts. If the carrier and reinforcement attaching bolts are incorrect, the potential exists for the tire sidewall to be damaged or weakened by extended contact with the sharp edges of the bolt heads.

   Remedy: Dealer will replace bolts and any damaged spare tires at no cost to owner.

2. Rim (wheels)

   NHTSA 81V035000 Reported March 20, 1981 450 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   Certain vehicles may not have had the disc portion of the wheel welded to the rim during manufacture. Consequently, the wheel could be subject to sudden separation of the rim and tire from the wheel disc.

   Remedy: Suspect wheels will be inspected and replaced, if necessary, at no charge.

3. Mounting (fuel system)

   NHTSA 81V023000 Reported February 13, 1981 26 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   Certain vehicles may have been assembled without the specified fuel tank shield which prevents direct contact between the fuel tank and driveline components. During a 30 MPH frontal barrier impact test, as specified in federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 301, "fuel system integrity", fuel leakage may occur.

   Remedy: Vehicles will have the existing separate skid plate or fuel tank shield removed (whichever was installed on vehicle). A special combination skid plate/fuel tank shield assembly will be installed in its place free of…

4. Mounting (fuel system)

   NHTSA 80V145000 Reported November 10, 1980 6,260 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   During a change in assembly procedures, certain of the mid-ship fuel tank straps may have been improperly installed or mislocated. As a result, they fail to conform to federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 301, "fuel system integrity". In the event of a collision, excessive fuel spillage may occur.

   Remedy: Dealer will inspect and, if necessary, relocate fuel tank straps without charge to owner.

2 owner complaints filed with NHTSA

Owners of the 1981 Ford F350 have filed 2 complaints with NHTSA; 1 describe a fire. Complaints peaked in 1999 with 1 filed that year.

Most-reported components

• Engine and engine cooling: gasoline2
• Exterior lighting: headlights1

What owners are reporting

“Headlights go off and on while driving at night. *ak”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, February 17, 2000 · Exterior lighting

“Possible engine failure resulted in vehicle fire (ohio traffic crash report). *mjs”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, November 29, 1999 · Engine and engine cooling

Compare Ford F350 model years

Recall and complaint counts for every Ford F350 model year in NHTSA's database.

Checking a specific 1981 Ford F350

Other Ford models

• F-15037,961 complaints
• Explorer34,566 complaints
• Escape27,430 complaints
• Fusion22,405 complaints
• Focus22,096 complaints
• Taurus18,159 complaints
• Windstar14,158 complaints
• Edge14,065 complaints

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.