— A Ford truck driveshaft recall includes 2017-2018 Ford F-250, Ford F-350 and Ford F-450 Super Duty trucks equipped with driveshafts that may break.
A busted driveshaft will allow the truck to roll away and the truck will also lose the ability to move forward. It's also possible other components may be damaged by the fractured driveshafts.
Ford says a radial damper inside the driveshaft may move out of position over time which can cause an imbalance of the truck driveshaft.
The imbalanced driveshaft will cause noise and vibration which if ignored can allow the driveshaft to fracture.
More than 18,800 recalled Ford Super Duty trucks have 176” wheelbases and 4.1 or 4.3 rear axle ratios.
"Rubber over-mold rings on the radial damper can deform under higher driveshaft rotational speed, allowing the radial damper to move out of design intent position." — Ford
Federal safety regulators contacted Ford in June about a driveshaft fracture on a 2017 Ford F-450 with a 176" wheelbase. The truck owner said his vehicle should have been included in a 2017 Ford truck driveshaft recall.
Ford searched the data and found 16 driveshaft reports on similar trucks. Ford engineers also discovered an elevated number and rate of reports about trucks with specific axle ratios.
"Ford Engineering groups reviewed the data analysis and explained that vehicles with a 4.1 or 4.3 rear axle ratio operate with a higher driveshaft rotational speed and would be more likely to experience IRD movement and potential driveshaft fracture." — Ford
Ford knows of more than 63 Super Duty driveshaft reports worldwide, but no crash or injury reports.
Ford will mail driveshaft recall letters January 9, 2023, and Ford dealers will replace the Super Duty driveshafts.
Ford F-250, Ford F-350 and Ford F-450 owners may contact Ford at 866-436-7332 and refer to driveshaft recall number 22S74.