It took a while. A problem with some Ford diesel pickup fuel pumps goes clear back to 2021. At first, the company wrote it off as a quirk associated with COVID-19. Three years later, Ford has decided a recall is in order, now that COVID is largely behind us, and the Ford diesel pump problem persists.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2022 F-Super Duty F250, F350, F450, F550, F600, and 2021-2022 F650 and F750 vehicles. Biodiesel deposits may form on the pump drivetrain roller components, which could lead to failure of the high pressure fuel pump. High pressure fuel pump failure can cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash. The potential number of pickups affected by this recall? 295,449.
Ford diesel pump problem remedy
Dealers will update the powertrain control module (PCM) software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed January 13, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford’s number for this recall is 24S78.
Notes
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) or go to nhtsa.gov.
How did we get here? It’s a long story
How does COVID-19 affect a Ford high pressure fuel pump? It’s a long story, and we’ll give you the short form. If you’d like to read the full Ford version, click here. Back in September 2021, a Ford engineering team got wind of a large number of warranty issues with fuel pump failures on Super Duty and Medium trucks equipped with 6.7L Scorpion diesel engines.
The team initially figured the problems were related to COVID shutdowns. Folks weren’t driving their diesel trucks much, and biodiesel fuel was aging in the tanks. This, they figured, was somehow affecting the performance of the installed Bosch CP4 RP7 diesel fuel pump. On August 23, 2021, the RP7 pump was replaced in production with the RP8 variant, “which implemented a design robustness action that increased the pump’s roller shoe and tappet body clearances for improved fuel flow to increase cooling in the tappet area,” says a Ford report to NHTSA.
New version of pump—problem persists
That should handle the issue, right? Forward to December 30, 2021. NHTSA touched base with Ford, letting them know that other manufacturers had been having trouble with a different version of the Bosch CPR fuel pump. Did Ford plan to put in a recall? Nope, said Ford. It figured the design differences between Ford and its competitors were enough to keep the problems at bay, and noted, “Ford indicated that it had not identified an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety and would continue to monitor performance of vehicles with CP4 pumps.”
From February through October 2022, Ford watched warranty claims, examined returned pumps, and talked with truck owners. The company stood on its thinking that aged biodiesel from the COVID shutdown era was the bad actor. “Ford concluded there was no trend of vehicle stall at this time,” says its report to NHTSA.
Frustrated owners finally get a recall
Another year rolled by. By December of 2023, Ford said that “there was no trend of vehicle stalls and the primary customer effect was vehicle no-start based on available data.” As 2024 rolled in, the company analyzed more data and tore down bad pumps, finding evidence of “aged biodiesel deposits.” Finally, “Assessments related to geographic bio-diesel availability were conducted in September 2024, which showed a positive correlation between bio-mass diesel specifications and average temperatures within a state and the incidence of failures.”
As of November 13, 2024, Ford had 3,070 warranty reports, 498 field reports, and 58 customer service reports associated with this concern, which it had received from October 18, 2019, through November 12, 2024. Finally, on December 13, 2024, Ford’s Field Review Committee reviewed the concern and approved a field action.
For thousands of truck owners who’ve fought with no-starts and drivability issues, the recall is likely long overdue.
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Too bad GM didn’t take the same recall approach with its LML Duramax engines and the CP4 injector pumps. To ensure a high level of reliability (and peace of mind) I replaced my CP4 pump on my LML with an approved CP3 pump to avoid the disaster that can happen when the CP4 self destructs sending aluminum particles throughout the fuel delivery system. Works perfectly and glad I made the switch before disaster struck.
Had the same problem with our 2008 F450 with the 6.4 diesel engine. Numerous Ford mechanics misdiagnosed the problem as we traveled around the country until we finally came across a Ford mechanic who immediately knew what the problem was because he had repaired the same problem numerous times. The high pressure fuel pump caused us a lot of grief & expense over a one year period.
Another reason to avoid diesel engines when a gasser will do as good.I pulled many a fifth wheel for many miles up and down mountains with a gas engine with no problems and I do NOT want or need an overblown diesel engine. For people who have to deal with a diesel…good luck.
Thank you, Rusd and Tina! Wow! That is a lot of trucks!?! Happy new year and safe travels! 🙂
Nice amount of detail in your reporting! Appreciated.