The aluminum-redesign launch year — the most recall-heavy Super Duty, and a check-everything buy.

The Super Duty's signature diesel failure carries into the new generation. The Bosch CP4.2 high-pressure fuel pump can run dry and make metal, which then contaminates the whole high-pressure system — pump, injectors, lines, and the fuel conditioning module — turning a pump failure into a roughly $10,000 full-fuel-system job (mechanic-quoted). Contaminated fuel, missed filter services, and misfueling (gasoline or DEF in the diesel tank) are the triggers. Pull the lower fuel filter and look for metal glitter before you buy, and ask for fuel-filter service records.

2017 opens the window for Ford's death-wobble response. A Technical Service Bulletin (TSB 18-2268 — the fix instructions Ford sends dealers) documents 'sustained steering wheel oscillation after hitting rough pavement or an expansion joint above 45 mph' on 2017–2019 F-250/F-350 4WD trucks and calls for a steering-linkage-damper replacement; it later became a Customer Satisfaction Program (a CSP — Ford's quiet goodwill coverage) with owner letters and mobile service. Note this is a TSB/CSP, not a safety recall. Mechanics warn the damper alone is a band-aid: the real fix is usually a worn track bar, ball joints, or tie rods. Test-drive over rough pavement above 50 mph.

The gas engine is the 6.2L Boss V8, with 16 plugs and 8 coils. A Ford tech in our sources calls its common failure 'the $3,500 misfire job' (coils, plugs, intake-manifold runners, occasional broken valve spring) and rates the engine two out of ten, advising buyers to step up to the diesel or the later 7.3 if the budget allows. It tows fine and is simple, but ignition work is pricey. Note it also shares the 17V-225 park-rod rollaway recall — a gas-only campaign.