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Is it worth the price?
We do not price cars.
These help you judge whether this one is worth its price.
Loading costly parts ahead
Loading the EPA's yearly fuel cost
What about the price? Look up the same year, trim and miles on two car listing sites you shop on, and compare. Buying from a dealer? Run its offer through the dealer offer X ray.
Education, not financial or mechanical advice. Have any used car checked by a mechanic you trust before you buy.
The full record
Open any section
What owners complain about
Loading owner complaints
When problems show up
Loading mileage at failure
Recalls
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Crash ratings
NHTSA's stars out of five, for each version it tested. Front crash stars only compare cars of about the same size and weight. The tests changed for 2011 models, so these stars do not line up with newer ones.
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Fuel economy
The EPA's estimates for each engine and transmission, and its own yearly fuel cost. Yours depends on how you drive and the shape the car is in. Figures for 2007 and older use the EPA's 2008 method, so they may be lower than the original sticker.
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Every year of the F-250
Owner complaints for each model year, this one outlined. Pick a year to open it. The newest model years are not judged yet. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so we compare every year at the same age, not by these totals.
Loading every year of this model
Before you buy this one
Built from this year's numbers. Whatever the data says, the car in front of you is the one that counts.
Questions for the seller, test drive checks and price points
Car Hunt Pass or Pro
Walk up to the seller ready
Questions to ask the seller of a 2006 Ford F-250, built from this year's owner complaints and recalls. What to feel, hear and look at on the test drive, with boxes to tick at the car. Honest points to raise on price, from the records and never from guesses. Copy the questions to your phone in one tap.
A ready to send offer for the seller, by text or email
Car Hunt Pass or Pro
Send the seller a fair offer
Type the asking price and your own offer for the 2006 Ford F-250, tick what you found, and get a polite message ready to text or email. Its reasons come from this year's owner complaints, recalls and crash ratings, and never from made up repair prices.
The month of your loan when each part reaches its usual failure miles
Loading the problem parts
True cost to own
The loan, fuel, insurance and upkeep, a month and over 5 years
Car Hunt Pass or Pro
What it really costs to own
What the 2006 Ford F-250 costs a month and over 5 years: the loan and its interest, fuel worked out from the EPA's figures for the version you pick, and your own insurance, registration and upkeep. A cost a mile, a link that reopens your numbers, and the breakdown copied to your phone in one tap.
Whether the title is branded in that state and, where the state offers it, whether a lender still has a claim on the car (a lien), so it cannot be sold free and clear.
It will not name the owner. Each state asks its own way, and some only by mail. Ask to see the seller’s title too.
A history report such as Carfax or AutoCheck pulls in more of the car’s past than these checks can:
Crashes and damage reported by police, insurers or shops, even when it was fixed.
Service visits that shops reported, with the miles each time.
How many owners, for how long, and the states it was registered in.
Whether it was a rental, fleet or lease car, when that was reported.
It only knows what was reported to it. A clean report is not proof of a clean car. Ask the seller first: many dealers hand one over for free.
Red flags in a history
Salvage title
Usually an insurer called it a total loss. In most states it cannot be driven on the road until it is rebuilt and inspected.
Rebuilt title
A salvage car that was fixed and passed a state check. It can be fine, but it is worth less, can be harder to insure, and needs a careful inspection.
Flood damage
Water can ruin wiring and sensors months later. Be wary of a flood brand that vanished after a move to another state.
Lemon or maker buyback
The maker bought it back over a defect it could not fix. Ask what the defect was and how it was fixed.
Odometer rollback
A mileage reading lower than an earlier one, or a title marked not actual miles.
Many owners, fast
Three owners in two years can mean a problem each one passed along.
Gaps in the records
Years with no service or registration. Ask why: it may have sat, been off the road, or been rebuilt.
Title words and rules differ by state. Not legal advice.
Before you pay
Pre purchase inspection
Have a mechanic you choose, not the seller, put it on a lift and look it over before you pay.
Insurance quote
Get a quote on this exact car before you sign. Ask your own insurer and one or two others.
2006 Ford F-250: problems, recalls, verdict · WhipWorthy
Nearest good years of this model: 2014 or 2015 F-250 (both Worthy). 2009 is Worthy too, but sits next to the 2008 problem year, so have it inspected with extra care.
No costly part has enough owner reported mileages to show where it most often fails on this year.
221 complaints; the part named most is the suspension
Unverified reports, not adjusted for sales. One complaint can name several parts, so shares add up past 100%. Filed Jan 9, 2006 to Jul 6, 2024. 25% name a part that is usually costly to fix.
Owners reported 10 crashes, 5 fires and 10 injuries in these complaints.
Suspension85 · 38%
Steering78 · 35%
Engine37 · 17%Usually costly to fix
What one owner wrote about the suspension
While traveling on pennsylvania turnpike at approx. 75 mph I hit bump and the front end of my truck started bouncing and steering wheel was shaking so bad I could hardly control my truck. Once I slowed down enough x the shaking stopped.
Filed Aug 6, 2020NHTSA complaint 113436461 of 18 owner quotes
Car Hunt Pass or Pro
15 more parts, and 17 more owner quotes
Every part owners name for the 2006 Ford F-250, with their own words about what went wrong. Usually costly to fix among them: Transmission and drivetrain, Body and frame.
Steering: the middle complaint around 50,000 miles
5 checks, with a close look at the suspension
The bar holds the middle half of the complaints that gave a mileage; the dark mark is the middle one. 71 complaints of 221 gave one. Owners file when something fails, so this shows when problems were reported, not how long the cars last.
Steering25,000 to 80,000 mi
Half of these 19 complaints came between about 25,000 and 80,000 miles, the middle one around 50,000.
050K100K150K200K250K
Car Hunt Pass or Pro
Mileage for 1 more part
The mileage band for every part owners name, and your car's miles laid across them.
Owner complaints per model year for the Ford F-250, with 2006 highlighted
Model year
Owner complaints
Verdict
1995
204
Worthy
1996
191
Worthy
1997
311
Worthy
1998
58
Worthy
1999
594
Skip
2000
360
Skip
2001
231
Maybe
2002
156
Worthy
2003
116
Worthy
2004
154
Maybe
2005
144
Maybe
2006
221
Maybe
2007
60
Maybe
2008
339
Skip
2009
77
Worthy
2010
113
Worthy
2011
370
Skip
2012
323
Maybe
2013
116
Worthy
2014
169
Worthy
2015
296
Worthy
2016
287
Worthy
2017
1155
Skip
2018
397
Maybe
2019
1150
Skip
2020
255
Maybe
2021
159
Worthy
2022
3
Not judged
2023
44
Worthy
2024
41
Worthy
2025
17
Worthy
2026
9
Too new
Year verdict
Maybe
2.3× a typical F-250 year
133 complaints in its first 8 years, the span every year is compared over (221 in all so far). A typical F-250 year had 59 by then.
More owner complaints than usual. Buy only with records and an inspection.
Confidence:Medium
It is close to the Maybe line, so a few complaints either way could change it.
How this verdict was counted
Year verdict: Typical year: 59 complaints, the middle count of 7 nearby years, leaving out 2008, which was high itself. Each counted over its first 8 years from January 2005; this one had 133.
Not every car needs every fix. Run the VIN at NHTSA to see which are still open. Repairs are usually free at a dealer for the brand; ask before any work.
Equipment and accessories
Jul 28, 2008 · Recall 08V344000
Knapheide is recalling 108 my 2006 to 2008 pro series truck beds equipped with an icc bumper which included a provision for a ball hitch. There may be an insufficient weld attaching the hitch channel to the supporting structure.
What can happen
This could result in bending of the hitch channel or the hitch could be pulled off the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix
Knapheide will offer two remedies to its customers: (1) for those customers who do not use the hitch, the hitch will be removed from the truck bed and replaced with an icc bumper; or (2) for those customers who need a hitch, a receiver hitch assembly will be added to the existing hitch assembly and all suspect weld joints will be re welded. The recall began on august 15, 2008. Owners may contact knapheide at 1-877-473-5763.
Brakes
Oct 17, 2006 · Recall 06E087000
Certain harsco wheel modification groups containing accuride steel rims, p/nos. 203237 and 203738; accuride aluminum rims, p/n 203712; and gkn steel rims, p/n 203688, sold as modification equipment for certain 2005 to 2007 Ford f-250/f-350 4x4 pickup trucks to modify track width of front and rear axles. The rims provided in these wheel modification groups wear through the oem brake lines.
What can happen
Brake failure can occur, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash.
The fix
Harsco will notify owners and provide a repair kit along with repair instructions free of charge. The recall began in september 2006. Owners may contact harsco at 507-235-7112.
Wheels and tires
Nov 21, 2005 · Recall 05T022000
Certain continental contitrac tr owl, contitrac tr bsw, general grabber tr bsw, and contitrac bsw tires manufactured between may 29 and june 11, 2005, and sold as original equipment on certain Ford trucks and sold as replacement tires. These tires can wear prematurely which fails to conform to federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 119, new pneumatic tires for vehicles other than passenger cars.
What can happen
Affected tires may not meet the endurance test requirements of the standard. Continued use of the affected tires can result in tire failure which could lead to vehicle damage or motor vehicle crash.
The fix
Continental will notify owners and replace the tires free of charge. The recall began on december 7, 2005. Owners may contact continental at 704-588-5895.
Our take: Maybe. Buy one only with service records and an inspection.Owners filed 2.3 times the complaints of a typical year of this model.
Run the VIN at NHTSA to confirm every recall was fixed.
This year has 3 recalls on file. Recall repairs are usually free at a dealer for the brand. Ask the dealer to confirm before any work is done. Look up a VIN at NHTSA.
Ask the seller for the service records.
Look closely for any work on the suspension. It is the part owners complain about most for this year.
Have a mechanic you trust inspect it before you pay.
Ask them to look at the suspension first.
Look at a vehicle history report.
It can show reported crashes, flood or salvage titles, and mileage that does not add up.
On the test drive, pay attention to the suspension.
Listen for clunks over bumps, and notice if the car wanders or leans hard.
