Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1981 F.
The 1981 Ford F-350 enters the historical record on the familiar F-Series ladder-frame architecture, its "350" designation marking the one-ton payload tier of Ford's long-running truck line. With just a single documented owner complaint logged across the model year — centered on the engine — and zero factory recalls issued, the data paints an unusually quiet reliability profile for a heavy-duty workhorse of this vintage. That scarcity of reported issues suggests either exceptional durability in service or a population that has largely exited the active complaint pool, leaving researchers a notably clean but thin dataset to interpret.
Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.
| Overall length | 165 in |
| Overall width | 65.7 in |
| Overall height | 53.1 in |
| Wheelbase | 94.1 in |
| Curb weight | 2072 lb |
Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.
Owner complaints about the 1981 Ford F dominate in one area — the engine, 1 of 1 reports (100%), well ahead of the next concern. NHTSA has issued no recalls for this vehicle, so these are owner-reported concerns only. 0 of the reports describe a crash and 1 a fire — a small share of the total, but worth weighing against the engine pattern above. These are tallies of what owners actually reported to the federal government, not an editorial score — and higher-selling models naturally rack up more reports.
All 1 complaints on record, top 1 components.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.
No recall campaigns on record with NHTSA for this vehicle as of the last data refresh.
Showing 1 of 1 bulletins on record with NHTSA.
| Bulletin | Date | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 98246 | 1998-12-07 | Electrical System | FORD MOTOR COMPANY HAS RELEASED A NEW ELECTRICAL GREASE ( F8AZ - 19G208-AA ) TO REDUCE… |
The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.
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NHTSA lists 0 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.