Cmon Ford
Cargo Master
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 2,251
Likes: 563
being a long termer on this site you should know as well as anybody that fords rear ends went in the toilet basically 10yrs ago with the start of alumidooty. anybody paying attention surely took notice of all the rear end threads. i know i did
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,516
Likes: 198
The old Sterling axle 10.5 axle seldom had issues and the 11.6 has not had too many, but some of those late Dana's are trouble, probably the biggest issue being the weak axle tubes. Lots of bearing failures too. AAM makes the best axles these days, hands down.
More Turbo
Joined: Mar 2022
Posts: 537
Likes: 224
The rear ends are fine. The dealers aren't and truck owners are to lazy to crawl under and check the level, they just believe the clown show dealer...My Dana had TWO quarts in it when I took it home. Drive it around and blame the axle. Nope, dealer SUCKED, THE AXLE HAD IS DESIGNED WELL
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,516
Likes: 198
The rear ends are fine. The dealers aren't and truck owners are to lazy to crawl under and check the level, they just believe the clown show dealer...My Dana had TWO quarts in it when I took it home. Drive it around and blame the axle. Nope, dealer SUCKED, THE AXLE HAD IS DESIGNED WELL
Mountain Pass
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 141
Likes: 69
It seems like the Sterling 11.6 has taken over most Dana applications as of now in 2026 besides DRW. For a while Diesel Tremors were getting the Dana until Ford launched the 3.55 Sterling and it seems like most of those are coming with Sterlings now too. The Sterling seems pretty robust.
More Turbo
Joined: Aug 2025
Posts: 710
Likes: 392
Ford offers models that have improved in quality. Weve listed them. If people wont listen to us, its not our problem. Axle issues are pretty much zero amongst our fleets. Any brand.
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Lead Driver
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 7,951
Likes: 2,658
From: The Great State of Texas
The Sterling 10.5 is about as reliable as an anvil and has a great reputation.
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Lead Driver
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 7,951
Likes: 2,658
From: The Great State of Texas
The rear ends are fine. The dealers aren't and truck owners are to lazy to crawl under and check the level, they just believe the clown show dealer...My Dana had TWO quarts in it when I took it home. Drive it around and blame the axle. Nope, dealer SUCKED, THE AXLE HAD IS DESIGNED WELL
More Turbo
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 604
Likes: 314
It appears that every time he took his truck in the dealer said oh, we just got an update on that exact problem. Not saying Ford isn't at fault here but the dealers are not doing their due diligence when troubleshooting problems. I had a clutch fan lock up on my previous truck and had to argue with the dealer that it wasn't operating correctly. The Tech said normal operation for the clutch fan. BS! Finally had to take the service manager for a ride to convince him of the issue. Not the way things should be.
Last edited by Rich1961; May 4, 2026 at 10:22 AM.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,780
Likes: 97
From: Phoenix, AZ
Got this in my email today from Ford;
We want to provide you with the latest update on your Super Duty Lariat® vehicle order. We’ve made great progress on your new Ford vehicle but have unfortunately experienced unexpected delays.
Rest assured, our team is diligently addressing these challenges to complete your vehicle as soon as possible. We genuinely appreciate your understanding and patience during this time and will continue to provide regular updates every step of the way.
We want to provide you with the latest update on your Super Duty Lariat® vehicle order. We’ve made great progress on your new Ford vehicle but have unfortunately experienced unexpected delays.
Rest assured, our team is diligently addressing these challenges to complete your vehicle as soon as possible. We genuinely appreciate your understanding and patience during this time and will continue to provide regular updates every step of the way.
Cargo Master
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 2,251
Likes: 563
aside from the 10.5 if you go back on this site and the tremor youll see enough people lost rear ends that it got my attention. sounds like your selective memory is switched on again.
Cargo Master
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 2,251
Likes: 563
most people are oblivious to this but fords on atleast its 4th (that we know about) revision of the 250/350 dana rear in only 10yrs . 2nd one was a complete disaster. 3rd one doesnt sound much better than the 2nd from the youtube vid i seen. 1st might be decent depending how many similarities is does or doesnt have to the 2nd. 4th could be the one people been losing bearings in (i would have to go back and check).
Thread Starter
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Lead Driver
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 7,951
Likes: 2,658
From: The Great State of Texas
It appears that every time he took his truck in the dealer said oh, we just got an update on that exact problem. Not saying Ford isn't at fault here but the dealers are not doing their due diligence when troubleshooting problems. I had a clutch fan lock up on my previous truck and had to argue with the dealer that it wasn't operating correctly. The Tech said normal operation for the clutch fan. BS! Finally had to take the service manager for a ride to convince him of the issue. Not the way things should be.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Mar 2025
Posts: 191
Likes: 85
24 f250 @ 44k
Pinion seal leaked, fixed, now rear end has a gritty sound and a tuning fork tone between 35-50
My first 36k looked like this:
Trans leaked between engine/trans @ 2k
Blower motor noisy @ 2k
AC condenser leaked @ 18k
Fan cowling hitting engine fan @18 k
Steering shaft clunking @ 35k
P-side hub went out @35 k
Valve body due to incredibly hard P-R-D shifts @35 k
Weather stripping that squeaked terrible @ 2 k
Windshield cracked in a 3' smile shape @ 1k
"That's normal" according to dealership:
Cold start sounds like leaking exhaust
Valves clatter something terrible
HVAC makes a "honk" noise with defrost
Rattle in the door they can't seem to replicate
Oh, the 4/5 shift feels like the transmission shift gets stuck and acts like a manual when shifting...i.e. power cuts
It's been a great truck other than that.
Pinion seal leaked, fixed, now rear end has a gritty sound and a tuning fork tone between 35-50
My first 36k looked like this:
Trans leaked between engine/trans @ 2k
Blower motor noisy @ 2k
AC condenser leaked @ 18k
Fan cowling hitting engine fan @18 k
Steering shaft clunking @ 35k
P-side hub went out @35 k
Valve body due to incredibly hard P-R-D shifts @35 k
Weather stripping that squeaked terrible @ 2 k
Windshield cracked in a 3' smile shape @ 1k
"That's normal" according to dealership:
Cold start sounds like leaking exhaust
Valves clatter something terrible
HVAC makes a "honk" noise with defrost
Rattle in the door they can't seem to replicate
Oh, the 4/5 shift feels like the transmission shift gets stuck and acts like a manual when shifting...i.e. power cuts
It's been a great truck other than that.
Last edited by B+ squad; May 6, 2026 at 11:05 AM.