Unfortunately, this problem is no stranger to the newer Super Duty pickups, so if you’re looking to buy a new Ford diesel pickup truck, beware! Many Ford owners can relate to this problem. Exhaust fires are common on 2008 and newer 6.4L and 6.7L Power Stroke engines. The exact causes vary slightly among different trucks, but they all have something to do with excess fuel or oil leaking into the exhaust system when the after-treatment components absorb particulate matter. That process is called regeneration, and it can bring up the exhaust to very high temperatures within only a few seconds. When excess fuel deposits enter the system, the exhaust blows flames. Ford previously recalled over 37,000 2008 Super Duty pickups with the 6.4L Power Stroke for this same problem.
Shelly Shields also owns a 2015 6.7L Power Stroke; it developed this same problem and took five months for Ford Canada to fix. However, that one was not as extreme as the 2017. Since selling her 2017 F-450 back to Ford Canada, she bought a new 2017 Cummins-powered Ram, which works much better. What happened to Shelly’s trucks is a prime example of the many costly problems caused by the after-treatment systems equipped on diesel vehicles to make them comply with emissions regulations.
