Decision guide
Diesel or Gas Super Duty? What Owners of the 6.7 Power Stroke and the 7.3 Godzilla Report
Published · 6 min read
Since 2020, an F-250 or F-350 buyer has had a real choice: the 6.7 Power Stroke diesel or the 7.3 "Godzilla" gas V8 in the same truck. Forum threads argue about towing and fuel economy. This guide looks at something they skip: what owners of each actually report going wrong.
We split 1,060 NHTSA owner complaints on 2020 and newer Super Duty trucks by the engine code in each VIN, so every complaint is tied to the engine the truck really has, not to what the owner wrote.
The short answer
- The diesel's story is the fuel system: 30% of its complaints name it, most about the high-pressure fuel pump on 2020-2022 trucks, which two recalls address.
- The gas engine's story is the valvetrain: lifter and camshaft wear at long idle, covered by a Ford program on 2020-2024 trucks.
- Both share the power train: the transmission and axles are the most-named system after fuel on the diesel and the first on the gas engine.
- Pick by use: heavy towing and high mileage favor the diesel; short trips, light towing and idling favor the gas V8.
What owners complain about, side by side
- Fuel system (6.7 diesel)30%
- Fuel system (7.3 gas)11%
- Power train (transmission, axles) (6.7 diesel)19%
- Power train (transmission, axles) (7.3 gas)24%
- Electrical (6.7 diesel)14%
- Electrical (7.3 gas)19%
- Engine (6.7 diesel)10%
- Engine (7.3 gas)16%
- Steering (6.7 diesel)12%
- Steering (7.3 gas)11%
- Brakes (6.7 diesel)6%
- Brakes (7.3 gas)8%
- Suspension (6.7 diesel)6%
- Suspension (7.3 gas)7%
6.7 Power Stroke diesel 7.3 gas V8
NHTSA owner complaints on 2020 and later Ford F-250 to F-550 Super Duty trucks, pulled 2026-09-12 under every NHTSA model name; engine read from the VIN's engine code. Systems are NHTSA's component categories. Not adjusted for how many of each were sold.
The two bars that differ most are the first and the fourth. Diesel owners name the fuel system almost three times as often, and gas owners name the engine itself more often. Everything else, from the transmission to steering and brakes, is shared hardware on the same truck, and the shares are close.
These are shares, not counts. Ford does not publish how many Super Duty trucks get each engine, so we cannot say which engine fails more often. We can say what each one's owners write about.
The diesel: the pump on 2020-2022 trucks
6.7 Power Stroke diesel
775 complaints, model years 2020 and later
- CP4 or high-pressure fuel pump: 103 complaints (13%)
- DEF, SCR or NOx sensor: 13 complaints (2%)
- DPF or regeneration: 4 complaints (1%)
- Transmission: 102 complaints (13%)
7.3 gas V8
285 complaints, model years 2020 and later
- Lifter, camshaft or tick: 15 complaints (5%)
- Misfire, plugs or coils: 11 complaints (4%)
- Oil consumption or oil pressure: 3 complaints (1%)
- Transmission: 53 complaints (19%)
NHTSA owner complaints on 2020 and later Ford F-250 to F-550 Super Duty trucks, pulled 2026-09-12 under every NHTSA model name; engine read from the VIN's engine code. Keyword matches in the complaint text, word boundaries.
What happens. On 2020-2022 trucks, Ford says biodiesel deposits can form on the drive rollers of the high-pressure fuel pump (the Bosch CP4.2) and lead to pump failure, with a loss of drive power. verified The complaints follow that pattern: 371 of the 775 diesel complaints are on 2020 trucks, and the count drops sharply from 2023.
What Ford did. Recall 24V-957 updates the engine and transmission software on 2020-2022 trucks. Recall 26V-158 repeats the update on trucks that were repaired incorrectly the first time. verified Neither replaces the pump. If you are looking at a 2020-2022 diesel, check both recalls by VIN and ask whether the pump has ever been replaced.
What it costs if it fails. A CP4 failure can spread metal through the whole fuel system, and the repair is often a full fuel-system replacement in the $8,000 to $12,000 range. aggregated See which trucks have the CP4 and the 6.7 Power Stroke by year.
The good news. DEF and particulate filter complaints, the diesel headaches of the early 2010s, are rare on these trucks: 13 DEF and 4 DPF mentions in 775 complaints.
The gas engine: lifters and long idling
What happens. Ford's program 24B27 says the 7.3's variable displacement oil pump delivers low oil pressure at idle, and that routine long idling can wear the camshaft lobes and lifters. It covers 2020-2024 Super Duty trucks and 2021-2025 E-Series with the 6.8 and 7.3 gas engines. verified Separately, Ford's service message SSM 51330 describes a tick at the front of the engine on 2020-2022 trucks.
What owners report. 15 of the 285 gas complaints mention lifters, the camshaft or a tick. That is a small count, but our Godzilla ticking guide found that 6 of its 13 lifter complaints mention an engine replacement.
What to do. If the truck idled for hours (work trucks, ambulances, plows), ask about it, run the VIN for program 24B27, and listen at a cold start and at warm idle.
Who should buy which
The 6.7 Power Stroke suits you if
- you tow heavy and often, especially a fifth wheel or gooseneck;
- you drive long highway miles;
- you plan to keep the truck to high mileage.
Before you buy: recalls 24V-957 and 26V-158 on 2020-2022, and the pump's history. Make sure your driving includes enough highway time for the particulate filter to clean itself.
The 7.3 gas V8 suits you if
- you tow lighter or less often;
- your driving is short trips, where a diesel's particulate filter struggles to clean itself;
- you want simpler maintenance, no DEF and no particulate filter.
Before you buy: program 24B27, idle history, a cold-start listen for ticking.
What we cannot tell you
- Which engine fails more often. Without the diesel and gas sales split we have shares of complaints, not rates.
- Fuel cost and resale. They depend on your miles, your fuel prices and your market, and our data does not cover them.
- Towing performance. Owner complaints do not measure it, so we leave it to the manufacturer's ratings for your configuration.
FAQ
Is the 7.3 Godzilla more reliable than the 6.7 Power Stroke?
We cannot rank them without sales figures. What the complaints show is that diesel owners report the fuel system far more, mostly the pump on 2020-2022 trucks, and gas owners report the engine itself somewhat more, mostly lifters and ticking.
What is the main problem with the 7.3 Godzilla?
Lifter and camshaft wear, worst with long idling. Ford's program 24B27 covers 2020-2024 Super Duty trucks, and a 2023 service message describes a front-of-engine tick on 2020-2022 trucks.
Do 2020-2022 6.7 Power Stroke trucks have a fuel pump recall?
Yes. Recall 24V-957 updates the software to protect the high-pressure fuel pump, and 26V-158 redoes the update on trucks repaired incorrectly. Check both by VIN.
How do I tell which engine a Super Duty has from the VIN?
On 2020 and newer Super Duty trucks, the eighth VIN character is the engine code: T is the 6.7 Power Stroke and N the 7.3 gas V8. Our VIN lookup decodes it and lists the recalls.
Go deeper
- Ford 7.3 Godzilla ticking and lifter failure · 7.3 Godzilla platform page · Godzilla recalls and programs
- 6.7 Power Stroke problems by year · 6.7 Power Stroke platform page · 6.7 recalls
- CP4 pump: which trucks have it · VIN lookup
Sources. NHTSA owner complaints on 2020 and later Ford F-250 to F-550 Super Duty trucks (pulled 2026-09-12, all NHTSA model names; US government public domain), split by the VIN engine code. Recall text from the NHTSA recalls database; Ford program 24B27 and SSM 51330 via NHTSA manufacturer communications, as listed on our recall pages (checked 2026-10-26). The CP4 repair range is the shop and owner range on our 6.7 Power Stroke platform page. Torque Index takes no paid placement.