P0300 on a 2017 Ford F 250 Crew Cab
P0300 is a generic OBD2 powertrain code for random or multiple cylinder misfire. Unlike P0301 through P0308, it does not point to one specific cylinder, so the cause can be ignition, fuel, air, sensor, or mechanical.
Not your vehicle? See general P0300 info.
Most common causes on the 2017 Ford F 250 Crew Cab
Ranked from 1,155 NHTSA owner complaints filed for this vehicle.
- 1
Vacuum leak from a failed intake manifold
Medium severityTwo owners had the dealer diagnose a defective/leaking intake manifold (abnormal knocking/ticking); an intake air leak upsets cylinder-to-cylinder mixture and can trigger a misfire code.
Reported in 2 NHTSA complaints - 2
Faulty EGR valve or leaking EGR-to-exhaust connection
Medium severityAn EGR valve diagnosed as faulty on this truck (with the mounting bolts to the exhaust also fracturing) can dump excess/uneven exhaust gas into a cylinder and cause a rough-running misfire.
Reported in 1 NHTSA complaint - 3
Worn spark plugs (gas engine)
Low severityOn the 6.2L gas variant, worn or fouled plugs are a routine misfire cause, especially past 60-100k miles; check plug gap/condition and swap/rotate coils to isolate the cylinder.
Common causeParts:spark plug - 4
Failing ignition coil (gas engine)
Medium severityA weakening coil drops spark energy on one cylinder under load, producing an intermittent misfire that a coil swap between cylinders will confirm.
Common causeParts:ignition coil - 5
Clogged or leaking fuel injector
Medium severityA partially clogged or dribbling injector under- or over-fuels a single cylinder; injector balance/leak-down testing isolates the culprit.
Common causeParts:fuel injector - 6
Low compression from internal engine wear
High severityWorn rings/valves reduce a cylinder's ability to build compression and fire consistently; a compression or leak-down test confirms this before spending money on ignition parts.
Common cause
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These causes are aggregated from NHTSA owner complaints and general repair knowledge — this is not a diagnosis. P0300 on your car still needs shop confirmation before any repair.
Common symptoms
- Flashing or steady check engine light
- Rough idle
- Shaking under acceleration
- Loss of power
- Fuel smell from exhaust
What to check before replacing parts
Scan for cylinder-specific misfire codes
Look for: A companion P0301–P0308 pins the misfire to one cylinder — start there. P0300 with no cylinder code points at something hitting several at once: fuel pressure, a large vacuum leak, or timing.
Inspect the spark plugs and coils
Look for: Pull the plugs: black/sooty = rich, oily = oil intrusion, white/blistered = lean or overheating, cracked porcelain or an out-of-spec gap = replace. Then swap a coil to another cylinder — if a cylinder-specific code follows the coil, the coil is bad.
Check fuel trims for a vacuum leak
Look for: High positive short- and long-term trims (worst at idle, improving as RPM rises) mean unmetered air is getting in. Smoke-test the intake and listen for hissing.
Verify fuel pressure
Look for: Compare running/cranking pressure to the vehicle spec. Low or dropping pressure starves multiple cylinders and reads as a random misfire — suspect the pump, filter, or regulator.
Compression / leak-down test if ignition and fuel check out
Look for: A cylinder 15%+ below the others, or leak-down hissing from the intake (intake valve), exhaust (exhaust valve), or oil filler (rings), means the misfire is mechanical — not a swap-in part.
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