2002 FORD F-150 Complaints

ENGINE SPARK PLUG BLOWN FROM ALUMINUM CYLINDER HEAD. VEHICLE DISABLED BY DAMAGE. REPAIR COST $2481.38 TO OWNER. INFORMATION COMMONLY AVAILABLE SHOWS THIS TO BE RECURRING PROBLEM THAT FORD WILL COVER ONLY WITH VEHICLE UNDER WARRANTY. PROBLEM NOT RESTRICTED TO AGE OF ENGINE. *JB

F150 4.2 6 CYLINDER BLOWN LOWER INTAKE AFTER 71000 MILES. REPAIR SHOP AND ONLINE THAT THIS FAILURE IS AN EPIDEMIC. *JB

2002 FORD F-150 TRAVELING WEST ON HIGHWAY 40 IN ARIZONA. RECALL NOTICE RECEIVED ON THE CRUISE CONTROL INITIAL FAILURE CRUISE CONTROL ON. ENGAGED MAINTAIN SPEED BUTTON VEHICLE STARTED ACCELERATING. PUNCHED ALL OF THE CRUISE CONTROL BUTTONS AND TAPPED THE BRAKES CRUISE CONTROL TURNED OFF. CONFIRMATION TURNED CRUISE CONTROL ON AND HIT MAINTAIN SPEED BUTTON. VEHICLE STARTED ACCELERATING AS BEFORE. HIT ALL OF THE CRUISE CONTROL BUTTONS AND TAPPED THE BRAKE. AT 85 MPH, I TURNED OFF THE IGNITION. IMMEDIATELY TURNED IGNITION ON. CRUISE CONTROL WAS ACTIVE, MOTOR RACED, BUT TRANSMISSION WAS IN NEUTRAL. SHIFTER WAS IN DRIVE. TURNED OFF IGNITION AGAIN AND CRUISED TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ROAD. STARTED VEHICLE AND PROCEEDED WITHOUT USING CRUISE CONTROL RECOMMENDATION TRANSMISSIONS SHOULD NOT SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL UNLESS THE OPERATOR PLACES THE SHIFT LEVER IN NEUTRAL. PREVIOUSLY OWNED FORDS FROM THE 60S, 70S, 80S, AND EARLY 90S DO NOT DISENGAGE THE TRANSMISSION WHEN THE KEY IS TURNED OFF. *JB

WHILE PULLING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY I WAS TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL WHEN I HEARD SOMETHING SNAP IN THE STEERING COLUMN AND THEN I HAD NO CONTROL OF THE STEERING. THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD TURN COMPLETELY AROUND AND THERE WAS NO CONTROL OF THE FRONT WHEELS. AFTER TAKING THE TRUCK TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE THEY REPLACED THE UPPER STEERING GEAR ASSEMBLY, THE STEERING SHAFT, AND REPLACED THE CLOCK SPRING UNDER THE STEERING WHEEL. THIS COST A TOTAL OF $810.16. I WAS ON MY WAY OUT OF TOWN THAT DAY AND WAS HEADING FOR THE INTERSTATE. I AM SO THANKFUL THAT I WAS NOT GOING 70 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE. THEY COULD NOT TELL ME WHY THIS HAPPENED. THE VEHICLE IS ONLY 3 YRS OLD AND HAS 63,878 MILES ON IT. *NM

DT: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING THE CLUTCH WOULD NOT DISENGAGE. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A CERTIFIED REPAIR SHOP FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE ENGINE LOST A CYLINDER AND FLUID LEAKED OUT INTO THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE IS BEING REPAIRED AT THE CONTACT'S EXPENSE. *AK

2002 FORD F150 SVT LIGHTNING 5.4L ENGINE WITH ONLY 30,121 MILES ON IT BLEW UP ON DYNO METER ON 12-1-05 AT ONLY 3300 RPM'S. LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP WHERE I BOUGHT IT SAYS IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND TOO BAD. ESTIMATE FOR NEW ENGINE IS $5300 PLUS TAX, ETC, INSTALLATION ADDS UP TO A TOTAL OF $9,300 WHICH I DON'T HAVE. I AM STILL MAKING PAYMENTS ON THIS TRUCK TOO. I HAVE READ 32 COMPLAINTS ON THIS SITE TONIGHT REGARDING THE SPARK PLUGS EJECTING AND CAUSING ENGINE DAMAGE (A ROD WAS THROWN IN THIS CASE). THANK GOODNESS I WASN'T ON THE FREEWAY WITH IT. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. HOW MANY COMPLAINTS DOES NHTSA NEED TO GET BEFORE THEY MAKE FORD RECALL AND FIX THESE ENGINES THAT ONLY HAVE 4 THREADS ON THE SPARK PLUGS??? HOPEFULLY BEFORE ANYONE IS KILLED AS A RESULT. MAYBE MORE PEOPLE SHOULD JOIN THE CALIFORNIA LAW FIRM'S LAWSUIT ON BEHALF OF 9 PEOPLE THAT YOU LIST ON YOUR "DEFECT INVESTIGATIONS" PAGE. *JB

2002 F-150, 5.4L - 56,000 MILES ON TRUCK. SPARK PLUG EJECTED FROM CYLINDER HEAD. HEARD LOUD POP - EXPERIENCED LOSS OF POWER - PULLED OVER - GOT TOWED TO DEALER. DEALER DIAGNOSED PROBLEM - SAID CYLINDER HEAD WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED - ENGINE WOULD HAVE TO BE REMOVED FOR FIX - ESTIMATE OF OVER $3,000 - WOULD NOT DO ANY KIND OF INSERT (HELICOIL) FIX. CALLED AND COMPLAINED WITH FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE - DEALER AGREED TO GIVE ME 10% DISCOUNT - STILL COST ME OVER $3,100 PLUS TOWING AND RENTAL VEHICLE. PLUGS WERE ORIGINAL FROM FACTORY - HAD NEVER BEEN TOUCHED. HAD BEEN HEARING A SLIGHT TICKING NOISE FOR A FEW DAYS PRIOR TO INCIDENT. INTERNET RESEARCH HAS REVEALED SEVERAL OTHER COMPLAINTS OF THIS TYPE FOR F-150, F-250, EXPEDITION FROM 1999-2002. CYLINDER HEADS REPORTED TO HAVE ONLY 4 THREADS FOR PLUG. APPARENTLY FORD CHANGED CYLINDER HEAD IN 2003 TO AN 8-THREAD PLUG DESIGN.*JB

DT: THE CONTACTS STATES THERE IS NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN 05V388 ON CONCERNING THE VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH. THE PARTS NEEDED TO REPAIR THEIR VEHICLE ARE NOT AVAILABLE AT THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP. HE TRIED TO CONTACT THE MANUFACTURER TO NO AVAIL. *AK UPDATED 1/11/2006. IT HAS BEEN THREE MONTHS AND THE PART STILL ISN'T AVAILABLE. *NM

2002 FORD F-150 5.4 LITER ENGINE 66,XXX MILES DRIVING ON CITY STREET, APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, 3RD SPARK PLUG ON PASSENGER SIDE BLEW OUT TOWED TO REPAIR SHOP, HELI COIL INSERT INSTALLED NO OLD PART AVAILABLE. *NM

DT: THE CONTACT STATES THERE IS NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN 05V388000 CONCERNING THE VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH. THE PARTS NEEDED FOR REPAIRS WERE NOT AVAILABLE AT THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP. THE CONTACT SPOKE TO THE MANUFACTURER, WHO CONFIRMED THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. *AK UPDATED 12/27/05. *JB