Problems with 1999 Ford F-150 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

My ford f 150 blew the #3 spark plug out of the head on good friday. the truck lost power but was still drivable. the event occurred on i 39 north of madison wi. had i not known what to do it may have resulted in an accident. cost to fix this failure was 4200 dollars. dealership replaced the entire cylinder head. *nm

Tl*the contact owns a 1999 ford f150. within the last thirteen months, two different spark plugs have blown out of the cylinder head. both the dealer and the extended warranty company stated that this is a common failure and is due to the casting of the cylinder head. the second failure occurred while driving 20 mph. the current mileage is 99,979 and first failure mileage was 88,844. updated 02/01/08 *tr

My daughter was traveling on a high speed state highway when a spark plug blew out of the aluminum cylinder head of the 5.4 liter engine of her 99 ford f-150 xlt 4wd pickup. the truck was towed home. after numerous inquiries with ford customer relations i was rudely instructed not to contact them further. her truck had 65,909 miles on it. i had it towed to the local ford dealer and paid them $3600 for the repairs and a new head assembly. i'm a retired auto technician with 50 years in the business, so, i consider myself knowledgeable. i know of 5 incidents with our customers suffering the same fate. one customer had a truck still under warranty that blew all 8 plugs out. all customers affected were towed to ford dealers by us. this condition could present a nasty accident on a super hi-way with possible loss of life. *jb

While driving to work at 5:30 am, a load noise came from the engine compartment. the truck would barely run and required a tow, the dealer ship said that the spark plug had ejected from the engine due to stripped threads in the block. also i have complained about the truck losing oil and the smell of burned oil on an off since i purchased the truck in 2000. the dealership could never find a problem. the leak is now worse with oil on the garage floor for the past year and the smell of burned oil more often. i suspect the head gasket from reading other reports on the internet. *nm

I never received a recall notice for ford recall#99b29. my address has not changed since i purchased the vehicle. my f150 has been using coolant and there are no signs of leaks. now there is a loud engine tick at startup. all my miles are interstate miles, and the vehicle has been properly maintained and babied since purchase. what is ford going to do about this factory defect?? *jb

Spark plug blew out of engine causing engine head damage. this cost over $3000 to repair and i understand may happen again at any time with any of the 8 spark plugs. *nm

I was driving to work and heard loud bang in engine. found out spark plug had blown. no accident caused. i have two ford vehicles and the both had spark plugs blow within the last month. both enignes are 5.4 l. *nm

Leaking head gasket @ 101k miles. antifreeze in #6 cylinder. *nm

I was driving my family down a winding major mountain highway in my 1999 ford f150 truck (5.4l v-8, 117400 mileage) when a loud bang came from the engine area and my truck lost power. this startled me and i lost momentary control of the truck. i regained control and pulled to the road side. the next day (10/3/05) i took the truck to fairway ford service department. they had replaced all the spark plugs about 10,000 miles previously. they determined the problem to be a "blown out spark plug". both the service advisor and the service manager said the problem was caused by a bad design by ford (not enough threads to hold the plug) and the previous plug replacement had nothing to no with problem. they said neither they nor ford would take any responsibility for the problem they corrected the problem by installing a remanufactured left side cylinder head, all per a ford technical service bulletin. the cost was $2549.35. they kept the old parts. *nm

While driving my tuck at 40 mph there was loud pop from the engine. the truck could not be driven and had to be towed. the ford dealer told me that i had blown a spark plug and that i needed a new engine at 5,000 dollars. *jb

Dt: on september 23, 2005 had a spark plug blow out of the cylinder head of the vehicle. this was the spark plug on passenger's side, nearest to firewall. this was the third coil that the consumer had, but this it was the first time the spark plug came out. contacted the dealer, they towed it. there was no forewarning. at 65 mph, the consumer heard a pop and thought it was the tire, but it kept popping until vehicle stopped. the consumer exited the vehicle and discovered it was not the tire. raised the hood and could see it flapping. no lights in dashboard came on and gauges did not move. *ak *jb

I have a 1999 ford f150 with just over 60,000 miles on it. it has been maintained very well and has had no problems until now. while driving to work on 9/20/05, my engine sounded like it blew up. what actually happened was my #3 cylinder spark plug blew out. thankfully it did not cause an accident. after investigating how to fix the problem i learned this was becoming very common with ford triton motors and would cost appx $3000 to repair. ford offered no help other then for me to bring it in for the expensive repair, with no guarantee it would not happen again. i thought the truck would last much longer then 60k miles and feel like i bought a lemon. *nm

1. no events led to failure. 2. a spark plug blew out of the engine. the consequence is that the engine runs poorly, is loud and has little power. 3. no repair has been made yet. *jb

Spark plug blow out on 2nd to last cylinder on passenger side of 1999 f150 w\ 5.4 liter triton engine. *nm

Spark plug blew off when i turned my truck on. ford recommends new engine because apparently it happens often. there is currently no recall for this problem. truck needs repair. *jb

I am shocked to discover the thousands of postings on the internet concerning the '99 ford f-150 that blows a spark plug because of too few threads on the engine in the original design. as a victim of this failure, the dealership acknowledges that this happens all the time and that there is no remedy for it. the cost for repair is almost $3000 and there is no guarantee that it will not recur. seems that ford should be forced to recall these engines as it can lead to fire (as straight gas goes into the engine compartment) and the spark plug could spark as it blows igniting fumes or fuel. i will never feel fully safe in this vehicle again and am quite disappointed that ford is getting away with such a faulty design! please help all ford f-150 owners that will fall victim to this costly repair and dangerous situation.

I have a 1999 f-150 ford pick-up truck 4-2l v-6, i was having a low cooleant problem. took it to mcdonough radiator shop, they replaced water pump and gasket. it was still loosing cooleant. i called the dealership and ask if there was a recall for this vehicle and was told no there was not. i took it back to the same radiator shop after a closer inspection they removed the intake manifold and found water in the back two cylinders.they replaced the intake manifold gaskets, i picked the vehicle up i had not drove more than 3 miles before it started to make a knocking noise. i called the repair shop and took it back immeadiately, now they tell me that i have 2 bent push rods. they are suppose to replace them today. i found out later that i was not the only one having this problem, after some research on the internet i found a web site that has an long list of people with the same complaint. when i called ford motor company customer "no service" i was told that there had been no recalls on this vehicle for that problem and that they could not help me in any way because of the warrenty had expired. according to jasper engine rebuilders the problem stems from a poorly designed gasket for the intake manifold and that is what caused this problem, got this information from one of their tech bullitens.

Dt*: the contact stated the engine was leaking oil. the vehicle was taken to the service dealer who determined the engine's head gasket had a small chip causing an oil leak. to remedy the problem, the service dealer recommended a new head gasket to replace the defective one.

Dt: bought a used truck, and after the warranty expired had to replace the starter/the ball joints/he upper tie rods, and the control arm on both sides. engine manifold split, and exhaust system rusted. later, while driving tie rods came off. there was a slight drop at the entrance to the parking lot, and as vehicle went back up the drop, it slid and there was an impact. got out of the car, and saw that the tie rod came off and gouged into the pavement. spoke to the manager of country club chevrolet, and he simply gave consumer a discount on parts and labor. yesterday he went to a certified used vehicle dealer and asked for the 88-point inspection,, and they were unable to provide that information. *ak

Manufacturing defect - plug thread failure vehicle is a 1999 ford f-150 4x with 5.4l triton and approx. 45,000 miles. while unaggressively accellerating at normal highway speeds the engine lost power and a loud popping sound could be heard. the vehicle was immediately pulled to the side of the highway, turned off, and towed to a repair facility. no injury or crash occurred. investigation indicated a spark plug and coil had been ejected from the head. the plug was the 2nd from the front on passenger side. the threads in the head were stripped such that a new spark plug could not be seated. a helicoil was installed for approx. $300 and loss of vehicle for a week, but it failed after approximately 3 months. this failure was evidenced by engine misfire, power loss and sluggishness. investigation revealed that same plug was not firing, and was not able to be removed because the helicoil threads were also stripped. the head was replaced at a cost of $3,626 with and additional 2 weeks lost vehicle use (2 comparable quotes from reputable auto repair providers were obtained). repair time was longer than usual as the part had to be ordered from out-of-state and expedited shipping was deemed too expensive. at this time, however, the engine misfires continuously at idle and frequently at highway speeds. the vehicle is currently in the shop for a 3rd time to investigate this continuing condition. *nm

I have had different two spark plugs blow out of the head at different times. a heli coil was used to fix the problem. *nm

Oil leak from right rear cylinder (passeger side). oil is leaking from the cylinder head gasket. vehicle is a 1999 ford f-150 5.4l windsor, ont, canada engine. 81,000 miles. *ak

driver noticed a brownish liquid leaking from underneath the vehicle while parked. driver took vehicle to the dealer, and mechanic determined that the head gasket blew out, and needed to be replaced. *ak

The 4 wheel drive in the consumer 1999 ford f150 engaged in low range while driving. this caused the truck to jerk, lose control and the rear end to go out.*mr the consumer had a new rear end put in but the truck has continued to go in and out of 4 wheel drive automatically. now the truck start on it's own. the consumer had to disconnect the battery to keep from burning out the starter. when the cruise control is on the transmission wouldn't shift and the rpm's raced into the red. the consumer could hear clicks under the dash while this was happening which resulted in the battery being drained. the radiator leaked. *nm

1999 ford f-150 with a 5.4l triton v8 engine... problem: blown spark plug after work, while accelerating onto the freeway, the engine made a "pop" noise, and then began to sound like a steam engine. the engine was running rough and loud, thus i pulled over on the side of the road. i was concerned that i may have blown a spark plug (or possibly a valve) and didn't want to set the engine on fire. i was stranded until i could get roadside assistance. dealer claims that the entire head needs to be replaced for the blown spark plug with a newly designed head. other options include to retread the blown spark plug. seems like a design flaw based on the large number of other users w/ the same problem. *nm

Sitting at stop light in 1999 f-150 w/5.4 litre engine,slowly proceeded through light and heard a loud bang followed by very loud and rough running engine. this left me stranded at side of road at 3:00am. turns out that spark plug ripped away from cylinder head causing expensive repairs. this not only is an obvious mfgr. defect,but a safety concern as well. the manufacturer knows this is a problem and should step up and do the right thing. thank you. doug beeman. *jb

While driving approximately 5 mph, the spark plug blew out of engine. *jb *sc

Was driving the truck home, about a mile out after being on the highway, there was a loud bang. the spark plug had been shot out of it's place, per a shop owner. not sure why it happened yet. it was stated to us that ford has many complaints of this happening to their trucks. we have a 99 f150 and wondering if there are more such complaints and if so what can we do to push the issue. it could get someone hurt at some point! *nm

I have a 1999 f150 truck and a 1999 expedition, both have a 5.4l engine and both have oil leaks on the cylinder head gaskets, they both have about 60,000 miles. *jb

Consumer was traveling at 35 mph and heard noise from the engine. vehicle stopped, and had to be towed. after the dealer inspected the vehicle engine was found to be defective.*ak

Transmission gears breaking, timing chain loosening. *jb

Spark plug pulled out of the motor. the cost was great. it is my understanding that ford knows of the problem and did not notify the vehicle owners of the issue. it is also my understanding that if the spark plugs had been changed this problem would not have occurred. the plug pulled out at 81,000 miles. the plug changes are recommended at 100,000 miles. this procedure cost me well over $3000.00. if ford had notified me, and i had gotten the plugs changed the cost would have been considerably less that $1000.00. i was informed by the dealer ship that this could have caused a fire. as soon as the noise was heard i shut the truck engine off. this is a very dangerous condition that should be taken care of. i feel that ford should reimburse all the vehicle owners for the cost of this design issue. *jb

While the vehicle was idling, a fire started in the engine. the fire was put out and the vehicle was towed. please provide more information. *jb

Slight tapping that of like a tapping valve for about a week prior to first incident. the second incident occurred with no warning that i noticed.*ak vehicle has now ejected two spark plugs. spark plugs were not the original from the factory. the first one was on the passenger side, 3rd back. when it came out, it destroyed the coil over the plug as well. it was repaired using a heli-coil solid steel insert which worked ok, but has come back out when the sparkplug was removed. local ford dealer quoted $1450.00 for a single new head, not installed. the second time, it was the third back on the driver's side. this one killed the motor. i'm not sure exactly what happened yet, but along with the blown plug, i have water in my oil and the motor will no longer turn over, even with all plugs removed. i'll be buying a new motor now when i have the money. meanwhile, my wife must sit at home with no vehicle and two young children until repairs are made.

I was merging onto a busy road safely, and a spark plug blew out of my engine head. it caused an immediate loss of power and almost caused an accident because the truck would not move in heavy traffic. it also posed a fire hazard as fuel continued to pour into a cylinder with no spark plug sealing the top of it.*ak

The number 3 spark plug blew out of my 1999 f150 while pulling away from a stop light. the aluminum head has only 4 threads holding the plug in place, clearly a design defect. i had both heads removed and had all eight holes repaired...total cost was about $3,000. there was 80,000 miles on the truck at the time. ford should stand behind their product! *tr

I take good care of my pickup however it has broken down on me. it began with a small shutter. it felt like the pickup was having issues idling/accelerating. only at low (5-10 mph) speeds did i feel the weakness/shutter. i had this issue for about 4 months, i just assumed it needed a tune up and was prepared to have one done soon. i was towing a trailer (started off fine) then at a stop sign felt that the engine was now shuttering/misfiring even more. took the pickup to mechanic the next day and found that valve 4 was stuck open and had essentially melted its self open. this in turn caused the piston to get damaged and now i'm faced with replacing the heads or the entire engine. my pickup has 110,000 however (according to the mechanic) there have been other pickups have the same issue with as little as 80,000 miles. i have not been able to find a recall on what i've experienced. *nm

1999 f 150. the engine spit the spark plug out and damaged the head,coil, wiring and hood. *jb

Drove my f-150 truck to eat then when i came out i drove it about 100 yards and stop and did about 15 minutes shoping at home depot when i came out and started it it made a bang. it sounded like a hole in the tail pipe. when i took it to the dealer they said it was a cylinder head from a blow spark plug.*ak

I was towing my trailer and had just left my house and got a mile down the road when i heard a loud pop like a tire blowing and i quickly tried to find a place to pull over. i later found out i had a blown plug and of course it wiped the threads and shot up and destroyed my coil on top so i had a helixcoil put in and a new coil . my truck is a 99 5.4 with 67,305 miles on it with the original factory plugs . *jb

Replaced exahust manafold, my repairman said many ford owners had same problem. *ak

My f150 p.u. has a stress crack in the curve of the door by the window. the latch is not tight enough, so the door is hard to shut. my windshield wipers turn on by themselves, the odometer light goes on & off, the seat belts do not recoil & the "door ajar" light gets stuck, eventhough all doors are reshut. engine sometimes runs rough eventhough has just had 60,000 mile check. the ford dealership wants to charge me for new part to fix odometer light $300+plus labor, $58 for door part+labor. haven't talked to them about "rough running", i'm sure they'll want more $$ to fix it too.*ak

While driving at 65 mph, suddenly there was a popping noise, then the vehicle stalled. the spark plug had came out the engine cylinder head. this occurred because of a design flaw, there was insufficient tread to hold the spark plugs. the cylinder head was replaced. *jb

While i was driving 30 miles per hour, my back passenger side spark plug shot out of my head, i have a warranty but the dealership is not sure if they will cover this incident. i have noticed all over the internet that this is a common problem, what is wrong with ford, how can they make something defective that is so costly to their customers and not recall the item? the dealership is quoting me $3800.00 to put a new head on the 1999 ford f150 which i thought was a dependable vehicle. i have driven fords all of my life and i doubt i will ever buy another one, not to get this kind of treatment.*ak

I was driving my ford f-150 (after a previous fix of the same problem i was about to experience), when my #3 spark plug blew out of the head unit. 2nd time happened, cost $2500 to fix. now i want reimbursement for all repair work due to flawed engine design.*ak

The consumer took vehicle for service because of a ticking noise heard on vehicle. the dealership indicated that the ticking noise was coming from the catalytic converter, and the head gasket had blown. which resulted in an oil leak into the exhaust manifold. the dealership replaced the catalytic converter and the head gasket; however, the ticking noise still exist after the repair was performed. within 300 miles after the parts were replaced, the spark plug came out of the right side of the engine head which resulted in engine failure. the dealership refused to honor repair warranty and perform any further service on the vehicle. *la

Oil leak. i have a 1999 ford f-150 with a 5.4 motor that leaks oil from the rigth head, this problem was fixed 03/29/00 at 9900 miles.it 42000 miles it started leaking again the dealer checked it out and said it was the same head gasket as before but because it was out of warranty i would have to pay for the repair. ford said they wont. the dealer told me that ford had changed to a differtent type of head gasket because of this problem but it was up to ford to pay or not to pay for repairs. *ak

While driving, the head gasket would leak oil. the mechanic repaired the problem once, but did not resolve the problem. please provide more information. *jb

While driving , suddenly the vehicle started shaking. the repair shop performed a diagnostic and indicated that it could be the spark plugs. the spark plugs were replaced, but didn't correct the problem. the butterfly to the fuel injection on the passenger side of the engine motor froze and stopped the flow of the fuel, which caused damage to the fuel injection thus damaging the timing belt, and piston. the entire engine motor fell apart from the inside out per the mechanic. *jb

Have a 1999 ford f-150 with a 5.4 liter engine. #3 spark plug blew out and had to have a costly repair done by the mechanic pulling the head and placing an insert into the hole. killed 2 birds with 1 stone because the passenger side head was leaking oil. this same spark plug had blown out two previous times. finally decided that something was wrong. have driven fords all of my life. not sure will purchase again.*ak