Problems with 2002 Ford F-150 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

2002 f 150 v 4.2l v6 engine. 83000 miles has defective intake manifold gasket that can cause leak of coolant into cylinders causing engine to blow up possibly causing car to become uncontrollable causing a serious accident. ford has no plans despite receiving numerous complaints. *jb

On 12-29-2005 heard tapping noise coming from engine of 2002 ford f-150 harley davidson. after accelerating from intersection near home, i heard a large bang and truck lost power. immediately pulled truck over and had it aaa towed to local ford dealership. ford diagnosed the truck and according to the ford service advisor, #6 spark plug blew, causing damage to left cylinder head. approximate damage repair $3800.00. truck only had 57,000 miles. *jb

F150 4.2 6 cylinder blown lower intake after 71000 miles. repair shop and online that this failure is an epidemic. *jb

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

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

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

Right before the failure i was sitting at a stop sign. as i began pulling a way i heard a single loud popping sound followed by a complete loss of power and popping and ticking. i stopped the truck immediately -- i never made it out onto the cross street. the plug blew out of the head --blown plug. ford has offered to replace the head for a cost of $3900.00. *jb

April 2005 2002 f-150 ford truck engine failure at highway speeds. #3 cylinder spark plug blew out of cylinder causing emergency exit from fast lane on hwy 81. second incident same cylinder november 2. after researching ford forums on the internet found this is a common occurrence with the ford triton 5.4 liter v8 motors. ford consumer affairs was contacted - no assistance. this is a manufacturing defect affecting thousands of vehicles as well as lives. ford has refused to recognize the issue and will lend no consumer assistance. a forced recall should be initiated. failure is due to insufficient threading of machined aluminum head on all triton 5.4 liter v8s. estimated repairs in excess of $300 each occurrence. this is unacceptable and ford should be held accountable. this is not a wear/tear component of any vehicle. it is an integral part and should be covered by ford at any cost. *nm

Spark plug blew out of #2 cylinder on right side head. 45000 miles with original plugs still in from factory. dealer said it's a factory defect but ford is not covering it. 3200 dollar repair. truck is a 2002 ford f-150 with 5.4l tritin v-8. *nm

Spark plug blow out on my 2002 f150, 5.4l,v8, ford pickup. mileage at time of the incident,46337. while turning right after stopping at a stop sign, i heard a loud pop. the engine lost power and continued to pop very loud. i pulled to the side of the road and called a tow truck. i knew what the problem was, because my brothers 2001, f150, 5.4l, v8, ford pickup, mileage aprox.103000 had the same problem. ford knows about the problem and has a new head with 8 threads instead of 4, but claim no responsibility for the failure. my truck is a the dealership that i purchased it from. i have an extended warranty that is covering the replacement of "one" head. i am paying for the replacement of the other head. i think it is totally wrong to replace only one head when they both have the same defect!!*jb

Spark plug blown out of cylinder head. *nm

Engine on my 2002 ford f150 with 88,000 miles blew a spark plug while driving at approximately 45 mph. causing approximately $2,900 worth of damage. vehicle was pulled over immediately and towed to the closest repair facility. mechanic said this is a common problem with the ford f150 triton v8 engines that ford won't acknowledge.*jb

I was driving my 2002 ford f-150 when the spark plug (3rd one on passenger side blew out of the head on the engine. the engine is a 4.6 liter triton engine. it made a large bang then a thumping noise and loss of power to engine so i hurried and pulled over and shut the engine off. tried to put spark plug back in. it stayed in for a few days and blew out again. it will not stay in. the cost of repairs could reach $2000.00 easily. if someone was near the engine when it went off it might of killed them. very dangerous situation. i looked up on the internet to find a way to fix the problem and found out hundreds if not thousands of people have had the same problem with these engines. *jb

Spark plugs blown out of cylinder head while driving through the desert. the front and rear spark plug on the driver's side of the engine blew out within a 24 hour period. i was diving to oregon early friday morning when the rear spark plug on the drivers side of the engine blew out. i was stuck in the desert for 9 hours. called aaa and was towed back to winnemucca on friday night before labor day weekend. no repair facilities available but the tow yard guy had some jb weld. i put some on the threads of the spark plug and screwed it back into what little threads remained in the cylinder head. i was supposed to be at work the following saturday morning. i let the jb weld set for 5 hours. when i left winnemucca it was 1:30 am saturday. i drove from winnemucca nevada to auburn california , nearly 270 miles when i blew another spark plug this time the front one on the drivers side. then i had to be towed to san jose california. obviously i missed work that saturday, but my boss was kind enough to reschedule the work for sunday. the fact that the spark plug that had not been repaired (the front plug) blew out while the repaired one did not blow out tells me that all of my spark plugs are probably hanging on by a thread. if i did not have a cellular phone with service when the first plug blew out, i don't think i would have made it out of that desert 70 miles north of winnemucca on i-80. there is nothing out there. nothing. no phone, no water, no people, except for the big trucks that blow by every once in a while at 90 mph while your trying to fix your p-o-s broken down 2002 ford f-150 lightning on the side of a 2 lane highway. *nm

I was driving in germany road back home when suddenly a hard bang under the hood and then there was a noise like the hole muffler was gone and i lost power, i barly could park my truck on the side of the road on a very dangerous place with a lot of traffic. i had to be towed away, it took 4 hours, next day a garage owner from a bosh workshop put in a replacement insertcoil with a new spark plug. it cost over the 450 euro's to pay in advance whit no waranty. *jb

2002 ford f150 caught on fire in the inside of the passenger cabin while parked.*mr *jb

Replaced spark plugs, drove normally for 8 or 9,000 miles, went to ohio and back .then drove to work on the 19th, heard a pop and the truck started to run rough. when i got of work i looked at the truck and found the number three plug was ejected out of the cylinder head.

I currently own a 2002 ford f-150. at about 70,000 miles a spark blew out on the drivers side. this was the original plug. had to have helicoil installed. prior to this incident, my 2001 expedition had the same problem. this was also the original plugs, but this motor only had 60,000 miles. unfortunately, the ford dealer i had it towed to would not perform helicoil, so i had to replace the head. they said ford did not recommend helicoil. so i have owned 2 fords within 1 year of each other and both have had the exact same problem with plugs. it's apparent that ford has a design flaw. i heard from a ford dealer that the newer body style of f-150 has had a correction in the thread design in the heads. *tr

dt: contact states her vehicle is stalling while driving at any speed. the only thing that signals that the vehicle is stalling is that the vehicle will jerk and rpms drop. this happens with the vehicle stalling everyday. the service dealer can not determine what is wrong with the vehicle because the service engine light is not illuminated. the contact is taking the vehicle to the service dealer today. *nm

I purchased a used 2002 ford f150 4x4 from the manager of a ford dealership. within 7 months a spark plug blew, we did not know it was such a problem but we repaired it and a couple of months later it did it again we repaired it thinking maybe we did not repair the first one correctly. then a month later it did it again. i searched web sites and saw it was a greater problem. i took my truck into a ford dealership-(which say they can not really say what the problem is exactly?) it could be from a blown spark plug.. but refuse to give that as a reason? i wonder why? so they have quoted me about $3200.00 in repairs not including labor, which will take it up to about $5000.00!!! i can not afford this as it took everything for me to pay for this truck, which i feel was sold to me by the dealership and even the previous owner of the truck that knew of a problem and did not disclose it to me. so my truck will sit until i decide what to do, as i make monthly car and insurance payments on it. *nm

On two seperate occasions while driving my 2002 ford f150 harley-davidson pickup there was a loud bang from under the hood then vehicle would barely run.turns out that i blew a spark plug out of the cylinder head each of the two times.both times were the right side head and the were the rear two plugs.seems like a lot of other people are experiencing the same problem but ford will not acknowledge it.this is a safety issue as it happens whether on the highway or streets.

2002 ford pick up truck engine ejected a spark plug while driving.*mr the consumer stated the vehicle suddenly slowed down as if he applied the brakes. the mechanic told the consumer the threads had been stripped from the head when the plug was ejected. *jb the consumer no longer owns the vehicle.

Spark plug blown.i had the # 3 cylinder coil and fuel injector replaced earlier.dealer thought it odd both were gone on the same cylinder. i was driving at less than 15 mph when it happened.ford has a problem with blown spark plugs,they shoud be liable for any repairs.*ak

I was driving home from work in my 2002 ford f-150 truck when i heard a loud bang under the hood followed by a popping sound and a loss of power. i immediately pulled over at the next opportunity to inspect under the hood. seeing nothing evident i took the car home at an extremely reduced speed where i left the vehicle until i could take it to the dealer. the dealer informed me that a spark plug had come loose and the hot gases leaking by it ruined the coil and head and needed replaced. the vehicle had 31,800 miles on it and was 2 weeks out of warranty.*ak

While accelerating from a stop, a loud pop came from the engine compartment and the engine started shaking violently. pulled over to check under hood and discovered a spark plug was blown out of the engine head. head needs replacement.*ak

A spark plug blew out of the right side of my truck's engine. this was at low rpm and the truck only has 28,000 miles on it. have learned this has happened numerous times. dealer fixed because still under warranty, but frequency increases as more miles are accumulated. this is an expensive repair. *jb

Spark plug blown out of head . new head needed $2500 repair. *jb

Spark plug blew out of cylinder on my triton 5.4l ford f150 lightning truck. 900 miles after warranty expired. ford dealer quoted $3,100 to replace cylinder head with a 50% goodwill discount. in my searches on the web this is a very common problem. very common on their v10 diesel engines ford does not acknowledge that a defect exists.

Normal every day use. service engine soon light turns on dpfe sensor and or egr valve has failed. from what i've researched in forums it is a very common failure amongst fords. engines that suffer this idle very rough, at times so much that the engine stalls out when it comes to a stop. at first i changed the air and fuel filter thinking this might solve the problem. soon after i had my truck scanned for trouble codes(obd ii) and discovered the above mentioned problem. every shop i've taken my truck for estimates has told me this is a very common defect with fords. *jb

Blown spark plug out of 2002 ford lightning. had to replace right cynlinder head . *ak

Driving down the road about 55 mph and heard a terrible sound come from the engine. it sounded like a piston disconected from the connecting rod. i had the vehicle towed to the nearest dealer. their diagnosis is that the #3 sparkplug loosend up and damaged the plug hole. the said that the head needed to be replaced and the biil would range from $3500-4500. i did not have the money to get the vehicle repaired so the vehicle sat at the dealer for 5 months. when i called the dealer they said there was a repair that could be done but it wasn't recomended by ford. the repair was to remove the head and sleave the blown out spark plug hole. i had them repair it this way. the cost to me was $1796.00 and there was no waranty because it was not a ford recomended repair. my concern is that this seems to be a fairly common problem and could happen again at great expense to the consumer. not only is there great expense but, if this were to happen in heavy traffic it could cause a major accident.*ak

In cold weather, while driving at any speed, consumer heard a loud noise come from the engine. this caused serious loss of power. two different dealerships indicated that it was the air intake system, which was a common problem on the ford, f150 vehicles. *ak

Electrical: at 306 miles the solenoids had to be replaced. upon shutting the vehicle off; the dash board would still illuminate. also, upon shutting the vehicle off it would continue to run. this has happened a total of four times. the transmission completely failed with no warning. the consumer took the vehicle to the dealer, and was told the windshield had a leak which corroded the electrical system. the electrical problems started at 44000 miles. the gasket had to be replaced, and the harness wiring had to be replaced also. upon trying to start the vehicle again the battery would be completely dead. please provide any further information. *jb

I have a 2002 ford f150 that has headlights going off while driving. i have had it repaired only for it to reoccur. this is not a minor problem to me and the dealership that i purchased it from is unable to make a service appointment for a week. i have another vehicle but not everyone has that privelege and i have decided to service it at another location. maybe my vehicle is the only one and it is just something that happened. but i am concerned for my safety. thank you for allowing me to voice my concern. llc

Spark plug self launching from ford f150 5.4 l engine

Engine misfires in cold weather while driving causing serious loss of power first started at 341 miles and continues to date.*jb

Vehicle experienced sudden stalling at various speeds. took vehicle to dealer for checkup, but the cause was undetermined.*ak

While driving the vehicle in reverse, to park the vehicle suffered sudden acceleration when shifted from driver into reverse vehicle collided with another car causing damage to his vehicle and other car. dealer has been notified. please provide furrther information. ts

I have 2 spark plugs that will not stay tight. because of the problem with these motor blowing plugs out i have to stay on top of them. i tighten then about every 3 weeks. *la

Sparkplug / head blow-outs. *ak

Known failure to cylinder heads. failure involves the launching of spark plugs while engine is running resulting in severe engine damage. *la