Problems with 2001 Ford F-150 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Tl* - the contact owns a 2001 ford f-150. while driving 40 mph the vehicle made a loud popping sound similar to a truck back firing. the mechanic stated the spark plug and coils werecausing the failure. this failure occurred on 2 previous occasions. the recent failure the mechanic was unable to repair by changing the spark plugs, the damagewas more advanced and costly. most ford trucks experienced this failure at 8 years. the vehicle was towed, and was currently at the dealer for repair. the failure and current mileage were 93000.*ak

Windshield leak on 2001 f150 has leaked into gem module and fuse box. now in shop for second time ford dealer will now replace windshield and other electrical components. first trip to shop they said it was the battery. i paid for that and the towing charge. a bit of internet searching leads me to believe this is a well known and documented problem with ford trucks and suvs. odi has looked into this before. *jb

I went fishing one early morning and i stopped for gas and noticed that my lights would not turn off. i normally keep the switch in the auto-detect mode. i switched to off and they still would not turn off. after getting to the dock, i turned off the motor and locked it. my f-150's headlights would not turn off and would blink on and off. the switch would not work, nor did locking the vehicle turn off the lights. i expected the battery saver would activate to turn off the exterior lamps. it also failed. the battery died and i had to be towed into the dealer. dealer states it was a wiring harness (#12, #160 and #161) that shorted a relay and killed the battery. the parts were not covered under warranty. parts and labor were $612. *nm

Odometer light goes out when it wants and on when it wants. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated while the vehicle was parked for six hours in the driveway next to a residence, it became engulfed in flames. the fire originated from under the hood. the fire department was called and extinguished the fire. an additional vehicle parked next to the truck and part of the contact's house was also damaged from the fire. there were no problems with the vehicle prior to the incident. the manufacturer was contacted and verified the vehicle was included in the recall. the contact stated a recall notice was never received. updated 10/17/2006 - *nm

Dt*: the contact stated while driving any speed on various road conditions, the engine stalled and there was a loss of all power without warning. after an extended period of time, the engine restarted and the instrument panel provided an incorrect digital display. the vehicle was inspected by a dealer who was unable to duplicate the problem. the manufacturer was not notified.

I took my 4 year old daughter in our ford f150 supercab lariat truck and went to a restaurant about 5 minutes from our home. we returned home with take out, parked the truck in the driveway, our garage door opener was not working. i joined my wife for dinner (about 7:00 pm). my daughter went to bed at about 8:30, my wife about 9:30. at about 10:00 i went outside with the dogs in the backyard and heard a pop sound like a fire cracker. i thought that maybe the neighbor kids were playing with fireworks, but it sounded pretty close to the house on the garage side. when i looked in that direction i saw an orange glow. i went around the side of the house and saw my truck engulfed in flames. i ran into the house, called my wife to get up, get our daughter, get out of the house and call 911. 911 told us to get out of the house and as far away as possible. we evacuated our home w/ our dogs in tow and we all proceeded to watch in horror (with the entire subdivision) as the truck went up in flames and smoke, not knowing if the house would be next. under normal circumstances my truck would have been parked in the garage. my daughter's bedroom is right above. the fire chief said we would have lost our house no question and very possibly our lives if the truck was in the garage. the insurance company has been out to look at the truck; it's deemed a total loss. everything from the front end through the cab is burned up or a mess of metal, plastic, etc. melted on my driveway. we have been given a figure for the truck and asked to settle. no further discussion as to the damage to my wife's car, the boat, and ruined concrete drive. the ford dealers response was "well, ford is a big company and has a lot of powerful attorneys." how sick is that?! we're at a loss. what we saw was traumatic. my 4 year old daughter talks of the event every day. we're thankful yes that we're all ok and know it could have been worse, but this should ...

Blown out spark plug on passenger side of 2001 f 150 with 102k miles. *jb

1 month ago my 2001 f150 would not crank. i checked the fuse and the #6 fuse (5 amp) had blown. i replaced it with a new 5 amp fuse and it blew again. i called our roadside assistance and asked that the truck be towed as we wanted to know why it was blowing the fuse each time we replaced it. the repair shop had the truck for 2 days and could not duplicate the problem about 10 days later it blew a fuse again. this time it was the #15 fuse(still a 5 amp fuse) and this time the truck would crank but would not go out of park. called a tow truck again and had it taken to a different repair shop that night. i spoke with the repair shop owner on sat july 1 and told him it was a secondary vehicle and as this was a holiday weekend not to rush. just when they opened back up after the holiday if he could get it fixed then. on the morning of july 4th 2006 we were called around 10:30 am by the repair shop owner, who was also a tenant in this building, that our truck had caught on fire during the night and was a total loss. he asked that we come right over. we called our insurance on the way as we luckily still had full coverage even though our truck was paid for. the auto repair shop had all the bay doors cut open by the fire department during the night(july 3rd) and there were several other cars in the building that were damaged also. at least one of which was a total loss also. the building had water and smoke damage even in its restroom. the repair shop has not been able to open all week and who knows how large his deductible, etc is. i have since found out my ford 2003 excursion has a fire recall on it. i am terrified to have my children in it or have it near my home or someone else's as i don't want to be responsible if it happens again. i have also found out that in my neighborhood of 26 houses. the man 4 doors down had his f150 burn down in his driveway during ...

Spark plug blowout. 2nd. time. *jb

My 2001 ford f150 xlt crew cab ejected a spark plug on 03-03-06. the ejected spark plug came from the second cylinder from the firewall, on the passengers side. the engine in this truck is a 5.4 triton. the fuel rail is in the flight path of the spark plug when it becomes a projectile. this has the potential to become a major disaster, if the fuel rail ruptures. because with the engine running the coil on the spark plug can and will ignite the spraying fuel. the cylinder heads on these 5.4 tritons engine must have a major defect and needs to be recalled by ford motor company, as soon as possible. *jb

Preliminary data.. ford f150 2001 supercrew was left unattended while shopping. upon return i noted a puddle of fluid that was not present earlier under the vehicle. upon leaning down on the drivers side front to inspect for the source of the leak small flames were noted in the engine compartment. upon opening the hood for further inspection it was noted that the rear driver side of the engine compartment was on fire (appearing to me and other observers to be electrical in nature) with the brake fluid reservoir completed melted. the flames first observed were forced by the molten plastic dripping down into the engine compartment. the fire department was notified but thanks to some employees of the shop and the availability there of an approved extinguisher, the fire was terminated before the arrival of the fire department some 7 minutes later. comments were made by others and later by internet research that the damage has all of the appearances of being forced by the speed control deactivation switch issue. the vehicle is currently under evaluation by a ford dealership and my insurance company. fortunately the vehicle was unoccupied at the time and was in the middle of a strip center parking lot with no vehicles around it should the fire had time to develop further. earlier or later, it could have easily consumed my home.*jb

The vehicle was operating normally without incident. the car was parked in the driveway and turned off. after approximately 15 to 30 minutes after the car was parked it spontaneously ignited. the fire dept. was dispatched and successfully extinguished the fire. the truck was destroyed and the driveway sustained significant damage. nothing was previously done to correct any failures because we were unaware of any problems or safety hazards in the vehicle. *jb

Ford f150 started on fire while parked with the key out of the ignition.*ak

Vehicle caught on fire. *ak

My wife noticed that there was smoke commong from my 2001 f-150 super crew. i ran to my truck and pulled a plug out which was on fire. i brought my truck to the dealership and they informed me that there was a recall on this part, but my truck was not part of the recall. i had them fix my truck which cost me $200.00. i called ford and talked to the service manager at the dealership, but nobody is willing to help me out.

No actual warning of defect. windshield wipers, power windows, courtesy lights, and power door locks suddenly ceased working. dealer stated the windshield leaked causing the gem module to fail. windshield was replaced, as well as gem module. *jb

Dt: the vehicle started to buck, and the service engine light came on. when he took vehicle to the dealership they told him that there moisture was getting into the ignition coils, causing them to rust. the consumer had one of the ignition coils replaced, in 6-05 and in 8-05, the consumer had taken vehicle back to the dealership for the same problem. they told him that it appeared that it was happening to two other cylinders. as of now he has not had the other two replaced. there were no other problems with the vehicle . *ak

Vehicle was driven, and parked at the place of business for approximately 40 min., when a passerby came into the place of business and reported a vehicle on fire. on investigation, it was determined that the vehicle was mine- a 2001 ford f-150 pickup truck. the fire was in the engine compartment around the master cylinder and surrounding areas. the wheel well area was damaged; the master cyliner resevoir was absent; and the fire damage occured to the interior portion of the compartment including the firewall. the insureance company was notified, the local ford dealer was also asked about recalls of that vehicle due to the damage, and the local consumer agency was notified. i have never been notified of any such recall, or any such possible occurence of damage to similar vehicles of thks nature. currently, the vehicle is under inspection by the insurance company and is expected to be towed from my residence to the local ford dealer. the lein holder of the vehilcle is first bank.

Dt:consumer was selling vehicle, he dropped insurance. consumer drove vehicle to an apartment complex where his girl lived. parked vehicle after driving about 5 minutes, went inside, then one of the children came in and informed consumer that the vehicle was on fire. the motor compartment burnt. fireman told consumer that there was a recall on this vehicle for the possibility of burning. the vehicle caught on fire around 6:00 pm. consumer contacted ford , but ford had not responded back yet. consumer said he used vin to identify recall on vehicle.*ak

Dt: the vehicle was parked on the street, 5 minutes later the vehicle caught on fire. the fire dept put out the fire. there were no other problems with the vehicle prior to this . the consumer only had the vehicle for 4 months. it was purchased used from ford dealership. *jb

Dt: my wife was at work and she had just parked, and 15 minutes later, she was told her car was on fire and burned completely. *ak

The consumer stated his vehicle burst into flames.

Vehicle was parked in front of the residence and one hour later it caught on fire. the fire department was called to extinguish the fire. vehicle was towed and totaled by the insurance company. *ak

Dt: the vehicle will not start, the cylinder will not engage, had to roll the vehicle backin order to get the vehicle started. contacted the dealer, and they couldn't fix if they didn't see a problem. currently, it it happened 15 times. this started two weeks after consumer bought the vehicle around april 15, 2005. *ak

Vehicle parked approx 4.5 hours, when noticed vehicle hood was engulfed with flames, damage primarily on driver's side toward windshield, total loss --- one month prior to vehicle fire vehicle would not get out of park and blew 5 amp fuse

While driving vehicle stalled and the lights blinked on and off intermittently. driver took the vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the electrical fuses needed to be replaced. *ak

While driving at approximately 30 mph engine made a ping noise. it sounded as if something broke. owner called for a tow truck and had the vehicle towed to the dealer. the vehicle was put on the diagnostic machine, and owner was informed that the spark plug ejected from the cylinder head that because it was made of aluminum, and if the spark plugs were tightened too much, or the spark plugs were cross threaded when installed they would be ejected. *ak

Cruise control light flashing when attempting to engage it on my 2001 f150 triton 4.6l "3dr". took it to the dealership due to transmission problems(spring broke on 2nd to 3rd gear shifter)inquired about the cc lite. service tech popped the hood,pulled the plug on the power boosterand we both saw fluid build up on the surface area. same st'd that there was a recall inprogress but that he had to see if this model was involved...not. 89000plus miles. *ak

After being stopped at an intersection i slowly pulled away when the light turned green. it sounded as if i ran over something ,and the truck started making loud noises and jerking. i pulled off the road, parked it, and had it towed to the local ford dealer in columbus, oh. they said it had blown a spark plug and stripped the threads in the head - it only had 41,000 miles on it. this appears to be a common problem with these trucks and could be dangerous in certain circumstances. i paid the charge to put a helicoil in as a temporary fix until i can buy a new head because ford won't acknowledge this widespread problem.*ak

I left my 2001 f-150 in a parking lot unattended when i returned a few hours later it had been almost totally consumed by fire. witnesses said that it started under the hood. i have not yet recieved the fire companies report.*ak

While vehicle was parked a fire started under the hood. dealership was notified, but not resolve the problem. the cause was not determined. *ak

2001 f-150 supercrew instrument and accessroy failure due to water from leaky seal around driver's side windshield. this is not an isolated instance and is reflected in your # 10002639. cost of repair was over $800.00 and not covered by warranty and not acknowledged by ford dealership as defect. vehice gem failure causes loss of wiper controls, and power locks causing safety concerns.*ak

Consumer's vehicle and the garage caught on fire while the vehicle was parked. the driver called the fire department to extinguish the fire. then, vehicle was towed and totaled by the insurance company. *ak

1) 90,000 miles on my 2001 ford f150 supercrew 5.4l v8. ) two blown spark plugs in about eight weeks time. the second one left me and my family (wife and 3 children age 5 & under) stranded in the desert between san diego and el centro on interstate 8.*ak 3) the plugs stripped out the threads on the head and aftermarket inserts were installed in order to install new plugs. after discussing the problem with a couple of garages and doing some online research i have learned that this is an extremely common problem. it appears that by ford design their are only 6 of the 12 threads on the spark plug that are engaged in the head. after some time engine vibration and expansion and contraction of the head due to heat allow the spark plug to loosen up. at that point, the plugs increased movement has enough force to destroy the remaining threads. from the number of reports of this problem, i believe that this will either result in a class action lawsuit or a factory recall. however, i like ford as a company and hope that they take responsibility for the poor design before a suit is filed.

The consumer was unable to start the vehicle. the dealership repaired the lock cylinder. *ak *sc *jb

Consumer was awakened by a horn going off, and went to see what it was. then suddenly there was a boom, then another boom. after arriving in his garage he saw flames coming from the vehicle. consumer proceeded to remove his family, and tried to put the fire out. there was a substantial amount of damage to the home, and the vehicle was totaled.*ak

Vehicle commenced to make a loud back firing noise after being refueled. vehicle was tow to the dealer, who replaced the # 4 coil and the #4 spark plug. *ak *nm

2001 ford f150 lariat with 68,000 miles. was parked in my driveway and had not beein driven for at least 10 days. garage door is open as is door to house. my wife smells something and looks outside and sees flames coming from hood. calls 911. fire department puts out truck within 5 or so minutes but it is a total loss. insurance company is investigating. they are aware of several fires like this. article in newspaper in november 2004 states "feds" are looking into fires like this in f150s due to the cruise control deactivation switch. cruise control did have problems prior to this.*ak

Factory spark plug threads are too short for cylinder heads, resulting in the plugs blowing out.*ak

2001 ford f150 caught on fire while parked. *mr the cruise control went out. the vehicle was not totaled but there was extreme damage to the vehicle. the consumer received a recall letter in february 2005. recall number 05v017000. (speed control deactivation switch) *sc *jb

Vehicle was parked when consumer told the passenger that a burning smell was coming from the vehicle. when consumer and passenger were responding to the smell there was fire coming from underneath the vehicle. consumer called the fire department that responded immediately. vehicle burned completely beyond recognition. *ak *tt

While parked the vehicle caught on fire without warning. the cause has yet to be determined. the vehicle was considered a total loss. *ak

After sitting unused for six hours in a locked garage, my 2001 ford f-150 burst into flames. the fire inspector determined the fire started in the area where wires connect to the brake master cylander. my insurance co. (st. farm) paid apximately $6,000 for repairs. luckily, i was able to put the fire out quickly. my wife and kids were asleep in bed. fire occurred apximately 10:30 pm, truck had been parked since 4:30pm.*ak

Spark plug blown out-blown head. *ak

Fire in ford f-150 parked in garage - fire origin at left rear of engine compartment - cruise control quit working about a year ago but owner never had it fixed because he never used it - ccds located - x-rays showed splatter and destruction of internal contacts from arcing - 20 a fuse to circuit # 13 was blown. *nm

2001 ford f-150 - parked in garage for about 30 min. - fire in left rear corner of engine compartment - cruise control had not worked for about a year - cruise control deactivation switch recovered, and exraid internal contacts show splatter from arcing - additional arcing evidence on wire harness in vicinity of brake vacuum booster.*ak

2nd spark plug from the front on passenger side blew out of the cylinder head on 20001 ford f-150 lightning while stopped in traffic. truck has 39550 miles on it. plug stripped threads out of cylinder head. this is 2nd occurrence. on june 19 2003 plug was ejected from #2 cylinder head. truck was still under warranty and head was replaced by fox lake ford mercury. dealership did not say which plug blew. a coil assembly also blew and was replaced by sessler ford on january 7th 2004. *ak

Jim left me a message on 12/7/04 about a ford fire. truck was sitting for 6 hours and caught on fire in the engine compartment. the fire occurred in the middle of the night. my wife said she had heard a thud. when they found the truck it was fully involved. no problems with truck. no after market equipment. vehicle had cruise control. never used it, did not know if it worked. used a year before fire. vehicle for local trips only. vehicle was insured. insurance company did a fire inspection. this fire involved a structure fire.*ak

Truck was parked for approx 2 hours when it caught fire and totally burned.