Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||||
| 041601 | 11/14/2005 | 05228 | 10018745 | Wds cop kit diagnostic tip - coil on plug (cop) ignition systems - engine misfire or rough running. *tt | 01/12/2006 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| 07212 | 10/01/2007 | 10023943 | Some 1997-2008 vehicles equipped with a 4.6l 2v, 5.4l 2v, or 6.8l 2v engine--spark plug thread repair procedure--not covered under new vehicle limited warranty. *nj this includes f-53 motorhome chassis. updated 2/23/10. *pe | 02/20/2008 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 01/03/2012 | 150000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 1998 ford f-150. the contact stated that while driving approximately 25 mph, a strong odor of fuel emitted inside of the vehicle. there was also a loud ticking noise coming from the engine. the contact was able to maneuver to the shoulder of the road. the vehicle was then towed to the contact | |||
| 01/03/2012 | |||
| Had the 7 cylender spark plug shoot out of the head and strip the threads | |||
| 01/03/2012 | 150000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 1998 ford f150. while driving approximately 25 mph, a strong odor of fuel emitted inside of the vehicle. there was also a loud ticking noise coming from the engine. the contact was able to maneuver to the side of the road. the vehicle was towed to the residence. the contact stated a spark plug dislodged from the cylinder head and he planned to take the vehicle to an independent mechanic for repair. the manufacturer was made aware of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 150,000. js | |||
| 01/03/2012 | |||
| Had the 7 cylender spark plug shoot out of the head and strip the threads | |||
| 01/03/2012 | 150000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 1998 ford f150. while driving approximately 25 mph, a strong odor of fuel emitted inside of the vehicle. there was also a loud ticking noise coming from the engine. the contact was able to maneuver to the side of the road. the vehicle was towed to the residence. the contact stated a spark plug dislodged from the cylinder head and he planned to take the vehicle to an independent mechanic for repair. the manufacturer was made aware of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 150,000. js | |||
| 01/03/2012 | |||
| Had the 7 cylender spark plug shoot out of the head and strip the threads | |||
| 01/03/2012 | 150000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 1998 ford f150. while driving approximately 25 mph, a strong odor of fuel emitted inside of the vehicle. there was also a loud ticking noise coming from the engine. the contact was able to maneuver to the side of the road. the vehicle was towed to the residence. the contact stated a spark plug dislodged from the cylinder head and he planned to take the vehicle to an independent mechanic for repair. the manufacturer was made aware of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 150,000. js | |||
| 01/03/2012 | |||
| Had the 7 cylender spark plug shoot out of the head and strip the threads | |||
| 12/01/2009 | 90000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford f150. the contact stated that the manifold bolts were rotted, causing the exhaust to leak into the cabin. the dealer had not been notified. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint. no repairs were performed. the current mileage was 110,000 and the approximate failure mileage was 90,000. | |||
| 12/01/2009 | 90000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 1998 ford f150. the contact stated that the manifold bolts were rotted, causing the exhaust to leak into the cabin. the dealer had not been notified. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint. no repairs were performed. the current mileage was 110,000 and the approximate failure mileage was 90,000. kmj | |||
| 12/01/2009 | 110000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 1998 ford f150. the contact stated the manifold bolts were rotted causing the exhaust to leak into the cabin. the dealer had not been notified. the manufacturer was aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the nhtsa. no repairs were performed. the current mileage was 110,000 and the approximate failure mileage was 90,000. bw | |||
| 11/15/2011 | 188000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford f-150. the contact stated that the engine caught on fire while the vehicle was parked and turned off. there were no injuries. the manufacturer was notified of the failure but the vehicle was not repaired. the exact cause of the fire was not determined. the failure and the current mileage was 188,000. | |||
| 11/15/2011 | 188000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 1998 ford f-150. the contact stated that the engine caught on fire while the vehicle was parked and turned off. there were no injuries. the manufacturer was notified of the failure but the vehicle was not repaired. the exact cause of the fire was not determined. the failure and the current mileage was 188,000. kmj | |||
| 05/24/2010 | 125000 | ||
| I am the unhappy owner of a 1998 ford f150 with a 4.2l v6 engine. it slung a rod this morning as soon as i started it. i did some research an found out that there was a recall on the 98 4.2l's due to faulty gasket. ive read alot of storys about the same trucks with the same engines.there is a countless number of people gettin ready to spend 3 or 4 grand for ford to replace the engines. isnt ford responsable fot the defects that there trucks had coming off the production line. | |||
| 12/04/2008 | 151571 | 1 | |
| Blown head gaskets, drove truck in town and parked in driveway, then would not turn over next day, radiator coolant in cylinders, no warning lights came on, engine oil ok, coolant level ok. truck was running fine then this happened. *tr | |||
| 05/29/2008 | 86000 | 1 | |
| What isn't wrong with this truck? with less than 80,000 miles on it...spare tire fell off while being driven, interior lights randomly stay on, both doors are rusting out from the bottom, knob to regulate temperature fell off and assembly needed replacement, front brakes calipers stuck and caught on fire, exhaust system has rusted off twice, transmission went up and was replaced under warranty at less than 20,000 miles, radiator rusted through, and the headliner is falling down off the ceiling. i've probably missed something but can tell you that i will never own another ford. *tr | |||
| 05/16/2008 | 125000 | 1 | |
| Ford issued tsb 99-20-7 covering coolant leaks in 1999. i had not experienced this problem until may of 2008. the problem is that ford recognized this problem years ago failed to recall or inform the owners. the result with the vehicle out of warranty is a lower head gasket replacement costing $1500-2300 if the engine has not seized if the engine has experience hydrolock (engine seizure) replacement costs are more than $4000. there are literally hundreds of persons experiencing this problem. i'm including weblinks to review. http://forums.treemedia.com/fb/showthread.php?t=224&page=1&pp=15. *tr | |||
| 05/09/2008 | 121111 | 1 | |
| When i woke up this morning at 7am, my 1998 ford f-150 was on fire in my driveway. it had been parked since approximately 10pm on the previous evening. *tr | |||
| 03/15/2008 | 95000 | 1 | 09/12/1998 |
| My 1998 ford f150 truck ejected a spark plug while driving at low rpm's. numerous websites have stated the head design is flawed and only allows 3 threads to catch. upon ejection of the spark plug the threads on the engine head are removed. ford has a new designed aluminum head to omit the problem. why hasn't it been made available through a recall? not only is a safety issue, driving down the highway and suddenly losing power, but a bad design. *tr | |||
| 02/25/2008 | 75000 | 1 | |
| Spark plug blew out of cylinder head. *tr | |||
| 07/31/2007 | 142000 | 1 | 11/12/1997 |
| I left my 1998 ford f150 pick-up truck in parking lot at work while i was away on business. i left on monday july 30. i was called tuesday night around 9:00pm and notified that my vehicle had caught on fire. fire dept. put out fire. fire report suspected equipment failure in engine compartment causing electrical short and subsequent fire. fire was put out, but vehicle was total loss and towed from property. *tr | |||
| 02/08/2007 | 76000 | 1 | |
| Tl*- the contact stated that the 1998 for f-150 engine seized. the contact stated that in the morning of 02/09/07 he had no indication that there was a problem with the engine. after a day of driving he tried to start the vehicle and it wouldn't start. the contact had the vehicle towed to westerly tire, and they informed the contact that the engine seized. the current and failure mileage were 76000.*ak | |||
| 10/10/2006 | 90000 | 1 | 05/12/1997 |
| 1998 4.2l v6 ford engine coolant leak in engine causing hyperlock and blow a rod need to replace engine. *nm | |||
| 09/27/2005 | 47000 | 1 | 03/13/2000 |
| Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle was taken in for body work, it sat for 2 weeks. when the vehicle was started following the 2 weeks, the engine noise was louder than normal, and there was a coolant leak. a private mechanic was consulted, who determined the head gasket was blown. also, the doors had cracked one half inch from the corner of the window seal. a private mechanic informed the contact the cracks were due to the weight of the door. | |||
| 10/03/2005 | 127528 | 1 | 08/10/2001 |
| On a 1998 ford f-150 2wd pickup with a 4.2l engine........ initial overheating due to low engine coolant. refilled coolant and kept level at appropriate working level. from a cold start one morning heard loud knocking sound from engine. brought it in to get it checked by local mechanic, which advised me that i needed a new engine. purchased a re-manufactured engine at approx 125,000 miles on old engine. *jb | |||
| 01/14/2006 | 134000 | 1 | 09/24/1997 |
| (1) car would not start one morning like a dead battery. i jumped the car and heard a loud clattering sound from engine. (2) leaking front cover and intake manifold gaskets in a 4.2 l v-6 engines caused the engine to seize. (3) currently replacing engine.*ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||
| 07/09/2006 | 90521 | 1 | 08/26/2003 |
| 1998 ford f-150 4.2l hydrolock issue. antifreeze in the #1 cylinder. manufacturing defect not covered by ford. engine useless until repaired due to manufacturing defect at the factory. need to repair engine. *nm | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 08/15/2007 | 85000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 1998 ford f150 . while driving at 30 mph, the contact heard a loud knocking noise which caused him to pull over . the contact then opened up the hood and noticed that the sparks plugs popped. the vehicle was then taken to the dealer and they stated that the spark plugs needed to be threaded and coiled. the spark plugs were replaced under the owners expense. the failure mileage was 85000 and the current mileage was 144000.cv | |||
| 12/22/2009 | 71506 | 1 | |
| New spark plugs were installed at 70,000 miles on my 1998 ford f150. a few weeks later a spark plug (cylinder #4) was ejected from its threads, causing gas vapors to fill the engine compartment and vehicle cabin. after the loss of power and the need to replace the spark plug (the spark plug seemed to be reinserted without problems), it seemed to run fine until 5 weeks later the engine lost power and another miss fire was recorded by the code reader. now the check engine light remains on (code reader show cylinder #4 miss fire) with a loss of power. now a helicoil kit will have to be install at a cost over $117. if the helicoil kit does not work, the vehicle may have to be sold for at fraction of what its value would be without the forementioned problems, otherwise it could be used as my regular driver- thanks ford! *jb | |||
| 02/10/2008 | 110000 | 1 | |
| I have a 1998 ford f150 with the 4.2 liter v6. this had been a great truck and has had regular oil changes. the other day i noticed that my coolant level was low and then the i threw a rod. did not thick much of it at the time, but later i was checking on the internet and discovered that this is a recurring problem with this motor. i had been regular ford customer, but no more. *tr | |||
| 02/02/2008 | 124320 | 1 | |
| 1998 f-150 5.4l triton i've owned this truck for 2 yrs. and put 30,000 miles on it. currently at 124,000. other than maintenance (not including spark plugs) have changed both cv shafts and bearings in the front. feb. 3, 08 without any warning or precursor it blew a spark plug from the head stripping the threads. it occurred very quickly while coasting down hill at 55 mph. not hardly working the engine. i knew what it was immediately, i had been with a friend when his 2000 f 150 4.6l blew a spark plug for the second time in 6 months. this action almost stalled my truck out being at low rpm to begin with it rattled violently. i was afraid my 10 yr old brother and i would have to walk for help. not fun in ny in feb. a passerby came to our aid. i had the truck towed home by a friend. still trying to find a suitable and affordable repair. thousands of these incidents have been reported to various websites, dealers, and even to ford. some instances have resulted in fires destroying the whole vehicle. ignited by a stray spark plug and fuel mist from the cylinder. something must be done by ford. most repairs run $2,000 - $4,000 each time a plug a spit. many vehicles have under 100,000 miles. *tr | |||
| 10/20/2007 | 65500 | 1 | 07/11/2007 |
| 1998 ford f150- 66,000mi. developed a serious oil leak from the head. i have found out that this is common and ford is well aware of it's recurrence. besides costing $2000.00 to repair, it is leaking heavily onto an exhaust pipe causing smoke and potential fire. *tr | |||
| 08/10/2007 | 78700 | 1 | 06/17/1999 |
| My 1998 ford f-150 only had 79,000 miles on it and was well-maintained. on 8/10-07, the coolant level light came on when i arrived home. i checked the coolant level immediately and there was no coolant in the reservoir. i filled the reservoir and planned to take the truck in to the mechanic when he was open during the week. i only drove the car about 20 miles that weekend and i monitored the coolant level and temperature. everything was fine. that monday morning, loud knocking came from the engine and white smoke came out of the tail pipe. the truck was towed to my mechanic who informed me that i've thrown a rod and need a new engine. i have seen numerous complaints on the internet with the same exact symptoms for this year, make and model of truck. apparently, there was a tsb regarding defects in the upper and lower intake manifold gasket causing coolant to leak into the engine (which would cause a thrown rod), but consumers were not notified, only dealers. tsb99-20-7 why wasn't i notified as an owner? now i need a new engine, but i would have had this repair done or the engine checked out if i had simply been notified by ford. why wasn't there a recall notification, instead of a tsb? to dealerships. unacceptable. *jb | |||
| 04/14/2007 | 17000 | 1 | 08/06/1999 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford f-150. the contact stated that the vehicle caught fire while parked after being driven for 20 minutes. the contact called the fire department, but was able to extinguish the fire himself. the insurance company stated that the vehicle was a total loss and was towed. the current and failure mileages were 17,000. | |||
| 09/10/2006 | 125000 | 1 | 03/20/1998 |
| 1998 ford f-150 4.2l v-6 125,000 miles . no known events leading up to failure. immediate catastrophic engine failure , broken connecting rod, due to hydraulic lock, where coolant leaks into the combustion chambers. it is my understanding that technical bulletins have been issued which indicated that an improper gasket was used to seal the intake manifold from coolant which allowed the coolant to leak into the combustion chambers, causing this failure . one known is aera technical committee and issued by jasper engines. *ak engine replacement was required. engine was replaced | |||
| 03/01/2007 | 100000 | 1 | 10/15/2006 |
| My 1998 ford f150 as soon as it got to 100,000 miles the oil pump goes out and it starts to loose coolant but not leaking it any where. as i have found out these engines between 80,000 and 100,000 do this. many forums read the same problem for every 4.2l does this. i believe ford should do a recall on these engines. please let me know what to do. *jb | |||
| 09/25/2006 | 136000 | 1 | 11/26/2004 |
| Dt*: the contact stated a loud pop sound was heard and a piston or rod started knocking loudly. the contact removed the radiator belt, inspected the water pump, checked the plugs, then noticed liquid coming from the exhaust including anti-freeze. a local parts store informed the contact of hydro lock problems with that engine. the service dealer and manufacturer were notified and the contact was referred to nhtsa. | |||
| 08/13/2006 | 102000 | 1 | |
| Rod through engine wall. mileage 102m. *nm | |||
| 05/13/2006 | 97 | 1 | 11/15/2001 |
| I have a 1998 ford f150 with a 4.2 v6 i parked it two days. later i went to crank it (it was lockup) i had my mechanic look at it and he said it was a big problem with the head gaskets on this model engine and ford new about it but would do nothing about it. its so bad my local junk yards will not even carry the 4.2 v6 used engine because of the leaking head gasket i am on a fix income and can't afford to fix my truck that i though would last several years. *jb | |||
| 06/07/2005 | 92876 | 1 | |
| 1998, ford, f150, 4.2 liter v6. @ approx. 92,000 miles. intake manifold gasket failed. gasket failure led to coolant in number 4 cylinder which caused the number 4 piston connecting rod to break, also damaging the piston. the defective gasket, bent rod and piston had to be replaced, multiple thousands of dollar repair. no notice from ford indicating potential problem or that any preventative maintenance (i.e. gasket replacement) may have avoided costly engine failure repair -or- replacement. a product and highway safety concern in the context that had the failure occurred at highway speeds, may have caused loss of control and accident. *nm | |||
| 02/02/2006 | 150000 | 1 | |
| Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle caught fire and burned. the vehicle was parked for 2 hours prior to the fire. the fire department stated in a written report the fire started in the engine compartment in the driver's side. extensive property damage was sustained to the contact's house and personal property inside the vehicle. the insurance company investigated and deemed the vehicle a total loss. additionally, a private fire investigator was hired to investigate the incident and came to the same conclusion as the insurance company. the contact received a recall nhtsa #05v388000 concerning the cruise control switch prior to the fire. several dealerships were contacted to perform the recall remedy. the dealer's asked the contact not bring the vehicle in for service until the end of february when recall parts would be available. the cruise control switch was not disconnected in the vehicle and was in working order. the engine was replaced by the dealership approximately 2 years ago for unrelated problems. updated 3/9/2006 - *nm | |||
| 09/23/2005 | 125000 | 2 | 10/04/1997 |
| 1998, ford, f150, 4.2 liter v6. lower intake manifold side gasket failed. gasket failure led to coolant in number 1 cylinder. coolant in number 1 cylinder caused the number 1 piston connecting rod to bend. the defective gasket and bent rod are cleaned and available for review. a total engine rebuild was needed to correct the problem. *nm | |||
| 01/20/2006 | 102000 | 1 | 09/05/1987 |
| Ford f150 1998 4wd 4.2l engine 102,0000 miles - when starting truck engine it would run rough then smooth out. today i heard a loud pop sound. now it doesn't start at all. after checking several web sites i realized my trouble is not unique. looked around the internet but never found a recall notice from ford relating to this issue. further research seems to imply a major defect that ford knew about from close to the beginning of manufacturing which they never have done anything about. according to a couple of web forum sites, ford put out two technical bulletins to their service people but not to the end users/buyers (tsb #99-20-7) (follow up tsb #99b209) that pretty much admitted there was a fault with a gasket and could result in engine failure, as mine seems to have done. the resolution is for the engine to be replaced. ford should be made to stand behind their faulty manufacturing & fix their errors. *nm | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 12/30/2007 | 76000 | 1 | |
| My 1998 ford f-150 only had 76,000 miles on it and was well-maintained. on 12/30/2007. it had run a little rough at start up for about two weeks prior to 12/30/2007. then on that day a loud knock in the engine. i took it to a mechanic who said that there was a history of the 4.2 engines having problems. and i would have to replace the engine. i have not done anything with it yet. i believe that ford should stand behind this engine. if they know it was a design problem to start with. *tr | |||
| 04/17/2007 | 30000 | 1 | 08/15/2006 |
| Head gasket failure.*ak | |||
| 04/15/2005 | 74000 | 3 | 06/07/2004 |
| I bought used vehicle from the bo's autorama on 6/2004 and used it once or twice in the first year. i started to use it regularly in april 2005. first i had to replace the spark plugs/wires because of water getting into them, and causing a miss in the engine on 4/2005. then i had them sealed on 9/2005, then, replaced on 12/2005 , and the problem to this day, has never been fixed, but i spent over $900 trying. the transmission and rear differential has had to be replaced 3 times on 5/2005, 6/2005, and 7/2005. the muffler was replaced in 8/2005, the battery died in 10/2005, the front brakes went out in 11/2005. so less than 14,000 miles from purchase i had spent over $5ooo in repairs, and still could not drive it. i took the truck to bo's beuckman ford and will never deal with them again. they over charged me for lousy work. also, ford would not pay for the first faulty rear differential because i did not have ford install it. why would i? they could not fix the engine miss after 2 tries, and charged me both times, and it took them 3 times to fix the transmission. *ak | |||
| 07/29/2006 | 196000 | 1 | 01/18/1998 |
| 1) rough idle, white smoke from exhaust pipe, failure of both catalytic converters, unexplained loss of engine coolant. 2) hydro-locked engine, un-repairable engine damage. 3) quoted $3500 for rebuilt engine, no action yet taken. *jb | |||
| 12/19/2005 | 106888 | 1 | 10/10/2005 |
| On monday dec 19 2005 while driving with my wife and granddaughter, an explosion occurred under the hood of my 1998 ford f150 vin: 1ftzx1863wna54874. smoke came out the hood and through the air vents into the cab. the ford dealer said the plastic plenum in the intake manifold cracked allowing raw gasoline to enter where it should not have and exploded. they replaced the manifold assembly with the new style aluminum manifold and plenum. this cost almost $1,100.00. i have since found that ford settled a lawsuit 12/16/2005 in which the plastic plenums cracked. but this only covers a small number of ford cars and not trucks. the dealer service mgr told me that ford has developed a new aluminum plenum that replaces the old plastic one and i should have no more trouble. my question is why i cannot be reimbursed for a plastic plenum that cracked, they obviously know they are bad, and we could have been seriously hurt. *nm | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||
| 02/01/2009 | 108000 | 1 | |
| The exhaust header bolts on my 1998 f150 pickup rusted and failed. to replace these $2 studs, a lengthy repair is required where the heads have to be removed from the vehicle and the studs that have broken flush with the aluminum heads have to be drilled out. an internet search on this problem indicated that thousands of ford vehicles with the 5.4 engine and aluminum heads are affected. the exhaust leak fumes come into the vehicle and are a potential source of fire. i have read reports of repair bills reaching $2000. i'm collecting information on how to repair this myself as i do not have $2000 to give to the dealer. this is a design failure that should have triggered a recall. *tr | |||
| 04/26/2008 | 126000 | 1 | |
| A spark plug popped out of the block in my 1998 triton 5.4 f-150. this is the first time it's happened and hopefully the last. looking it the problem online i've realized it's a common occurrence. my wife and two kids were in this vehicle and with a hole in the block shooting out unburned gas to the live spark plug it could have been a real problem. this problem needs to be addressed in the form of a recall, if nothing else to inspect and if the problem does exist, fix it. would an inspection really find the defect though? from what i've read it pretty much happens all at one because there is only four threads holding these plugs into the block. hopefully the problem does get addressed sooner than later, it's never to soon to correct a problem dealing with the safety of human life. *tr | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - CATALYTIC CONVERTOR | |||
| 07/29/2006 | 196000 | 1 | 01/18/1998 |
| 1) rough idle, white smoke from exhaust pipe, failure of both catalytic converters, unexplained loss of engine coolant. 2) hydro-locked engine, un-repairable engine damage. 3) quoted $3500 for rebuilt engine, no action yet taken. *jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | |||
| 09/26/2007 | 145000 | 3 | 06/27/2005 |
| 1. normal driving conditions 2. i had 3 spark plugs and 3 coil ejections from cylinder head so far 3. rethreading the cylinder heads with helicoil kits had to buy new spark plugs, and new coils i have one coil and spark plug. *tr | |||
| 01/03/2006 | 84000 | 1 | 05/01/1998 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford f-150. the contact stated that the bolts that hold the exhaust manifold onto the heads and the bolts has rusted. the failure has resulted in an exhaust leak, which has begun to leak into the cap of her vehicle. the failure occurred while driving 5 mph. the bolts must be drilled out in order to be removed. the current mileage is 88,000 and failure mileage was 84,000. updated 02-01-08 *bf updated 02/01/08 *tr | |||
| 12/11/2005 | 113000 | 1 | 03/03/2002 |
| Faulty ford f150 4.2 6 cyl eng lower manifold gasket. *ak | |||