Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||||
| 05173 | 11/14/2005 | 05226 | 10018741 | Malfunction indicator lamp on with diagnostic trouble code p1131 and/or p1151 - 4.2l engine. *tt | 01/12/2006 |
| 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 |
| 051713 | 10/07/2005 | 05249 | 10018062 | Coolant degas bottle overflow. *tt | 12/14/2005 |
| 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 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - OTHER FUEL TYPES - TURBO-CHARGER | |||||
| 20228 | 04/01/2008 | 10024865 | 1999-2008 7.3l/6.0l/6.4l/4.5l diesel f-super duty - clean the charge air cooler (cac) system after certain turbo or engine failures - service tip. *nj | 06/03/2008 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 12/19/2011 | 83703 | ||
| Spark plug blew out of the aluminum head of the engine, which i hear is a common problem. when is the recall coming out? if this is a wide spread problem, i personaly know of two other people whom this has happened too and its all over the internet, then ford needs to take some initiative and fix it! we consumers are what makes ford their money and if this is not fixed for us i will no longer be a ford consumer. i am sure others feel the same way. ford made a mistake, we all do, now fix it. | |||
| 09/23/2010 | 55000 | ||
| I started up my truck on lunch and heard a bang than it sounded like a popcorn machine i call ford in londonderry nh to see what was wrong and they told me it was the spark plug coming out of the heads, they was common im not the only one this happened to friend had 7 out of 8 spark plugs shoot out for his f 250. and for the sounds of it there has been alot more!! i cant belive that ford hasn't had a recall on this problem.people could get hurt if it started a fire under a hood. | |||
| 09/19/2011 | 165000 | ||
| Spark plug blown out of the cylinder head. this is the 5th separate cylinder this has happened to in the 3 years i have owned this truck. | |||
| 09/10/2011 | 76000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford f-150. the contact stated that a spark plug failed, causing gasoline to blow into the engine. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was advised that the number one spark plug had failed. the vehicle was repaired. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 76,000. | |||
| 09/10/2011 | 76000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 ford f-150. the contact stated that a spark plug failed, causing gasoline to blow into the engine. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was advised that the number one spark plug had failed. the vehicle was repaired. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 76,000. kmj | |||
| 09/10/2011 | 76000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 ford f-150. the contact stated a sparks plug while driving down the highway. this caused gasoline to blow into the engine, but did not start a fire. the contact stated it was the number one spark plug that failed. the vehicle had been repaired. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 76,000.rl | |||
| 08/02/2010 | 190276 | ||
| I bought a 2003 ford f150 with a 4.6l triton v8 engine , while driving it started making a popping noise, like a mini backfire. i took it to an auto repair shop, and they found the coil pack on the #3 cylinder was melted. they replaced the coil pack, and we drove down the road to test drive the truck, within 2 miles the popping noise returned, but even louder this time. we got it limped back to the shop, and had to let it cool down overnight, so the mechanic could investigate the problem. he had a time getting the mellted brand new coil pack out of the spark plug recess in the engine head, and an equally difficult time getting the spark plug itself out of the hole. apparently the plug had come loose in the short threaded aluminum head, then the coil pack melted around the plug sealing it in place , and the engine burnt a hole the size of a pencil right through the aluminum head next to the spark plug hole. the coil pack was still putting out spark, but not to the plug, as the boot that held it on the plug was gone, it was just sparking against the sides of the recess in the head. the mechanic said it was lucky not to have either caught fire or blown up, i guess that is lucky, but at the same time not so nice for me with the repairs starting at $2600 to replace the heads on the same engine, or put in a used engine if we can find one for $3900, or put in a remanufactured engine for $5200, that has supposedly has addressed the issue with these ford engines blowing out spark plugs. ford says there isn't an issue, but they've created a fix for the problem that doesn't exist?? what to do now with my worthless pile of metal sitting in my driveway , i can't afford to fix? built ford tough ?? after doing some research on the internet, simply google ford triton spark plug blowout , and you'll find there are thousands and thousands of folks like me dealing with this issue , and ford continues to deny it's a problem, why? | |||
| 02/18/2011 | 82400 | ||
| The vehicle began accelerating on its own (> 75 mph). cruise control was not on. the break was effective at mitigating increasing speed until the vehicle could be stopped safely on the side of hwy 85s. distance traveled with uncontrollable acceleration was approximately 2.5 miles. prior to stopping and turning the engine off, an attempt to put the engine in neutral while speeding was fruitless -- the engine raced to maximum rpm when put in neutral. for fear i would blow the engine, i put the transmission back into drive and continued tamping on my breaks to control my speed. heavy breaking was utilized once i was in safe place to pull off the road and turn off the engine. i attempted to re-start the engine multiple times, each time with the same result - - the engine red-lined at maximum rpms. i contacted aaa for roadside service. the truck was towed to a raleigh ford dealer. the ford dealer started the vehicle and the engine red-lined at maximum rpms. they turned the engine off and inspected the engine. they found a plastic cover for the throttle assembly had come loose and lodged itself in such a way as to put tension on the throttle cable/lever. a safety clip that holds the cover in place was missing. they re-secured the cover with a different type of safety connector, and then re-started the vehicle. the vehicle's engine was normal. the ford dealer representative indicated he had seen this before on a mustang, but not of f-150. the ford dealer representative tried to down-play the significance of the incident -- as if it was no big deal. they did not open a service work order to document the issue or repair. the told me there was no charge for the service. | |||
| 01/24/2011 | 41050 | ||
| Left dealership after lo-jack installation. entered traffic lane and began lightly braking for approaching signal. i felt two forward surges and then increasingly rapid acceleration. i checked rear view mirror and then pressed on brakes with the sound of the racing turbo charged engine filling the cab. i then moved the gear out of drive and in my haste saw i had it between reverse and park. i brought it back to neutral and then the sound subsided. the entire acceleration incident lasted less than 10 seconds. the truck was immediately returned to dealership and then reported incident to the manufacturer. | |||
| 02/25/2010 | 173000 | 1 | |
| I own a ford f150 with a triton v8 engine. one of the spark plugs blew out of the engine on 2/25/10 while i was driving on a highway. i had the truck towed to a local repair shop. after looking at the problem they sent me to a ford dealer. the dealer has told me it is a $1000 fix and that it was possibly due to the person who replaced the plugs for me. *tr | |||
| 01/05/2010 | 185000 | 1 | |
| 2003 ford f150 5.4l #3 spark plug blew out of engine's head and stripped out all threads. insert was put in to replace damaged threads at a cost of $500 from ford dealership. *tr | |||
| 10/04/2009 | 185000 | 1 | |
| I had a sparkplug blow out on my 03 f150.....which at first sounded like a noisy lifter. i took it in for repairs at the ford dealer and it cost me $1180.00 to install a heli coil. *tr | |||
| 08/16/2009 | 178000 | 1 | |
| The spark plug in me ford f-150 5.4ltr engine blew out of the #2 cylinder. all engine rebuilding shops and repair centers say this is common in fords. they finished my sentence when describing the problem. please enact a recall on this problem. as i read this is an issue. cost me 500.00 dollars to fix and i worry about the other 7 plugs...$3,500 to repair. *tr | |||
| 06/24/2003 | 95600 | 1 | 12/23/2002 |
| Just had my 2003 f150 5.4l fixed after the #3 spark plug blew out. new plugs and heads cost me $4000.00. the heads are the updated version ford now has. the original were 3 threads, allowing for the plugs to blow out before the 100,000 plug replacement. they now have 7 threads. ford needs to recall and repay us. *jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 05/22/2010 | 159000 | ||
| I had my 2003 ford f-150 shoot spark plugs out of the headers i dont know why but this ids the 3rd time it has happened and if it would be possible to start a recall on the headers to change them to a 8 thread instead of 4 | |||
| 05/13/2010 | |||
| 2003 ford f-150 crew cab , 4.6 triton engine. spark plug blew while on highway. normal driving with no load in truck. no warning before failure. the truck has just over 100,000 miles. | |||
| 03/22/2010 | 98000 | 1 | |
| Normal driving when the spark plug blew out of the motor leaving me and my kids stranded still trying to correct problem this is the second time repair bill approximately $3000. *dt | |||
| 12/10/2009 | 200892 | 1 | |
| While i was accelerating and entering onto interstate 80 at a speed of 50mph i heard a loud pop and lost power. the engine continued to run but with a great loss of power. i continued to drive at a moderate speed until i could get to a monroe service center approx. 20 miles. the #7 plug for the second time blew out of the head. the repair cost this time was $294.38 and the engine light is still on. it's been eight months since i had it repaired the first time. the #7 cylinder is now misfiring even though the plug has been replaced. mileage to date is 200,892. *tr | |||
| 04/20/2009 | 179764 | 1 | |
| On april 20, 2009, spark plug #7 blowout while accelerating from a traffic light. approx. speed 25 to 35 mph. engine lost compression, damaged the ignition coil, but i was able to make it to a firestone repair garage within 10 miles. the spark plug #7 was replaced with the heli coil and the ignition coil damage was also replaced. total cost of labor and parts was $352.81. *tr | |||
| 12/19/2008 | 115535 | 2 | |
| 1. normal operation, no indication of problem 2. spark plug blew out of the engine as my wife parked the vehicle in our driveway; 1st of 2 occurrences; repaired with helicoiled plug. approx $400 repair expense. i'm now told that a bulletin was issued advising not to use this repair method. having trouble verifying if that is fact or fiction. *tr | |||
| 10/26/2009 | 128800 | 1 | |
| 1. normal operation 2. spark plugs are blown out of the engine head; this is the second occurrence; engine failure. had the occurrence been 200 miles earlier, i would have been in the middle of peak traffic conditions on i405 near bellvue washington state, heavy rain with poor visibility - consequences would have been dire. 3. ford acknowledges that they know of the problem. the service manager at the local dealership indicated that they have had a ton of these repair jobs. at $400+ per occurrence, i question why they haven't done anything to protect the consumer? why no notification of the problem. i'm told there have been service advisory's issued, but shops and service counters share none of this with me. now that my vehicle is 5 yrs old with 129k miles, what will the frequency of this problem be. as the f150 fleet ages, how many more occurrence will there be prior to food issuing a solution? i'm told by dealerships that the spark plug seat only consists of a few thread to hold the spark plug in. plugs do not have a seat ring (compression ring) to assist in the plug to stay seated. as the plug loosens, blow by occurs and eventually blowing the plug out through the treads in the engine head. i've never heard of such a problem, let alone having this occur to my twice. parts houses had concurred that the problem is prevalent and they laugh about it. who is going to laugh when this known unsafe engineering flaw causes death or injury? their repair has not resolved the problem, nor did they give up this information without me first seeking factual information. the public is being deceived! *tr | |||
| 01/18/2009 | 230000 | 1 | |
| Blowing out spark plugs. *tr | |||
| 06/10/2005 | 12000 | 1 | 03/04/2003 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford f-150. the contact stated that the vehicle caught fire while parked in his garage. the vehicle had been driven approximately 10 hours earlier. the insurance investigator was unable to determine where the fire originated or locate any defective parts that may have caused the failure. the engine compartment was damaged, however, the most extensive damage was on the driver side of the vehicle. ford was notified and refused to take responsibility for the fire. the powertrain was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 12,000. updated 3/5/08 *cn the consumer stated all 3 investigators stated the fire was a defect in the truck. fire dept and insurance report. updated 03/04/08 *tr | |||
| 10/19/2005 | 64532 | 1 | 02/14/2003 |
| While driving to work, my f-150, 5.4 liter engine blew out a spark plug. the repair cost is in excess of $4000. the affected aluminum cylinder needs to be replaced. the manufacture does not cover the routine tightening / inspection of spark plugs during the periodic 30k, 60k services even though they (the dealer) knows that there is a design problem with this particular engine. the design problem stems from a minimum amount of threads to hold the spark plug in place. the 5.4 liter engine is a powerful engine that necessitates a thicker and longer well to torque and hold the spark plugs in place. the internet is filled complaints made by ford consumers that have experienced this same type of problems on ford engines. *nm | |||
| 09/18/2006 | 56000 | 1 | 01/01/2002 |
| Drove my truck home from work yesterday and at 30 mph my engine blew a spark plug. the estimate for repair is $3000+. i researched on line and found out this is a known problem. i contacted ford at their customer service department in dearborn, mi and they refuse to pay for the costs of this known issue. *jb | |||
| 07/19/2006 | 93456 | 1 | 12/23/2002 |
| My spark plug blew out of my 2003 ford f150 5.4 l this week. ford wants 3800.00 to repair the problem. the head and plugs. i hear alot of this happening. why has it not been recalled. i cant afford to have my truck fixed. now what? who looks out for the little guy now? *nm | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 06/17/2006 | 97500 | 1 | 03/05/2003 |
| I am one of the thousands of ford owners who have had spark plugs blown out of the cylinder heads while driving. this is a major disgrace that you all will continue to let fmc lie and steel from its customers and deny that there is a problem with there engines. please do the right thing and make ford stand up for their mistakes. *nm | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||
| 05/09/2008 | 100000 | 1 | |
| While driving home from work my wife had a spark plug blow out of the engine, fortunately the 2003 ford f150 supercrew pickup truck didn't catch on fire, i drove the vehicle another 15 miles to the mechanic not knowing what is wrong , i thought the it was just a bad exhaust leak but i found out the next morning the grim news that in fact the spark plug was the problem, i was told the repair would run between 700.00 to 2,000.00, shocked by the cost of repair and the problem of which i have never heard of i went online to check it out. to my surprise i found this is a major problem with the ford triton engines, so i thought ford would do the right thing i called ford and explained my problem, only to be told that it was my problem and ford wouldn't do anything for me. i know i'm not the only person that has had this problem, in fact if you do any research online you will see that hundreds and perhaps thousands of people have had this problem, i would hope that maybe you can help me and the other people that have had this problem, thanks in advance tim walsh *tr | |||
| 04/11/2008 | 72000 | 1 | 12/27/2002 |
| 2003 f150 4,2 engine, upper and lower intake manifold gaskets failure, started leaking at 75,200 miles. *tr | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | |||
| 09/25/2007 | 150000 | 1 | 09/10/2007 |
| Spark plug blew out of the engine, stripping all the threads in the cylinder head. *tr | |||