KnownCarProblems2002 Ford F Series Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 34 complaints with NHTSA about the 2002 Ford F Series, most often about the engine (47% of complaints, typically around 112,000 miles). It is the 3rd most complained-about F Series model year since 2000 and has 1 recall.
Most common 2002 Ford F Series problems
Engine
16 complaints · 47%Half of these problems showed up before 112,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system.
Driving on the freeway a spark plug came out of the engine causing the vehicle to shake and loose power. The dealer and a shop I took the vehicle to stated that this is a frequent problem with this engine.
2002 Ford f150 5.4 liter engine 2 months ago I had a spark plug thread failure on my f150. It cost 400.00 to repr the vehicle so that it could be driven. 1500 miles later I have another thread failure causing another plug to be spit out of my6 cylinder head. I have been told by dealerships and mechanics that this is a…
Fuel system
8 complaints · 24%Half of these problems showed up before 102,000 miles. Parts named most often: storage.
The fuel tank straps on my 2002 Ford f350 rotted out to were the fuel tank was hanging all most hitting the ground, could have been a major diesel spill with 38 gallon of fuel.
I have a 2002 Ford f 150 xlt supercrew with the 139 inch wheelbase. Upon arriving home my wife said she noticed something hanging below the truck.. I went out to inspect. The front fuel tank retaining strap was hanging there. The bolt side had rotted away approximately 6 inches down from top. Rear strap was inspected…
Transmission
4 complaints · 12%Parts named most often: driveline, automatic transmission.
Due to a design flaw in the Ford 5.4 engine my 2002 harley f-150 blew a spark plug last weekend (2/15/04). Ford is only willing to replace the one head with the newly designed head (and that is costing me $500 because my truck has 40,000 miles). It's a known design flaw and has happened to many owers with less than…
We have owned our 2002 f150 4 door truck for 5 months now purchased in dec 04', we have 34,000 miles on this truck which was purchased used. On saturday 4/23/05 our transmission completely slipped out leaving US no power on a busy, hilly, country road. The truck's rmp's would go up however, the truck was not gaining…
Speed control
3 complaints · 9%Parts named most often: cruise control, accelerator pedal.
Cruise control was on as we proceeded up a hill. When driver tried to disengage the cruise control it would not disengage. Engine continued to excel, going faster. It reached speeds of almost 80 MPH. Hitting brakes would not stop cruise control, nor slow the vehicle.
Throttle body linkage "plastic cover clamshell" cracked in half at plastic hinge (oxidized plastic) . Loose plastic cover wedged open throttle fully causing "dangerous life threatening" driving stuck at full throttle. I have the cover and photos if you want me to send them.
Electrical
3 complaints · 9%Parts named most often: ignition.
Spark plug ejected while driving on high way. This is the second time a plug has ejected. The first time the truck had 39000 miles, original factory torqued spark plugs.
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2002 Ford F Series recalls
Body and structure: structure
Risk: This overheating condition can cause the running board to melt or cause a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace the wiring harness on these running boards. Owner notification began march 7, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact southern comfort at 1-800-745-6096.
Full defect summary
Certain pickup truck, van, and mini van conversions equipped with southern comfort built running boards that contain certain courtesy lights manufactured by american technology components, inc. These units contain a courtesy light or lights that might overheat when the wire harness is exposed to excessive moisture and road salt.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Spark plug ejection from cylinder head
Summary
On september 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or ejected from the engine.as of december 8, 2005, odi is not aware of any allegations where the alleged defect resulted in a loss of vehicle control, a crash, an injury, or a fatality in any of the 10,319,810 subject vehicles.in addition, odi is aware of only two incidents where the vehi
Questions about the 2002 Ford F Series
- What are the most common problems with the 2002 Ford F Series?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: engine (16 complaints, typically around 112,000 miles); fuel system (8 complaints, typically around 102,000 miles); transmission (4 complaints).
- How many recalls does the 2002 Ford F Series have?
- 1 recall listed by NHTSA, the latest from March 7, 2003 (body and structure). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2002 a bad year for the Ford F Series?
- It is the 3rd most complained-about F Series model year since 2000, with 34 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.