Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Ford Excursion owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Ford Excursion. The contact stated that each time she drove the vehicle, it stalled without warning. After the failures, all the warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact coasted the vehicle over to the side of the road and waited a minute or more to restart the vehicle. Sometimes, it took up to four attempts before the vehicle would restart. When the vehicle was restarted, it hesitated to move. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed, but the technician could not find a failure code. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer and was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failures and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 07V553000 (engine and engine cooling). No further assistance was offered. The approximate failure mileage was 210,000.
Tl contact owns a 2002 Ford Excursion. While the vehicle was parked in the driveway, it burst into flames without warning. The vehicle was completely destroyed. The fire department was called to the scene and a report was filed. The representative stated that the failure originated from the engine. The VIN was unknown. The failure and current mileages were 82,000.
I started my truck after sitting for 36 hours and what sounded like bad exhaust leak ..after being checked out by mechanic found that a spark plug and coil has been spit out of motor ..I had them repace spark plug and coil on top which repaired the problem ..today I was driving to town 10 miles and after stoppi g to get gas the noise started again !
The vehicle caught on fire under the hood while being parked in the driveway for more then 10 hours or more. The local fire department arrived to extinguish the fire. The cause of the fire was not determined. The consumer notified the dealer and the manufacturer. The main body of the fire was coming from the engine.
Our 2002 Ford Excursion, with the 5.4l motor, had just turned 59,000 miles last week when my wife was driving home from picking up the kids from school. My wife calls to tell me that she had to pull to the side of the road because the truck began experiencing severe power loss and what sounded like a major exhaust leak. Upon having the vehicle towed to the local Ford dealer, the service writer tells me it's most likely a blown spark plug and the repair will be in the $500 range. The service writer calls back the next day and confirms the blown spark plug and tells me it's a $725 repair. He goes on to tell me that he's been seeing a lot of this type of problem lately ("just had one last week"). After a couple of hours of haggling, I got the cost down to the original $500 range. …
2002 Ford triton 6.8l v10 engine in an Excursion vehicle ejected an original (unchanged, factory torqued) spark plug with great force and damage in the engine compartment. Coil was immediately damaged as spark plug ricocheted around the engine compartment followed by the smell of gasoline vapors and loud noise from the engine compression being directly vented from the vacated spark plug hole. The five threads of the triton spark plug hole were damaged by the force of the ejection. This should not happen with the Ford engine to the customers safety given this was an original plug (at 85,000 miles). The weather at the time of the spark plug ejection was -4f, and the spark plug ejected as the vehicle was beginning to accelerate from a standstill. …
Was starting from a stop to make a left turn when driver heard a loud pop. There was a sudden loss of power and some smoke. The vehicle was towed and diagnosed. The #3 plug on the right bank has blown completely out and damaged the coil pack. A phone call to the dealer yielded no help other than we can have it towed there to be repaired, as it likely needs a new head. Some internet research and talking to other Ford owners definitely suggest that this is a design problem with the alum heads blowing out spark plugs, and the #3 r plug seems to be common. This could cause fuel/vapors to be exhausted and sprayed on a hot manifold and cause a fire. It sounds like there May have already been some fires attributed to this problem. This sound like a case where the dealer/Ford refuses to admit that it is a problem and fix it for owners. …
While driving my 2002 Ford Excursion on the interstate at about 65 MPH, I heard a thump under the hood and then my engine began to make a loud clunky sound (almost as if there were no muffler). One of the sparks plugs had blown out of the engine! Luckily, my Excursion was still drivable and I was within a few miles of my home and could park it until I could seek repairs on Monday. I did not take it to the Ford dealership (trust issues). I took it to tune-up 2000, where they told me the spark plug threads had stripped out causing it to blow form the engine. It had to be re-threaded, costing me $500. This puts my repair bills, for my less than four year old Excursion, at over $3500 in 2005. The entire transmission had to be rebuilt this summer due to a cracked transmission case.
Tl contact owns a 2002 Ford Excursion. The contact stated that after opening the hood there was gasoline fumes coming from the engine and fuel was spraying all over the engine. The fuel continued to spray throughout the engine while the vehicle was on; however, when the vehicle was turned off there was a puddle of fuel under it. The dealer observed the fuel leak while performing an additional recall repair and refused to address or repair the fuel leak unless the contact paid $200 for the repair. The manufacturer stated that the fuel leak was not a part of the recall. There was routine maintenance performed on the vehicle prior to the failure. The failure mileage was 40,000.
In early December 2006 we were out christmas shopping when I heard a loud pop followed by a sharp decrease in power and following pop sounds. I pulled over and checked the engine. At first I just noticed the coil had blown off the head. I thought it May have just been a weird occurrence with a bad cop but later found that the spark plug had blown out of the #6 cylinder destroying the cop. The truck was towed back to my residence and the next morning I looked it over. The spark plug had blown out stripping the threads. After looking on the net, I found that this a common issue with this year and engine type.
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Diesel
On certain heavy duty trucks equipped with 7.3l diesel engines, the camshaft position sensor located on the engine of the vehicle May function intermittently, possibly resulting in an engine stall.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the sensor and replace it with an improved camshaft position sensor free of charge. The recall began on December 29, 2007. Owners May contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332.
NHTSA investigations
Spark plug ejection from cylinder head
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…
Engine complaints in other Excursion years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2002 Ford Excursion?
NHTSA has 37 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2002 Ford Excursion, 29% of the model year's 129 complaints. The component named most often is engine (8 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Ford Excursion engine problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 07V-553 (diesel, Dec 5, 2007). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2002 Ford Excursion engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 79,000 miles, and 3% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 2 fires and 0 injuries to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.