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 Expedition owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
On the evening of July 7th, 2015 at approximately 10:45 p.m. We heard a commotion outside our apartment complex and discovered my '02 Expedition fully on fire and being doused by the local fire department. It had just come back from repairs that afternoon - to the pigtail switch and re-wiring in the steering column due to loss of turn signals and radio. Not only was my car destroyed, but the cars on either side were damaged, as well as damage to the apartment complex. We retained an attorney and our initial report from the fire department stated the cause as "faulty wiring." the private fire investigator we retained has advised our attorney that the fire is due to the flawed cruise control system that has been the cause of hundreds of other fires in Ford vehicles. We intend to pursue this matter legally and would sincerely appreciate any assistance or advise your office can provide.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Ford Expedition. While the vehicle was parked in a residential driveway, the engine compartment erupted into flames without warning and a loud explosion sound emitted from the vehicle. The contact mentioned that the vehicle was completely burned and part of the garage was damaged. The police and fire departments filed reports. There were no injuries. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 180,000.
Car started without any problems in the morning but it did not shift any gear, car was towed to the mechanic and taken to the mechanic. While the mechanic was checking the vehicle the car caught on fire, the engine and the whole front of vehicle caught on fire.
Ford triton engine spitting spark-plugs out of engine resulting in gasoline being sprayed all over engine. Costly repairs are minimum $400+. This has happened 4 times to me and I can anticipate it happening on the remaining 4 cylinders in my 2002 Ford Expedition. As a result of this problem Ford is aware of, gasoline is being sprayed on 1000's of engines when this happens. Bad design by Ford. Aluminum heads on iron engine. Duh. My investigation has determined that there are 1000's of Ford owner who have experienced this same problem yet Ford is unwilling to do anything about it. Their repair shops will charge anywhere from $400 to $1600 to repair the problem. Please address this issue before my remaining 4 cylinders go and I will have to pay to get this bad design repaired. Thank you.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Ford Expedition. The contact stated the vehicle was parked in his driveway when it caught on fire. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. There were no injuries. A fire report was available. The contact stated the spark plugs blew out at the cylinder head causing the fuel rail to bend and resulting in a fuel leak that started the fire. The engine was severely damaged. The contact's insurance company advised that the fire originated from a pre-existing failure in the vehicle and would not cover his claim. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where he was advised they were aware of the failure yet would not provide any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 190,000.
This is about a blown out spark plug. The blown out spark plug (#4 on passenger side)) happened when my family & I were traveling in highway near stockton ca at around 5 pm. There was no shop open and I had to call aaa to tow the 2002 Ford Expedition to our friend's house about 30 miles away. It was also a very cold night and we waited for about 1 hr for the tow truck to arrive. It was incredibly inconvenient for this incident to happen on the freeway/highway. I heard that this is a common problem for the older Expedition with triton engine. I love Ford trucks/suvs and I hope they can fix this problem with the engine before somebody gets in serious trouble. I would rather want to see a recall than a class action suit in the future.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Ford Expedition. The contact was accelerating from a stop when the vehicle exhibited an abnormal noise and smoke was seen coming from under the hood. The contact stopped the vehicle and found that a fire had started in the engine. The contact was able to extinguish the fire and drive the vehicle home. The contact found that a spark plug had blown and caused the engine fire. The spark plug was replaced but the failure recurred four times and each time, the spark plug was replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure who advised the contact that there were no recalls for the vehicle. A complaint was filed with the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 145,000 and the current mileage was 149,000.
Tl contact owns a 2002 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that the spark plugs caused the engine to fail. The vehicle began to smoke occasionally; however, he was able to continue driving it. Prior to filing the complaint the failure occurred three times. It also seemed to occur once every year since 2007. The first failure was repaired by the dealer according to the extended warranty. The second time, the dealer repaired it at the owners expense. The vehicle was being diagnosed at the dealer at the time the complaint was filed. The manufacturer stated that they were not responsible and that there were no existing recalls. The current mileage was approximately 89,000. The failure mileage was approximately 69,000.
Idling at a metered ramp I experienced unintended acceleration while in line waiting for my turn at the metered light.the car in front of me rolled forward and I following suit. I did not touch the accelerator but merely released my foot from the brake pedal. The truck surged forward unexpectedly. I was able to apply the brakes before impacting the car in front of me. As I sternly applied the brakes the engine settled down and all systems worked as expected for the remainder of my commute. 5/23/2016 approx. 7:25 am cdt. Sunny and clear weather approx 63 degrees f. "normal" humidity. My daughter is the primary driver of this vehicle and when asked if this has happened to her the answer to my surprise was yes.
Just want to add my car to the list of Ford Expedition 5.6l engines that have experienced the spark plug ejection issue. Thankfully, this occured when starting the vehicle, so it did not cause any accident or injury. This is our son's car and we intended it to be the vehicle our 15 year old used as well. However, now that we know about the spark plug problem, we no longer feel it's safe and hope to trade it in. It's extremely disappointing and disheartening to know that Ford has not taken responsibility for this issue. Our vehicle had all original factory-installed spark plugs.
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 Expedition years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2002 Ford Expedition?
NHTSA has 122 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2002 Ford Expedition, 36% of the model year's 340 complaints. The component named most often is engine (37 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Ford Expedition engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2002 Ford Expedition, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2002 Ford Expedition engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 105,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 21 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.