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 1999 Ford F-150 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owned a 1999 Ford f-150. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked at his residence, the vehicle caught fire. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to extinguish the fire with a water hose. The fire department and police department were not informed nor was a report filed. The contact attempted to call the local dealer jim click Ford (6244 e 22nd st, tucson, az 85711: [phone]) and manufacturer but was unable to speak to anyone. The vehicle was not drivable. The VIN was associated to NHTSA campaign number: 05V017000 (vehicle speed control). The failure mileage was approximately 230,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Ford f-150. While the contact's daughter was driving 70 MPH, the vehicle made a loud noise and began sputtering. The driver noticed flames under the hood. A passerby extinguished the fire. The fire department was not contacted. There were no injuries. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that a spark plug had been blown out of the cylinder head, igniting a fire. The mechanic also noted that the spark plug boot had melted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. A dealer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.
Around 1:30 am on Thursday nov. 24th, I received a call from my neighbor saying my truck was on fire. The fire department said it looked like it was an electrical problem. That it looked like it started under the hood. The truck had been driven to the store the morning before the fire, and was parked at the time of the fire.
My 1999 f150 truck has a head gasket problem and heater core issue. Started smelling anti freeze on Sunday. Took to a mechanic on Monday and said there is an oil leak, seepage coming from head gasket. The heater core needs replaced, but why oil leak is happening not sure. Was told it would be about $3500.00 to repair only head gasket and heater core. This truck only has 127,00 miles on it and all regular maintenance has been done timely. Researched this on internet and found many complaints about this same problem. There was even an article in automotive news on 4/1/2002 regarding this issue, and according to written article Ford was fixing the problem for consumers. I called Ford and they told me no. This is a huge expense, and with this many complaints and article that says Ford is aware of this defect and no one can help. …
When backing up after my f150 has been sitting about 2 days I have no brakes unless I rev up the engine for about 20 sec to build up pressure in the electric vacuum brake booster. Have almost hit my wife's car if I forget to let it sit to build up pressure. I have contacted my Ford dealer and they won't do anything about it because I am past the warranty. I am going to have to replace it myself because this is unsafe condition and Ford won't repair it. Also my truck loses power sometimes when accelerating and Ford stated that the turbo chargers are sometimes sucking in water that shuts down one side of the engine to prevent damage to the turbo chargers. There fix is to put a shield or longer tube on it to prevent this. Again because it is over the warranty period they won't do anything. Very disappointed in my f-150 3.5 EcoBoost and won't be buying another one.
I was cruising along the highway at approx. 68 MPH, then I heard a loud pop. Then immediately after sounded like I was driving without an exhaust manifold almost. Once I felt that I had lost a lot of power I then realized what happened. I was luckily 2 miles away from a town and babied it into a store parking lot. Upon looking under the hood I found the sparkplug ejected from cylinder #3 and busted the ignition coil. Now what if I was int the middle of nowhere with my wife and daughter? Worse yet what if the vehicle had caught on fire with them as well? Due to fuel vapor spitting out the sparkplug bore and getting ignited from the loose ignition coil. I myself and others have been fortunate that these things did not happen, but I can't say for everyone. This is a very big issue that has been ignored and is a potentially huge safety hazard as well.
Tl contact owned a 1999 Ford f150. The contact stated that after driving 1/4 mile and then parking the vehicle near the garage the truck caught fire while it was turned off. The fire department was called and extinguished the fire. There were no injuries. The vehicle was destroyed. Ford has not been contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000. Updated 09/16-10 updated 09/20/10 the consumer stated the fire started under the hood. Prior to the fire, the battery light illuminated. Updated 09/20/10. Updated 08/01/11 the consumer stated the fire started under the hood. The fire dept. Did not know what caused the fire. Six days before the fire, the battery light illuminated. The consumers husband had the vehicle inspected and everything checked out fine. Updated 08/02/11
Tl contact owns a 1999 Ford f-150. The contact stated that the intake manifold gasket failed on the vehicle three times. In 2000, while driving 40 MPH, the check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel and the vehicle began to stall. He noticed white smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified and informed the contact that he would be liable for the repairs. There were no recalls on the v8 engine, only the v6 engine model. In 2008, the manifold gasket failed once again. The vehicle has not been repaired. The failure mileage was 37,000 and current mileage was 86,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Ford f-150. The contact stated that fuel fumes emitted into the vehicle and the check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel. The toll booth attendant informed the contact that flames were coming from under the front drivers side of the vehicle. The contact exited the vehicle and immediately after flames engulfed the drivers side burning the interior. The police report was filed and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was towed. The manufacturer was not contacted. There was no diagnostic test completed on the vehicle. The failure and current mileage was 200,000.
This is the third time the engine has blown out a plug. I do not know the dates of the other two times, my mechanic can probably look them up. This is obviously a huge problem that many people have. I have paid about $1200 to have the three blown spark plugs fixed. Since this is an inherent problem with Ford engines I feel they should reimburse all costumers, this should not be happening. I am just waiting for the next one to go, when I hear the familiar sound, call my mechanic and lose a few more hundred dollars. Come on Ford, do the right thing!
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 F-150 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 1999 Ford F-150?
NHTSA has 246 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 1999 Ford F-150, 24% of the model year's 1,044 complaints. The component named most often is engine (116 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Ford F-150 engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 1999 Ford F-150, though it has 7 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 1999 Ford F-150 engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 99,000 miles, and 2% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 17 fires and 1 injury 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.