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 2000 Ford F-150 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 1991 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate from a complete stop, the vehicle was sluggish. The contact stated that the vehicle operated as needed after warming up. The contact stated upon refueling the vehicle, the gasoline would splash out of the fuel tank filler neck and onto the gas pump. There was no warning light illuminated. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 142,000.
Had driven approximately 5 miles parked in a lowes parking lot went into the store for about 45min. Only to come out to my truck on fire. The truck was completely off and no one was in it, and there are only 2 sets of keys one in my pocket and the other at home. The vehicle was locked. Prior to driving the 5 miles it had not been driven in 2 days. Ford says it's not there problem and insurance only wants to give us $3,700.00. My husband is a retired veteran and this whole situation has caused his ptsd to be triggered.
Takata recall, on my 2000 Ford f-150 it had very few issues till this occured. At just over 130,000 miles the engine began knocking on the interstate and progressively grew worse as I was looking for a exit, it started to lose power and I got it to the shoulder before it died. Later that day I had a tow truck pull it up to a trusted shop about 60 miles away. The mechanic there said that it droped a rod and the crankshaft was shot. After talking to him, he said that this is a fairly frequent occurrence. I took it to get a second opinion from another shop a few miles away and had the same conversation. Both mechanics and a few fourms on the internet said this is a problem with the 1998-2003 and 2004 heritage, that have the Ford 5.4 triton 2v engine. At the mechanic the the truck was diagnosed as nonrepareable engine and would have to be swaped out for a diffrent one. …
I have a 2000 Ford f150 4x4 5.4 liter engine with now my second blown out spark plug. I paid a lot for the first spark plug repair. I know this is a Ford design problem - it is well-known. Is Ford compensating consumers for "their" problem? I only have 140,685 miles on this truck and do all the required maintenance myself and the specified intervals. If Ford is not standing behind their product then it is the government's repsonsibility to make them. I am retired and not able to repair this myself. Can you direct me to the right government department or are you it? Ford must compensate the consumer fully and not be allowed to use the consumer as the guinea pig and have us fork out hundreds of dollars for their known bad design. The design issue with the blown out spark plug is due to the fact that there are not enough threads in to the head to hold the spark plug in. …
Dt: the consumer states that the 2000 Ford f150 (lariat super cab) caught on fire and burned. The entire front end was destroyed. The fire started under the hood in front of the driver's side. The consumer had just gotten out of the truck about five minutes prior. The cruise control had not been used. The truck was like new and everything was in working order. The truck was regularly maintained. The truck was engulfed in flames within a few seconds. A witness stated to the owner that the truck sounded like it was trying to start it. The witness said the truck sounded like the engine was cranking. The fire department came and put out the fire. The fire chief stated that the fire started on the driver's side under the hood. The police were also present. Fire report, police report , and insurance report were taken. The consumer was going to take pictures of the vehicle. …
2000 Ford f150. Blew no. 3 spark while driving. It blew at partial throttle, 45 MPH. Truck has been properly maintained, never had this happen on any other car I ever owned. Come to find out this a common problem on triton v-8 engines. I've owned cars with aluminum heads before so for Ford to claim its a torquing problem and the fault of the owner is disgraceful to all the people that maintain their own cars. Fortunately the fire was only temporary and went out when I stopped the truck and killed the engine, but there obviously had been a fire at some point. …
Parked my Ford f150 in front of my house last evening about 6 pm. Nothing out of the ordinary about the way the truck was running or operating. Was awakened at 3 am this morning to my neighbor banging on my door,screaming "your truck is on fire!" I woke my husband, he and the neighbor put the fire out before fire dept showed up. All said and done. The investigation continued after day light, to find out that it was the cruise control recall part! Recall was in 1999, I bought the 2000 Ford in 2003 used. Never received a letter about the recall and assumed that it had been repaired prior to me purchasing the vehicle. I called Ford. They gave me a case number and told me that the legal department would send me a packet to fill out. But it would take 15 days before I would receive the packet.
On Wednesday, July 22, 2009, I drove to work and arrived at 9:00 am without incident. At 11:00 am I was notified that my truck (2000 Ford f150) was on fire in the parking lot. It appears that an electrical fire had started in the engine compartment. I read later (online) that there is a recall on numerous Ford vehicles regarding a default with a cruise control switch that has constant power that has lead to numerous f150's (and other Ford vehicles) to unexpectedly burst into flames. This appears to have been caused by this problematic switch because the fire started in the location where this defective switch is located. Fortunately nobody was injured and the vehicle was insured.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Ford f150. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked in a residential drive-way for five hours when he noticed flames coming from the engine and through the front grill of the vehicle. The fire department was contacted who came and extinguished the fire. They did not know the origin of the fire and no one was injured. A fire report was not available. The insurance company was notified of the failure and the vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was contacted who stated they would contact him within the next fifteen days. The failure mileage was 150,000.
I have a 2000 Ford f150 4x4 5.4 liter engine with now my second blown out spark plug. I paid a lot for the first spark plug repair. I know this is a Ford design problem - it is well-known. Is Ford compensating consumers for "their" problem? I only have 140,685 miles on this truck and do all the required maintenance myself and the specified intervals. If Ford is not standing behind their product then it is the government's repsonsibility to make them. I am retired and not able to repair this myself. Can you direct me to the right government department or are you it?
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 2000 Ford F-150?
NHTSA has 158 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2000 Ford F-150, 15% of the model year's 1,075 complaints. The component named most often is engine (43 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Ford F-150 engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2000 Ford F-150, though it has 6 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 2000 Ford F-150 engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 98,000 miles, and 3% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 56 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.