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 F-150 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2002 Ford F-150. The contact stated that she observed smoke emanating from under the vehicle near the engine compartment. The contact stated that she opened the hood and flames erupted from the engine compartment near the battery. The contact threw dirt on the engine to extinguish the fire. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made a loud sound. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed and determined that cylinder #3 spark plug had blown out, but no repair was recommended at the time. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.
1. Coils on top of spark plug get moisture in them when there is just the right kind of rain storm. This makes the coil or coils fail until the dry out. This seems to make the coil eventually go bad. Yes, it is available for inspection. 2. Not sure if its a combination of heat and moisture but sometime right away and sometimes a few minutes into driving the coil or coils fail and the engine loses power. Then if seems to be a random, unpredictable occurrence until it dries out, Very Unsafe. If one coil fails it loses just a little power, but if more than one fails it loses a lot of power and stalls at times. This is why I am writing it up. A few time now, I have gone to pull into traffic and then I lose power and either have to run off the road or just upset the car behind me if they are not too close. 3 & 4. …
Tl* the contact owned a 2002 Ford f-150. After the contact turned off and exited the vehicle, he was alerted by a passerby that there were flames under the hood. The flames were near the driver's side of the engine compartment near the brake system. A fire inspector extinguished the flames. The vehicle was destroyed by the fire. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was uncertain if the failure was related to NHTSA action numbers: ea05005 (electrical system, vehicle speed control) and dp05005 (engine and engine cooling) and NHTSA campaign numbers: 06e056000 (fuel system, gasoline) and 05V388000 (vehicle speed control). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle remained at the scene. The cause of the failure was not determined. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 175,000.
This is follow up assessment to my 9/22/2019 claim [redacted]- where I found myself in a very dangerous vehicle run away situation that resulted in a rear end accident with another vehicle. My mechanic's first observation when turn ignition key, the engine raced at full throttle out of control. After quickly shutting down engine the symptoms lead my mechanic to test the idle air control valve. Having never seen this dangerous symptom from a bad iacv, he continued to do further test on the iacv only to determine the part was indeed defective. After diagnosing the problem, the defective iacv part was quickly replaced. The engine is now running good again. If you need to contact my mechanic: dugan auto service, narvon pa - doug miller [phone]
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Ford f-150. The contact stated that an explosion occurred under the hood and the vehicle caught fire while parked in the driveway. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. The vehicle only had liability coverage; therefore, the failure was not covered by the insurance company. The vehicle was taken to metro Ford inc (2860 s noland rd, independence, mo 64055, [phone]), but they could not assist. The dealer suggested having an independent mechanic diagnose the vehicle. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact stated that the vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 05V017000 (vehicle speed control), which could have caused the fire. The failure mileage was 204,000.
Tl contact owns a 2002 Ford f-150. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the contact noticed smoke and an oil odor emitting from the front of the vehicle. Upon further inspection, the contact noticed that oil was leaking from the exhaust. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 140,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Ford f-150. While the vehicle was parked, smoke appeared under the hood and the vehicle caught fire. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 107,000.
While pulling up to a stop light my truck started popping and shaking. I pulled over and opened the hood to find out a spark plug had blown out of the motor. It exploded with such force it broke the coil over housing on the head. I have called Ford and they say they don't know of any issues of this. It is all over the internet about it. They are in court right now over the 2005 and up vehicles having the same issue. I am the original owner and have never had to replace the plugs so they are straight from the factory, and the truck has only 123,000 miles on it. It is now going to cost me over $400.00 to fix this one plug with no guarantee it won't happen to any other plugs. I'm retired on social security and cannot afford a new truck payment, or continue to fix their defects.
Vehicle was always maintained correctly, while driving at approximately 25-30 miles per hour, there was a sudden popping noise, vehicle lost power which startled the driver and caused the vehicle to crash off the road. Vehicle was returned to the road and brought to a parking lot. Next day the vehicle was towed to mechanic and it was discovered that the spark plug was blown from the aluminum head. Mechanic tapped the head and owner was forced to spend $600 dollars, or replace entire head for $3500. Minor vehicle damage due to accident, if this occurred at higher speed unknown what could have happened. Pregnant woman in the vehicle who was extremely scared due to noises and exhaust blowing into cabin of 02 f150 v8.
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 2002 Ford F-150?
NHTSA has 262 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2002 Ford F-150, 32% of the model year's 821 complaints. The component named most often is engine (78 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Ford F-150 engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2002 Ford F-150, 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 F-150 engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 96,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 16 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.