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-250 SD owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Ford f-250 SD. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, a loud abnormal sound emitted from the engine compartment. After inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the spark plug had exploded out of the cylinder head. The failure recurred several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised that the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 84,000.
Tl contact owns a 2002 Ford f-250 SD. While driving less than 65 MPH, the contact smelled burning oil. He then noticed smoke underneath the hood and oil dripping from the exhaust. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the head gasket was leaking. They would need to disassemble the engine and replace the head gasket at the estimated cost of $2,800-$4,000. The manufacturer was notified and could not assist because there were no recalls. The failure mileage was 121,000 and current mileage was 122,000.
Recently four goshen vans and / or buses have caught fire and completely burned up. In three cases the buses / vans were parked and either just shut off or parked and idling when smoke was discovered and then the fire started. In each case the vehicle burned up in minutes (7 minutes in one case). Some of these vehicles are used to transport disabled clients so these are very serious incidents which could lead to death or injury.
Spark plug blew out after stopping for red light. Shut off engine, popped the hood and there was a small fire under the hood. I was able to put the fire out quickly with my shirt. Cop was damaged, tried to re-install plug, but the threads in the head were stripped. I was able to just snug the plug down enough to get me home. About .5 mi. I was stopped in the middle of the road with traffic going around me both directions.
Ford f250 v-10 spit spark plug, caused small fire under the hood. Broke the cop. If a spark plug blows out and could injure a person working on the vehicle, why is that different from this that is classified as a safety recall? (engine cooling fan blades that break unexpectedly causing injury to persons working on a vehicle).
At 102000 miles engine ejected #8 spark plug while driving, taking threads with it. Local mechanic repaired using insert. At 125000 miles engine ejected #3 spark plug in same manner. Same mechanic inspected #8 while repairing #3 and found insert not holding, plus two other plugs backing out.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Ford f-250. He noticed flames emerging from the engine compartment. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle has not been inspected to determine the cause of the failure. The current and failure mileages were 168000.
I have a 2002 Ford f-250 power stroke diesel. I was on my way to work and all of a sudden the engine just shut off as if I had turned the key off. It picked right back up almost immediately and continued to run for about a mile. Then it shut off again and did not pick back up. This was on a 4 lane highway at 55-60 MPH with no power steering and no power brakes on a 7000# truck. I managed to coast into a turn lane and got it to re-fire and moved it into a parking lot. Checked all of my electrical connections under the hood and restarted the truck. It idled fine for a while so I thought maybe a connector was loose and I had fixed the problem. I decided to continue on my way to work. I pulled back out onto the highway and no problems. I had to make a u-turn on the 4 lane highway and right in the middle of it, the truck decides to die again. …
5:30 Monday morning I started my 2002 Ford f250 superduty pickup, as soon as my truck started there was a huge explosion and a big fire ball flash from under my hood followed by smoke and the odor of plastic burning and gas fumes. I immediately shut the truck off and opened the hood, after some investigation I was amazed to see that a spark plug had completely blown out of the head of my engine. I was happy to see that the fire was minimal but I was completely amazed that a plug blew out of my engine. About seven or so days ago my engine started to make a tapping noise under the hood, I knew that it could be a lifter because of the over head cam but now I guess I know what that noise was, just the gases pushing through the threads of the plug. …
I purchased an f250 2002 triton v8 super duty mid year 2007. Less than a year after the purchase a spark plug blew out of the manifold. This all happened under normal highway driving conditions. The dealer put in an insert, rethreaded it and replaced spark plug. Almost a year to the day it happened again. So now #2 & #4 have blown out. On 5/30/09 a third one blew out. All on the left side (passenger side) of the manifold. So now #2, #3 and #4 have blown out. I researched the incident online and have found 500 other cases. I'm curious how many are really out there that weren't reported. I've been fortunate because in some cases the spark plug blew through the hood or damaged the manifold. I do however wonder what damage is occurring each time it happens. How many reports or how many vehicles does it take before there's a recall? …
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
Engine stalling
In a December 3, 2007 letter, Ford advised NHTSA that it will conduct a safety recall to replace the cam position sensor (cps) in approximately 1.2 million subject vehicles to address reports of engine stalling.a new design cps with improved performance and durability will be installed as a remedy.owner notifications will begin in December 2007.
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-250 SD years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2002 Ford F-250 SD?
NHTSA has 105 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2002 Ford F-250 SD, 43% of the model year's 245 complaints. The component named most often is engine (23 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Ford F-250 SD engine problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 07V-553 (diesel, Dec 5, 2007). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2002 Ford F-250 SD engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 83,000 miles, and 1% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 9 fires and 2 injuries and 1 death 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.