2002 Ford F-250 Engine Problems

Which parts fail

• Engine
  7
• Engine › Gasoline
  5
• Exhaust system
  2
• Engine › Diesel
  2

Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  29%
• 25k–50k
  14%
• 50k–75k
  313%
• 75k–100k
  522%
• 100k–150k
  522%
• 150k+
  730%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Ford F-250 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The contact owns a 2002 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine seized. No warning light was illuminated. The contact attempted to start the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that the vehicle started after several attempts. The contact stated the vehicle sat for a while before starting the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact was informed that the repair was not covered under recall. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic; however, the failure was not officially diagnosed. The contact was informed that the failure was possibly caused by an unknown sensor. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. …

The contact owns a 2002 Ford F-250. The contact initially discovered patches of fluid on the garage floor. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where a diagnostic test was performed. The dealer discovered a leak in the engine oil pan due to a faulty silicone gasket. The contact stated that the oil pan was replaced by the same dealer a year prior to the recent failure. The contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall on the VIN related to the failure. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 138,683.

Tl* the contact owned a 2002 Ford f-250. While the vehicle was parked for a couple of hours in cold temperatures and connected to the block heater, the vehicle caught fire. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. The vehicle was destroyed. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The cause of the failure was not determined. The failure mileage was 177,700.

As soon as the truck started, it popped out one of its spark plug. The truck started shaking and made a hollow noise and began to smoke and quickly caught on fire. The fire burned the entire truck.

On November 26th 2017, my truck started having a significant mis-fire in cylinder #4. Travelling at about 30 MPH on city streets; this particular incident was not a safety issue although difficult to limp the vehicle home as it did not accelerate well. Upon removing the spark plug; it was determined that the cylinder head threads in the spark plug port have been damaged. This would have resulted in an ejected spark plug had the vehicle been continued to be operated. Since this is the 3rd different cylinder this has occurred on with numerous reports from multiple owners of the same engine design by Ford; I have decided to file this report. This is the 2nd report I have filed with the NHTSA. The first report I filed was because the 2nd time this occurred; a spark plug ejected from the #3 cylinder at highway speeds with a significant reduction in speed in traffic on the highway. …

2002 f-250 7.3l diesel. Driving down the highway pulling a horse trailer engine just completely stalled without warning. I lost all steering and brakes. I put it in neutral and restarted while coasting. Drove another few miles and it stalled again. Would not start again after that. This happened on a remote highway at night. Had a wrecker tow us to a diesel shop who reported truck started fine next day. Went and picked it up and it stuttered a few times on the way home but did not stall. A few months later, engine stalled at a red light in heavy traffic but started back up. Took it to my mechanic who read a cam position sensor circuit fault on the computer. Replaced cam position sensor. A few months later, stalled again at an intersection. I coasted to the side of the road and had it towed to my mechanic. Upon arriving and unloading from wrecker. Truck started up. …

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Ford f-250. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stationary at a traffic light, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was restarted and driven to his destination. The contact stated that the failure was experienced on three separate occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 300,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Ford f-250. While driving at any speed and as soon as the engine became hot, a burning oil odor was present inside the vehicle. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The dealer diagnosed that there was a defective head gasket that needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Ford f-250. While driving 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was able to restart on the second attempt; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 07V553000 (engine). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 117,000.

My 2002 Ford f250 super duty 5.4 gasoline engine had a spark plug blow out at around 165,000 miles. I had pulled over to take a call turned off the engine, when I started it back up it was making a loud popping sound, my machanic shop was next door to where I was so I was lucky that I did not have to drive it anywhere.

NHTSA investigations

Engine complaints in other F-250 years