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-350 SD owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Improper protection of the oil pan to elements causes metal pan to rot prematurely gear box for steeering not designed properly for the weight class of truck constantly breaking causing sloppy steering and loss of control 2 leaf springs on front end are only rated to a weight of 1950lbs for a 1 ton truck that weighs almost 9,000 pounds causing springs to break or wear prematurely unless you pay Ford 2,000-5,000 dollars to our grade the suspension
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Ford f-350 SD. The contact stated that he plugged an engine block warmer up for approximately 1.5 hours. The contact later heard a loud explosion and found that the vehicle caught on fire. The police and fire department were contacted. The vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic and they deemed the vehicle destroyed. The manufacturer was contacted and offered no assistance to the contact. The failure and current mileages was approximately 150,000.
2002 Ford f350 super duty quad cab le 7.3l diesel parked in my back yard with the engine block heater plugged in. I heard an explosion and looked out the window. My truck was burning from under the hood. The whole front end was on fire. The grill, bumper rubber, headlights and intercooler burned away. When the fire department finally put it out you could see that all the rubber, plastic, wiring and batteries were completely burned away.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Ford f350 superduty. The contact stated that the vehicle would stall intermittently and when that failure occurred, he would notice smoke coming from the engine. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The current mileage was 164,000 and the failure mileage was 160,000.
On the morning of Saturday March 22, 2008. My 2002 Ford f350 super duty engine caught on fire while sitting in my driveway. It was sitting for roughly 10 hrs. When it started on fire. Vehicle is destroyed and did some damage to my house, but thankfully no one was hurt.
I have a 2002 for f350 superduty, I first had a spark plug blow out almost a year ago on cylinder 1 it was a loud pop then fluttering sound with reduced power, a smell like burning oil- gas, I was going down the high way when it happened & was unable to stop immediately, but when I did go under the hood the spark plug was jammed under the fuel line for the injectors & I still smelled a faint oder of gas, the coil was arching on the metal tubing above the spark plug. I figured it was the fault of my mechanic when he replaced the spark plugs, one year earlier, maybe he striped the thing or something. I fixed the problem with a heli coil everything was fine for a few months then it happened again with the same plug I again fixed it making sure to tighten the plug down good, three months later the same thing so I again fixed it each time having to purchase a new coil. …
I was driving my 2002 Ford f-350 diesel when the engine suddenly shut down. There was a dump truck behind me which was forced off of the road in order to avoid hitting my vehicle. I was able to restart the vehicle only to have it stall again. After researching the problem I found that the cause was a faulty camshaft position sensor which, although it appeared to be a recurring problem on Ford diesels Ford has never notified me as such. When I contacted a dealer regarding the problem they said that there was nothing that they could do as the vehicle was 6 months past the 100,000 miles 5 year engine warranty , I am still under the 100,000 miles. I have had the truck in Ford dealerships numerous times and have bever been notified by Ford personnel as to the likleyhood that this part has known problems and could fail at anytime. …
Tl contact owns a 2002 Ford f350 super duty. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to have a safety recall repaired. At that time, the contact was informed that the vehicle needed to have an oil change. Also, the oil pan needed to be changed because it was rusting and pitting. The cost to replace the oil pan on her diesel engine is $2,399.82. The contact stated that the rear universal had to be replaced at 27,770 miles and then had to be replaced a second time, in addition to the carrier bearings at 47,325 miles. The vehicle was under warranty the first time, but the contact paid for the repair the second time. The recall number was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 58,347. Updated 02-04-08. The consumer stated replaced weatherstrip, replaced rear u joint, disc pads replace, and replaced broken console lid. Updated 02/04/08
My 20002 Ford f-350 v10 pickup truck blew out a spark plug. The first time I thought nothing of it, I replaced it and the coil for $120.00. Two days later it blew out again this time while I was traveling on a main road, the truck died in the street from 40 MPH to zero in no time at all. I was almost rear ended my a very large 18 wheeler carrying a large excavating machine . Luckily he had room to pass me on my left ,before any damaged was done. After some research I have found out that Ford has known about this problem for years. There has been thousands of people have their spark plugs blown out of the cylinder walls , due to faulty threadings in the cylinder wall. When will Ford be held accountable for the expensive repair, when someone dies.
Tl contact owns a 2002 Ford f350 SD. The contact stated that the cam shaft sensor has failed three times after being replaced. The engine remained idle but there was no power and the vehicle failed to move forward. After the sensor was replaced the vehicle functioned normally for at least seven months. The dealer stated that they were not going to replace the sensor again since they are not sure what should be repaired. The dealer also stated that because the sensor had to be replaced so many times, it May not have caused the failure to occur. The failure mileage was 100,000 the current mileage is 250,000.
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-350 SD years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2002 Ford F-350 SD?
NHTSA has 44 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2002 Ford F-350 SD, 35% of the model year's 124 complaints. The component named most often is engine › diesel (24 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Ford F-350 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-350 SD engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 67,000 miles, and 3% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 4 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.