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 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
My husband was driving his Ford f350 truck down the road when he smelled smoke at first he wasn't sure where it was coming from then he looked down and saw fire coming out of the fire wall and up his leg, he immediately stopped the vehicle and got out. He could not extinguish it and the fire department was called to put it out. He had no warning and heard no noise just smelled the smoke.
I have a 2002 Ford f 350 with v10 engine. The manifold bolts keep rusting off and breaking. I only have about 11,000 miles on the truck now. Ford fixed the bolts on the right side on May 8, 2007 as I had purchased the extended warranty. They should have fixed both sides at the same time as this is an obvious problem. The truck only had 8500 miles on it then. They actually brought a rep in from Ford on May 2, 2007 to photograph my truck during the repair at whited truck center in bangor, maine. Now the warranty has run out and I noticed the bolts on the left side of the engine are rusted off and completely gone. Obviously this is a big ongoing problem with the v10 engines as there are many complaints posted on the internet about it. This is a safety problem as there are exhaust fumes leaking into the vehicle from these failed bolts. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Ford f-350. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was merged to the shoulder and towed to the dealer. The dealer inspected and replaced the cam shaft position sensor. The initial failure occurred in 2006 and would recur every two years, and every two years since then the vehicle would stall and the cam shaft position failure had to be replaced. The cam shaft position was replaced five times but the failure was a constant recurrence. The manufacturer was notified of the issue, who offered no assistance to the contact. The failure mileage was 49,000 and the current mileage was 140,000.
Consumer took vehicle to a dealership due to loss of power and unknown ticking noise from the engine. This had been a problem twice since the 3,000 mile checkup. Dealership cleaned the engine, and returned the vehicle. Dealership states noise was normal, and should not affect the engine's performance. Took vehicle back to dealer, and was told that the engine blew out. Another mechanic looked at the engine, and found the spark plugs were improperly installed. Consumer was aware of other complaints on NHTSA's website. The conumer stated that the exhaust sounded like it had a leak.
Dt: the consumer stated that 2002 Ford f350 stalled and accelerated when the brakes were on. The truck stalled intermittently. This happened a couple of times a week. Acceleration was happening all the time when the consumer was at a stop light. This was happening for a year. The consumer has not had the truck checked nor inspected in the year that he was having these problems. The consumer contacted the dealer and the consumer said that he would take the truck sometime next week for checkup. The consumer has not contacted Ford. The vehicle was stalling at low speeds 0-20 MPH.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Ford f-350. While driving approximately 50 MPH, the engine stalled. The vehicle was able to be restarted, but the failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and an independent mechanic. The technician stated that the camshaft sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 3,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Ford f-350 xlt. The contact stated that while stopped, the passenger's side spark plug shot out of the engine without warning. The contact also mentioned that the engine made a loud banging noise as the failure occurred. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the mechanic stated that the compression from the engine caused the spark plug to fail. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 180,000.
While driving approximately 35 MPH the water pump started to leak. This caused the serpentine belt to become wet and slipped off the pulleys which caused the vehicles brakes and power steering to fail. I questioned the service advisor at the Ford dealer(henry day Ford) in west valley utah and they advised they had not heard of the problem. To me this is a very important safety hazard for occupants and could be a liability for Ford motor company.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Ford f-350. The contact stated that the engine oil pan was leaking. The vehicle was towed to a private mechanic where it was diagnosed that the oil pan was rusted and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was repaired on three occasions but the failure recurred. The approximate failure and current mileage was 140,000. Updated 3/12/14
Ltr fm andrij andreitchux(nj) owner of a Ford f350 truck unable to connect with 33 foot rv trailer hook system causes truck to lock-up defect reply to the elizabeth, nj district ofc. The vehicle was involved in an accident in which the consumer sustained injuries. Consumer also experienced problems with stalling of engine, transmission, power steering, acceleration, and fuel system on vehicle.
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-350 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2002 Ford F-350?
NHTSA has 22 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2002 Ford F-350, 19% of the model year's 116 complaints. The component named most often is engine (6 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Ford F-350 engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2002 Ford F-350, 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-350 engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles, and 33% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 2 fires and 2 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.