Most common 2001 Ford F Series problems
Share of the 44 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Ford F Series complaints by model year
Best F Series years: 1995, 1996, 2004. Years to avoid: 2000, 1997, 2001, 1999, 2002. Compare all years →
2001 Ford F Series recalls (1)
Structure
Certain pickup truck, van, and Mini van conversions equipped with southern comfort built running boards that contain certain courtesy lights manufactured by American technology components, inc. These units contain a courtesy light or lights that might overheat when the wire harness is exposed to excessive moisture and road salt.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the wiring harness on these running boards. Owner notification began March 7, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free…
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 4 possible defects involving the 2001 Ford F Series:
Front seat belt buckle assembly
Under recall campaign (01V227), Ford recalled approximately 1.3 million vehicles to inspect and if necessary replace the front driver and/or passenger seat belt buckle.approximately 1.1 million owners responded by taking their vehicles to a dealer for inspection of the buckle using a specialized buckle test tool.Ford reported that 829,927 vehicles had both buckles pass the tool test and another 167,336 vehicles had…
Tire valve stem
There is no summary currently available
Front seat belt buckle assembly
During the initial recall campaign in 2001, the subject vehicles were inspected by Ford dealerships using a test tool that would detect a defective front seat outboard seat belt buckle assembly.approximately one million vehicles passed the inspection test for one or both front buckles.subsequent to the recall service action, odi received 15 consumer reports alleging that a passed inspection buckle subsequently…
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…
What 2001 Ford F Series owners say
Engine & cooling
Spark plug blown out of head. Spark plug #7 blew out 9 months ago. Now plug #8 blew out. Mechanic says it's due to poor design of aluminum head and insufficient threads. Both times, this happened while coasting at a slow speed (< 30 MPH).
I exited on I-75 onto sr 200, traveled 100 feet approximately 20 MPH, heard popping sound like baseball card in spokes of a bicycle wheel. Happened Saturday night while bringing my son home from college. Cost $75 to tow home to unload the 2001 f150 5.4 liter v-8. $75 to tow to Ford of ocala, belleview, who diagnosed blown #3 plug, charged $98, then $75 tow to Ford of ocala in ocala told $4000 to replace head or $6000 to replace engine. This was a common occurrence with this faulty head and plug design. Ford should be made to fix this problem since replacing either the head or engine with the same faulty Ford product was not an option to me. Estimated charges were outrageous even for a physician to pay. Please see www.f150online.com forum for additional disgruntled f-150 owners whom have had same problem. This was a fraud alert.
Electrical system
Vehicle was not in use- parked and not on smoke and fire came from under hood the wiring melted causing the hood to melt underneath where it can not be opened. Contacted Ford on Monday June 24 waited few weeks for paper work- promptly filled it out and never heard back frome them- made several calls received a letter from legal department indicating they need the part to review we wanted Ford to come to look at truck and retireve the part they are not willing and are closing the case there is a recall on this and my family was in the truck that morning- we re lucky no one was killed
Turn signal are now sporadic. Upon investigating I found that when the tilt is engaged and lowered the turn signals would not work. Raise steering wheel back up it would work. Start to drive down the road they would turn off or not work at all or wok sometimes. Raise the steering wheel they work. Lower it they don't. This indicates from further research on line in Ford f150 forums this is a problem with the wiring being to short and the wires get pulled out of the switch. It is a very common occurrence in f!%) from 98 up to 2004 and are now being reported in newer models as well. This is a severe safety hazard for drivers and passengers and drivers behind the vehicles.and should be remedied by Ford at no expense to the owners.
Speed control & acceleration
I was woken up by someone knocking on my apartment door to let me know that my truck was on fire. I attempted to put the fire out by filling cooking pans with water and dousing the flames but to no avail. The fire dept along with the police showed up and the front part of the truck is all burned up.
What good is it to respond to a recall of a f150 cruise control when they don't have the parts and you have to make 3-4 trips to get the work done. Then they say they have the part but don't do the work and your back again.....I'm a long time Ford customer but this is ridiculous ...then your agency urges motorists to respond to the recall....how about kicking those Ford execs in their pockets.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2001 Ford F Series a good car?
Based on 44 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2001 F Series rates avoid: 2.4× as many complaints as a typical year of the F Series at the same age. It is one of the F Series years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2001 Ford F Series?
The engine & cooling — 17 complaints, 39% of all complaints for this model year, most often about engine. Next are the electrical system (7) and speed control & acceleration (6).
How many recalls does the 2001 Ford F Series have?
There is 1 recall for the 2001 Ford F Series, the most recent from March 7, 2003 (structure). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Ford F Series?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 1995, 1996 and 2004. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2000, 1997, 2001, 1999 and 2002. See the full Ford F Series years comparison.
At what mileage do 2001 Ford F Series problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 100,000 miles; 16% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.