Most common 2002 Ford F Super Duty problems
Share of the 34 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Ford F Super Duty complaints by model year
Best F Super Duty years: 2004, 1996, 1995. Years to avoid: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2008. Compare all years →
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 4 possible defects involving the 2002 Ford F Super Duty:
Accelerator pedal sensor failure (etc)
The subject vehicles for this investigation include model year 2002 and 2003 excursion and f super duty trucks equipped with 7.3l diesel engines and an optional power adjustable pedal (pap) feature.the subject vehicles utilize an electronic throttle control (etc) system to control engine speed and power.the accelerator pedal position sensor of the etc system was replaced under Ford's field service action (fsa) 03b03…
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.
Accelerator pedal sensor (etc)
Failure counts from odi?s analysis are stated above; see the additional problem experience discussion in the summary report.Ford data contained duplicative reports for 4 odi complaints and 1 crash.three crashes were allegedly due to intermittent operation of the electronic throttle control (etc) pedal, one crash occurred when an etc disabled vehicle was struck by another motorist, one report contained no detail.the…
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 2002 Ford F Super Duty owners say
Engine & cooling
Traveling on a busy highway at 65 MPH; the spark plug on my 5.4l v8 triton blew out of its socket. (any mechanic will tell you everything you want to know about this) this caused an immediate bang and very rough running condition. As soon as it happened; there was an immediate loss of power which in turn; caused a rapid reduction in vehicle speed. Not to mention, the distraction that occurred that caused the lack of focus on surrounding vehicles and other possible hazards. This is the second occurrence of a separate spark plug blowing out of its socket on the same motor. This will cost several thousand in repairs after all is said and done. On top of the money spent repairing the last incident. There is a documented history of this situation with the more extreme having fire issues. …
Injector drive module (idm), diesel 7.3 navistar engine. Idm failed where the likely cause was water infiltration of the device with sudden catastrophic results which included a sudden significant loss of engine power, inability to maintain highway speed, inability to keep speed above 5 miles per hour, and demonstration of sever roughness during attempts to rev the engine or idle loads. Due to the idm failure, three of eight fuel injectors were rendered nonfunctional and replaced; also the actual number of injectors that were online or offline during the idm failure to engine shut-down period was unknown. During the idm failure to engine shut-down period of ~3 miles, the vehicle's obdii system did not illuminate any dashboard indicators despite the engine's inability to function normally. …
Electrical system
This accelerator pedal was replaced by Ford in a factory recall on April 2011. At the time the original pedal worked fine but it was changed our anyway. The replacement pedal failed on 12/15/14. During failure, the vehicle engine completely loses power and goes back to idle. During certain maneuvers this is a very dangerous situation, such as accelerating to merge on the freeway or pulling out from a stop sign in traffic. I have read of many instances where this has happened to other Ford owners. Ford needs to come up with a replacement that is reliable as this is a key component to safe vehicular travel.
This is a problem with f series diesel trucks. I have the 7.3 liter engine which is in many trucks. The failure occurs without warning. The engine simply stops. Usually,in my truck, it "restarts" by itself. If it does, the vehicle bucks. When it does not "restart", the engine is now off and I have to shift into neutral and crank the engine. In the meantime, I have no power steering and no power brakes. This is very dangerous in a crew cab, four wheel drive, diesel pick up truck. The last failure, some time in December, was at 30 miles per hour as I was about to enter i95 in biddeford, me. I crossed over the highway westbound on the entrance ramp and the truck died just as I hit the curve which rotates you 270 degrees to enter the southbound lane. I had all I could do to crank the wheel over and make the sharp turn. This problem is due to the cps or cam position sensor. …
Brakes
My 2002 f250 superduty with 7.3l diesel will not turn at parking speeds and higher speeds if applying the brake. I have contacted Ford and other owners with the same vehicle and they all say it is consistent with the 7.3l powered superduty trucks. I believe this is a very dangerous condition and do not want to be put into a position where I May hurt somebody due to a faulty designed steering system. Increasing RPM does not help. My talking to experts has found the general consensus to be that the hydro boost pump does not produce enough volume and was a poor design released to the public. My research on the issue also found that thousands of customers complained early on and because there were no deaths it was dismissed as a non issue. …
With a light tap and release on the brakes, the entire front end starts violently shaking and the steering wheel begins to violently steer in left and right violent motions. Refuses to stop shaking until the truck comes to a complete rest. During this time I have no steering, or braking. This most notably happens while hauling a trailer (5th wheel or bumper tow), but has been duplicated by dealer without a trailer. While not being able to stop, had to use the trailer brakes (electronic), and downshifting, and some very tricky driving techniques to come to a safe stop. This has happened numerous times, vehicle was in for service to the front end earlier on do to excessive front tire wear which I believe was the onset of this hidden problem. A very dangerous situation, as this has happened to me on several mountain downgrades. …
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2002 Ford F Super Duty a good car?
Based on 34 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2002 F Super Duty rates average: about as many complaints as a typical year of the F Super Duty at the same age. 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 2002 Ford F Super Duty?
The engine & cooling — 13 complaints, 38% of all complaints for this model year, most often about engine. Next are the electrical system (6) and brakes (5).
How many recalls does the 2002 Ford F Super Duty have?
NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2002 Ford F Super Duty. You can still confirm with your VIN using our VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Ford F Super Duty?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2004, 1996 and 1995. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2008. See the full Ford F Super Duty years comparison.
At what mileage do 2002 Ford F Super Duty problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 83,000 miles; 21% 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.