Problems · NHTSA complaints
2002 Ford F-150 problems
Owners filed 955 complaints about the 2002 Ford F-150 with NHTSA between Jul 2001 and Jul 2026. The most-cited component is engine and engine cooling (215).
Complaints
955
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
58
Reported by owners
Fires
100
Reported by owners
Injuries
67
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
1
44
48
58
118
58
80
65
67
67
97
43
35
44
30
24
19
16
12
5
4
6
7
3
2
2
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 1 |
| 2002 | 44 |
| 2003 | 48 |
| 2004 | 58 |
| 2005 | 118 |
| 2006 | 58 |
| 2007 | 80 |
| 2008 | 65 |
| 2009 | 67 |
| 2010 | 67 |
| 2011 | 97 |
| 2012 | 43 |
| 2013 | 35 |
| 2014 | 44 |
| 2015 | 30 |
| 2016 | 24 |
| 2017 | 19 |
| 2018 | 16 |
| 2019 | 12 |
| 2020 | 5 |
| 2021 | 4 |
| 2022 | 6 |
| 2023 | 7 |
| 2024 | 3 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 | 2 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Engine and engine cooling
215 reports2 crashes8 fires
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 FORD F-150. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE AT A STOP, THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE RADIATOR SUPPORTS WERE RUSTED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 73,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 74,000.”
Electrical system
112 reports2 crashes28 fires
“Unknown cause of incident. Vehicle is available for inspection. Vehicle spontaneously burst into flames. No reproduction due to incident happening on 09/02/2022. Vehicle inspected by Fire Department and California Highway Patrol. No warnings or symptoms leading up to incident. On 09/02/2022 I attempted to help my wife that was stranded out State Route Highway 36 in her 2009 BMW 750 LI at the Van Duzen Grange. I had been hooked up to her car for approximately 10 to 15 minutes with my truck idling when she screamed, " Your truck's on FIRE!" I barely got myself out of the cab when a ball of flames shot through the dashboard. 3/4ths of the truck was consumed in fire in less than 5 minutes. Fire Department arrived approximately 10 minutes later and doused the fire. Everything in my truck was destroyed. My wife's BMW suffered severe damage to the front end.”
Vehicle speed control
95 reports5 crashes46 fires1 related recall
“The contact owns a 2002 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH and attempting to pass a slower vehicle, the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the pedal suddenly extended to the floorboard causing the vehicle to immediately accelerate faster than intended. During the failure the speed increased to over 75 MPH before the contact shifted the transmission into neutral and the vehicle decelerated. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure on two other occasions and the cruise control feature was never activated during the failure. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 94,000.”
Power train
85 reports3 crashes
“I have a 2002 Ford F-150 and The problem is with the transmission my vechile acts like it's going in reverse and when it goes to backup it seems as something is locked I been over the brakes and rear end and yet nothing has came up I even replaced the transmission filter to see if that would help but nothing so I been having to drive my truck with no reverse and today the overdrive light on the shifter started blinking what is the problem with these transmission please Ford do a recall to fix the transmission”
Engine
79 reports2 crashes9 fires
“The contact owns a 2002 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made a loud sound. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed and determined that cylinder #3 spark plug had blown out, but no repair was recommended at the time. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.”
Fuel system, gasoline
70 reports1 crash7 fires2 related recalls
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 FORD F-150. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL TANK STRAPS FRACTURED AND THE FUEL TANK DROPPED. THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO BE DRIVEN DUE TO THE FAILURES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 11V385000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE) ACCORDING TO THE MANUFACTURER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED BY A DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THE CONTACT TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING AND REPAIR. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 135,000.”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.