Problems · by component
2002 Ford F-150 engine problems
79 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2002 Ford F-150 cite engine, 8% of all 955 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
79
8% of all complaints
Crashes
2
Reported by owners
Fires
9
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the engine
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“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.”
“The contact owns a 2002 Ford F-150. The contact stated that she observed smoke emanating from under the vehicle near the engine compartment. The contact stated that she opened the hood and flames erupted from the engine compartment near the battery. The contact threw dirt on the engine to extinguish the fire. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.”
“1. Coils on top of spark plug get moisture in them when there is just the right kind of rain storm. This makes the coil or coils fail until the dry out. This seems to make the coil eventually go bad. Yes, it is available for inspection. 2. Not sure if its a combination of heat and moisture but sometime right away and sometimes a few minutes into driving the coil or coils fail and the engine loses power. Then if seems to be a random, unpredictable occurrence until it dries out, Very Unsafe. If one coil fails it loses just a little power, but if more than one fails it loses a lot of power and stalls at times. This is why I am writing it up. A few time now, I have gone to pull into traffic and then I lose power and either have to run off the road or just upset the car behind me if they are not too close. 3 & 4. I have advise all the Ford dealerships in my area trying to find one that has a fix yet. The only fix Ford has, is a new designed coil, which does not appear to be any better. The dealership just replaces the coil. I have had all my coils replaced, some 2 or 3 times. 5. It depends, sometime the engine light will come on and advise which coil is misfiring…”
“THIS IS FOLLOW UP ASSESSMENT TO MY 9/22/2019 CLAIM [XXX]- WHERE I FOUND MYSELF IN A VERY DANGEROUS VEHICLE RUN AWAY SITUATION THAT RESULTED IN A REAR END ACCIDENT WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE. MY MECHANIC'S FIRST OBSERVATION WHEN TURN IGNITION KEY, THE ENGINE RACED AT FULL THROTTLE OUT OF CONTROL. AFTER QUICKLY SHUTTING DOWN ENGINE THE SYMPTOMS LEAD MY MECHANIC TO TEST THE IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE. HAVING NEVER SEEN THIS DANGEROUS SYMPTOM FROM A BAD IACV, HE CONTINUED TO DO FURTHER TEST ON THE IACV ONLY TO DETERMINE THE PART WAS INDEED DEFECTIVE. AFTER DIAGNOSING THE PROBLEM, THE DEFECTIVE IACV PART WAS QUICKLY REPLACED. THE ENGINE IS NOW RUNNING GOOD AGAIN. IF YOU NEED TO CONTACT MY MECHANIC: DUGAN AUTO SERVICE, NARVON PA - DOUG MILLER 464-798-8097 *TT”
“THE TRUCK SIMPLY SHUT DOWN WHILE I WAS DRIVING. THE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING. FOR A PERIOD OF ABOUT A MONTH PRIOR TO THIS ACTION, THE TRUCK WOULD SOMETIMES, RANDOMLY, NOT START. AFTER WAITING A PERIOD OF TIME THE TRUCK WOULD START.”
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 FORD F-150. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE CONTACT HEARD A LOUD ABNORMAL NOISE UNDERNEATH THE HOOD AND THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED BY A DEALER. THE CONTACT KNEW THAT THE FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY A SPARK PLUG. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 190,000. *BF *JB”
Showing 6 of 79 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.