This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
1. driving, 35mph 2. spark plug blew out of #2 cylinder, damaging coil 3. vehicle currently waiting for mechanic to check seals and head to determine extent of damage.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Expedition. The contact stated the vehicle was parked in his driveway when it caught on fire. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. There were no injuries. A fire report was available. The contact stated the spark plugs blew out at the cylinder head causing the fuel rail to bend and resulting in a fuel leak that started the fire. The engine was severely damaged. The contact's insurance company advised that the fire originated from a pre-existing failure in the vehicle and would not cover his claim. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where he was advised they were aware of the failure yet would not provide any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 190,000.
Well we were just driving home when the spark plug of our Ford Expedition just shot out of the cylinder head and we cant replace it because its too much money for us.
2002 Ford Expedition, original factory spark plug was violently ejected from the engine during normal operation. Spark plug smashed through fuel injector and dented the hood. Had someone been servicing the engine the injuries could have been severe. Ford Motor Company refuses to call this a defect and area dealerships want to charge $700 to $3300 to fix this issue. There have been thousands of complaints and this motor design problem should be recalled and fixed by Ford Motor Company.
Spark plug blowout of Ford V8 Triton motor. Recently replaced motor due to old motor failure. 5/16/2010 loud pop noise and gas leak, motor sounded like a "harley davidson motorcycle" stopped dead in its track in the middle of the road. Two children and myself in the vehicle. Strong gasoline smell and horrible sound, unable to drive vehicle.
- Berlin, NJ, USA
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I have had two spark plugs blow out of my 2002 Ford Expedition 5.4L V8. The first blew out after pulling out of an intersection from a dead stop. The second was the #2 plug. I was pulling a travel trailer through mountains on a highway. First noticed was a reduction in power for about 60 miles. Then after rounding the top of the mountain, letting off the gas to go down the hill, the plug blew out.
March 17, 2010 I was stopped at a traffic light on leland and loveridge with my 4 small children in the vehicle. The light turned green, I stepped on the gas and heard a pop. Then a continous extremely loud popping noise. I turned into the arco and had the vehicle towed. The car was taken to rivera auto repair Inc. On March 22, 2010. The #3 spark plugged had popped out. They had to do a sleeve and replaced the spark plugs along with the ignition coil on the plug. After my research, this is very common in the 2002 Expedition because of a defect in the engine. At the time of incident, I had 81909 miles on the vehicle. I do have the old parts. It seems that Ford is aware of this problem but refuses to do anything about it. I am glad I was not on a freway. They must be waiting for someone to get killed from this defect. Here is a website with several complaints like mines, spark plugs popping out on their own. Including # 3 like mines. www.aboutautomobile.com/complaint/2002/Ford/Expedition/engine consequences to such problem can be loss of power, fuel spurting out of the plug opening into the engine compartment, fires can start from vapors being ignited by loose spark plugs. Ultimate consequence would be death. I don't feel I should be responsible for the repair bill when Ford has been aware of this defect in their engine. There is consensus that the spark plug threads on the engine are not strong enough to hold the spark plugs because they're aluminum. Please investigate this complaint before someone gets seriously injured or dies from the result of a blown spark plug since it appears to be very common on these types of vehicles. Thank you!
While sitting inside car at convenience store with the Expedition idling the number 3 spark plug shot out the cylinder head. The car started popping and had to have the auto towed. There are numerous drivers having these problems with Ford tritron 5.4L engines. Had to place a heli coil to hold a new spark plug.
Spark plug pooped out of my truck twice now...lost power....fuel spurting out of the plug opening into the engine compartment....very costly repairs. It is happening all over the United States....probably worse issues then the current Toyota recall in progress now. Go to this web-site and learn more:www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/ford_spark.html. I am afraid of driving this truck now since this issue is dangerous...to lose power while driving on the highway and gas coming out into the engine compartment.
My 2002 Ford Expedition with less than 49,000 original miles blew a spark plug and blew a hole in #3 cylinder on January 17, 2010. The vehicle was towed to jack madden Ford in norwood, Massachusetts and was repaired by repairing spark plug hole and replacing spark plug, ignition assembly coil and installing a helicoil at a cost of $813 plus $21 towing fee. After going on-line I saw that this is a common problem with the engine in my vehicle which is a Ford Triton 5.4 V-8. I've also since learned this problem can lead to fires due to fuel vapor being ignited by loose spark plugs. All engine work on my vehicle is always done by Ford dealers! I believe there should be a recall. There is consensus that the spark plug threads on the engine aren't strong enough to hold the spark plugs because they're aluminum from what I am reading from different web-sites on the internet. If you blow one plug you can blow any of the remaining plugs at any given time. Any plugs ever installed in my vehicle or replaced were done by Ford certified mechanics at Ford dealers so there shouldn't be any complaints of incorrect torqueing of plugs as Ford seems to be claiming. I understand this would be a costly recall for Ford but one that should be initiated by NHTSA.
The #3 spark plug blew out of the engine of my 2002 Ford Expedition while traveling at 65 mph on a crowded four lane highway. We could have easily been in a severe accident but were able to safely navigate our way to the side of the road.
2002 Ford Expedition spark plug blow out. What the '!@#$%... if this is such a huge problem, why isn't anyone taking responsibility. Oh ya they want our money for a problem they are aware of...
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Expedition. While driving 40 mph, one of the spark plugs ejected from the engine. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. The current and failure mileages were 182,000.
Ford spark plug blow out defect. It is a known defect thousands have experienced. It is where the spark shoots out of engine head stripping threads and damaging the head and sometimes causing fire. My car had this happen and now I am stranded. There are some temporary fixes but no permanent fix. The helicoil can come out. You can replace the engine but it will have the same defect. My car is a 2002 Ford Expedition 4.6 Triton V8. It is affecting 1997 through 2004. Ford is aware but says they wont fix it. I am going to try class action. This can cause fire. This is a 9 passenger vehicle used to carry my kids if it catches fire from it I may not get everyone out in time.
The spark plug in my 2002 Ford Expedition blew out while I was driving the speed limit on the highway. After this happened, I tried unsuccessfully to get my car repaired at a non-dealer mechanic. Every mechanic I called said that they would not touch my car because of the engine and the threads being insufficient. And that most of the repairs are not lasting so the situation escalates to the point where they are losing money to fix this problem that they did not create. The dealer fixed my car and said that the fix has no warranty even though it cost me $1116.98 to repair. I was also told that the problem is common. And that 1 in 100 of the repairs do not hold. The spark plug repair is recommended at the 100K tune-up mark. My car has had all maintenance recommended by the manufacturing including the every 3K mile oil changes. This should not have happened to my car. It was near but not over the 100K mark. And even if the spark plugs had been changed as recommended, the coil would have still blown because the problem is with the thread on the engine, not the plug itself. This item should be recalled and Ford knows that they are responsible for putting safe cars on the roads. Thank you, vicki bezio
2002 Ford Expedition with 5.4L - July, 2008 spark plug/coil are blown out of #6 cylinder. October, 2008 spark plug/coil are blown out of #3 cylinder. With coil still firing near exposed cylinder being injected with fuel, chance of fire is substantial. Spark plugs were replaced and coils replaced. Apparently need to install heli-coil kits to prevent it from happening again.
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- Arab, AL, USA