10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
66,744 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2002 Ford F-150:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #11

Mar 272012

F-150

  • 106,673 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Ford F-150. The contact stated that flames were emitting from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the brake switch melted, causing damage to the master cylinder. As a result, the master cylinder assembly needed to be replaced as well as the wiring harness and a brake repair kit. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who advised the contact that they would contact her at a later date. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 106,673.

- Bremerton, WA, USA

problem #10

Jul 122009

F-150

  • 55,376 miles
Mid vehicle frame location brake line burst due to rusting out while backing an rv into a camping site. Lost all braking fluid and brakes. Had just completed traveling two hours on interstate highways towing a 3,500 lb. Trailer. I was very lucky that failure occurred while backing the trailer at almost no speed and parking brake stopped the truck. Decided to report this failure after vehicle was just recalled due to rusting gas tank straps. Frame of vehicle is badly rusting and Ford must do more to prevent frame and undercarriage components from rust out due to winter driving conditions..

- Union Dale, PA, USA

problem #9

Mar 232011

F-150 4WD 8-cyl

  • 70,000 miles
Both the rear spring shackles as well as the brake lines have failed on my 02 Ford F150 due to rust and this is a common concern. I am a senior master technician for Ford and we repair these on a regular basis due to rust. Both are clear safety concerns when they fail and should be addressed. And with the Ford Windstar axles and subframes being covered by a recall due to rust I do not understand why other rust related safety concerns are not recalled. If one rust related concern is recalled then all others should be as well, it should be all or none. On the rear spring shackles, they will snap in half and the rear eyelet of the leaf spring jams into the bottom of the truck bed, with the bed being the only thing keeping major damage or an accident from happening. On the front brake lines, the rust and swell up under the rubber part of the line where the lower steel line is inserted into the rubber. On hard brake application the line blows and you lose front brakes. Both are common concerns on trucks in new england where rust is a part of life. If I wasn't a tech that drives vehicles with failed brakes and broken suspensions on a regular basis, both of these failures could have caused a major accident and likely injuries.

- Springfield, MA, USA

problem #8

Oct 302010

F-150

  • 74,332 miles
The car was stopping to drop off mail at a mailbox. The brake pedal went all the way to the floor. Inspection revealed brake fluid on the gas tank. A rusted brake line was the cause. Dealer replaced the line at cost of $511.95 including brake fluid flush. The rear brake line was replaced. It runs from the front to the back.

- Akron, OH, USA

problem #7

Sep 232010

F-150

  • 89,800 miles
The rear fuel tank strap on my 2002 Ford F 150 rusted through causing the tank to come loose. The rust was so bad that there was also a small hole in the fuel tank. I have taken the truck in for repairs and after the tank was removed it was discovered that the brake lines above the tank were also rusted with one starting to leak.

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #6

Jun 212010

F-150

  • 125,000 miles
2002 Ford F-150 complete brake failure. Ford is not owning up to defective parts, needs to be recalled and public apology made for endangering of their customers. Internet search results in hundreds of similar occurrences.

- Bayville, NJ, USA

problem #5

Mar 092009

F-150

  • 140,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Ford F150. The vehicle was repaired according to NHTSA campaign id number 05V388000 (vehicle speed control). A harness was installed, but it did not remedy the harness and vehicle speed control switch failures because there was no leak at the time. Currently, brake fluid is leaking around the switch from the master cylinder and the cruise control. The dealer and manufacturer stated that they previously repaired the cruise control switch, but the contact disagrees. The dealer agrees that it needs to be repaired currently; however, the contact would be responsible for the expenses. The failure mileage was 140,000.

- Loganville, GA, USA

problem #4

Dec 132005

F-150 8-cyl

  • miles
Consumer complaint concerning 2002 F150 supercrew brake pedal bent causing the consumer to not fully stop. ****** the consumer was involved in an accident as a result of not being able to stop the vehicle. (lawyer on behalf of consumer)

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #3

Sep 212006

(reported on)

F-150

  • 23,000 miles
2002 Ford F-150 brake pads and rotors were replaced with less than 23,000 miles on the vehicle. The rotors were too worn to be turned.

- Ashland, WI, USA

problem #2

Jul 212005

F-150 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 50,000 miles
(1) without warning the brake light came on due to a failure of a hydraulic control unit, which would have ultimately lead to a failure of the ABS system if it weren't for the awareness of the driver. The failure of the ABS could have lead to an even greater catastrophe than just the cost of parts and labor. (2) it is my understanding through my research and the word of the service department at bozeman Ford dealership in bozeman, Montana that this particular problem is not unheard of. In fact, it has become enough of a problem that Ford has made an attempt to correct the problem, by replacing the old hydraulic control unit with another hydraulic control unit, in addition to an electronic control unit and a bracket that mounts the two together. Although Ford has made an attempt to resolve the problem, they have not made any strides in issuing a recall for the faulty hcu. Instead of replacing a $300 part (which isn't even manufactured any more) three new parts are to be installed a price of nearly $1000 including labor. (3) the truck is currently at the dealership being repaired, and apparently we will be stuck with the entire cost of the larger figure above, simply because Ford does understand that there is in fact a problem with the hcu, but fails to accept any responsibility for it, by refusing to place the part under warranty or issuing a recall a the sub-par hydraulic control unit.

- Bozeman, MT, USA

problem #1

Aug 012004

F-150 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
Passenger door would open while vehicle was moving. The consumer also stated that the vehicle vibrated while driving. The consumer mother-in-law fell while trying to get into the front passengers side door of the truck. The brakes would lock up intermittently.

- Kingstree, SC, USA