I exited on I-75 onto sr 200, traveled 100 feet approximately 20 mph, heard popping sound like baseball card in spokes of a bicycle wheel. Happened Saturday night while bringing my son home from college. Cost $75 to tow home to unload the 2001 F150 5.4 liter V-8. $75 to tow to Ford of ocala, belleview, who diagnosed blown #3 plug, charged $98, then $75 tow to Ford of ocala in ocala told $4000 to replace head or $6000 to replace engine. This was a common occurrence with this faulty head and plug design. Ford should be made to fix this problem since replacing either the head or engine with the same faulty Ford product was not an option to me. Estimated charges were outrageous even for a physician to pay. Please see www.F150online.com forum for additional disgruntled F-150 owners whom have had same problem. This was a fraud alert.

- Ocala, FL, USA

Spark plug # 7 blew out of the Ford F-150 truck with a V8 motor. The plug and coil stuck the fuel rail above this area, and took a chunk of the fuel rail out, almost crating a leak, vehicle could catch on fire. Over 100,000 reports on the exact same spark plug along with # 3 plug doing the same thing with the fuel rail also. Usually the other plug blew a few months after the first one blew out of the engine. Repairs were to pull the header, and drill hole in header to install a coil to replace threads torn on the head, and install a new plug due to blow out and coil.

- Wyoming, MI, USA

Check engine light came on at 49000 diag reports erg/back flow/solenoid. Replaced all and reset computer. Next day light returned, diag reports erg/backflow/solenoid failure. Telephone to Ford states, several have this problem, excessive buildup of carbon in exhaust manifold. Extended warranty covers repair (design flaw).

- Lawrenceville, GA, USA