2002 Ford Triton 6.8L V10 engine in an Excursion vehicle ejected an original (unchanged, factory torqued) spark plug with great force and damage in the engine compartment. Coil was immediately damaged as spark plug ricocheted around the engine compartment followed by the smell of gasoline vapors and loud noise from the engine compression being directly vented from the vacated spark plug hole. The five threads of the Triton spark plug hole were damaged by the force of the ejection. This should not happen with the Ford engine to the customers safety given this was an original plug (at 85,000 miles). The weather at the time of the spark plug ejection was -4F, and the spark plug ejected as the vehicle was beginning to accelerate from a standstill. Ford has a major and costly defect with their Triton engines they sold to customers (engine replacement is estimated at $4000) and the government should enforce Ford to recall and repair all spark plug holes in these aluminum engines spanning years 2000 to 2004 given they only used 5 threads in each spark plug hole, which is insufficient for an aluminum block. How is it that this widely known issue is not getting the federal government's attention given this is a demonstrated major defect and a safety issue (could have had a fire in the engine compartment if a spark from the ejected spark plug occurred).

- Anchorage, AK, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Excursion. The contact stated that after opening the hood there was gasoline fumes coming from the engine and fuel was spraying all over the engine. The fuel continued to spray throughout the engine while the vehicle was on; however, when the vehicle was turned off there was a puddle of fuel under it. The dealer observed the fuel leak while performing an additional recall repair and refused to address or repair the fuel leak unless the contact paid $200 for the repair. The manufacturer stated that the fuel leak was not a part of the recall. There was routine maintenance performed on the vehicle prior to the failure. The failure mileage was 40,000.

- Lexington Park, MD, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Excursion. While the vehicle was parked in the driveway, it burst into flames without warning. The vehicle was completely destroyed. The fire department was called to the scene and a report was filed. The representative stated that the failure originated from the engine. The VIN was unknown. The failure and current mileages were 82,000.

- Austin, TX, USA

Our 2002 Ford Excursion, with the 5.4L motor, had just turned 59,000 miles last week when my wife was driving home from picking up the kids from school. My wife calls to tell me that she had to pull to the side of the road because the truck began experiencing severe power loss and what sounded like a major exhaust leak. Upon having the vehicle towed to the local Ford dealer, the service writer tells me it's most likely a blown spark plug and the repair will be in the $500 range. The service writer calls back the next day and confirms the blown spark plug and tells me it's a $725 repair. He goes on to tell me that he's been seeing a lot of this type of problem lately ("just had one last week"). after a couple of hours of haggling, I got the cost down to the original $500 range. The next day I check with my trusted independent mechanic on the problem to see if I should have him check the other seven plugs. He tells me he won't even touch the plugs because of the history with these heads and the blown spark plug problem. He goes on to tell me that the problem will most likely occur with the seven remaining cylinders. Upon conducting a quick web investigation, I learn that this is a major problem that Ford is not stepping up to help resolve. Help?!

- San Clemente, CA, USA

In early December 2006 we were out christmas shopping when I heard a loud pop followed by a sharp decrease in power and following pop sounds. I pulled over and checked the engine. At first I just noticed the coil had blown off the head. I thought it may have just been a weird occurrence with a bad cop but later found that the spark plug had blown out of the #6 cylinder destroying the cop. The truck was towed back to my residence and the next morning I looked it over. The spark plug had blown out stripping the threads. After looking on the net, I found that this a common issue with this year and engine type.

- Canton, MI, USA

Cam position sensor failure on a 2002 Ford Excursion with a 7.3L powerstroke at 42,800 miles.

- Orland Park, IL, USA

While driving my 2002 Ford Excursion on the interstate at about 65 mph, I heard a thump under the hood and then my engine began to make a loud clunky sound (almost as if there were no muffler). One of the sparks plugs had blown out of the engine! luckily, my Excursion was still drivable and I was within a few miles of my home and could park it until I could seek repairs on Monday. I did not take it to the Ford dealership (trust issues). I took it to tune-up 2000, where they told me the spark plug threads had stripped out causing it to blow form the engine. It had to be re-threaded, costing me $500. This puts my repair bills, for my less than four year old Excursion, at over $3500 in 2005. The entire transmission had to be rebuilt this summer due to a cracked transmission case.

- Louisville, KY, USA

The contact stated while driving a spark plug blew out of the engine, causing a hole to be blown in the ignition coil. The independent repair shop personal replaced the coil pack, drilled and tapped the motor head on the number three cylinder.

- Monaca, PA, USA