Spark plug blown out of cylenfar head (#3) 2001 Ford F-150 5.4 Triton.

- Leominster , MA, USA

01 F150 supercrew 5.4L with less than 41,000 miles. Right rear spark plug blew out of head also breaking coil mounting bracket. Dealer removed engine to attempt repair and found spark plug hole would not accept heli-coil. In process at this time trying to locate a new head. This truck has been well taken care of and with less than 41,000 miles, how was this possible! I have been a Ford driver most of my life. But I will think twice before buying another Ford. This problem is well documented and should be repaired under a recall.

- Anchorage, AK, USA

I was driving in my 2001 Ford F-150 truck on I-5 and the spark plug blew out of the V8 Triton motor and there was a couple of fire balls that came out of the motor area which I was told was the gas vapor catching fire after the plug blew out of the motor lucky that I was able to stop right away and had water to put it out. This is going to kill someone and now I find out Ford has known about this problem for a long time. I took the truck to Ford and they told me it was not covered under my extended warranty and I would have to pay to replace the whole head piece that the spark plug goes into because they could not just put another plug into the motor, they know it's a problem and they are not covering it under the warranties. One of these trucks are going to catch fire and really hurt someone.

- Bakersfield, CA, USA

1 - was driving from tucson, AZ to my uncle's funeral in riverside, ca. Outside el centro, ca plug blew out of the head on my 2001 Ford F150 supercrew 4X4. I attempted to put another plug in but the threads were gone from the head so I went to the dealership. They took two days to repair so cost me a day of work and my kids an extra day of school. The did a helicoil repair at a cost of $498.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

I own a 2001 Ford F150 4.6 lter and at approximately 105,000 miles #3 spark plug blew out of the head. Ford attempted to replace the plug and again it blew out. I fixed it with a helicoil myself as the expense was $3000 for the dealership to fix. Recently with 121,000 miles it was running rough and when the dealership went to replace the spark plugs they dropped something into cylinder #7. the mechanic started the engine and now have an inoperable vehicle that they are refusing to fix.

- Casper, WY, USA

My 2001 Ford svt F-150 lightning blew a spark plug out of the cylinder head of the engine. There was no prior warning to this happening. When this happened the vehicle was undrivable and I was forced to have it towed. Ford towing was unable to get the vehicle until the following day so I was forced to pay for the tow out of my pocket. The first dealership I went to said they wouldn't fix the truck under warranty. The second dealership that it went to was able to cover the repair under warranty. This entire incident happened why I was on vacation. I am a soldier returning from iraq and I was forced to spend a week in a hotel room why they waited on parts to fix my vehicle. After the vehicle was fixed I was sent on my way and two hours later the vehicle had more problems. Several other small components were also damaged and I was forced to stop again. This was also covered under warranty. I thought that this was unheard of, but as it turns out is very common to the Ford Triton V-8 engines. I am one of thousands that this has happened to and I feel fortunate that I wasn't left stranded in an unsafe area.

- Killeen, TX, USA

This is a 2001 Ford svt lightning that has been a victim of a blown spark plug. This is a common failure in these Triton motors. In the new groups, it is speculated that this occurs for two reasons. 1) a design error in the cylinder head. In the pre-2003 5.4 mod motor heads, there are a total of 4 threads. Ford has realized this problem and corrected the 2003-later heads with 8 threads to hold the spark plug in. This problem effected all Triton 5.4 motors and the problem has shown up in 5.4 liter motors in other non-lightning trucks and Expedition. 2) there have been many instances where Ford customers have found that the spark plugs have been very loose in these Triton heads. This is not known whether this is from a lack of threads or being loose from the factory. Either way, in this day and age in automotive technology, the requirement that a customer has to check the torque on spark plugs is unrealistic. Other factors to consider: My lightning is a 2001 model with 15,000 miles on it. Obviously it is infrequently used. There is a performance chip that does not add boost. In essence, this truck is pampered. The head failure occurred during normal driving on a slight incline go the speed of traffic. Approximately 35 mph. There is no detonation issues with this vehicle. Prior to this failure the power train had no chronic issues such has unknown supercharger noises, engine ticks/knocks, ignition, fuel issues or smoky exhaust. Ford will not cover this damage and failure even thought this happens frequently in F-150 Ford trucks running this engine.

- Snohomish, WA, USA

Spark plug blew out of the head on the engine.

- Crete, IL, USA

I have a 2001 Ford F-150 supercrew, and while driving to work last night on the expressway, heard a loud bang, and found out that a spark-plug had blown right out of the cylinder head on the engine. The noise was loud enough, and the sudden vibration of the engine at first sounded and felt like a tire had blown. On doing a quick scan of the internet, (at first looking for part numbers) I was amazed at the number of exact instances, and number of others that have had the same experience. Some even posting pictures that resemble what the broken parts from my truck looked like-- exactly! the weather conditions at the time (11:30 P.M.) dry road, about 36 degrees, and very light traffic. I have very little doubt that had the conditions have been snowy, icy or maybe even just as cold and wet, that this type of situation could have caused some type of accident. Either from the vibration and sudden noise, or the simple startling incident happening to a less experienced driver.

- Toledo, OH, USA

Truck blowing out the number 3 passenger side spark plug. Ford should do a recall on all 99-02 svt lighting, and fix the problem with the new and improved 03 svt lighting heads on both sides. All there doing now is replacing the one head that blew, with the same year head just for it to blow again down the road.

- Port Arthur, TX, USA

The vehicle was in transit at approximately 40 mph when a pop was heard. The vehicle blew a spark plug and lost power. Provide further details.

- Inwood, WV, USA

Ford F-150 pickup blows spark plug out of cylinder, causing thousands in repair costs. Happened on my 2001 F-150 a few hundred miles after the warranty expired. (37,000 mi)

- Burleson, TX, USA

I have a 2001 F150 supercrew with a 5.4 automatic 4X4 towpackage. Since the truck was new I have had issues with it consuming oil, on an average of 3 quarts every 3000 miles. When I would take it to a dealership they would contact Ford and relay a message that it was within specifications. On 5/13/03 I took the vehicle back to one of the dealerships telling them that I was going to pursue going to a lemon law attorney. That same day they discovered that the piston rings were lined up and have lost compression. The truck is currently in the dealership having the whole block and heads rebuilt. I am ashamed that it took a threat to finally get them to fix the problem with the 5.4.

- Menlo Park, CA, USA

Consumer states that while driving the engine light came on and stayed on.had vehicle serviced, they replaced the senor.engine light came back on again.

- Bastrop, LA, USA

Vehicle "dogs" down (loss of power) when turning right. Only when your turning a corner at low speed does the engine stall. Numerous complaints and replaced parts have not fixed the situation.

- Lexington, OK, USA

The vehicle experienced substancial vibration between 40 and 45 mph, the vehicle has been in the dealers shop for the same problem on 15 different occasions, the dealer has replaced the tires, a rim, 3 driveshafts, shims in the rear end, a new transmission and new drivetrain mounts but the problem still exist. Nlm

- Howell, MI, USA

Consumer stated the engine has been replaced 3 times since 31,168 miles.

- Findlay, OH, USA

Engine stalls intermittently during normal operation while traveling at any speed. Dealership has been unable to reproduce problem and identify the cause. Please provide any additional information / documentation.

- East Bangor, PA, USA

Vehicle stalled at any speed when applying brakes. Vehicle taken to dealer 3 times. Reprogrammed computer, but that did not remedy the problem. Ford was aware of problem but had no solution.

- Hot Springs, AR, USA

Two days after truck purchase, reported to dealer truck has bad vibration, rough idle, pulls to the right, truck hesitates to go into gear, truck hesitates before shifting, engine knock and clunk in T-case area. Transmission has been replaced twice, road forced balance 4 tires, switched tires and wheels, front end alignment three times, torque converter replaced, crankshaft pully replaced, dampers installed for vibration. All problems still exist. Ford has offered to buy back the truck but they will not give me all of my money back.

- Reno, NV, USA