Failure of both cam phasers resulting in engine problems and decreased gas mileage along with emission failure.

- Suwanee, GA, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Ford F-150. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for routine maintenance when four out of eight spark plugs fractured while the technician attempted to remove them to tune up the engine. The contact stated that the failure occurred due to a design flaw. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000. Updated 09/29/11 the consumer stated the cost to replaced eight spark plugs was % $916.12. Updated 10/05/11

- South Lion, MI, USA

Spark plugs failing. Ford say they should be changed even though they are rated for 100,000 miles. Cost starts at $300 and can go up to thousands of dollars. The fault is that Ford installed spark plugs that can gaul or react with the al block. This means the plugs might break on removal leaving park of the spark plug in the block. The block would then need to be drilled out to remove the remaining part of the spark plug. It is also a known fact that some of the spark plugs are blowing out of the block on their own.

- State College, PA, USA

I purchased this vehicle used from my brother in law when it was 2 or 3 years old. All maintenance has been done timely. The 5.4 Triton engine started running very rough. I immediately went to my mechanics shop. It was late so he gave me a ride home. On the following Monday he called to say that he ran a scope and found that the piston was gone and it would not be cost effective to repair. He looked at buying a used engine from reputable dealers who specialize in used engines only to be told that they won't buy that particular engine because their defective and they've yet to see a good one. I've been waiting in the hopes of buying a used wreck with low mileage. A rebuilt engine runs $5,905 installed with a 3 year 100K warranty. In my conversation with jasper the woman immediately told me that this engine was rebuilt with the upgrades to the weak timing chain problem that Ford had designed into the engine. I called Ford and of course this was the first they had ever heard of such a problem. My mechanic says that year truck and engine are "dropping like flies". he had one in is lot already and saw an add in the local paper of an 04 F-150 for sale with blown motor. He thought it was me but someone else has the same truck and problem. I don't know if this is the right place to discuss this issue but I was wondering if you have heard of anyone else with this problem" if so, how many and what does it take to force a company to remedy a problems they created" my maintenance of my vehicles is second to none. The 97 Chevy truck I'm currently driving was purchased new buy me in may of 97. I just turned 358K miles yesterday and it's the same engine with no major repairs. I've never gotten less than 250K out of a vehicle because of my maintenance.

- Winchester, KY, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Ford F150. While driving approximately 25 mph, the contact heard a knocking noise coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the dealer where the contact was informed that the variable time cam phaser tensioner needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and a report was filed. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 115,428.

- San Juan Capistrano, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked outside of his residence when he was informed that the vehicle was on fire. The police and fire department were called and a report was filed. The manufacturer was not contacted nor was the vehicle inspected by a dealer for the cause of failure. The failure mileage was approximately 214,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Stillwill, OK, USA

I purchased my truck six months ago, at the time of purchase I noticed a ticking in the engine, after inquiring to the salesman about the engine noise he informed me that his service tech's had inspected the problem and there wasn't a problem. The noise has progressively worsened since purchase. I was at an engine re-builders place of business with a friend and the mechanic asked if I knew what the ticking was, I replied no and he took me into his office and printed a tech bulletin (aera TB2471) that addressed the camshaft and lash adjuster design change for Ford 5.4L VIN 5 engines. These were redesigned in 2005 to correct the ticking noise and keep valves from dropping, which the mechanic informed me he had 5 vehicles in his shop due to this issue. I went to my local dealership for a recall issue (clockspring in air bag) the service advisor mentioned the ticking as I drove up, I asked if he knew of the service bulletin and showed him the copy I had, his comment was to not tow anything! I called the service manager for this location and was told to contact Ford directly, which I have and am waiting for a response. The mechanic I spoke with said this is a common occurrence with this engine, look for the number 5 as the eighth digit in your VIN number. I feel that this truck has been completely misrepresented to me during and after purchase and feel lemon laws or recalls should be used or in place.

- Richardson, TX, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Ford F-150. While the vehicle was parked the contact stated the engine was extremely loud and made a ticking noise. The check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician stated the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000.

- Harrison, MI, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Ford F150. The contact had taken the vehicle to an authorized dealer for routine maintenance. While the technician was performing the repair, the spark plugs fractured. The technician stated that the spark plug failure was a common issue due to the design of the engine. Currently, the vehicle was being repaired. The failure mileage was 92,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Morehead City, NC, USA

My Ford F-150 truck blew the #5 spark plug. Broke the coil on the spark plug. Had to have the truck towed and the repairs cost me about $90. On March 21st, the truck blew the #3 plug. This time it stripped the threads in the block and had to be retapped and repaired. This repair cost over $200. I contacted Ford and they claim they were not aware of this issue. However, both the mechanics that worked on this truck told me that they had repaired a lot of these Ford trucks. This could be a very dangerous situation since unburned fuel is pumped out of the crater left by the blown plug and onto the hot motor. I have been lucky that my truck hasn't caught fire. If my wife had been driving I don't know that she would have known what to do. If you google "blown spark plugs on Ford F150 trucks" online, you will see that there have been thousands of these issues reported to Ford, and various other agencies that are supposed to take care of these things. Ford Motor Company is ignoring the problems because they don't want to have to recall all the defective vehicles. Will everyone just sit around and wait until a few people are killed because of these defects. Please do something!!

- Uniontown, AR, USA

While driving my 2004 F150 and approaching a red light or turn my truck will intermittently shut off and need to be restarted. On several occasions I have had to put both hands on the wheel and crank (no power steering) or both feet on the brakes (no power brakes) because the truck turned off and I lost all power functions. It wouldn't have been as big of a deal if the dealer in my area hadn't told me this was "normal" for F150S and sent me on my way. Since that dealer I have dealt with 2 others in my area who say its normal and to just drive my truck until it fixes itself. I wasn't aware that Ford made self diagnosing/fixing vehicles. In either case I am extremely upset that this problem is for some reason not considered a problem and that there is no current fix for this issue. I no longer feel safe in my truck and have resorted to driving my parents vehicles until I can rid myself of this death trap. On another note I have also had the vehicle flash dash board lights at me after going over small bumps and then shutting off 1/4 of a mile later. When this problem was brought up the dealer said it was impossible (it's happened twice) and that I had to be imagining it.

- Chandler, AZ, USA

2004 F150 truck. II had plugs changed and the mechanic broke three of them, dropping one down on the head. When I complained he said everyone knows that these engines do that. I'm looking at $6000 to pull the motor and get the rest of the plugs in. Evidentally everyone in the world knew about the plug problem but me. No more Ford products for this old boy. 3/16/2011 campbellsville,

- Elk Horn, KY, USA

While traveling on I-70, westbound through Illinois, my Ford F-150 began shaking violently and was barely controllable. There was no previous warning of any kind that there was a problem with the truck. I managed to get to an exit and got the truck to the nearest Ford dealer, in the small town of greenville, il. The Ford mechanic diagnosed the problem as catastrophic engine failure. At least two valve stems had broken and the valves had fallen into the cylinders. They could not tell me what caused the failure but showed me a few of the parts they had removed (a broken valve spring, pieces of valve stem and a frozen rocker arm). The engine had been scrupulously maintained and the oil and filter were changed at least every 5000 miles. The engine was clean and there was plenty of oil. I have since seen several on-line posts about this engine (Ford's 5.4 liter V-8 gas) failing due to faulty valve springs failing. I believe this engine has serious flaws that might cause serious problems if engine failure happens at high speed in traffic. Fortunately, I was in very light traffic when the failure happened.

- Colorado Springs, CO, USA

2004 Ford F150 with 5.4 liter V-8. engine problems, stalling when slowing down, hestitation, spark plugs ratcheted down that they break when removing. Engines that need to be replaced because of design. Ford aware of problem but techs at Ford tell people its bad gas until it is too late. Check F150forum.com and you will see how big the problem really is. I believe Ford knew of this problem and is trying to bury it. My engine failed in a snowstorm going up hill. I was almost in a terrible accident with snow covered roads. Mechanics know its a flawed engine, and I want to know why the NHTSA didn't do anything about it. You are told it is bad gas and to keep changing your fuel filter. My truck would not go over 85 miles an hour since I bought it new. I was told it was bad gas. I kept changing the filter every six months as I was told. I think they knew this engine had a bad design and kept people in the dark hoping the engine would last until it was out of warranty.

- Ashley, PA, USA

I was driving with my children when out of nowhere my F150 started to power down, vibrate and shake. During this time, no check engine light came on. I was able to make it back home albeit running very roughly. I called the Ford dealership where I bring my truck, they said to bring it in the next morning. On Dec 11 I was able to get my truck to the dealership finally having the solid check engine light come on that morning. After a couple of days I received a call from the dealership saying I had a major problem, I needed a new engine. I was able to speak with the mechanic and he said after pulling the 1st spark plug it shattered upon removal. He was able to get the parts out of the cylinder head, but did notice the bottom of the spark plug was bent backwards. They used an engine scope to inspect the damage and they were able to see damage to the piston head about the size of a quarter. When I asked him what caused this to happen, he couldn't give me an answer, saying in all his years, he's never seen anything like this before. I proceeded to have the vehicle towed to another mechanic to see if he saw the same thing. He came to the same conclusion as the Ford dealership again never having seen something like this before and could not explain why this happened to my truck. I was told by the dealership a new engine would cost around 7500 for my truck. In the years that I've owned the truck, I had the check engine light come on one time. After checking the owners manual, it stated it could be numerous things including a loose gas cap or possible water in the gas line. If the light goes out after a couple of cycles of gas, which it did, no need to follow through. When I spoke with the Ford mechanic and independent mechanic, both said I should've heard something. I never heard any sounds in the vehicle that would've prompted concerns for a complete engine overhaul. No warning lights ever indicated a severe engine problem and thus putting my family's safety at great risk.

- Belchertown, MA, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Ford F150. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer who recommended that the spark plugs be replaced. They also informed the contact that the spark plugs may possibly fracture when being removed from the engine which would result in an additional repair cost for the removal process. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 100,000.

- Newpaltz, NY, USA

Spark plug blew out of engine. Happened once in 2009 right side of engine. Had head repaired with heli-coil kit. Replaced plugs, plug wires, coil. Repairs cost in excess of $700. Happened again in January of 2011. Same side of engine, same plug. Not repaired yet. This is a tremendous fire/safety hazard. Gas vapors trapped in engine compartment with the firing plug dangling free. Could start an engine fire. Very dangerous!

- Thornton, CO, USA

Driving on highway at 40mph, engine misfired, and stopped running. Had vehicle towed to dealer for diagnosis. Was told spark plug was blown out of engine, damaging ignition coil. Was quoted $620 to repair. Went back to dealer 2 days later to pick up vehicle and was told that the repair did not work. Was quoted "at least $2000" to replace head. After researching problem, thousands of other owners of Ford vehicles have had the same problem. Why is this not being recalled? Ford has not remedied this problem and is still guilty of fraud by selling vehicles with a known problem.

- Hendersonville, NC, USA

I have a 2004 Ford F -150 with a sound in the top end. It sounds like a rod knocking but since it is a over head cam that isn't possible. I have looked on line and asked around about this for some time now with no good answers!

- Terre Haute, IN, USA

Accelerating through 60mph, heard loud engine noise, with subsequent rough running and heavy vibrations. Vehicle was taken to a mechanic, who found three broken/blown out spark plugs/coils, which were replaced. Approximately 8 months preceding this incident, two spark plugs disintegrated under similar circumstances. All spark plugs had been installed about 30,000 miles before the first incident.

- Ann Arbor, MI, USA