Just changed the plugs in the 2004 F150 5.4, this is a problem that Ford should have definitely thought out little better. Instead of thinking of share holders all the time, and start thinking of the little people that pay out their @$* for a vehicle. I was not about to pay the quoted $2500 to change plugs on my vehicle. The best option is break each plug loose, 1/8 turn, spray with a good penetrating oil and if you have time let it sit.. for a while. I let mine sit over night, Matco make a removal too for about $110, I purchased one from Napa for $90 and it worked great, the instructions are very clear. It is still about a 5-6 hour job but my time is a lot cheaper than any dealership!!!

Vehicle engine light came on so took it to Auto Zone for free diagnostic. They told me it was 7 an 8 spark was not working. I took truck to dealership and told them and they said that is a generic diagnosis and they would have to put it on their machine and charge me 109.90 to find out the trouble. They told me it was 7 and 8 also. Was told that they would fix it but the spark plugs sometimes break off and if they do I would have to pay 100.00 per spark plug that broke plus labor and parts. Took truck in at 6:50 am for appt at 7 am. Did not even look at truck until 8:45 am and told me that it would be awhile. They may have to soak plugs to make it easier to get out. Kid that worked on vehicle was working on other cars in between mine and talking to co-worker for about 45 minutes. Well both plugs broke (imagine that) so I had to pay 200.00. I left dealership at 1pm and went back to get it at 4:30 pm. The cost for labor was 649.62. parts 223.16, shop supplies 43.17 and tax 13.32. I asked why so much for labor when the kid did not work on it the whole time and I was told the labor is added into each job of approximation. What a rip off. So where in the paperwork does it show that 200.00 nowhere. I will never take my vehicle to Beach Ford in Virginia Beach Va again. I will never buy a Ford either and I was always a Ford person.

Brought the truck to the dealership for $100 diagnosis for 3 times for serious shift delay and loud popping sound. Finally was told by a different dealership that the problem was 3 sparkplugs that were not running at fill power. Vehicle is under premium extended warranty at only 49,000 miles, but plugs are not covered. Therefore $300 worth of diagnostics is no covered.

Went back to check on status of vehicle today, a week later, only to find that all 8 plugs broke off ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

I have a free rental during the repair, but the cost is still approaching $850.00 Thats with the small discounts I am getting because my friend works in the parts department!

On top of all that, I called the ford customer service line only to be told that they would work with the dealer to reduce my price. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND A LOAD OF CRAP THAT I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS!

On a side note, the spark plugs have been redesigned by ford since my truck was built

(part number now has a 14 in it)

I took my ford f-150 to the shop to have the spark plugs changed because ford made it that you can't change the plugs yourself. So I called the shop to get a quote. They gave me a quote of $288.00, as long as the plugs don't break. They told me that the plugs are known to brake off in the head, but ford made a tool to get them out if they would brake. So I took the truck in on June 11, 2009. They called that day to tell me that 6 of the 8 plugs broke, that they would need the truck until Monday to get them out. So on Tuesday they call to tell me that they can't get one plug out that they have to pull the head off. Now my bill is $2,500. Today is June 17,2009 and I still don't have my truck. I called Ford to complain, but got no satisfaction. It's all about screwing the little man. Thanks Ford.

Yes, it's me again. I was doing some routine maintenance to save myself some problems down the road. I changed my plugs on one side with no problem. Then I went to the "easy" side where you could actually see the plugs. I proceeded to break off two plugs using normal pressure. I am a proficient do-it-yourself kind of guy who has done similar work many times with equipment on the farm. As I started researching this problem, I became enraged that this problem even existed. Now, I had to have my truck towed for $100 to the dealership and paid $669.91 to have the two broken plugs removed. I had considered buying the special tool ($250) for this special motor for this special problem; however, others reported the tool to be cheap and less than able to perform it's job. As I said in my post on the drivetrain section, that Toyota is looking mighty nice.

FORD you idiots how long will you keep making this junk. I think this is why they need the bailout. I have been a longtime Ford fan for a long time until the year 2000 came along - I believe that every ford made after this time is like a cheap toy, it is going to break. Under the guidance of a Ford mechanic, he warned me to change the spark plugs before 100,000 miles because the plugs were going to break. Well like ford I too am an idiot for listening to an idiot and changed them. I broke 4 plugs in the heads. I bought a repair kit off the internet and found that it was like ford vehicles, CHEAP and Junk, needless to say it didn't work. Well I was forced to haul it to BOYD COUNTY FORD and the repair man stated that it is a pretty common fix and that it would cost around 500 dollars. Two days and $1200.00 went by, and it was fixed. I asked them if it is going to happen again, if this pile of metal was going to make it another 100,000 miles and his answer was "I hope not". Go buy another brand, I think I'm moving to a Chevy but beware they are getting a bailout too!