The engine (5.4) was missing under load in top gear...ran great otherwise. Took it to the dealer and after the $98.00 diagnostic charge, I was told the plugs and a couple coils needed changing (also the fuel pump driver ... what the hell is that? ($170.00). The quote was $1800.00 if no plugs broke. What the hell, if no plugs broke? What is this all about. That was when found out what those idiots at Ford designed and used in this engine. I declined that quote and had them replace one plug and two coils ($780.66). I've heard of two mechanics that are known to be good at changing these plugs and will contact them at the first if this week for quotes.

My daughter wants to purchase a used truck this next summer. I told her to buy Chevy, or GMC and stay to hell away from Ford.

I built and ordered this 2005 Ford F150 New. My intention was to keep it until it fell apart, consequently I have always made sure that the Manufacturers Recommended Maintenance has been done. Nowhere does Ford tell you that you should change the Spark Plugs at 20k or 30k. Why should it be done then? Because with the design of the Triton Engine, when carbon builds up around the spark plugs, they break when you try to take them out to change them. So if you change the spark plugs after 50k, you end up with broken plugs that can be next to impossible to get out without removing the heads. This can cost upwards from $1800 to $3000 to do...........Just to Change The Spark Plugs.....and this is all because of the design of the Triton Engine. So here I am with a Well Maintained Truck....that has 115k miles on it.....looking at the possibility of having to spend this Crazy amount of money.....just to change the Spark Plugs. Really Ford?????? This should have been a recall from you.......In checking the internet, I found that I am one of MANY who are NOT Happy about the way this design flaw has been handled. I have been a Loyal Ford Truck Owner up to this point.......NOT ANYMORE......If I do end up getting a new vehicle......you can bet it WILL NOT BE A FORD

My check engine light came on while driving on the freeway. Pulled into Walnut Creek Ford dealer, they charged me $150 to scan the code....Nice! Told me all spark plugs were bad and charged me $700 to replace the plugs. BTW, none of the plugs broke off in the heads, but they still charged me for it. It was $150 in parts and $700 in labor. What a joke!! Wheel Works down the street said they do it all the time for 04 and 05 Fords for $250, and they have the extractor tool just in case. This will be my last Ford!!!

Driving home on Friday March 1st I get a check engine light on my car. I have a OBDII reader at home so the next morning I pull the code P0306 (misfire cylinder #6) recommendation is to replace the coil pack on the #6 cylinder and all 8 spark plugs. So off to the local Autozone store to pick up my parts. $170 bucks later in parts I'm home and starting to replace things (on a side note the #4 spark plug is a really bitch to get to and you have to pull a PCU off to get to it) .

I start replacing plugs along the driver’s side and while it wasn't too bad I did notice that the plugs were very hard to get out. I chalked that up to there not being any seize on the threads. I now move to the passenger side of the engine the first spark plug there came out like the rest the I start on the second one and when I pull out the plug something is missing…. The bottom half of the plug below the threads. I peek down into the engine and sure enough there it is. At that point almost went into panic mode as I’m thinking this truck will have to go to the dealer have the head pulled off and this simple spark plug replacement will cost me over 1k easily. I next hop on the web and come to find out this is a MAJOR problem with all 3v engines made by Ford from 2003-2008. I also find out that it is such a problem there is a special tool one can buy to pull the broken pc off. I got lucky Car Quest had on in stock but it was closed already so I had to wait for Sunday for the place to open. That night I go to pull the remaining spark plugs and of course the last two also break off inside as well. Come Sunday I’m the first guy into Car Quest and I buy the special tool ($99.00) plus some long tipped needle nose pliers. I get back home I use an air gun and blow each spark plug hole out as clean as I can then use the pliers to pull the remaining electrode out of the spark plug to make room for the tool. Next take the tool and you use it to push the porcelain down into the metal sleeve it fits into. You take that pc of the tool out and you put the second pc in that reverse threads into the metal sleeve that is stuck down in there due to carbon build up then you turn a second nut that pulls that sleeve out (kind of like a bearing or flywheel puller in reverse). Thank god that tool worked and I was able to finish my job.

But needless to say I’ve lost faith in Ford as this design is terrible and from what I’ve been reading Ford is blowing the whole thing off as routine or stating that people are replacing plugs and they aren’t qualified to do so. WHAT!!! I may not be some master mechanic but I’ve done plugs, brakes, and oil changes on my car all the time. I also replace the POS lug studs on my 2004 Ford Explorer that BROKE OFF on my way home one day from work. So I think I’m plenty capable of replacing the plugs on this truck. I think my next truck might be a Ram….

2005 Ford F150 King Ranch. Routine changing of spark plugs. Mechanics told me the labor will vary depending on how many spark plugs snap. WHAT? Don't you just unscrew the plugs and replace in a few minutes. NOPE, not on this year / model. He convinced me that they use a method that is successful at removing plugs without them breaking in half. Let's just say they broke 7 of 8 plugs and then they expected me to act thankful that all plugs were not snapped. Total spark plug labor and parts was $800. Ouch. Thanks Ford.

So let me get this straight, Ford designed a vehicle where the routine changing of spark plugs becomes a 6-7 hour project that ends up costing upwards of $800. They know the problem exists and yet they do nothing to help their owners.

what a pile of sh*t this truck motor is, 85000 and you can't change the plugs as they break off in the head. the ford dealer laughs and says it is a common problem that the ford company makes a tool to push ceramic into the cylinder another tool to extract the sh*t design plug out , costing a sh*t pile of money to change plugs , come on ford what dumb asses would design ahead and a plug like this , why don't you own up to the issue and fix the problem , overpaid incompetent engineers , now i know why i am not one of these i couldn't stick my head up my ass far enough to think this design would work and the new trucks continue to be made this way will never by a ford again and this is why!

Well it's evident that people with ford trucks with this engine has had the same problem. The Ford dealership wanted $1500.00 for this repair. I'm lucky i found an independent mechanic that did not mind changing them. he said four broke in the engine. he got them out with a ford tool. he changed them with champion aftermarket spark plugs that are machined in one piece.not two pieces crimped together like the oem spark plug. im not buying parts associated with Ford or Motorcraft. it runs fine now. ford could have recalled this when they found out. i guess they just sort of made it our problem. i see why the resale values on fords doesn't hold. what's it going to cost ford? a ford fusion sale"my wife went with the Toyota Camry". when it's time to get a truck. it will be a GMC or Toyota. i learned the hard way cheaper isnt better. good luck to all ford owners. 20 years of loyalty ford vehicles doesn't mean much to ford

It seems there is a prevalent problem with the 5.4L Triton V8. After 60k or so the OEM Spark plugs break upon removal requiring a very expensive fix. Since Ford does not recommend changing the spark plugs it is a rude yet common surprise for the owners.

Upon complaining to Ford they refused to help out with the repair cost but gave me an "X Plan Discount" on the purchase of my next vehicle to keep me a customer.

Imagine my attitude when I went to purchase a new 2012 F-150 and found out that internet pricing at most dealers is lower than my X plan price.

Good bye Ford. Never Again will I purchase from you

OK, I have a 2005 ford F150 5.4 liter turck. I just paid over $300.00 to have new spark plugs installed after hearing about all of the problems. I'm a mechanic and have never paid to have spark plugs replaced in my life. Ford had a better idea to make a long two piece spark plug and think that it would work and it doesn't. And to top it off, they are not paying for the defect. Time to switch to a dodge in the future. The spark plug comes apart and it takes a lot of man hours to pull the broken pieces out of the engine head and HOPE pieces don't fall into the cylinder to do more damage.

Wake up Ford and treat your customers like you should or we can and will buy something different!!! If you have a 5.4 liter I suggest you trade it before it's time to change the plugs.

This problem is really stupid on fords part but it really is a simple fix, I would not and did not even worry about trying to get the plugs to come out the "easy way". I just took a Sat morning after ordering the tool online, cost about 80 bucks, I also ordered champion plugs online, cost 120 buck, the champion plugs are one solid piece of metal not crimped like the stock plugs were. The single metal of the champion plugs will keep you from having this problem again. So pull the plug let it break if necessary they will break one of 3 ways the trickiest was when the "nut" came off but the ceramic stayed intact. I just used a long pair of pliers and broke it off, just a little bit of pressure will do it and it will break it off at the base where it needs to be broken off at. Use the tool to extract all of the broken pieces use a shop vac to get out any broken ceramic pieces and put in the new plug. I had 6 of the 8 break which seems about average even for the people doing it the "easy way" so I really don't think that putting all of the time into it to keep them from breaking helps at all except spending more time hoping it will not break.

Good Luck

Tools needed to complete the job:

Spark plug extractor tool "LISLE 65600 5.4L Broken Plug Remover"

very long pair of pliers

shop vac

Just took my F150 to the dealer for a recall issue and ask then to also check engine light ($95.00 Diagnostic fee) I was told that I needed new plugs, as I suspected.

Cost for installing new plugs from the dealer was almost $700.00!! The service rep explained that it was so expensive because it is a difficult job and the plugs are prone to break. After considering my limited options (Just had surgery so could not attempt to do it myself) I swallowed hard and told them to go ahead.

4 days later I was told that 7 of the plugs had broken and it would cost an EXTRA $50.00 EACH to remove the broken plugs, so now were talking around $1,000.00 and I REALLY have no options.

I still don't have my truck back and I've had to go back to work without a vehicle.

I am a Ford employee and I might be done with buying Ford!