8.7
pretty bad- Typical Repair Cost:
- $1,210
- Average Mileage:
- 88,550 miles
- Total Complaints:
- 46 complaints
Most common solutions:
- not sure (15 reports)
- remove heads (12 reports)
- purchase special removal tool (10 reports)
- don't buy a ford (4 reports)
- replaced with new unbreakable plugs (3 reports)
- helio coil, new coil, new plug (1 reports)
This problem may be covered under warranty. Ask your Ford dealer.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
I will never own another Ford as long as I Live. My husband and I were driving to Lake Mohave and the truck broke down 60 miles outside of Las Vegas. We had the vehicle towed to a mechanic (because it was on a Sunday and dealerships were closed) who told us he had seen this problem happen countless times and our best bet was to take it back to the dealership we bought it from and hope it was covered under warranty. We were hundreds of miles away from the dealership in Colorado that we bought it from! We took it to another Ford dealer who said he had to take the head off and could not guarantee the labor etc. would be covered under warranty. He explained this could cost of over $1,000 if it was not covered under warranty and this would not even include the cost to get the vehicle fixed. THIS TRUCK IS NOT EVEN 3 YEARS OLD YET! IT ONLY HAS 65,000 MILES ON IT! There is no reason that such a new truck should be having such a major problem. Why the hell hasn't Ford put out a recall on this?
In the end we were stuck in getto Las Vegas for 3 days and had to have the tuck transported back to Colorado. Between the transportation fees and buying plane tickets to fly home, it cost me over $1,000 and the truck still does not run. It is currently at the dealership in Colorado and we still don't even know if it is going to be covered under warranty. If Ford does not make this right, everyone I know will hear how I feel about ford. I hope they go down with Chrysler and GM at this point.
- Kindra M., Parker, CO, US
Truck back in to the shop after 2 days. First time they changed a leaky fuel injector. This time they found 2 more leaky injectors and a broken spark plug. They had the truck for 8 days. They stated they couldn't get the broken off plugs out. After 8 days they finally got them out and replaced all the plugs and 2 more fuel injectors.They also replaced the "lifters".
- donnama, Westfield, MA, US
When the spark plugs break off in the head, it's a simple fix. I have done so many of these that I wish I could have made the money that these idiots charge to take the heads off. If any one wants to know how to fix this thing, email me at catsledhead@msn.com
- Thomas L., cleveland, ny, US
My husband and I have just experienced this very problem with the spark plug breaking off inside the head. We have always changed the spark plugs ourselves in any vehicle we have owned and NEVER had this happen. At 60, 000 miles my husband attempted to change the spark plugs unaware of this MAJOR and COSTLY problem. The very first plug he tried to change broke off. We had the truck towed to our local dealership (Natchitoches Ford) where we purchased the truck. The service manager told us he could get the broken piece out with a special tool. But, in the ending could not remove it...and still charged us $100 for use of tool. At that time we were told the only way to remove the broken plug would be to pull the head at a cost of $1800. I had to buy the eight plugs through Ford at a price of $20 each. We told the service manager to go ahead and proceed with removing the head, take the broke piece out and put the new plug in and do NOT attempt to change the other 7 plugs.
It took over a week for our truck to be fixed. The day I arrived to pick it up I was told that the price I was given in the beginning had changed and it would be $1,000 more. This was due to the fact that after being told not to touch the other 7 plugs, Natchitoches Ford Service Department went ahead and did it anyway and broke all 7 plugs. I was going to be charged for each one that broke even though the service department broke them off. I was furious and read them the riot act to say the least. I then called my husband, who called and threw a fit and threatened a legal suite. The service Dept. manager agreed to original price of $1,800. The service manger had the nerve to tell my husband that he was paying the other $1,000 out of his pocket and if we felt the need we could always pay him back!!!!! Did he really think we were that stupid. That was nothing more than a write off on his OWN mistake AND admitted to it at that!!!!!!!
This truck is my husband's transportation for work and travels 250 miles per day round trip. He is a heavy equipment operator, therefore, has to haul diesel tanks and other supplies for his equipment. He is payed a daily rate for the use of his truck on the job. While Ford is kicking back, not worrying about the design defects of their vehicles that should have been posted as recalls, my family is suffering financially not only from cost of repairs but the days he had to take off to handle the problem. The truck went in the shop on 09/29/2008 to 10/09/2008. I have been fighting Ford in Dearborn, Michigan but have gotten no where except they say "Yes, there have been numerous complaints about this problem and no there is no recall". I do not believe Ford will ever put this out as a recall because the cost would be devastating to them.
My husband and I have always been Ford fans until now. There is no "Company to Customer" loyalty when you need it. My opinion Ford needs to go under and fall off the map if this is the best they can do for their customers who are spending the amount of money we are for these vehicles. I also took this same truck in with the driver door rattling. It would rattle so hard it would sound like someone banging on metal with a hammer. Service department's fix was to wrap black electrical tape around the latch. A recall part for the brake system also had to be replaced. I have replaced the battery, too. I am replacing the fuel pump today at a cost of $400 for pump and $150 for labor fees. I did NOT take it back to Ford place for repairs.
I WILL NOT OWN ANOTHER FORD!!!!!!!!!
- acampbell, Natchitoches, LA, US
This new spark plug design will seize up in the head. When you try to remove the plugs, they will break off inside the head. A Ford mechanic told me that approximately 50% of plugs on every engine he has tried will do this. He also said that the factory does not use anti-seize when installing the plugs. This plug and head design started in 2006 V8's but is also in use in V6's as of 2008. The only way to solve this problem when these plugs break-off is to remove the heads ($2000 to $3000). Since most of these vehicles have not reached the 100,000 mile mark for plug changing, there have not been that many of these yet. But, in the next few years there are going to be 10,000's of these problems. My advice is to sell the vehicle before the plugs need to be changed. I have never seen anything like this, and Ford does not care or they want all the work for their shops that this will create. Get one of these spark plugs and look at it. It won't take you long to see what kind of problem you will have when the bottom half does not come out with the threaded part. These plugs cost $34 each to boot. Needless to say I have bought my last Ford and I can't believe I won't be joined by thousands of friends in the next few years. This is just to let the unsuspecting know about this huge problem.
- Gary M., Amarillo, TX, US
My problem started when the engine started to run and idle rough, moments later the check engine light came on. According to the computer codes, it had a misfire on cylinder #4. Recommended fix was to replace spark plugs and coils. All spark plugs, but one, came out without breaking. Was charged for 4 hrs labor to remove THE ONE broken spark plug…. $240.00, plus the cost of removing and replacing the other 7 plugs and coils…$640.00. For a grand total of $880.00. It gets better….when I picked the truck up once it was done, it still does not run right, still runs rough and now stalls when you put it in reverse.
This is a major problem. When spark plugs are breaking off in the cylinder head, and Ford itself has to design a special tool to remove the plug it only proves that the problem is real and major headache for the consumer. To bad Ford is still passing the buck onto the consumer. Depending on where you take your vehicle, removal cost of the broken spark will vary, the lowest est. I found was $50.00 bucks. So, if 3 break off on removal you the consumer will pay an additional $150.00 on a job that is supposed to be a routine maintenance procedure.
Way to step up to the plate Ford…no wonder more and more Americans continue to buy foreign cars and trucks!
- belangerar, Fayetteville, AR, US