8.7

pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
$1,210
Average Mileage:
88,550 miles
Total Complaints:
46 complaints

Most common solutions:

  1. not sure (15 reports)
  2. remove heads (12 reports)
  3. purchase special removal tool (10 reports)
  4. don't buy a ford (4 reports)
  5. replaced with new unbreakable plugs (3 reports)
  6. helio coil, new coil, new plug (1 reports)
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This problem may be covered under warranty. Ask your Ford dealer.

problem #46

Nov 172016

F-150 Lariat 5.4L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 123,000 miles

I bought this truck used from a dealer a little over a year ago. It had 101, 000 miles. For the past few months it started skipping/missing between 40 and 50 mph. I thought it was the transmission. I looked it up on line and saw all the reports of spark plug issues that explained my truck's symptoms to a tee...my wife talked to a mechanic and told her to by Motorcraft spark plugs and coils. He said he could change them for $100.00. That sounded reasonable so I ordered the parts online. I hadn't called the mechanic yet but on Thursday, Nov 18th I stopped by a mechanic shop on the way home from work to see how much he would charge just to put the plugs and coils in (I already had). Well that's when I got "Paul Harvey's...rest of the story..." He explained the history of the bad spark plug problems on the 2006 Ford F-150s...he showed me a few of the spark plugs he had taken out of other trucks, how they had broken off and then told me how much it would cost. He would need to do some kind of cleaning treatment ($150), then remove the plugs (another $350), however, if any of them broke, it would cost an additional $65 for each broken plug. Then the bad news...if any pieces fell into the engine he would have to remove the heads (1 or 2 $K). So here I am, bought a truck that was 9 years old that needs, what is typically a repair you can do yourself at home, scared to do anything. I have read about the class action suits and the attempts to get Ford to recall this problem and the lack of either to come through for the customer. This total BS!!!

- curtissn, San Antonio, TX, US

problem #45

Oct 032016

F-150 5.4L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 128,000 miles

Spark plug broke off in the head and will cost several thousand dollars to remove. I'm at about 128,000 so Ford won't offer any help with the cost. Estimate to fix $2000-$4000. Horrible design flaw!!

- tjdasilva, Richmond, CA, US

problem #44

Jul 012016

F-150 XLT 5.4L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 107,000 miles

Took truck in for a tune up. Was told it would cost $535.00. Broke off 7 spark plugs. Then piece got in engine. Had to take engine apart. Was told that the seals alone would cost at least $800.00. It would cost at least 16 hours of time. Then was told about the engine and the problems Ford had with the engine. Very disgusted and disappointed.

- Cathy W., State College, PA, US

problem #43

Apr 052016

F-150 5.4L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 88,000 miles

Ford should be paying for this. I can change the spark plugs on any engine but don't dare do it to this one for fear that the plugs will break off and cost me a fortune. Ford is price gouging because they know that they have owners over a barrel. I will NEVER buy another Ford again. Toyota just became my truck of choice.

- fwtexguy, Hurst, US

problem #42

Mar 122016

F-150 King Ranch 5.4L V8

  • Automatic transmission
  • 159,000 miles

so i had my mechanic at work pull the sparks out of my f-150 king ranch 4x4 5.4l 3v v8 tirton or so i thought. He could only pull 5 out of the eight cylinder 5 , 7 , and 8 have stuck plugs in them and he said he would not try to remove them due to them breaking and i cant pay for them if there broke im kinda to cheap and really dont want to have ford do the plugs so after that i went home and soaked all 8 coils in injector cleaner and that ran a bit better and i took out spark 1 , 2 , 3 and 5 and put anti seize on them because i cant reach spark 4 . I did alot of reading and found a good method of trying to remove the stuck spark plugs . so i went to walmart got some carb cleaner and sprayed spark 5 , 7 and 8 from the base of the spark plug neck to about the top and let them soak for about a hour . i then slowly tried to take out spark 5 and it was coming out really slow and i heard a splash of liquid and thought yea the carb cleaner fell into the cylinder and got all happy, well when i pulled the socket out i have the lock nut from the spark and at that point i proceeded to vacuum out the carb cleaner and looked inside the spark well . To my viel the spark was intact and still standing firm ( yet now it miss fires on cylinder 5 and i get a code for to clean on bank to and the other code is p0355 for circuit E which points to cylinder 5 ) at that point i gave up and vacuumed out the carb cleaner from spark 7 and 8. So my major issue is seens i just bought the truck from my father who;s still in the army. How the hell do i remove a spark that is not broke ? on a side note i reversed the lock nut back on the spark. Ford wants 180 for 1 plug removal or an estimate of 500 for all 3 plugs . i was thinking about buying the removal tool and doing the extraction at my work.

- Clinton S., San Antonio, TX, US

problem #41

Feb 122016

F-150 XLT V8

  • Automatic transmission
  • 94,100 miles

Ford Certified Dealer service to correct the known problem.

- uawrenee, DeMotte, IN, US

problem #40

Aug 032015

F-150 Lariet 5.4L Flex Fuel

  • Automatic transmission
  • 132,000 miles

The dealer broke the spark plug off and has to pull the engine, just to replace the plugs due to poor design. Instead of Ford recalling and replacing them, we are stuck with almost $3000 for changing 8 spark plugs. Ford should help with the cost of this problem because a dealer can make a lot of money by saying they broke and will have to pull the engine. My last Ford.

- scnichols, Kiowa, OK, US

problem #39

Aug 192015

F-150 XLT 5.4L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 77,550 miles

I had a tune up, A/C and O-2 sensor repair go from $1470 to just under $3400. There were 3 plugs that broke off in one of the heads. The procedure involves removing the entire cab to get to the plugs to be extracted. This is a problem that Ford knew about but will not own up to it. I have been buying Ford F150 trucks since 1987 and have had minimal problems up until now. You would think Ford being the high quality bragging truck builder that they are would do something about this situation. This issue could really put the hurt financially on a person.

- rollo4613, Beech Grove, IN, US

problem #38

Aug 202015

F-150 XLT 5.4L V8

  • Automatic transmission
  • 70,000 miles

Found a method online for removing the plugs in 2004-2008 Ford 4.6/5.4L V8 engines: https://youtu.be/iIQevez-DG0

https://youtu.be/PHQxnG6Bd3o

Interestingly, you need to have: -thorough fuel injection cleaning to clean out the carbon in the combustion chamber -the engine somewhat warm -soak the plugs in carb cleaner -use an impact wrench to back out the plugs, the vibration actually breaks free the carbon deposits

Ask your local garage or trusted mechanic to check it out.

- crlloyd1, Clifton, NJ, US

problem #37

Jul 012015

F-150 FX4 5.4L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 83,358 miles

I tried to get these plug replaced at two auto repair shops and they would not touch this 2006 F150 5.4L, because the plugs break off and they are a pain in the ASS to remove. So I had to go to the Ford dealership to have these plugs replaced and I was told that they have not had one of these trucks, that all the plugs have came out they have had from 1 to all 8 of the plugs break off and the repair would not be cheap. I drop my truck off tonight 8.13.15 to have the repairs done on 8.14.15. Wish me luck, I think I am going to need it

- Richard B., Peterstown, WV, US

problem #36

Mar 282015

F-150 5.4L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 82,193 miles

I took my 2006 F-150 in for a tune up was told that 4 out of the 8 spark plugs broke off when the mechanic was taking them out. He has to use a special extraction tool to remove the pieces that broke off. The total cost of this Tune Up was $1,321.80!!!! This is absolutely unbelievable and I am outraged. Why wouldn't the manufacturer fix this problem as I see it is happening to countless numbers of people out there. There is a class action lawsuit regarding this:

www.lawyersandsettlements.com/blog/tag/ford-f-150

Good Luck!

- Joe S., Mount Arlington, NJ, US

problem #35

Jan 102015

F-150 XLT 5.4L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 117,655 miles

I was planning on taking a couple hours to change spark plugs. What a mess this turned out to be. Not only did every single plug break, I had to spend $100 on a special tool to remove the broken piece. The plugs themselves cost me almost $115.

I work for an OEM of another company. I know for a fact that certain mileage tests are required, be it 36,000 all the way to 150,000 miles, and in between. There is time before a certain model launches that corrections can be made. They absolutely knew this was a piss poor design and did nothing about it. It took me almost 13 hours to get these replaced. Not only did many break off, others had the metal shell slip off that the socket is supposed to grip. The electrode stayed together and I almost never got them out. What a f#*king nightmare.

Now I have to deal with another design flaw, the passenger side exhaust manifold. I have been a Ford fan, largely in part because they did not take any bail out money back in "08". I have owned 8 Fords in my life. After this exhaust manifold gasket replacement, I am getting rid of the truck and shopping elsewhere. No wonder they are about to lose their #1 position in truck sales. It's what happens when you don't take care of issues.

- Eric J., Seymour, IN, US

problem #34

Jan 052015

F-150 LX V8

  • Automatic transmission
  • 124,000 miles

2700 dollars for tune up on a 2006 ford because plugs broke off. now where is ford on this? this sure is not a working truck for a working man. they need to help with this or it is the last ford I will ever buy.

- petsch, Doss, TX, Pacific Islands (US)

problem #33

Aug 292014

F-150 FX4 5.4L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 46,603 miles

$1000 for a tune-up. 4 of 8 plugs broke, requiring 4 hours of Ford shop time at our North Vancouver shop.

- Dave C., West Vancouver, BC, canada

problem #32

Mar 032013

F-150 Supercrew Xlt 5.4L Triton V8

  • Automatic transmission
  • 100,300 miles

Ford knows about the defect in the design that causes the plugs to snap off , which causes the extra cost for me , the customer ....yet ford refuses to take any responsibility for their flawed design or product that doesn't meet expectations for a truck I paid good money for when I spent 35k for it new in 2006, so now I will drive it to it dies and the next truck I buy with not be a ford. Simple way to lose a customer FoRd! Buy the way, my wife wants a new 2014 Ford Edge Limited so bad right now, they ride so nice , we even test drove one......but because of a bad taste still in my mouth from this and other issues yet from my 06 ford f150 , my wife will be looking at the buick enclave if I got anything to say about it. Especially since we had 72 mos at 0% thru ford in 06 & now ford only approved us for 0% for 48 mos.......bye ford !

- ske73, Wabasha, MN, US

problem #31

May 212013

F-150 LX 5.4L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 90,000 miles

They said it was # 5 plug, replaced the plug and coil wire. Just drove it and still doing the same thing not fixed at all

- Sophia C., Reidsville, NC, US

problem #30

Feb 102013

F-150 5.4L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 82,000 miles

Started having a miss so i thought that idle have the plugs changed. 6 out of the 8 broke off. . this problem is total bullshit. first there should be a recall on it and it shouldn't cost so damn much to have it done. im $400 in to it now and still trying to get the broken pieces out. why hasn't ford motor company fixing their problem that is costing there customers so much time money and grief. you would think they would want to take care of this to have repeat business . i can tell u now ill never buy another ford

- Michael D., Sardis, OH, US

problem #29

Aug 162009

F-150 XLT 5.4L V8

  • Automatic transmission
  • 63,000 miles

Truck started missing. Broke 7 out of 8 plugs. Had to special order removal tool. All in all, total repairs cost $750. Royal P.I.A.

- tdfin, Mobile, AL, US

problem #28

Oct 232012

F-150

  • Automatic transmission
  • 116,196 miles

I searched for this problem on the Internet and found a site called fordproblems.com that states that this is a known problem and that Ford does not acknowledge it. They say that this is caused by untrained people not installing plugs properly.

The problem with that is that I bought my truck brand new and have had all repairs and maintenance done by Ford dealers. I challenge Ford to look at the service record for my truck and to talk to the service people. They will tell you how anal I am about fixing everything that goes wrong on my truck.

I treat my truck with respect. Anything that goes wrong on it I fix immediately.

Overall I have been happy with this truck but I am at a point to get a new one. This problem could have caused a fire. I am deeply troubled as this does not appear to be an isolated incident.

I ended up here because that is what http://www.fordproblems.com/problems/spark-plug-ejected-from-engine.shtml told me to do. I am following their recommendation. I am also in the process of reporting it to Transport Canada. If you are in the same boat the number to call is 1-800-333-0510. It took me a couple of other calls to the government to get this number. Chances are that you will have to leave a message to call you back.

Peace!

- Todd M., Fredericton, NB, canada

problem #27

Oct 292012

F-150 XLT 5.4L V8

  • Automatic transmission
  • 105,000 miles

I have NOT attempted to change my plugs yet, and not sure I want to. I have a miss, but it is not bad. After reviewing all of the complaints here, I did a little searching for an official Ford response, but did not find one. I did find a class action lawsuit (http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/blog/tag/ford-f-150). I have NOT looked into this, so not sure if it is worth it or not. But I plan to research the class action lawsuit BEFORE changing my plugs. If there is a way to recoup losses it is worth changing the plugs and driving the truck for another 100,000 miles. If there is no way to recoup losses, I may just sell the truck and buy another one. Hate to do that, but not worth $2000 to $3000 to change the plugs in a truck.

- Steve G., Warrior, AL, US

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