10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 0 / 2
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 111,183 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
Spark plug blowout Ford 4.6 engine and coil damage.
- Ravena, NY, USA
Spark plug blow out on my 2001 Ford F250 5.4 liter engine.
- Roseville, MI, USA
On multiple occasions I have been driving and heard a loud bang and felt the motor starting to shake and loss of power to the vehicle. Upon inspection, I have noticed the coil pack of my 2001 Ford F-150 sitting on top of the motor. I have replaced two coil packs twice each. It is getting costly to repair as it costs $50 per coil pack. I have retapped the holes but the problem keeps occurring. I am a divorced father of a 2 year old son. I can't afford to keep repairing the problem.
- Plainfield, CT, USA
4 months ago spark plug #3 unexpectedly "left the engine" destroyed the coil-on-plug and stripped the cyl. Head. ~2500 miles later #6 plug and coil....same thing.
- Leominster, MA, USA
# 6 spark plug blew out of the hole in cylinder head.
- Greenwood, AR, USA
On October 27, 2006 I was driving my 2001 Ford F-150 pickup down the highway at about 45 miles per hour. All of a sudden we heard a loud noise and pulled over. Upon inspection my husband noticed that the number 3 spark plug and coil pack had been ejected from the cylinder head. He also noticed that it had caused a sizeable dent in the fuel injector rail. The rail/fuel line which provides fuel under pressure to the injectors is made of steel. The coil pack although the mounting point was broken off remained plugged in and functioning. The spark plug also remained in tact and appeared undamaged. The spark plug still resting in the spark plug boot managed to find a ground very near if not on the dented fuel rail. This was evident by the fact that it continued sparking as the motor sat and idled as we tried to determine the source of the problem. If there had been any sort of fuel leak or had it ran longer sparking against the fuel rail, I suspect a fire could have resulted. A rather serious fire considering the fuel in the rail is under pressure. Admittedly this may be a very unlikely set of circumstances. However in checking on the internet the spark plug ejection seem to be common and the dented fuel rail not uncommon. The coil pack continuing to fire seems likely as the connection to the wiring harness seems quite secure. It also seems that the steel fuel rail is a very convenient ground. Not only did this happen once no it happened again on January 19, 2007. Ford refuses to recognize a problem with the cylinder head and charges $3000 to replace the head and all of it internal components every time it happens. Ford blames this problem on the spark plug I can assure you the spark plug was completely in tact and sparking not in the combustion chamber mind you but against a steel fuel line. Ford recommends that you change the spark plugs at 100,000 miles my truck was only at 80,000.
- Clearlake Park, CA, USA
: the contact stated while the vehicle was idle, a fire erupted which was caused by a faulty electrical system. The fire originated from the engine compartment front underhood. There were no warning signals prior to the incident. Upon inspection, the cruise control deactivation switch and wiring for the electrical system was observed to be completely burnt to the ground. A fire report was taken# 06-017205. Also, the manufacturer was notified, but would not offer any resolution while this case was under investigation.
- Riverside, CA, USA
2001 Ford Expedition eddie bauer, at about 30 mph, 3rd spark plug blew out stripping threads and ruining coil. We replaced the coil, but dealer will not rethread, the dealer says that if they were to rethread it would not hold and would probably blow again possibly doing more damage to motor. They said they will only replace the head which is $2000. When it blew I was on my way to the airport to pick up family with my newborn and four year old. I was stranded on the highway for an hour and a half in 98 degree heat. My family was stranded at the airport for two hours, not to mention the tow bill. I called Ford, they acknowledge a problem, but take no responsibility. They said it was because of poor maintenance. But my vehicle has been 100 percent properly maintained.
- Dahlonega, GA, USA
The engine stalled while driving 10-15 mph. The dealer determined that the camshaft sensor had to be replaced. The camshaft sensor had given off false positive readings which resulted in the computer shutting down the engine. This was a common problem according to the service writer.
- Jacksonville, OR, USA
On this date I was summoned to pick up my 2001 Ford svt F 150 pickup from mc gilvray Ford in athens, tx after replacement of my engine valve lash adjusters had been made in an attempt to stop right side engine ticking. The vehicle still made the noise and I got the mechanic to listen. I asked him if they checked the spark plugs because they are known to loosen on this type engine due to poor engineering. The mechanic dismissed my concern and informed me of that they didn't know what the noise was and that I'm supposed to drive it a while and see if the noise lessens. 1 week later this same vehicle blew a spark plug out thus stranding me on the highway. I believe it to be unjust that Ford Motor Company can sell a defective product to their customer and not fix the problem. This is a widespread problem in the engine and it would be proper for Ford Motor Company to replace the product with one that will not fail again. Supposedly there is an improved version of this engine head, but there's no guarantee that my head will be replaced with this newer type. The other head now will also be sitting there waiting to blow also.
- Jacksonville, TX, USA
- Covington , GA, USA