Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full
Data refreshed
Our database holds 821 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2002 Ford F-150. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Showing 1–25 of 821 · page 1 of 33
I had the recall number 05s28 repaired at high desert ford on July sixth as a part of a California safety inspection to register my vehicle. Per ford they are done however they refuse to update the system which holds my vehicle unable to be registered even after the services were rendered and complete. Multiple attempts to trendy have failed any results thus ford is holding my vehicle hostage from legal use in the state
Cruise control kicked on and won't go off. Gas fumes come from the AC unit. When driving the truck started speeding up. Now the truck is parked.
Front seatbelts on 2002 Ford F-150 become unlatched unexpectedly while driving. This has been noticed over the last two or three years occasionally, but has been getting worse. Seat belt has become unlatched about 5-6 times during a 600 mile road trip. Seat belt was confirmed by two passengers that it was indeed latched correctly and nothing pushing the release button. Seatbelt was confirmed to be latched by firmly tugging on seat belt to witness that it was latched. Both passengers confirmed that the seatbelt become unlatched randomly while driving. Passenger and driver safety is at risk. If driver seatbelt comes unlatched while driving or during accident, the driver could loose control of truck and put other drivers at risk. The unlatching does not show any warning signs as to when it will become unlatched. Seatbelt just becomes unlatched and starts to recoil without warning. Ford service just says that the truck is out of warranty and that they dont cover seat belt replacements as there is no open recalls for such. Seatbelt is still currently installed on vehicle but can be available for inspection on vehicle or removed for inspection.
Just learned of recall.
DRIVING DOWN [XXX] THE STRAPS ON MY GAS TANK BROKE BECAUSE THEY RUSTED THRU CAUSING GAS TANK TO DROP AND SPILL FUEL ALL OVER [XXX] IN IOWA CAUSING SO MUCH FUEL SPILLED OUT THEY HAD TO CLOSE ONE LANE OF TRAFFIC....THE FIRE DEPT CHIEF OF WHITING, IOWA, STEVEN SNYDER, Can verify what happened....THERE IS A POLICE REPORT BUT I DIDN'T HAVE IT FILING OUT THIS REPORT INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2002 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made a loud sound. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed and determined that cylinder #3 spark plug had blown out, but no repair was recommended at the time. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford F-150. The contact stated while at a tire shop to have the tires rotated, the mechanic was unable to remove the tires due to the lug nuts being swollen. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and suggested to the contact to call the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the rear driver's side and rear passenger's side doors failed to open from inside or outside the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously serviced due to the failure. The failure mileage was 70,000.
Systems failed. Recalls incomplete
The contact owns a 2002 Ford F-150. The contact stated that she observed smoke emanating from under the vehicle near the engine compartment. The contact stated that she opened the hood and flames erupted from the engine compartment near the battery. The contact threw dirt on the engine to extinguish the fire. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH and attempting to pass a slower vehicle, the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the pedal suddenly extended to the floorboard causing the vehicle to immediately accelerate faster than intended. During the failure the speed increased to over 75 MPH before the contact shifted the transmission into neutral and the vehicle decelerated. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure on two other occasions and the cruise control feature was never activated during the failure. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 94,000.
The contact owned a 2002 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at 50 MPH, she crashed into a tree. The air bags failed to deploy upon impact. The contact's wife was taken to the hospital where she was treated for a concussion, multiple hematomas to her right thigh, right abdomen, and head; as well as three fractures on her vertebrae. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed from the scene to an independent tow yard where it remained in their possession. The dealer nor the manufacturer had been notified of the failure. The contact was informed by his insurance that the vehicle was a total loss. The failure mileage was approximately 280,000.
Speed control deactivation switch
The contact owns a 2002 Ford F-150. The contact stated while opening the driver’s side rear door, the door failed to unlatch. The contact also attempted to open the passenger’s side rear door; however, the door would not unlatch. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the wiring harness in the doors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 80,000.
Unknown cause of incident. Vehicle is available for inspection. Vehicle spontaneously burst into flames. No reproduction due to incident happening on 09/02/2022. Vehicle inspected by Fire Department and California Highway Patrol. No warnings or symptoms leading up to incident. On 09/02/2022 I attempted to help my wife that was stranded out State Route Highway 36 in her 2009 BMW 750 LI at the Van Duzen Grange. I had been hooked up to her car for approximately 10 to 15 minutes with my truck idling when she screamed, " Your truck's on FIRE!" I barely got myself out of the cab when a ball of flames shot through the dashboard. 3/4ths of the truck was consumed in fire in less than 5 minutes. Fire Department arrived approximately 10 minutes later and doused the fire. Everything in my truck was destroyed. My wife's BMW suffered severe damage to the front end.
I have a 2002 Ford F-150 and The problem is with the transmission my vechile acts like it's going in reverse and when it goes to backup it seems as something is locked I been over the brakes and rear end and yet nothing has came up I even replaced the transmission filter to see if that would help but nothing so I been having to drive my truck with no reverse and today the overdrive light on the shifter started blinking what is the problem with these transmission please Ford do a recall to fix the transmission
1. Coils on top of spark plug get moisture in them when there is just the right kind of rain storm. This makes the coil or coils fail until the dry out. This seems to make the coil eventually go bad. Yes, it is available for inspection. 2. Not sure if its a combination of heat and moisture but sometime right away and sometimes a few minutes into driving the coil or coils fail and the engine loses power. Then if seems to be a random, unpredictable occurrence until it dries out, Very Unsafe. If one coil fails it loses just a little power, but if more than one fails it loses a lot of power and stalls at times. This is why I am writing it up. A few time now, I have gone to pull into traffic and then I lose power and either have to run off the road or just upset the car behind me if they are not too close. 3 & 4. I have advise all the Ford dealerships in my area trying to find one that has a fix yet. The only fix Ford has, is a new designed coil, which does not appear to be any better. The dealership just replaces the coil. I have had all my coils replaced, some 2 or 3 times. 5. It depends, sometime the engine light will come on and advise which coil is misfiring and sometimes if does not. Right now my engine light is on and it displays the #6 coil misfire. Then the engine light will go out after it dries out and stops failing or it will stay off if the coil had gone bad again. I am sure its not just the F 150, but the 4.6 liter engine that is in other vehicles. I started keeping track in 2012. I wrote a letter to Ford in 2015 and they replied, there was no recall. I have several repair receipts and the letter from Ford if you need that. Just search on your site and you will see many complaints. One example Manufacturer Communication number: 041601. If you google "ford fix for moisture in coils" you will see many forums trying to figure out a fix and just complaining.
Left rear passenger door will not open. Door is jammed. This will not allow rear passengers to quickly exit vehicle if pinned in due to crash or fire.
I went to get a state inspection and a code came up Po174
This F 150 has experienced SUA. I have reported it back in June. I have tried to fix the problem but I cannot. I don't know what causes my truck to accelerate full throttle. So, I've come to the conclusion I must move on. Then I realized I really cannot sell the vehicle? Somebody would be killed no doubt. I've been lucky and savvy enough to slide the shifter into neutral. If I sell the truck and do not mention the problem? The thing is I could sell this truck in 5 minutes. It runs like a top spins. I have always taken care of any maintenance issues since purchasing new. I've educated myself on SUA. It's extremely interesting but if you've experienced it, it is awful. I read one story about a guy who wanted a Toyota dealership to take his Camry back. It was practically new. They would not. So he went to another dealership and traded it in. I can't blame the guy but I can not sell my truck and sleep at night. So what do I do with a truck that roars off like a rocket ship? How many people have had this problem? And what do they do with the car/truck once they realize it really cannot be driven anymore?
SUA sudden unwanted acceleration, at least 4 times. No floor mats. 1st time truck surged back and forth a little then accelerated full throttle. I went to neutral. I kicked gas pedal although gas peddle was not depressed. It stopped. I was shook up but in control. I decided to remove throttle body and clean extensively. Replaced TB Sensor w/ genuine Ford part and replaced throttle valve on top. Hoped for the best. Still have the problem. 2002 F 150 XL 4.2 purchased new. I still have truck because its been such a great truck, I never felt like it was time to move on. It runs like new and I've taken care of it. I am writing this info for safety and only safety. I've been researching this issue. trying to solve problem. I took truck to qualified shop where mechanic is known to me and he was a little stumped. No codes, no check engine light. Can't solve the puzzle? So, I'm on top of the possibility of it happening. I really don't go anywhere w/ truck, to the store and back pretty much. So when its happens, I'm fast to go to neutral. I also feel like if I wanted to show somebody what I'm talking about, all they have to do is get in. I'm almost positive if I punch the gas peddle just a little, say to pass a slow driver, it'll go like hell. I have started thinking about my next truck. But no way I'm trading or selling this truck and passing the problem to someone else. So, I'm dealing with it and really hope my experience helps. I've read the story's on line. Because I've lived it, I can tell you its a bit terrifying. That's my story Thank You Jim Winn
When it rains the rain is somehow getting into the fuse box under the steering column and causing it to drain the battery, short out some of the instrument cluster, make noise, blow fuses, and rust up. It is a fire hazard and it puts all inside the truck in danger. I have not yet had a fire but if I keep the truck as is it will eventually.
I WAS DRIVING ON FREEWAY WHEN A CAR THAT WAS TRAVELING IN AN EXCESS OF 80+ MILES AND REAR-ENDED MY 2002 FORD F 150. MY TRUCK WAS TOTALED AND MY DRIVERS SEAT BACK FRAME BROKE FROM RIGHT SIDE AND NONE OF MY AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. I ENDED UP IN THE HOSPITAL FOR 3 DAYS. I HAD A CONCUSSION, NECK INJURY, KNEES AND RE-INJURED MY BACK. I WAS LUCKY TO BE ALIVE.
I AM TRYING TO FIND OUT IF THIS TRUCK HAS A RECALL THAT WAS NOT TAKEN CARE OF WITH PREVIOUS OWNER BASED ON REVIEWS.. - THERE APPEARS TO BE IDLE ISSUES.. ENGINE LIGHT INDICATES SENSOR ISSUE. *TR
SPARK PLUG SHOOTS OUT OF MOTOR WHILE DRIVING. HAS BEEN REPORTED ON LOTS OF VEHICLES FOR YEARS.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .