Complain about a product or service

Ford Engines - Spark Plug Defect

Brian of Leawood KS (05/07/08)
Ford 5.4L engine blew out spark plug. This is from a 2001 E-150 with 113k miles.

Edgar of Hesperia CA (05/06/08)
There was a slight ticking noise like an exhaust leak, then a loud explosion sound as the spark plug blew out of the cylinder head causing extensive thread damage, and also breaking the ignition coil for that cylinder.

Donald of Millstone Twp. NJ (05/05/08)
Spark plug blew out of the engine. A mechanic tried to put it back in but he said the plug blew out of the engine....and couldnt install another. This is not an old truck, and I wanted to buy American LOL

Dean of Schaumburg IL (05/03/08)
Ford Engines - Spark Plug Defect 2002 E350 118k miles 5.4L Spark Plug #7 blew while my 79 year old father was driving. I have had E350's for @ 30yrs, 300k + miles on them, and NEVER heard of them blowing spark plugs??, until today. The Danger...FORD...is that the cylinder without a spark plug is expending gas into the engine compartment. That missing spark plug had a live electrical coil attached to it prior to it blowing. Gas + Spark = FIRE. Thank Henry F that didn't happen this time, but if it does...I hope I'll be there to testify. RECALL.

Paul of Redwood City CA (05/02/08)
I own a 1997 Expedition that had the #3 cylinder blowout. Ford has an unadmitted problem with the 4.6 and 5.4 liter Triton V8s. 1997 to 2000 are the early model heads that tend to show the problem at higher mileage. The 2001 to 2003 models are the romeo heads and have the problem over a wide range of mileage (as early as 40K miles). After 2003 I believe Ford used heads with regular length threads on the spark plugs but you should check with a Ford dealer to make sure that the Triton engine in the model you're considering has long thread plugs and not short thread plugs. For those who have this problem, Ford dealers charge a wide range of prices to fix it. I've called half a dozen Ford dealers in my area and no two were the same. Prices ranged from $800 to $2000. On the lower end, most of the dealers are using a threaded insert repair. There are many kits on the market specifically designed for Ford Triton V8 spark plug thread repairs. (Just goes to show how common the problem is) Helicoil, KD, Lisle and Timesert all make kits.

Ford dealers tend to use the Timesert threaded inserts because of two unique features http://www.timesert.com/html/triton_repair2.html . First, Timeserts have a positive locking shoulder. The bottom threads on the insert also lock in place once the drive tool is used to locate it. Other inserts suffer from backing out or in and blowing out again. Of course, there's no guarantee with the Timesert either and the dealer won't warrant the work. I've heard that one Timesert fix has more than 90K miles on it and its still holding. I'm an accomplished mechanic so I ordered my own Timesert kit from an Ebay supplier (about $400). If your head is repairable the dealer will typically install the Timesert without removing the heads. If it's not repairable then the dealer will typically recommend a new head (lots of $$). The non-romeo heads generally are repairable.

The romeo heads have an additional shoulder that requires a bigger reamer and a shoulder cut. The service tech told me these heads tend to be the ones replaced more often. I'll be tackling the installation on my 97 Expedition this weekend so I'll post a report after I'm done. But, if you're comfortable around and engine bay (and have a step ladder to work on an Expedition) you can probably fix this problem yourself. One other thing to note is that the coil pack gets damaged when the plug blows outs. Typically, the tap that hold the coil in place breaks off. Since the coil itself still worked fine I epoxied the tab back on the first time this happened and its held just fine. If you're not into this kind of fix you'll have to buy a new coil pack (also expensive from the dealer - near $200) If you have a mechanic repair your blow out then make sure they use the Timesert inserts for the repair. This will give you the greatest chance at longevity afterwards.

Jose of Camarillo CA (05/01/08)
I am the owner of a 2002 ford mustang gt. I purchased the car back in 2002 and just a week ago i had one of the spark plugs blow out and damaged all the thread.after having this happen to me i did some reaserch and found out that this is somethign normal for fords. is there anything that can be done?

Tony of Boise ID (04/30/08)
i just had the second spark plug blow out in under a year. i think i put about 15,000 miles on it before this one went out. it was the same spark plug that went out, i think ford should be responsible for this, not me. is there anything i can do to have ford take care of this, this is a problem with millions of ford pickups.

David of Leominster MA (04/30/08)
Had #3 spark plug blow out of the engine @ 106,000 miles.....now 4 mos later and 6,000 miles more # 6 blows out.......WHY WONT FORD DO ANYTHING

Andrew of Oconomowoc WI (04/29/08)
My 2003 f-150 blew plug number 4.. I started hearing a slight ticking and one week later 200 miles the plug blew taking out the coil and threads.. 450$ fix plus 250 for all new plugs. I replaiced all plugs for a sceond time (first plug change at 60K)truck now has 96000 miles new plugs and a steel insert.

Matt of Oklahoma City OK (04/29/08)
In my 2002 F150 4.6L, the spark plug from cylinder 3 blew out. Several days before I heard a ticking noise (if you've ever had a loose spark plug wire, the sound it makes as it is arcing across the block). I tried to investigate this, but every time I opened the hood, the noise seemed to disappear. (I also have a Flowmaster exhaust and couldn't hear it outside the cab.) So I thought nothing of it, as I had been under a little bit of stress and thought my ears were playing tricks on me. What I think caused this was the coil broke, specifically the piece that the small bolt goes through to hold it to the valve cover. This piece breaking caused the coil pack to come loose from the spark plug. The washboard highway that I drive on, I-40 just east of Oklahoma City, and the arcing of the coil inside the spark plug chamber, caused the spark plug to start to back itself out, and when holding on by the last few threads and the pressure from the motor caused the plug to shoot out and strip the threading on the head. I had aftermarket plugs in the truck and Ford swears this could be caused by improperly installing the plugs. To a point they are correct, if the installer overtightened the coil pack it could have caused to to break. I took my truck to a machine shop that my Ford service center recommended. They gave me an estimate of $500 and sounded confident that they could get to it without having to remove the head from the block, which would cost much more in labor and a little more for parts.

Rob of Colorado Springs CO (04/26/08)
My 2000 Ford Excursion apparently blew out a plug 350 miles from home. Limped back, but after reading all these identical incidents I'm wondering exactly 2 things: how much will this repair cost, and how soon will it happen again? I'm afraid that the answers will exceed my worst fears. Goodbye forever, Ford.

Justin of Running Springs CA (04/23/08)
I have a 2002 Ford Expedition 5.4 V8 Eddie Bauer edition. In 2006 the spark plug flew out for the first time towed it to a repair shop cost of repair 250.00. In 2008 same spark plug flew out again on my fiancee and four kids. Garage charged me 300.00 ran for two months same spark plug blew again. In both incidents the person that did the repairs would grant me any warranty, and stated this is very common. On April 16th the same spark plug blew again once again with my fiancee and four kids in the truck. Was towed to ford informed me it was going to be 466.00 to repair which I did once again no warranty or guarantee. Redlands Ford service dept. called me the next day saying the problem was fixed but while they were checking to see if the truck was running right, another spark plug blew out from the bottom they now want 1500.00 to fix that one. Once again no gaurantee it will resolve the problem.

Samantha of Kingston TN (04/22/08)
I was driving my 2000 Tritan V8 Ford Expidetion home from class and it spit the 3rd cylinder spark plug out and stripped the hole. After researching I found out Ford has this problem with a lot of these vehicles. lthough they deny it's a problem.

Randall of Hilliard OH (04/22/08)
1999 F150, 108,000 miles, bought it 6 months ago and today a sparkplug blew out and ruined numerous other items. Plus it happen ed on the freeway. It is at the dealer and I am being told $4000.00.... I only paid 9000.00 for the truck now I hear and read that Ford knows it is an issue. just stinks

Wesley of Pasadena TX (04/22/08)
I was driving on hwy 59 south to home when a spark plug blew out of my 2003 f-250 with 5.4 motor. Number 3 passenger spark plug blew out, Truck only has 53000 miles on it. Truck was towed to dealership and they acted like they never heard of such but that they had a kit to fix it. Cost to fix was 454.36, then the told me no warranty on the fix. Plus tow bill of 149.00

Sean of Anchorage AK (04/21/08)
Another for engine that spits out spark plugs

James of Elgin IL (04/21/08)
My 1999 Ford Expedition with a Titan 5.4L engine experienced Spark Plug Blow Out. Cost me $530.00 to repair the threads and ignition coil...Ford refused to discuss restitution...Engine has 105k miles on it as it was replaced at 46K.

Jim of Newark OH (04/21/08)
Well guess what, after 2 months later that number 7 spark plug blew out now number 6 has done the same thing. Cant be that I didnt install the plugs correctly the Ford dealer did it. They just said sometimes they do that and smiled and took another $600.00 to fix it. What a rip. Im shopping for a Tundra today.

Kaz of Placentia CA (04/16/08)
While driving my 1997 Ford Expedition (with 5.4Liter Triton engine) from work to McDonals to buy lunch, I heard a loud popping sound from my engine. After pulling over and starting the car and listening for the source, I noticed the #1 spark plug had blown out of the engine. Also the coil pack was missing. I had my SUV towed home and have not driven it since due to the cost to repair. This incident occured on November 2007.

Donald of `leesburg VA (04/14/08)
I have just found out that ford had this issue with blowing spark plugs out of an engine. This is a major design defect in the ford head. I am still waiting to see if Ford is going to cover this repair.

David of Morgan City LA (04/12/08)
i have a 2004 f-150 lariat super cab. the truck was missfiring on one cilynder at 51,000 miles and at 59,000, three cylinders where missfiring and i was told by the ford dealership that i needed new plugs.. so i put it in the shop to get thim changed. well it took 19 days before i got my truck back. the dealerships machanic broke the plugs in the head and they told me that i would have to pay for the extra parts. gakets for the heads glue ext. and for the extra man hours.. well that was $2775.00. i allmost passed out. well the day i got to pick up my truck it fibrates and i get on the hyway and make it across town and the water pump shaft breaks and the clutch on the cooling fan broke.. they never got the timing right because the truck vibrats when it idles now.. but they changed the water pumd and clutch.. wich they payed for and i had to go back again because the header hose came off and leaked all the atifreeze out again.. well this all hapen in a 23 day period.. that was outrages price and i felt ripped off. just to change spark plugs .. no way will i buy a ford again unless that it changed..

Peter of Marina Del Rey CA (04/12/08)
My 2003 Ford F-150 had the #3 sparkplug blow out this week. Uopn doing some research online, I figure out that it's a very widespread problem, and Ford isn't willing to do anything about it.

Richard of Freeland MD (04/12/08)
2002 Ford Expedition Engine - A factory installed spark plug blew out of my engine resulting in a $900 repair charge. Repair man says he sees several per week - yet no recall has been issued by Ford.

Joann of Cheshire CT (04/09/08)
I have been the proud owner of a 1999 F-150 for several years. I am the support vehicle for honor missions with the Patriot Guard. We escort the bodies of our fallen heros/soldiers to their final resting place. Recently I had an issue with it spitting a spark plug out. After doing some research and finding that this has been an ongoing issue with the 5.4L motor for over 10 years I am VERY concerned. I am now very concerned with the possibilty of this happening during a funeral precession. If this were to happen during a funeral it would not make good press for Ford. I have been told that this defect is not even covered under the extended service warranty. It has been recommended to me that I get rid of this vehicle ASAP before it blows another plug.

Karen of Waterbury CT (04/09/08)
1998 Lincoln Continental serviced on 04-02-07 at which time new spark plugs were installed. I bought the car 0n 11-01-07 with all the service paperwork including their guarantee on their service.

In January 2008, vehicle was diagnosed as needing a new head because one of the spark plugs was not tightened and finally blew out of the head causing much damage to the head. Boden Automotive diagnosed this problem. I called Shaker's because they did the work and they told me what had to be done but not to bring it back to them. I had Boden fix it for $2,700 and brought the bill to Shaker. They said they could do nothing for me.

Brad of Billings MT (04/08/08)
I own a 1997 Expedition. While traveling cross country taking my family and a family friend to Denver to attend a major league baseball game my 5.4 Triton motor blew a spark plug out of the #6 cylinder. We were within 30 minutes of our hotel at 2:30 in the morning. Longmont Ford in Longmont CO did a great job with a heli insert repair. The tow truck took me to the dealership after dropping my family off at a near by hotel. I slept in the truck with cold feet so I could get into the service dept first thing in the morning. The dealership service dept. did a great job. I was back in my truck and picking up my family by 11:30am. We were able to continue to the MLB game for all of my little league kids that were with us(3)plus a Babe Ruth player. This whole experiance has made this 35 year plus Ford fan very gun shy about the Ford product lines. I question the cowel over engine design of the suv's and f-series trucks. It seems to drive up the labor aspect of any engine repair. Lucky for me the #6 cyclinder was easy enough for the Tech to get access to. The original estimate for this repair was 900.00 and came in just under 750.00. I feel fine about the repair itself as I drove back to home 556 miles with no further problems. However I am now quite worried about the remaining 7 cyclinders. If I were to replace them all I could buy a crate motor for almost the same money. I own a 1950 f-5, a 1977 F250, a 1994 Ranger pickup in addition to the Expedition. My step dad has owned a 1974 F250, 1987 F350, 1993 F350, 1996 F 350 and of late a 2000 F350. With the exception of the 2000 F350 of my step dads and my Expedition we have not had any problems that we felt were a Ford issue. Our Ford family has now been burned twice. The issue with the 2000 F 350 was the cam position sensor that the Ford service depts could not find the problem with as it was an intermitten problem. That truck just went in for the recall two weeks ago after my step dad spent about $2500 and 18 months of no answers. Now a simular problem seems to be developing with our expedition. I can honestly say for the first time ever that my next suv might be a Chevy. This is in the middle of pursuing an upgrade to an Excursion.

Brian of Los Angeles CA (04/07/08)
I have a 2002 F-150 Supercrew V8 5.4 Liter engine that has a blown out two spark plugs from there place. I am writing to you in respnse to the literature i have read on the internet concerning this problem.

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Thomas of Denver CO (04/07/08)
#3 spark plug blew out on my 1999 F-150. To fix the problem and replace the other plugs, boots and coils cost me $950.00. The dealer wasn't appolegetic, and said the problem was just normal wear and tear on the vehicle.

Kevin of Foster VA (04/07/08)
I have a 2001 used ford expedition that has blown a spark plug..took it to a shop had it fixed on march 26th 12 days later another if not the same spark plug blew...i have read alot of complaints and all these people are spending money that they dont have to repair this problem, when it should be ford doing a recall to fix this problem..Thank You

Alexander of Indianapolsi IN (04/07/08)
Spark plug in # 4 cylinder blew out in december 07 --- had it fixed, now in march, another plug blew out. I will never ever buy a Ford again. Period. I loved Ford trucks, but this is foolish and is costing me a lot of money. My truck JUST hit 109,000 and its a 1999 expedition. Very well taken care of.

Bryan of Aiken SC (04/04/08)
My 2003 5.4L Ford Expedition blew out spark plug #3. The vehicle has 52,000 miles. When I started up, the Expedition made a awful thumping sound. A few hours searching on the internet and an inspection of the engine revealed spark plug #3 as the culprit. I can also see from the internet that this is a rather common problem that is going to run me about $3,000.

Darress of Lindon UT (04/04/08)
2001 Ford F150 7700 series, #3 spark plug on verge of blowing (129k miles). I got lucky this time because I was changing the plugs/coils as part of routine (overlooked by previous owner) maintenance. The #3 plug was very loose and coil boot discolored from leaking compression/gas. I feel that I was about to suffer from the common spark plug ejection prevalent with this family of engines. I'll have to keep my eyes on this issue. I do believe that the coils and plugs I changed were original, and long overdue for service, so at least the problem wasn't in a low mileage vehicle in this case.

Matthew of 7912 36th St. Se MI (04/04/08)
I own a 2002 Ford F150 Super Crew with a little over 125,000 miles on it. I've had no problems with it until now, and I'm blowing out a plug. I find out that this has been a known problem for a long time. No more Fords for me. Toyota here I come.

Eugene of New London WI (04/04/08)
Truck blew out #3 spark plug and after reading your web site this is apparently a HUGE problem with ford vehicles.

Jack of Claremore NC (04/04/08)
About Sept. of 07 my 99 Ford F-150 blew the #2 spark plug out of the head. After checking around I ended up at the local Ford dealership where they drilled the hole and placed an insert in it to hold the spark plug. In March of 08 it blew the #3 spark plug out of the head.

Glen of Findlay OH (04/03/08)
I own a Ford F150. I have repalced the coil and spark plug in my truck at least five times and guess what it just blew again. I have written Ford and tried to get them to respond. I see from the consumer affairs website, there are many of us with the same problem. WEhat can I do?

Jim of Stamford CT (04/03/08)
I have a 2002 f150 supercrew with only 68,000 miles and the number # 4 spark plug has blown out twice. The first time it was fixed with a kit and it blew out 2 weeks later. I have owned nothing but ford trucks for the last 12 years but after this I will not buy another one.

Don of Hannibal NY (04/02/08)
i own a 1999 ford f-250 superduty with 111,000 miles on it and it blew a spark plug out of it, i have read ford know's and has known forever of this problem, what i want to know what is being done to make ford correct this major mistake.

Doug of Greenwood AR (03/31/08)
#6 Spark plug on 2001 F-150 blew out of the cylinder head. destroyed the ignition coil. I have heard that this is a common problem with Ford Pickups.

Rob of Valparaiso IN (03/31/08)
My 2001 Ford F-150 pickup 5.4 liter blew a sparkplug . The Dealer said it would cost around $2500 to fix .

Patricia of Clarkton NC (03/31/08)
spit out spark plug 2001 f-150

Brian of Vineland NJ (03/31/08)
I have to say, after reading some many complaints im truly sick to my stomach also. I have a 2003 Ford Expedition, and guess what, #6 plug blew on me today 03/31/2008. I just happened so not sure what costs are gonna be, but your stories a really scaring my. I also only bought my truck used several months ago and still owe on it. If anybody comes up with options for us all to be reimbursed please let us all know. Thank You

Ryan of San Diego CA (03/30/08)
Add me to the list of Blown out spark plugs on the Ford F 150. My 2001 Supercrew has blown out 2 spark plugs and had a cylinder misfire on cylinder #8. I will never buy another ford again. Im going to buy a Toyota next year. Im thorugh with Ford. They told my I had to pay almost 4 grand to get the problem fixed. Ford needs to issue a recall. Im waiting for a class action lawsuit to be filed

Veronika of La Porte TX (03/28/08)
I have a 2002 Ford Focus and I have had numerous troubles with the ignition not activating. WTF? I have been stranded due to this problem many times. This had not only caused problems with me but my husband has had to drive out every time to assist me when my car does this (which is on a daily bases practically) I thought that it was just me but after reading this website it appears that it is an epidemic.

Lisa of South Setauket NY (03/28/08)
I have a 2000 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer with a 5.4 liter engine. Last week, I heard a horrible noise, the truck shook violently and I could smell unburned gas. The spark plug and coil were no longer in place. The truck was repaired and I picked it up on Tuesday. On Wednesday -- THE VERY NEXT DAY - I heard a pop on my way home and the all-to-familiar shaking/gas smell. Same plug and coil. Broken again. The mechanic said he'd never seen anything like this. Then I did a computer search and cannot believe that thousands of consumers with the same engine have the same complaint. How could this not be a recall from Ford?

Todd of Milford DE (03/28/08)
Ford 1999 E-350 V-10 spit out a plug wile heading to a job

Gordon of East Barre VT (03/26/08)
my 1999 ford f-250 has blown 2 sparks plugs out of the motor and now i have had the motor changed @ my expensse $3256.00 and when i asked the dealer if there was going to be a recall they said that ford would go out of bussiness if they did a recall of that caliber

Sieben of Chilliwack, Canada (03/25/08)
# 3 cylinders sparkplug in my 2003 Ford F-350 blew out of engine for no particular reason causing extensive engine damage. Many thousands of people have had the same complaint documented on the internet and is a well known problem with these and other aluminum cylinder head engines produced and built by Ford. Ford dealers acknowledge the problem and have performed many repairs on these engines that can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars in repairs.

Alex of Invernes, Canada (03/25/08)
Also had a spit out spark plug on a 2004 ford escape. Unfortunately it didn't burn. Are there any class action suits regarding the matter?

Roland of Panama City FL (03/25/08)
When learning about the nightmares that consumers are experiencing with their 5.4L Ford engines. I became concerned, contacted Ford via E mail. Reply was typical; we are not aware of any problems with the product.  My local Ford dealer tells me different; they are averaging 3-4 vehicles per week with the blown or broken spark plug issue. Realizing that Ford is not willing to assist with this matter; I traded my 04 Lincoln Navigator and a 04 F150 Lariat for two GM vehicles. We were not ready to trade out of our vehicles but just lost confidence in the Ford product.

John of Berne NY (03/24/08)
One spark plug blew out of the enigne. I have a 2002 F150 Supercrew with the 5.4 liter with 90k miles. This is the 1st time it has happened. I'm concerned that this can happen again.

William of Shakopee MN (03/24/08)
my leased 2005 ford f-150 stx started shaking and lost power when trying to accelerate, and would shake more when decreasing speed on 11/26/07 on my way home from work. my check engine light came on and would blink or flash rapidly when accelerating. mileage was at 49,061. on 11/27/07 i brought my leased truck into apple ford of shakopee because it is 2 miles down the road from where i live at even though it isn't the dealership that i leased from because my owner manual said to take it in as soon as possible to the nearest dealership to diagnose the problem. this truck ran when i brought into this dealership, rough but it ran. John Rock their service rep. told me that a diagnostic test will need to be done first at 120.00 dollars. He said before this was done that it sounds like their is a coil damaged. They ran their computer test and  came back into the waiting area and told me they found 2 coils that would have to be replaced, the #3 and the #8 cylinder coils were bad and not working and that they would have to be replaced at the cost of 220.00 per coil.

Hilaire of Parma OH (03/23/08)
I own a 2000 E250 Cargo van with a 5.4 Triton engine that the spark plug blew out (#6)plug. Vehicle has 119,00 miles I need to buy a new motor because of damage to head. Since this seems to be a common problem for many years,I would also like to be on the list for a recall or class action suit. very disgruntful consumer, They say I need a new engine,$5000.00 cost /with a Ford dealer .I use the truck for my small business. This is really a disappointment,I have been telling anyone I know with a Ford Triton egine to sell before they have to change plugs.

John of Dewitt IA (03/22/08)
Our 2002 Ford F250 V-10 blew a sparkplug in Tennessee last year coming home from vacation. We ended up spending 3 days in our camper in a Ford dealership while they replaced the head of the engine. The mechanic at the dealership had a V-8 in the other bay and was replacing both heads on it. He said it was a very common problem. Two weeks ago we were visiting our daughter in New Orleans and blew a second sparkplug out the other side of the engine.

Ken of Alden NY (03/22/08)
I own a 2000 Ford F150 p/u with a 4.6 V/8.While moving cars in my driveway I heard a load noise.Long storey short the #8 spark plug shot out of the head and broke the coil mounting tab.I attempted to reinstall the spark plug but found that the treads are stripped in the aluminum head,a common problem I see when I looked online.The truck does have high mileage but I have never seen this before in my 35 of owning cars and trucks.

Stuart of Newark OH (03/22/08)
Hi this is Stuart again. When I called my local ford dealer about my shot spark plug that wouldn't re thread. They said that it happens all the time and that they have a kit to fix. They quoted me $500 to fix it. When I asked how much the kit was to buy so I could fix it my self they said that it was for the shop only. They said I could call a local parts dealer Because they probably could get it. When I asked the parts dealer how much it was they said $700. And said that I probably shouldn't do it my self. They gave me numbers to shops that said do it all the time.

Jim of Newark OH (03/21/08)
2001 Ford F150 Spark plug blowout. We were 60 miles away from home when #7 spark plug blew out of the head also breaking the coil pack. We had to be towed home and was charged over $600.00 at the local Ford dealer to repair it. These engines should be repaired by Ford. This is a major flaw in the design.

.

Dean of St. Charles MO (03/20/08)
I own a 98 Ford E250 van which I use for work. It has 92000 miles and has always been well maintained. Very dependable until now. While driving to a job on a major interstate, there was a bang, followed by several repeated loud noises. My intial thought was, that a tire was coming apart. Being in the center lane, I was unable to move over because of a tractor trailer on my right. Do to the sudden loss of power as well as traveling up an incline, all I could do was decelerate, waiting for the truck to pass, cutting in behind him and then taking the shoulder. Fortunately, This was able to be done without a mishap as morning traffic was extremely heavy. We limped off the highway at that exit and took a better look at the situation. The friend riding with me realized it was not a tire and removed the engine cover and had me restart the engine. That is when we were able to realize that a spark plug had blown out with the threads from the head and broke the coil pack as well. In a van, due to the plug location, this appears to be a near impossible fix without removing the motor After calling several different mechanically inclined individuals, including the Ford dealership in St. Charles, Mo., The only persons who seemed surprised at my situation was the Ford Dealership. Everyone else was very aware of The Ford Plug Issue. It was common knowledge to all but Ford. My problem just happened yesterday, 3/18/08, so it is not resolved as of yet. How it is handled will definately impact any future vehicle purchases.

Chris of Bayville NJ (03/20/08)
On 3-16-08 my 2002 F250 threw the #3 plug at about 15 miles an hour. My truck only had 55k miles on it and of course my ext warranty expired 3 weeks earlier. Ford wouldnt honor the warranty but offered to cut the price in half to replace the head, still $2000. Luckily I work with an experienced mechanic that was able to install a Helicoil kit. He saved me a ton and also found that #6 & #7 plugs were loose. The plugs were original and never touched by anyone but the factory. Maybe in addition to lack of threads in the head they were not torqued properly. I have always had a Ford truck since my 1979 F100, now I don't know anymore......

Brian of Magnolia TX (03/18/08)
My truck blew spark plug #3 (2003 F250 5.4L motor). Spoke to a Ford service manager about repairing it and questioned the integrity of the design. Ford says that it isn't a design problem and that I would have to pay for the repairs in the tune of $3400 or more to get the cylinder head replaced.

Michael of Cairo GA (03/18/08)
My 1999 Ford F250 with the 5.4L V8 triton engine blew one of the spark plugs out of the cylinder head.

It's going to cost at least $2000.00 for repair of a design flaw that Ford should have corrected.

Stuart of Newark OH (03/16/08)
On my 2003 Ford F150 I spit four spark plugs. One was the number one cylinder after a tune up. Another was shortly after that on the drivers side again. then when i was driving north bound on Ohio 37 the number 3 blow. Had the truck towed home and repaired it. then two weeks ago it blow the number 3 again. This time it didn't destroy the coil pack, so I just re thread the spark plug back in. But today I was driving on the back roads from Newark OH to Heath Oh. When the Number 3 blew again. When I opened my hood the bottom half of the coil and spark plug were laying on my valve cover. Had to have the truck towed home again, because spark plug would not re thread.

Bill of Dallas TX (03/16/08)
Have had nothing but problems with ford they are so ready to sell you something but when it doesnt work right they are so quick to turn you away or make it worse. Everytime I take my 03 f150 supercrew in to service it comes out with damage it never has had before going in. It is blamed on the kids that are in high school that they have working with them. Its weird no one is supervising these kids working on these cars. I have had an issue with my interior lights staying on which seems to be an issue with lots of fords you can see them blogged all over the internet. Now I have an issue with the #7 spark plug or boot which has been changed but still having issues with. Seems to be a big issue with fords which ford doesnt want to step up and take care of their customers. Thats their problem no customer service except for the sales lot. I never wanted to hear my mouth say this but I think im going to end up a chevy or dodge fan.

Terri of Licking MO (03/15/08)
Add me to the amazing list of F150 trucks with blown spark plugs! 2001 F150 SuperCrew threw a plug at 20 miles per hour 2 days ago.

Robert of Hanford CA (03/14/08)
My 2002 Ford F-150 Super-Crew 4x4 blew out the #7 spark plug at 91,000 miles. I had the plugs changed at 88,000 miles to alliveate any potential coil failure from a plug failure as Ford recommends this procedure at 100,000 miles. I have did all the services, changeing the oil every 3,000 miles, flushing the various systems as recommended etc.The local dealer, Valley Ford in Hanford,Ca. wants $3200 to fix the problem with the Ford recommended insert. No gaurenties that it won't happen again.I am retired and my wife and I are now afraid to travel in this vehicle as it may strand us in the middle of nowhere. I have seen a service flyer that Ford sent to it's Dealerships on the problem, but they deny any problem at their web-site and the two (2) e-mails that I sent to Customer Service have been ignored. I believe it is time for a Class Action suit by the Federal Government similar to the General Motors gas tank suit. They refuse to take resposibility for this even though they know it is a problem.Their should be a lifetime warranty for blown plugs or they will continue to maufacture defective products.

Randall of Mill Creek WA (03/12/08)
We were on a trip home from snowmobiling when our Ford F150 broke down. We heard a loud noise and then it started running like a freight train, we were miles away from the closest town. We had to call a tow truck to tow us into Wenatchee, Wa to then find out that we had blown a spark plug, #7 plug and it was going to cost us $700.00 to repair the problem and then they couldn't guarantee that it wouldn't happen again. Come to find out this is a common problem with Fords. $1,200.00 later between repairs, towing and a motel room over night as it happened on a sunday we were on our way home and not convinced that it wouldn't happen again. This should be a recall, Ford should be responsible!!!!!

Gary of North Hills PA (03/11/08)
My Ford F150 ejected 2 Spark plugs 1 was repairable #3 cylinder #4 cylinder was not repairable this happened in 1 month $67.00 for the 1st tow $187.00 for the 2nd tow Plus $200.00 for a car rental.

David of Murray UT (03/11/08)
My 5.4L V8 just spit out one of it's spark plugs this week. I spent $829.52 getting the problem fixed. I really feel that this is an issue that should be dealt with by FORD.

Darren of La Fargeville NY (03/11/08)
I was driving one morning and the spark plug blew out of my 2001 F150 with a 4.6L in it.

Stacey of Watsonville CA (03/10/08)
My spark plug blew out in my 2003 Ford Expedition.

Gary of Williamsburg OH (03/09/08)
spark plug blew out.threads in the head are bad now.

Gene of Carthage MO (03/08/08)
My F-150 blew out the spark plug while we were driving it. I have now come to find out that this seems to be a major problem on most of the v-8 Ford engines and that Ford does not want to do anything to fix the problem. If this is not just an isolated problem and seems to be an epidemic why is Ford not fixing their mistakes on these engines. The repairs are in the range of $2,500 to 3,500 and that seems to be something that Ford should have to cover. Why is no one doing anything about this and Why is Ford getting away with this? This should be a factory recall seeing that there are so many people having the same problem. Are we waiting for someone to get killed by the problem first??? Is that when it gets looked into? If that is the case and it should not be, then we have problems if that is what it takes to take care of a problem that should have been taken care of a long time ago. When this happened to us we just about had a severe wreck due to the spark plug blowing out and causing the truck to lose power on a major highway. Not to mention the shock of the noise it started making. Maybe Ford should think about what would happen when someone does die do to the faulty engines that they had produce for their customers.

Robert of Yacolt WA (03/08/08)
Same problem thousands of other Ford owners are having. The spark plugs are blowing out of the heads.

Greg of Chicago IL (03/06/08)
last week as i drove along at about 25 miles per hour, i heard the now popular popping noise in ey engine compartment. i have a 2002 ford excursion with 31,000 miles on it. as always, ford will do nothing about it, nor will the extended warranty company. they say it is a spark plug issue not a head failure. my question is this, we all here own fords, if ford says the problem doesn't warrant a recall and the problem isn't the head but instead the problem is the spark plug, well we all have motorcraft platinum plugs with a 100,000 mile time change period. so lets blame the motorcraft plug for the problem, who owns motorcraft? if you answered ford, you are correct. so why isn't ford repairing the heads thru the spark plug 100,000 mile warranty. just a thought, thanks for reading...

Kathleen of Lenoir NC (03/06/08)
I own a 2000 Ford Excursion V10. For the 4th time in 2 years, I am having a spark plug issue. The first three times they just blew out (found one just laying on a surface under the hood). My 15 year old son was learning to drive when it happened one of the times. Two other times they blew out as I was driving up a hill. The repairs were made with helicoils. Very costly. The last time was on our way to a soccer game 75 miles away from home. The plug never actually blew out that I know of but I recognized the behavior of the vehicle from before. We were on an interstate going 70 mph with a bunch of 16 year old soccer players in the back when it lost power and began to shake. We made it to a Ford Service center where I was told they made the necessary repairs, which included the helicoil, again. However, this time it didn't work and needs a new motor to the tune of $7000.00, which include a discount of the work that was done that didn't work!!!! I called Ford and they said there wasn't anything they could do. We can't afford this costly repair so I'm going to fight it. Wish me luck.

Ohan of New Haven CT (03/04/08)
I have 2 Ford Crown Victoria cars. One is a 1999 and the other is a 2000. Both experienced a problem with spark plugs blowing out. Both cars have a 4.6L V8 modular engine. First time it happened on the 2000 Crown Vic I was in Rhode Island, it was night time and I got a fellow to give me a ride to a local autozone where I had to buy a replacement ignition coil and spark plug (each park plug has an ignition coil that sits above it). I worked on the vehicle in the middle of the night and was able to get home safely. The next time it happened was with the car my daughter drives - the 1999 Crown Vic. She broke down on the highway and had to be towed home. I was covered for the cost of the towing, but again I had to go to autozone and purchase an ignition coil and replacement spark plug. I was able to effect repairs and all was good. Last week, the 2000 Crown Vic that I drive had another spark plug blow out - this time on a different cylinder. I went on ebay to buy 2 ignition coils, at a more reasonable cost than autozone, and will buy a replacement spark plug locally to repair the problem this coming weekend. I am scared of everything I have read so far because when I start working on the spark plug issue this comming weekend I hope I will be able to screw the spark plug in and that the threads will not be stripped. I called the service department manager at my local ford dealership and inquired about this spark plug blow-out isue and he suggested that I set my torq wrench to the 14ft/lb setting as the recommended is between 12-14. I will now set my torq wrench to 14ft/lb setting and re-tighten all of the spark plugs not just the one that blew-out. I don't know what I will be up against this weekend though.

Mark of Winchester VA (03/04/08)
Just like everyone else, the back passenger side spark plug blew on my '01 F150. Will cost $3,000+ to fix. No help from Ford.

Brian of Farmington NY (03/02/08)
The plug on my 1997 Ford Expedition blew out and I have learned that Ford has huge problems with this type of thing happening.

Dan of Springboro OH (03/01/08)
Spark Plug Blowout I have a 2001 Ford F150 Lariat 4X4 with 97,000 miles. A spark plug (#3) blew out today damaging the threads in the head. This appears to be a design issue AND a safety issue. I have read where some authorities do not feel that this is a safety issue so let's put this in perspective. You are traveling down a congested highway at 65 MPH and all of sudden a spark plug blows causing your vehicle to UNEXPECTEDLY suddenly lose speed. Does this not create a very unsafe situation? Come on Ford, step up and accept financial responsibility. It appears that you may lose many customers over this issue.

Brian of Circle Pines MN (03/01/08)
about 2 years ago my 01 f150 with the 5.4 spit a plug ,#2, knowing how to work on cars I helicoiled it myself . later #3 spit out not taking the threads I reinserted it and checked all the rest. then #1 spit out ,I helicoiled it then #3 came out again and had to be helicoiled. On feb 18 (cold minnesota winters) I had my family(girlfriend and our four kids) with going to a hotel and indoor waterpark #3 spit out again this time getting lodged so I cant get it out withiout removing te head. I still owe about $12000 on this thing and dont want it anymore. Iam thinking diesel and not FORD and I have been a ford guy for 15 years.

Brian of Circle Pines MN (03/01/08)
2 years ago I had the number 2 sparkplug blow out of the head of my 01 f150. having worked in the auto industry for almost 15 years I bought the helicoil kit from napa and repaired it myself.A couple of months later #3 came out but did not take the threads so I screwed it back in and checked all the plugs for tightness. Then #1 blew out and I repaired it, and wouldnt you know #3 blew out again and took the threads so I helicoiled it this time. About a year and a few months went by and on the way with my family(girlfriend and our 4 kids) on a cold minnesota winterday to a vacation what do you know #3 went out again and now I cant get it all the way out to repair it without removing the head. I still owe 12000 dallars on this thing and being a ford guy for 15 years I dont even want this thing anymore. I am thinking diesel (no spark plugs and biodiesel fuel) from now on and probable not FORD :(

Paul of Weymouth MA (03/01/08)
I was driving on a side street at 20 mph when a popping sound rather loud started under the bonnet( 1999 E-250 triton 5.4 liter eng.) I called and was told by my local mech. that it was very common, and the spark plug blew out of the head. I was astonnished that Ford has done NOTHING for any any vechicle owners. They play out like I did something wrong, and it is a spark plug and maint. issue. NOT TRUE- I had the service of having a new coil and plug installed, $700.00 and 2 weeks later--SAME issue now a head is needed to make van drivable. Was quoted a ballpark of $5,00.00 to $6,500.00 as you may assume...WAY TO MUCH for a planter. As we speak the field mice are enjoying the confines of my work van I wish I could charge rent to recoup some expenses. Let me know of class action suit I have owned this van from day 1, and have regular maint. Ford is a disgrace, and the people they employ must have GESTAPO training- very nasty people. Never will own another Ford product.

Ted of Chesterfield MI (02/29/08)
I have had 3 spark plugs that have blown out of our 2000 Ford V-10 Super Duty In the last month. Our local Ford dealer said they have never heard of this. I see all the complaints under consumer affairs and filed an action with Office of Defects & Recalls. Built Ford Tough.... I don't think so!

James of Tustin CA (02/28/08)
WE own a 2003 Infinity Class A 32' motorhome with a Ford Chassis and V10 Triton engine. The engine has 29080 miles on it at the time of the blown spark plug incident that left us disabled on the shoulder of AZ Hwy 95 between Quartsite and Parker, AZ. WE had to have the motorhome trucked to service aboard an 18 wheel flatbed.

Christine of Adelanto CA (02/27/08)
traveling down the 14 freeway palmdale heard a loud noise all the sudden no compression or power had the truck towed home #10 spark plug blew out the engine,,cant believe Ford will not take the blame for this problem my truck is a 1999 ford f250 triton v10 just bought it 5 months ago still paying over 10,000 for it so now worth it....

John of Temecula CA (02/27/08)
Ford Engines - Spark Plug Defect It's been about a month now since David and Ric from blownoutsparkplug.com repaired my truck, an '02 F250 V10 4X4. So far, so good! I have to say, I was very impressed with the service I received. Name me one industry, in this day and age, that will make a house call and fix your vehicle at your home, not to mention arriving at 9:30 pm on a Friday night. These guys were traveling to the Midwest during the holidays. As they began their trip, they called and said they would be passing through the area and could stop and make the repair. Traffic was heavy on the Friday before Christmas and they finally arrived at my place at 9:30pm. It was a chilly evening, low 40's. They set up a table, lights and laid out all their tools and materials. It reminded me of operating room, very professional, except remember, doctors don't make house calls. Anyway, in just under two and a half hours, they buttoned it up just before midnight. The trucks been running since. We took it out to the desert a couple weekends later to test the repair. Pushed the truck pretty hard with no issues. So, I would definitely recommend this service. If anyone would like to follow-up with additional questions, feel free to email me.

Adolfo of Manteca CA (02/26/08)
Iam a 34 year old Disable man that use to transport my family in a 2002 Ford Expedition that we purchaced from a From a Ford Dealer in Santa Clara ca. of the year 2002 It is v8 TriTon 5.4L EngineIt only has 05580.4 Miles on it. now it is just sitting in the garage After a loud explosion under the hood With a Blown Spark plug That I found jumping around on the Manifold

Charles of Anchorage AK (02/25/08)
Spark plugs spitout of my 2002 Ford 5.4L engine.

Dallas of Calumet MI (02/23/08)
Our 2000 Ford Excursion with Triton V-10 Blew a Spark Plug on 12/31/07 Happy New Years Eve to our Family. Now almost 2 Months later (2/21/08)we have blown another spark plug right out of the cylinder. This time there are no threads left in the cylinder for a new plug to thread into. Contacted the local Ford Dealer and they seem to be unsympathetic to the flaw and failure of these engines trying to pass blame to the vehicle owners. Ford Should authorize all dealers to repair at Fords Expense and re-tap all cylinders and replace all plugs and coils as well as supply a loaner vehicle while the repairs are being completed.

Ronald of Knxville TN (02/23/08)
Engine in F-250 blew spark plug, Truck was never under a load when plug blew but was in city highway driving. Ford's reply...out of warranty, we can't help you...estimated cost $3,000. Took the truck to my mechanic that has repaired the last 10 vechiles I have owned (most of which were Ford trucks). He repaired and ran two weeks before blowing same plug, same way. Ford still claims they have no problem nor any responsibilty...another cost $3,000, I have not had second repair done as it appears no one will guarantee it will not happen the third time. I have owned a Ford vechile (continuously) since 1962 and own three today. Never have I had this kind of problem (or cost!). This problem is bad for all Ford owners not just me. Something needs to be done by FORD!

Wayne of Bridgeville PA (02/22/08)
My engine on my Ford F250 has ejected it's spark plug twice in the last week. I have never owned any vehicle that has had such problems. I have a 5.4 L engine, and I am very concerned that any replacement head will just end up having the same problem. Ford Motor Company should be ashamed of themselves for making such a faulty product. I cannot wait to hear what the bill will be to remedy the problem with another quality Ford replacement part.

Richard of Uniontown OH (02/19/08)
We own a 2000 Ford Expedition, Eddie Bauer, with the 5.4 Triton engine. We are meticulous about having the truck taken care of by the dealership where we purchased it. No other mechanic has touched it since we bought it. A week ago, my wife called me up saying the truck made a loud noise and it was running really rough and was noisy. After some investigation, it was easy to see that the sparkplug had blown out of the head. We called up the Ford dealership and asked if this could be fixed and what it would take, the dealership acted as if they had never seen this before and could make no indication of cost. We asked if we could speak to a mechanic, and we were told it was against their insurance policy to have their mechanics talk to customers. After calling around and speaking with some friends, we found out that this was a common problem and would cost us about $3000.00 to fix. We opted not to have the truck towed to Ford as they suggested, and instead we decided to have a friend whos a Honda mechanic take a look at it for us. Needless to say we are very upset. If this is such a common problem, why hasn't Ford done something about it or at least offered to share in the expense of fixing it?

Christine of Santa Clarita CA (02/19/08)
2002 Ford F250 V10 has blown 3 spark plugs in under two months. Ruining the coil each time.

Dale of Greenville SC (02/18/08)
Yet another popcorn spark plug incident. I drive a 1997 Ford E-350 Super Club Wagon (that's a 15 passenger van for my big family) a Triton V-8. Just before Christmas on our way to church, I heard a pop sound and increasingly loud recurring exhaust noise coming from under the engine bonnet. When I checked, sure enough, plug number 3 had blown out taking the coil with it. I went to a local dealer who quoted me $2500 to repair (replace the head). Had to say no thanks and had a sleeve insert done instead by a local mechanic for $500. Working fine since but on pins and needles wondering when our family transportation will bite the dust again. It is patently obvious that this is a manufacturer defect. I would feel badly for Ford in their economic woes if it weren't for their cavalier attitude about raping their customers by refusing to stand behind their poor workmanship.

Michael of Farmington Hills MI (02/18/08)
A spark plug blew out of the engine of my 2000 F250 Superduty 5.4 Engine. I had called Ford and they told me there is nothing they would be willing to do. There was still thread left so the local Ford Dealer told me to put it back in and change the plugs every 40,000 miles. I thought it may have come lose so I took their advice. I put it back in and 6 months later it blew out again with no thread left to reinstall it.

Mark of Nashua NH (02/17/08)
I have a ford f250 superduty with a 5.4L v8 triton engine 2002 it just turned 90000 miles and I never had a major problem with this truck. On 2/15/08 I was driving home from work and about 12mins away from home I heard a thumping sound and my truck started running ruff. Yes, just like every ford owner on this web page my #2 plug was blown out of the head making my FORD TOUGH truck a nic nack in my driveway. I cannot believe that someone or law offices have not taken on ford with this obvious recall problem. Ford states its a spark plug problem not a head problem, PLEASE..a 5th grader can see its a flaw in the head design. I cannot believe FORD will not man up and take responsibility a for a nation wide recall. I knew I should have listen to my father inlaw and bought a DODGE!

R.semingson of Hillsboro OR (02/17/08)
I have a '00 F-350 with the V10 and only 79,413 on it. Last week the #4 spark plug on the driver's side blew out of the head. This truck has been meticulously maintained at a local for dealer since it was new. Called Ford customer service and they act like I'm the first one to have this happen. First they tell me there is nothing that can be done, but while they are busy investigating the problem I was reading my warranty manual. When the rep came back on the line and told me there was nothing that could be done I told him he needed to read a little deeper into his warranty book. I informed him that this could be covered under the 8/80,000 emmisions warranty, because it included spark plugs and anything to do with spark components. Well, as I see it, if the truck has a plug blown out of one of the cylinder holes, I'm thinking emmisions just went to hell in a hand basket! He actually said that, as he saw it, that would be true and to just take it to a dealership and they would take care of it. Well, I took it to Dohery Ford in Forest Grove, Oregon and they said they had never heard of Ford covering this situation under that warranty. He also stated that they had another truck in the shop that was having the same problem repaired and the cost was $650-$700. What a crock! Anyway, he said he'd call Ford and check it out. Two days later he calls me and says that Ford will not cover the necessary parts to fix the problem. Again, what a crock. I can see if a vehicle has 150K+ on it and something like this goes wrong, but with this low of mileage and from what I've been reading many have had much lower mileage, Ford needs to man up and take care of it's customers. Is there a different head that can be put on, because it doesn't make sense to change the head for the same one and potentialy have the same problem again down the line. I bleed Blue and have Ford 8 vehicles. That maybe doesn't sound like much, but considering my wife and I are the only two in the house hold, that's pretty substantial. What can be done about this? What about a Class Action Suit, would that get Ford's attention? I'm not one to be looking for a hand out or something for nothing, but in this case Ford has engineered a product that is faulty and should take care of it before someone gets hurt. Will it take a death to get this point across? I hope not.

Tyrone of San Antonio TX (02/17/08)
spark plug ejecting from cylinder and after buying new one to replace it becomes stripped and can no longer fit in cylinder, there have been numerous complaints on this specific problem, are there any recalls?

John of Norwich CT (02/16/08)
You may add me to the ever increasing list of Ford owners with a blown spark plug. I have a 2002 Crown Victory with the 4.6 fi gasoline engine. 134,000 mi. Yesterday, 2/15,08, just after filling up, driving at approximately 20 mph, my #3 passenger side spark plug blew.

Kenneth of Kenton OH (02/16/08)
i have a 2001 ford expadition with about 85,000 miles and the well known number three spark plug blew out of the cylinder head resulting in a hole in the head. ford told me this is a rare problem witch i read now is a big fat lie! my wife and love our truck but we want it fixed right and ford just wants us to spend 3,400 for the new long block and anouthe 1,100 for labor costs we like probably alot of outher people dont have 5,000dollars lying around.i would just like dealerships and ford to own up to there huge mistake and the flaw with the cylinder head.well needless to say for probably just lost anouther long time faithfull customer we have owned about six fords before this one and never had a problem with them like. thank you for taking the time to read this.

Jack of Lynnwood WA (02/14/08)
I have 2002 Ford F150 Lightning with a 5.4 Triton V-8 that Spit out a spark plug and Ford refuses to addmit a design error and warrenty it. I am going to have to replace the heads at my cost of approx. 4000.00 I am not happy. Seeing how just 5 months ago The Ford Dealer repaired my Truck and that had a defective spark plug and coil. Guess what the one they fixed is the one that Blew out.

Melvin of Central SC (02/13/08)
I own a 2000 Ford F150 truck. I took the truck to a local mechanic for a tune up. One of the plugs had loosened and blown out of the head. Now this simple tune up has more than tripled in cost. It appears that this is a common problem for Ford vehicles with a Triton engine. Why has there not been a recall? I have read numerous reports indicating this is a problem. It appears to me that Ford should have some responsibility since this is a clearly a design flaw. Fords motto Quality is Job One and Built Ford Tough WHAT A JOKE!!

P of Corbin KY (02/13/08)
Ford Engines - Spark Plug Defect call 1-800-392-3673, to complain about the sparkplug defect. i called them and they acted like i was the only person with this problem. so call and make them put it on file,,,you will need your vin number to prove ownership, and lets make ford do whats right and recall their junk....

John of Temecula CA (02/11/08)
Ford Engines - Spark Plug Defect It's been about a month now since David and his brother repaired my truck, an '02 F250 V10 4X4. So far, so good! I have to say, I was very impressed with the service I received. Name me one industry, in this day and age, that will make a house call and fix your vehicle at your home, not to mention arriving at 9:30 pm on a Friday night. These guys were traveling to the Midwest during the holidays. As they began their trip, they called and said they would be passing through the area and could stop and make the repair. Traffic was heavy on the Friday before Christmas and they finally arrived at my place at 9:30pm. It was a chilly evening, low 40's. They set up a table, lights and laid out all their tools and materials. It reminded me of operating room, very professional, except remember, doctors don't make house calls. Anyway, in just under two and a half hours, they buttoned it up just before midnight. The trucks been running since. We took it out to the desert a couple weekends later to test the repair. Pushed the truck pretty hard with no issues. So, I would definitely recommend this service. If anyone would like to follow-up with additional questions, feel free to email me.

Christine of Cape Girardeau MO (02/08/08)
Four days ago my 2002 F150 King Ranch with a 5.4L Triton engine blew the #7 spark plug out of the head. I had it towed to the Honda dealership that usually does my repair work (a family member is the service director there). They said that all they could do was replace the heads and suggested I take it to the Ford dealership because they had a repair kit. I then had it towed (2nd time!) to the Ford dealership. They said they could put a helicoil in but they couldn't warranty it. They also said that they had only ever done the repair on one other vehicle about 3 months ago and that they didn't know of this being a problem. They said that they really hadn't heard of any other cases. This was obviously a lie, since there are hundreds of postings on this website alone about this problem. I only have 2 years left to pay on this truck and the truck only has 84,000 miles on it. I had planned to pay the truck off and keep it indefinitely. After this I am trading the F150 for a Chevy Silverado tomorrow. I have had about 8 Ford trucks and never thought I'd own any other kind. I loved my King Ranch and I'm very angry and disappointe with Ford that I can only keep the truck if I'm willing to pay $4,500 to replace the heads. Ford Motor Company and the Ford Groves dealership in Cape Girardeau Missouri should be ashamed for lying to their customers and not being willing to stand behind their faulty manufacturing.

Scott of Fort Smith AR (02/08/08)
my 2003 ford lighting with 46,000 miles blew out the number three spark plug while sitting at a stop light. the dealer we took it to explained that $1500.00 would fix it. unbeliveable that a $5.00 part can fail and cause this much damage. if it is a maintence failure then they need to write in their manual check plug threads every 30,000 miles or whenever they feel is nessessary. have owned more than 50 automobiles and never had a spark blow out of a head. this is what you truly call a manfacturer defect

Pat of Colorado Springs CO (02/07/08)
I recieved a call from my wife this morning. She heard a pop and then her truck (a 2001 f-150) ran badly. She asked me to come and look. It seems that a plug blew out and broke the coil. I saw the coil broken and tried to put the plug in only to find that it is stripped. I have now seen on the net that it is a problem that ford has with the plugs blowing out. Great! It sounds like $3,000 to get it fixed.

I

Scott of Watertown CT (02/07/08)
I have a 2003 Lincoln Navigator with 5.4L motor that I purchased used with 55000 miles on it. The problem started in June 2007 when it spit a spark plug out of the head shattering the coil pack. I took it to a Lincoln Dealer who wanted to charge me over $4000.00 to repair it after towing it from that dealer to another Lincoln Dealer who offered to Helicoil it for $900.00 which they did but unfortunately my troubles continued because in February 2008 it happen again this time a different plug spit out at a cost of almost $2700.00 After doing a search online I have found that I am not along that this has happen to many other people who own a Ford product.

Brian of Moncton, Canada (02/07/08)
1999 Ford Expedition -Eddie Bauer Edition (only 135,ooo kms)Spark plug defect. My wife & 8 year old daughter were driving home on a cold winter night when she said a loud popping noise was coming from the hood. Thank God for cell phones, I asked her to pull in a parking lot and I drove over where they were & heard the loud noise(sounded like ahole in a manifold). I'm amazed with all the complaints of the known # 3 spark plug defect. After $150 in towing from 1 garage to another (not any garage will do this work), after $500 charge at one garage who wanted 16 more hours to fix problem, mechanic said he had to remove engine to get to the #3 spark plug position & replace the heads. I towed the piece of junk to the Ford dealer.

Thomas of Mashpee MA (02/06/08)
I own a 99 Ford F-250 that blew out a spark plug. I had it fixed many months ago and now the same plug blew out again and is not repairable with out replacing the head which would cost between $2000 and $3000 dollars. Please someone help.

Brad of Lewisville TX (02/05/08)
Well, add me to the list; My 2001 Expedition blew #3 today without any warning in a school zone. Yep that's right I was doing 20 mph!!! This truck has been well-maintained since we bought it new and had required no other non-routine maintenance and certainly has not ever had any engine work done during it's 112k life. Dealership disavows any knowledge of this issue, but was happy to give me a quote for $3200 for head repair. So I call the Ford Customer Care unit and explain the situation. Their answer is it is a maintenance issue and they have no responsibility and cannot offer any recourse.  I'll do the Heli-coil and never look at a Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo or any other FMC product ever again after buying Ford products for over 20 years. God, I should have learned my lesson with the '95 Super Duty tranny issues (a $4700 lesson). What a POS company. Where is the recall and who's starting the class action; I'm in.

Gene of Springfield MO (02/05/08)
V 10 engine. Two spark plugs blew out of the head about a month apart.

Marc of Romeo MI (02/04/08)
In march 2007, the spark plug blew out of my 5.4 liter enigine. I live in michigan and was traveling to Mississippi for work and in Ohio this happened. I took it to a ford dealer in Bowling Green Ohio and they said that they could repair the head with a Helicoil and that the problem was from too few treads in the plug socket on the head. He went on to say that this is not the first time that he had seen this problem and any/all repairs such as this were the same cylinder on the same side of the 5.4 liter engine. The repair worked for 10 monthes and today the same cylinder blew out again. I come from a family that works for Ford's and i am troubled to see all the people that have had the same problem with their engines. Now i am forced to make the repair again, or buy a new head for the engine when the chances of this happening again are very good. All told, this engine has costed me time and a lot of money in lost wages and repairs. Ford should be held reponsible for the defective head design and pay for the repacment of the head for all owners involved, past and future.Even the Ford mechanics' at the dealers' are saying there is a problem although i feel they couldn't say anything without the treat of loosing there jobs. We as comsumers need help and suite should be filed to make them back up the trucks they are selling. If there was never a problem, The why have they discontinued the production of the 5.4 liter engine from there manufacturing and selling of the truck and SUV's that they put them in for so few years.

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Jeff of Old Lyme CT (02/04/08)
third cylinder on passenger side of triton 5.4 engine blew out the spark plug. the truck only has 68,000 miles on it, thus is still considered quite young. the ford approved thread repair was executed and worked for about 100 miles and blew out again, and fixed again. how long will this one last and will it blow out 75 miles from home?

Donald of El Cajon CA (02/02/08)
2-1-2008 2001 f150 4.6 v8 78,000 miles, #3 plug blew out while driving on busy freeway. Will most likely use blownoutsparkplug.com for repair as luck would have it Ric is just 3 blocks from my house. I will also be re-torquing all my plugs every 15,000-30,000 miles.

Don of Barberton OH (01/31/08)
I have a 1999 Ford Expedition, which of course ejected a spark plug (#7) and will cost at least $1,000.00 to repair unless I wish to fix it myself. I was quite surprised to see all the complaints in reference to this issue. I can't believe this has not been recalled.

incident

Cheryl of Chesapeake VA (01/31/08)
I jsut recently learn I have the same problem with my 1999 Ford Expedition everyone else is having.....a blown spark plug.....I was traveling hom from work and all of a sudden heard a loud noise. I immediately stopped. I thought it was one of my belts or timing belt. only to find out I had a blown spark plug that has cause cylinder head damage.

Sue of Kanas City MO (01/29/08)
I just bought 1999 Ford Lariat V8 Triton 5.4 engine this past August -'07. Today I was driving ... slowly down the side street when I heard a noise and the car began to bang in a cyclical manner under the hood. It was immediately undriveable, so had it towed to local Ford Dealer. It was 20 degrees, very cold and luckily I had my cell phone and was not too far from help. Could've been a lot worse.

Dealer said my #6 spark plug blew (threads, etc.) ... destroyed the cylinder head. Said they'd repair for $4,842.04. Said the head alone cost $3,000. I'm thinking of towing it home, parking & buying a cheap car somewhere to get by (not Ford). I understand if fixing this ... somewhere down the road another plug could blow ... and then another. I've been planning a trip ... but, now know this vehicle would not be reliable. It looked so sturdy ... who would've known.

Adan of Berrien Springs MI (01/28/08)
I was on my way back to michigan from Texas in my 2001 ford f150 on the 24th of january 2008, and I stopped at a rest area to take a break. When started my truck up again i had a spark plug blow. I spent the night in memphis and the next morning i took it to west memphis ford service. I had the option of having a new head installed or heil coil it. I didn't have 3000 dollars, so i went with heil coil. I was told the repair was going to get home. I ended up calling my dad to tow me from chicago to my house in michigan. It was 18 degrees and snowing, it was terrible. i called the dealership the following monday, because it was the weekend. They told me that heil coil had no warrenties and that i should have have a new head installed. I called a few local ford dealership and they told that if the job was done right it should last a month or two and not one day. I don't understand why certified ford mechanic offer the heil coil option if it can go bad in anytime. Im really upset with ford, i trusted their brand, now i have to switch. Thanks for your time.

Jamie of Mansfield OH (01/28/08)
Yep another customer scrud by FORD.I have a 2003 Ford superduty fx 4x4 f-250 with the notorious 5.4. First the front enter seal goes out on the front axle,then the exhaust manifold starts to leak. About month later Im on route 10 in pheonix AZ,in rush our traffic then the trany goes out on me.Then you guessed it the #3 plug blow out.And to believ all that really happened in 10 months of buying the truck and yep it had only 38,000 miles on it and know it has only 66,000.I think you can guess what the next truck that Im going too buy CHEVY.

Kelley of Broken Arrow OK (01/28/08)
The spark plug blew out on my 2000 Ford Taurus, knocking out the oil line and stranding me on the side of the road. I want to know if my vehicle was part of the recall in the spark plug incident.

Tim of Syracuse IN (01/28/08)
I have a 1999 F250 5.4 triton V8 with 105,000 miles on it. I had a spark plug blowout of the head with my wife and my 4 and 2 year old daughters in the truck with me. Luckily this happened to us when we were in town at a fairly early hour otherwise we would have froze to death as the wind chills were -20. I now have my doubts about ford and will not purchase another until they resolve the problem. I am not sure how much this is going to cost me but from what i hear it is extreme. and then i run the risk of another blowout.

Joshua of Coralville IA (01/26/08)
I had a spark plug blow out of the engine while driving one day costing me around 150.00 to repair, Repaired myself and 3 days later same thing happens except with another spark plug.

Tom of Grayson GA (01/25/08)
I was reading the consumer complaints about Ford Engine - spark plug defect and had the same problem. I own a 2003 Expedition Edie Bowers 5.4L V8. It had about 85000 miles on it when the plug blew out. It was the #3 spark plug. It started with the engine light on. The OBD code was P0125 which has to do with cooling system and thermostat. A Few days later the plug blew. A month before the plug blew out, the alternator gave out. I also own a 2004 F150 FX Ford truck. It had about 25000 miles on it when the phaser cracked. It was under warranty but Ford refused to cover it because it was my fault. The dealership said I had lost oil and it cracked the phaser. I asked them how I had lost oil, they couldn't give me an explanation. I rarely drive the truck. No oil stains in the garage, no smoke from exhaust pipes, gauges normal ect..I spent about $2000 to get it fix. Exactly one year later,the truck stalled on the road, rough idling and again no oil. A truck with about 31000 miles should not have these problems. I also own a 1999 limited edition Mustang GT. After about 40000 miles it would randomly stall on me while driving which was dangerous. Sometimes it woundn't idle until it got warm. I found out it was the mass air intake valve that was bad. I have always owned new Fords. I would like to support American cars but from what I have experienced within the past 10 yrs and how Ford has treated me. I will NEVER own another Ford car. They don't hold up and they don't honor their warranty. Bad customer service. Don't waste your money on them.

Sandi of Queen Creek AZ (01/25/08)
98 ford expedition spark plug blow out this is unreal..what is it gonna take to wake up FORD..I was stranded down a dark street thought i had blown a engine or that the car was gonna blow up on me very scary as a woman to deal with this alone got ready to run down the street thought it was gonna go up in flames if anyone knows how we can get them to pay for repairs please email me...thanks

Tom of Burlingame CA (01/24/08)
Our 1999 Ford Expedition blew out a sparkplug (#4) on a trip to southern California. Veracom Ford, in Burlingame, CA where I had the vehicle serviced 11/29/07, told me that the tapping noise that recently started was the lifter/guides and that I could still drive the car. They said the noise was annoying but not damaging to the car. On our trip, less than 2 months later, the spark plug blew out. It has been at Perry Ford in San Luis Obispo for a week, and the repair will cost $3,500. I contacted Ford Corporation, and they refuse to warrant the repairs. Our car has 70,000 miles. It is a 5.4 triton engine, and we have maintained it at Ford dealerships per their maintenance schedules. We have to travel 400 miles to pick up our car when it is done. After reviewing your site, it looks like a lot of people have had the same problem. Please inform me if you know of any actions that are being taken to resolve this.

Stacy of Littleton CO (01/24/08)
Due to the bad design in the spark plugs my engine blew the spark plug and coil. We thought it would be a easy and inexpensive repair buy boy we were wrong. The repair is going to cost us up to $6000. I can't believe that Ford has allowed this to continue. With the industry in such turmoil you would think that they would want to hold on to the Ford customers they have. I am going to share all the information that I have obtained with every person that I know.

Steven of Temecula CA (01/20/08)
My 1999 F250 Triton V-10 blew the #3 plug yesterday afternoon. fortunately I was just a few blocks form home and it was still light enough to figure our what had happened. I immediately started searching the internet for a fix or at least some idea of what this was going to cost me. I'v seen sites for kits, I 'v seen the hundreds of e-mails to consumer affairs. It was looking pretty bleak due to the cost of this repair was going to be somewhere around 3500 - 4500.

Chris of Pleasanton CA (01/20/08)
My family and I were driving to an out of town birthday party and about half way there one of my plugs blew and we had to pull off the freeway! Luckily we pull into a ford dealership, however they had no service techs on site because it was the weekend. So we waited 3 hrs. for a tow truck and got it towed back home. Still don't know if they will cover this under ext warranty.

Richard of Evergreen CO (01/19/08)
Add me to the extensive list of unhappy Ford owners who had a spark plug blow out of the engine. 1999 F-250 Superduty with the 5.4L Triton V8. Have not contacted Ford yet, but it sounds like that will go no where unless I want to dish out about $4,000 for a new head. Will probably opt for the helicoil fix, and buy the new Toyota Tundra

Norman of Bahama NC (01/19/08)
Well I guess the folks at Firestone were correct. This has happened alot. My '99 F-150 spit #3 right out the hole today. Took it to my Firestone shop which did the last change of the sparkplugs 30 days ago and they said it was a common issue. I of course did not believe them in the back of my mind I was thinking they just want to place the blame somewhere else for stripping the hole. The Ford dealership was 3 miles away and I got the truck there. They said they did not know it was a common problem and that it was estimated at $3-500. Not knowing who to believe a limped another 5 miles home and got online. Hoping that if it was common that Ford would recall and fix it since it seems to happen with #3 and 4 plugs. No such luck but then I searched on the problem and was surprised at the extent of this problem. As the trucks start hitting the high milage line I am sure this will get worse as to the number of folks that have the problem. Statistically very few people complain about these issues so I suspect the problem is bigger than any one of use think. Hopefully the government will be able to get FOrd to fix this because I do not believe that they will just do the right thing.

John of Sugar Grove IL (01/18/08)
Got a call from my buisness partner that Plug blew. Guess which one? Yes, #3. Fixed 2years prior but it blew again. As I'm just about to get to my driveway on my way home from fixing that Fix Or Repair Daily, mine blew. Guess which one? #3. I'm going with Chevy. Screw Ford.

Doug of Yulee FL (01/18/08)
spark plug blew out of engine on my 2001 ford f-150 with only 85000 miles on it.

Doug of Powell Rive, Canada (01/18/08)
#3 spark plug blew out of head in our 2000 F350 5.4 ltr. Dealer says it's not Fords problem and will probably cost about $4500 to replace head and that Ford does not recommend heli coils. I own a small business and have 5 Ford trucks, which is more heads than I can afford. I will be replacing them and never buying a Ford again.

Carl of Mantel, Germany (01/18/08)
1998 Expidition. I to had a spark plug blow out too. Mine was the number one. I did however fix it cheaper than most. I enlarged the whole, and put in an insert. It's been going strong so far. Now i'm having problems with the infamous number three. Unfortunately for me, i'm stationed in Germany, and will get hosed by either AAFES or the Germans. $85 an hour on base, and about $100 off. And some are shocked that Toyota has taken over. Guess i'll trade the old ford in for BMW.

Robert of Belleville IL (01/17/08)
Ford spark plug blow out. #8, I have never blown a plug out of an engine. Ford really should do something for this. The engine was built to go 200,000 with out major work. Now the tech at the local Ford told me they can fix the threads but they have a poor luck getting them to not leak after. From the deck cutting with oil leaks to blowing spark plugs. What going to happen next with this $44,000 truck. I've had cars go 250,000 mile with only a timing chain and normal service.

Don of Omaha NE (01/17/08)
After I blew out a sparkplug on my 2002 Ford F 150 with a 5.4 and dealing with Ford Customer Service (which I would not recommend to anyone). I finally solved the problem of Ford not dealing with the issue. I traded into Ford for a newer used Chevy truck, gets better gas milage and the insurance is alot cheaper. If you guys and gals can I highly recommend it and let Ford know it to.

Joe of S. Charleston WV (01/17/08)
i own a small shop and as for the ford spark plus blowing out yes there is a problem with the heads as in number of threads holding the plugs in. now as for repairing them yes it can be done if done right they will work just fine. a normal spring type helicore with not work must be the long thread pipe design and use green thread lock and let set over nite. the head have 4 rows of threads dont use the short helicore like the head threads it is a cheap repair that can be done tools and all for less than fifty dollars tools and all but you do need to be a half way mechanic to do it. napa sells everything needed to do it and you even get 6 helies in the pack for later lol but dont for get the price of a new coil so repair parts and coil and a new plug you would have about 130.00 and be down one day

Michael of West Seneca NY (01/15/08)
Today, Jan. 15, 2008, a spark plug blew right out of my engine block, like so many other Ford owners.

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Ryan of Virginia Beach VA (01/14/08)
#3 Spark Plug blew out at 105000 miles. (Bought used at 98000 miles from Ford Dealership). Common problem, deserves recall.

Tim of Kirkland WA (01/14/08)
I own a 2000 Ford Focus. in 2004 I had to replace the ignition lock cylinder because the key wouldn't turn...I thought this was a fluke incident. Now, 4 years later, I need to replace the same part again. This time I was very close to being stranded 2 hours from home. This is clearly a poorly designed part. I understand Ford has a lot going on, but since they can't manage to atone for these kind of issues they are going to lose yet another customer.

Robert of Orange CA (01/13/08)
I just queried the internet about Ford 5.4 liter motor spark plug blow out because I am taking a trip and concerned about my exposure far from home. I came across your website and saw for the first time that my problem is so common. I have a 1999 F250 crew cab with the 5.4 V8. About 4 years ago, coming back from a trip to the the Grand Canyon it blew the #3 driver's side spark plug going through Barstow. I had no idea what it was and wound up staying the night there. A friend drove up from L.A. to take my wife and children home. I wound up with an expensive tow bill and heli coil repair. Last July coming home from another family vacation, the #3 passenger side blew going through Bakersfield. I immediately knew what it was and could not believe it happenned again. I rented a car for my wife and 4 children to drive home and I spent the night outside Bakersfied Ford. The next day they diagnosed that I needed a new head (I was frustrated that they would not do the heli coil repair as it is not a Ford authorized solution.) They offered a head replacement at around $6,000 or a new engine at around $9,000. The service manager told me in our discussions (I was there about 4 hours!) that this was a common problem with this engine. He would not elaborate on whether the new head would guarantee that it would not happen again. I took the truck to another mechanic I found in the yellow pages who did the heli coil repair for about $400. When I called him on the phone and told him I had blown a plug he replied It was the #3 right? He told me that he repairs them frequently and it is almost always the #3 that goes and sometimes the #4. I am now scared to death to take this truck on another vacation with my family but I cannot afford to replace it. I have 4 children and camping (mostly National Parks) is the only form of vacation I can afford for the whole family.

James of Fletcher NC (01/11/08)
I had blown a spark plug at 79,000 miles (2001 Ford F150, 5.4L V8) destroying the coil pack. Charged $300 to fix problem.

Lu of Oxford CT (01/10/08)
Dear Connecticut State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, 10-Jan-2008 We are a family of eight children that has been left out in the cold? and no where to go, by the Ford Motor Company of America, what a nightmare! We feel as though weve been wronged and have no recourse except to pray that you receive this letter and hope for a positive outcome. The story is as long as your work day, so Ill try to keep it simple. Our 2002 Ford 12 passenger van has exploded a spark plug from the Triton 5.4L engine head and the second in 10 months to say the least. Thats two. Even though we have an extended warranty they will not cover it because they say its the plug thats faulty not the head. Hence, the plugs not covered. TWO faulty plugs with in one YEAR? Well then why does Ford want to replace the heads? Oh yea, maybe because it cost $3,500. per head. We tried to appeal to Ford, the warranty company and the selling dealer and came up with a big fat NO for an answer. Our broken van with only 79K miles on it sits in the drive way in hopes of some kind of recall because Ive come across this site; http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/ford_spark.html, and the complaints continue to pile up. This clearly not an isolated problem; it is wide spread! We are pleading with your office as tax paying, hard working and community spirited family for assistance and guidance. We will never purchase a Ford automobile in our life time. If youd like more detail on our adventure (its stressful) please let me know.

Doug of Santee CA (01/10/08)
I own a 2002 Excursion w/ 6.8 V10 with about 69,000 miles on it. The 3rd spark plug back on passenger side blew out, breaking coil as well. The was preceded by a ticking sound for several days. I called Drew Ford in La Mesa, Ca. I was told by service that this is a common problem and they have a flat rate of $550.00 to fix it, regardless of which cylinder is stripped. Drew service also said they have had a 100% success rate with the heli-coil replacements. From what I've read, I think I'll learn how to repair my own, just in case there's more to come.

Joe of Plainview NY (01/10/08)
I have blown out 5 sparkplugs out of my truck already ,It has cost me thousands so far.The first plug blew out with 44000 miles....

James of North Highlands CA (01/10/08)
Regarding the Ford spark plug blow out; We are a repair facility that performs fleet service on Ford truck. We have seen a small number of vehicles with this problem and it is normally the # 3 spark plug that blows out. Ford now offers a insert to repair the issue. We have used the timesert repair kit (www.timesert.com)once it became available and have had no failures with the repaired units. Prior the that it required a cylinder head replacment. I believe there is some type of design problem with the cylinder head but also suspect that some of the failures are caused by not cleaning the spark plug well prior to removing the plug and then installing the new plug into a dirty well and tighting it onto the dirt and debris left in the well.

Rodney of Shelton WA (01/09/08)
I came across your article on the Ford 5.4 liter Triton engine spitting plugs because it just happened to me. I own a '99 Ford Expedition that has 110,000 miles. It is still in the shop so I don't know how much it is going to cost me, but I did not take it to a Ford mechanic.

John of Dallas TX (01/08/08)
I had a 1999 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer 4WD with the Triton V8 engine. The vehicle had 170,000 miles on it with the original spark plugs. About six weeks ago, it blew a spark plug, costing me about $1000 in repairs. I thought after repairing it and getting 8 new spark plugs I would be good to go for another 170K miles. Then I read about all the instances of blown spark plugs. I traded in the vehicle last week before this happened again. I'm now driving a 2007 Toyota 4Runner. I will not buy a Ford product again until they accept responsibility for this fiasco!

Gerald of Williamsburg NM (01/08/08)
LEFT FOR ALBUQUERQUE ON 12-18-2007 WITH MY 1997 FORD VAN, V-10, AND IT BLEW # 2 spark plug our of it. I have owned this vehicle for about five years and have had to rethread 3 spark plugs.

Kellie of Des Moines IA (01/07/08)
Traveling in ice/snow storm when sparkplug #3 blew. Had helicoil put in to fix it. Then 2 weeks later, coil on same #3 went bad 7 hours from home. Then for the third time (going back to Ford Dealership for repairs) as my 2002 F150 is still chugging, idling rough and doesn't sound good. I bought truck brand new in 2002. It currently had approximately 88,000 on it. I have since learned that the problems with the threads and sparkplugs is not new. Its starts with an engine design flaw with FORD. FORD continues to ignore the problem and directing its dealerships to repair either with helicoil (of which is not guaranteed) or new head replacement. Both repairs are $1000 - $4500. Its obvious FORD is aware of the problem, yet has done nothing for its customers. 

Thomas of Urbana IL (01/07/08)
Blew 3rd spark plug out of #3 cylinder on 1999 F150 Triton engine. They repaired with insert 1st two times and have been told that a remanufactured or new head is the only fix. THANKS Ford for building a Tough truck, as long it only sits in the driveway. NEVER buy a F150 with a triton engine!

Larry of Longmont CO (01/07/08)
1997 Ford F150. #6 spark plug blew out of Cylinder head while driving. Luckily ther was a thread left so I could get it installed good enough to limp home and fix it. I see many, many people w/the same problem. Add me to your list!

Mike of Brockport NY (01/05/08)
Spark plug blew out on my 2003 5.4 liter Ford Expedition. This happened April of 2007.

Doyle of Batavia OH (01/04/08)
Have 2003 E-350 Ford Van. Spark Plug Blowout of Head.I bought Insurance from Performance First through Dealer and they will not take care of Problem Nor will Ford.

David of South Barrington IL (01/04/08)
Add me to the list of blown spark plugs on Ford 5.4L Engines. I have a 2001 Ford Expedition w/ 76,000 miles. While driving cross country with my family on a holiday ski vacation, around midnite the #3 plug blew out of the engine. We were able to safely exit the expressway to a small town in Colorado where there was a Ford dealer. We were stranded in the middle of nowhere while we waited for the repair. The repair techs seemed very aware of this problem.

Harvey of Mayfield PA (01/04/08)
on my way to pick my wife and new baby up at the hospital my 1999 navigator blew out #3 and #4 spark plug ford will fix $4000.00 it should be free they should do the write thing and recall.

Michael of Bozeman MT (01/04/08)
I own a 1999 F-250 with 58,800 miles on it. The engine has never been worked on since I purchased it as new. I just had engine work done on the truck on 12/31/2007, in which the #7 coil failed. Ford installed a new coil and spark plug. The next day (1/1/2008) I was driving from Montana to Texas. The #2 spark plug blew out of the engine about 500 miles into my trip. Ironically, when my truck was being pulled up onto the flatbed trailer, another Ford Super Duty pickup drove by and it sounded just like mine with a missing spark plug. The tow truck operator even said to me that it sounds like he has the same problem as you.

Joe of Toms River NJ (01/03/08)
I have a 2002 Ford F-150 Supercrew with a 5.4L Triton V8. I was driving home last night when I heard a loud bang and popping noise, sounded like an exhaust manifold problem until I started smelling gas in the cab, I immediately pulled over, shut the engine off and opened the hood to investigate. What I found was VERY disturbing, the #3 spark plug had been ejected out of the cylinder and was lying on top of the engine. I had the vehicle towed to my local Ford dealer for repair and was told that it would cost around $700 to repair and extra to replace the cylinder coil (I have replaced two already @ $280 each), that is a problem as I have less than 44,000 miles on the engine, the #3 plug was factory installed and upon reading into this problem online found that this is a very common occurance. The NHTSA says there is no safety problem (fuel blowing out of a cylinder while the engine is running, a spark could mean the end of this vehicle and possibly anyone inside) to issue a recall and Ford refuses to recognize this problem even though it has been happening for the last 10 years, I am going vehicle shopping next week, my family's life is much to important to risk on a problem that should have been corrected long ago. I have owned Ford pickups for 30 years and I will NEVER buy another.

Ashton of Grass Valley Ca CA (01/03/08)
on jan 3 2008 just 5 days after buying a 2000 ford F-250, the spark plug blew out of the cylinder head. apparently the 3 month warranty wont cover it. it covers the head but not a spark plug. i am arguing that a head replacement is required which would be covered.

Don of Nashville TN (01/03/08)
spark plug blew out of out 2001 FORD V8 engine - nothing much to say except that FORD dealer says they've only seen a few engines do this in their entire time at FORD - they charged me $85.00 to tell me that, Yup, you lost a plug. They wanted to replace the engine, at least the cylinder head. minimum $4000.00 just for the head - I took it to a private garage and had a helicoil installed - so far so good except that I'm really irritated that FORD woud design something so stupid - I guess we'll see how it holds

John of Indianapolis IN (01/02/08)
I bought a 1999 ford truck used with 59000 miles in 2001 it started blowing out the no 3 spark plug and finally ruined that cylinder and unless I spend a lot of money to fix it it sits most of the time.

Jeff of Idaho Falls ID (01/02/08)
Just pulling out of my driveway in my 99 Ford Expdedition 5.4 Triton last week and I head the loud pop-pop-pop from the motor. I pulled it back into my garage and checked it out only to find the #3 plug laying on top of the motor and a broken coil. Mechanic says this is notorious for Ford! obviously looking at all the posts on this website its an epedemic!

Pat of San Jose CA (01/01/08)
I have a 2000 Ford F-150 and the 5.4L V8 engine has blown out two spark plugs. 1 st one was #3 at 79,725 miles and the 2nd was #2 at 85,687 miles. There are 100's of e-mails about this problem on the internet, is there a class action suite filed?

Betty of Logan OH (01/01/08)
I got a 2001 Ford F250 4x4 Superduty with a 5.4 liter truck and it blew the spark plug out of the head on cylinder number 1.

Donald of Winters CA (01/01/08)
Spark plug on passenger side of my 2004 F-150 blew out and striped the threads out of the hole. I have not had it repaired yet. I paid $30,000 for this truck and I am pissed off. Ford can go to hell.

Kenny of Bakersfield CA (01/01/08)
Well I have a 1999 Ford F-150 Ex.cab 4X4 with 75,000 miles....guess what spark plug #3 blew. Took my truck to ,my local Ford Dealer herr in Bakersfield, they quoted me $5,000.00 to fix!!!!.Took it to a local repair shop, they fixed it for $400.00. They said this is a very common problem as I am finding out.

Mark of Apple Valley CA (12/31/07)
i had a 99 f250 v10 that out of nowhere the spark plug blew out leaving me with a 2500.00 bill.they should pay me back for sure.

Arthur of Franklinton LA (12/31/07)
My name is Arthur and I am a victim of The Ford Motor Company's denial of the problem with their Triton engines blowing out sparkplugs. This is only the 3rd plug to blow. First was #4 then #5 (twice). This is my second 2000 F-150 I've owned, the first one BURST into flames in my front yard about 3 years ago. I've always been a Chevy-Man but went to the F-150 for leg room and comfort due to a hip problem. I guess I could have just spent the money on a top of the line recliner for my living room since it would be more useful than the 2 trucks I've bought are now. Ford please don't make me buy a Dodge or Heaven forbid an import.

Allen of Lindon UT (12/30/07)
My 1998 Ford F-150 Blew its first spark plug at 100K miles. Yesterday, it below its second spark plug. If there is a possibility for a class action suit against Ford, relating to this issues, please let me know. Thanks.

Monika of High Point NC (12/29/07)
Ford Expedition 2003 with 11 spark plugs and 4 coils replaced in less than 3 months. One of the new plugs / coils only lasted 8 days before blowing again. Our local Ford dealer seems baffled - but nooo problem fixing it each time for outrageous amounts!! I have had so many blow one right after another I am not confident going out of town or anything.

Edward of Florence KY (12/28/07)
I had a spark plug blow out of my Ford F-150 in April 2007. It cost $82.88 to fix it. I just had another blowout today December 28 07. How do I get Ford to pay for this if they are not acknowledging the problem with the spark plugs. How does the lemon law work.

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Shelly of Nerepis, Canada (12/27/07)
I purchased a used 2002 Ford F150 in January of 2005.In October of 2005 the#3 coil blew when it had 80,321 kms and I had that repaired as it wasn't covered under the warranty,go figure.Then at 93,136 kms the #2 coil blows and I have that repaired.So when the truck had 97,364 kms on it I had all the other spark plugs replaced so this wouldn't happen again because I was told they were old .I put in platinum spark plugs that are guaranteed for life. Low and behold its either the #2 or the #3 that just blew again and it looks like a new head is needed. I took the plug into the dealership and asked a mechanic to look at the plug and he said looks like it wasn't put in right to begin with.What he didn't know is that they did the job. I still owe a mountain on this truck and now we are looking at $3,000.00 to fix it. I won't go to Ford for the job as they can't even put in a spark plug in right which caused the damage in the first place. Ford needs to get their act together and recall this major problem. I have spent enough !

Frank of Laguna Hills CA (12/27/07)
Coasting down Glenwood Drive...whoosh whoosh pop pop pop POP. I pull over,the engine is struggling to idle. Very loud exhaust leak noise coming from the top of the engine. 2 miles from home, I nurse the truck home. I find the #3 cylinder's spark plug lying on top of the motor. Looking online I find that this is a well known problem... The truck has 36,800 miles on it!!! NO WAY should this happen! Ford does not require any service to the plugs until 100K. I have had all oil changes done at Ford dealerships... FORD has done serious wrong to their customers and to their name. If each person on this site tells 10 people of the experience with FORD, it is no wonder Toyota is outselling FORD. I will be letting everyone know of this lack of customer service... Built to take whatever you give it...right.

Chester of Oakdale MN (12/27/07)
Blast from engine, quick turn, bounced off snow on bridge, and momentum carried to other side. Highway patrol found me and diverted traffic. Made me drive further out of traffic with engine mis-firing and banging all the way. My 2001 Ford Excursion is now at dealer who says he has seen a lot of these. Too few threads hold spark and they blast out over time. Mine were torqued to 11 ft-lb. per manufacter service manual just under 20,000 miles ago. They will not warranty thread repair but require full head replacement. Current cost is $4,057.69 just for one side head in engine. Suspension and alignement check after banging snow/bridge curbing on hold until finding ways to pay for engine repair. Complaints on this issue reached over 600 in 2005 (see NHTSA site). Now in 2007, can somthing be done? Recall or not need compensation funds from Ford.

 

Donna of Lebanon OH (12/26/07)
On December 18, 2007, I became one of the victims of the spark plug blowing through the head of the E-150 Ford Van. I am the mother of 5 children and this is our main transportation for our family. My husband is a Catholic High school teacher and our resources are very limited. The van has been in the shop since that night, but now we are concerned that even if we fix it, when will it happen again? Has anyone been successful with Ford and any recourse? We're considering fixing and selling although we hate to dump this problem on someone else. Does anybody know if there is a way to prevent this from happening again?

Floyd of Manotick, Canada (12/26/07)
2002 Ford F150 belonging to my son, Blew out #2 spark plug, damaged coil, but threads do not look bad. Terrible design. After 100 years of building engines Ford cant get it right. It looks like the plug simply unscrewed itself and we are hoping to re-tap the hole. KD Tools sell a Back Tap threader that will clean up the threads from the bottom up. We are going to give that a try but no guarantee that another plug does not blow out.

Shanika of Roswell GA (12/26/07)
I want to join the list of consumers experiencing the famous #3 Spark Plug Blowout series. I am the owner of a 2003 Harley Davidson F-150. When my dad purchased this vehicle it had 3 miles on it. I have serviced my vehicle like I have been suggested but this still happened. My experience began way below my 100,000 mile warranty where my service engine light continually came on and my truck failed the emissions test three times. Turns out my engine was registering a misfire and therefore I had all the spark plugs replaced. Drove it for maybe 300 miles and the light returned. I took it back again and was told a spark plug was bad. Had it replaced again. A couple of days back I was driving and I heard the famous loud pop and low and behold my truck and I were stranded in the church parking. This isn't the first nor second time I experienced this spark plug mishap. The deal is I am over 100,000 miles, no warranty and no help. Finding a tow truck late at night $100, being late for work the next morning $84, Calling the ford dealership for a quote... $3100 not including towing, Finding out Ford refuses to accept responsibility....priceless. How can I be at fault for a manufactured engine blowing a spark plug???? Come on Ford you make millions and millions of dollars but can't recall what you know is a faulty engine. Does it register to you that when this mishap occurs the engine loses acceleration... I was on the expressway with my two year old daughter the first time this happened and riding down the street the second time. Does someone have to get killed while riding when this blowout occurs before action will be taken???

Jeff of Chanhassen MN (12/24/07)
Another issue with the spark plug on my 2003 Ford Expedition. I had a 1999 and had the same issue with that one. Didn't know it was an on-going issue until it happened the 2nd time. My car is at the shop now and apparently the warranty company won't cover. Happened on 12/22/07, just in time for x-mas.

James of Virginia Beach VA (12/23/07)
My wife was driving our 2001 Crown Victoria, 101000 miles, when she heard a big thump. She pulled into a parking lot called me. When I looked under the hood and saw that a spark plug had blown. I could not beleive it. After researching on the web, I decided not to even call Ford as it would only upset me. So I order a Time-Sert kit to retool the plug hole. Cost $450, which to me is alot of money, but less than what Ford would charge me. Never again will I buy a Ford. No wonder all the plants are closing.

Steven of Bedford KY (12/23/07)
2000 ford f350 v10 spark plug blow out of head they say i have to pay for it they need to recall these motors.

Mark of So. Plfd NJ (12/23/07)
My ford F-250 2001 just spit the # 3 plug

Adam of Gainesville GA (12/22/07)
I have a 2002 Ford Escape XLT that has once again blown the #3 spark plug. Every time this happens, it breaks the coil pack and I'm at the auto parts store forking out more cash. The threads are stripped now and will need to be repaired before I can even get a new spark plug to seat. Thank you so much Ford for putting my 7 month pregnant wife's life at risk, and making my Christmas so pleasant.

Adam of Gainesville GA (12/22/07)
I have a 2002 Ford Escape XLT that has once again blown the #3 spark plug. Every time this happens, it breaks the coil pack and I'm at the auto parts store forking out more cash. The threads are stripped now and will need to be repaired before I can even get a new spark plug to seat. Thank you so much Ford for putting my 7 month pregnant wife's life at risk, and making my Christmas so pleasant.

Mike of White Bear Lake MN (12/22/07)
Add me to the list of blown spark plugs from a 2002 Expedition, 5.4 Triton. No help from Ford or dealership!

Warren of Middleton MA (12/20/07)
I also have a 2000 Ford Expedtion that the # 2 spark plug flew out of the head during my holiday shopping last night. I found all of the complaints and I am shocked that Ford is not taking any type of action.

Robin of Bailey CO (12/20/07)
Spark plug blew out on my 2002 F250 pick up. Sequence of events: 5/21/05-Took truck to Texan Ford in Arlington Texas to have ticking noise under the hood checked out. Also had oil changed. I was told that the problem was in the exhaust system and that they would need to order the part to fix it. I authorized the order and was told it would be about a week and would be called when the part arrived. 5/22/05-Spark plug blew out on the highway in south Fort Worth Texas. 5/23/05-Took truck to Texan Ford where it was determined the ticking problem under the hood was actually the spark plug that had blown out and not the exhaust system. Texan Ford recommended replacing all of the plugs while re-inserting the blown plug, I agreed and the work was performed. 10/15/05-I noticed oil had mixed with the anti-freeze in the coolant holding tank. 10/17/05-Took truck to Westway Ford in Irving Texas to have it checked. It was recommended that a new engine be installed. I agreed to the installation, rented a car and picked the truck up after the repairs on 10-26-05. I believe that if the spark plug problem had been properly diagnosed on 5-21-05, instead of being diagnosed as an exaust system problem, the expense incurred could have been avoided.

Eugene of Oliverea NY (12/20/07)
I own a 2002 Ford F-250 With 5.4 Triton Motor and have had 3 spark plugs blow out of the motor.I have always been a Ford lover but now I have my doubts!! Ford NEEDS to Address this problem!!!

Walter of Ruffin NC (12/19/07)
We have a 2004 Ford F150. The first spark plug blew out about 6 weeks ago. We got that one replaced. Now today as we were in route to visit our grandchildren for Xmas the check enginelight came on and we have now been told we have another spark plug problem. The first shop was unable to get out. The second shop was unable to remove. So we now have another appt with another dealer tomorrow morning to see if they can correct and hopefully they can fix so we can see our grandchildren before Xmas. Strange thing though as I was talking to my son tonight he had a 1997 Ford truck that the plugs locked in his truck. Cost was $6500.oo for a new motor. Talking to my uncle his son just sold his 1999 Ford F150 . He apparently had the same problem which costs $1000 to fix. What kind of a bill am I looking at for XMAS. Thanks Ford. A this seems to be an apparent problems can't you guys get it right. Right now our XMAS is ruined. Retired people cannot afford for your mistakes.

Bobby of Lilburn GA (12/19/07)
My 2004 F 150 with a 4.6 Triton blew out the #3 spark plug at 92,000 miles. Today at 94,500 miles the transmission let go. I've owned 6 ford trucks prior to this one and will never set foot in a Ford dealership again.

Randy of Anchorage AK (12/19/07)
I just wanted to say I never heard of the spark plugs flying out of the heads on the Ford 5.4 / 4.6 engines until 12/16/07 when me and my wife was on our way to my truck and when I started it there was this loud popping noise from under the hood! After a Big tow bill to the repair shop. I too was told that it will cost $3K to repair. Is there anything we can do to get Ford to fix this problem?

Victor of Ellerslie GA (12/19/07)
On November 2, 2007, my wife was traveling in NC when one of the engine's spark plugs blew out of the block. Fortunately, she was able to quickly pull into a Firestone Service Station. At that time, she called me and I spoke with the service manager (Mr. Miles, 919-821-2500). Upon review, he indicated that the #7 plug had blown and the threads on the engine head were completely stripped out. Initially, he thought they would be able to repair the head, but after further review, he stated that he didn't fell comfortable in making the repairs. Therefore, I had the vehicle towed to a nearby Ford dealership (Capital Ford-Raleigh, NC, Mr. Dennis, 919-790-4700). My vehicle was diagnosed with a stripped out left side head and had to be replaced. According to Mr. Dennis, the dealership was not allowed to use a Time-Sert repair kit which was substantially quite less ($384) than the $2,792.65 that I was charged to repair the engine. Later that night, I began to research on line and found that Ford had a great number of problems with plugs blowing out of the 1997-2002, 4.6 Triton V8 engines...the same motor that I owned. For the record, my Battalion Commander had the same problem with his 2000 Ford F150 truck.

Jeffrey of Lawrence MA (12/18/07)
2000 Ford F150 Truck with Titon 5.4L V8 Engine. December 18, 2007 Cylinder 4 Spark Plug forfully ejected from head. engine would not stay running. Posible danger of fire, spaying gas from open spark plug hole and ignition coil still creating high voltage for spark. Left Me and 1 year old daughter stranded at side of the road for 3+1/2 Hours in 15 Degree weather (she cried for at least 2 of those hours, she was cold, bored, and hungry.)

Dale of Forest Hill MD (12/18/07)
My 2003 Expedition had it's spark plugs explode and cost me $1000 in damage. Ford has known about this problem in it's trucks since 1997 and has done nothing.

Brian of Kings Park NY (12/17/07)
Spark plug blow out! Rear cylinder on right hand side. 2001 F150 with Triton 5.4L engine with 93K miles. I Left work after a long day only to turn the key and hear a loud pop. I knew what it had to be. I can't believe Ford is getting away with this. After searching the internet, I am amazed at how many consumers this has happened to. I think we need a Dateline or other national program to expose the financial burden and safety concern Ford vehicle owners that Ford Motor Company chooses to ignore.

Roger of Columbia KY (12/17/07)
1999 F-150,5.4L Triton.On my second time around with spark plug blown out of head. Spent enough to buy another vehicle.Have to borrow truck when this happens because I work for myself.I guess if the owners of ford motor company can lay down and sleep at night on their pillow cases full of money,I can sleep on an empty billfold.

Tim of Silver City NM (12/17/07)
75 miles from any services I blew a spark plug entirely out of the engine head of my 2004 ford f-150. I was stranded for 6 hrs waiting for towing. I will never.... I repeat....never, own another ford after reading your web page articles on similar instances. The repairs cost us almost $4000 at the local ford shop. I am a GMC customer now.

Frank of Belen NM (12/17/07)
Add my truck to the spark plug blow out list. '99 f150. Sunday afternoon after fueling, I was on the on ramp to I40 when it blew. I about panicked with the guard rail on the left side for a half mile and heavy traffic. I found out this morning with the job site mechanic when I pointed to the project manager's truck what happened. Yep the project manager's truck was already initiated and cost 4 grand. I don't know what to do with it yet. Thanks Ford.

Frank of Belfair WA (12/17/07)
2001 Expedition blew out #3 cylinder spark plug. Only 95,000 miles on it and maintained by ford dealer. MERRY CHRISTMAS CONSUMERS.

Larry of Mountville PA (12/16/07)
Back in July, I developed a miss in my 2003 ford expedition engine. It turned out the #2 cylinder ignition coil shorted and was replaced. In November I left for a trip to N.Y. only to have the #3 cylinder ignition coil go out. Upon repair, I noticed what I thought was a valve tap in the engine but was leaving for hunting camp. On the way home I had no sooner decided that the truck was going back to the dealer when I heard a loud bang in the engine compartment. Nursing the truck into a nearby Ford dealer we found the #1 spark plug blown out of the engine and the coil damaged. The dealer was able to repair it quickly and I was on my way home. I took it back to my dealer and told them to go over it and make sure I was not going to have a repeat performance. One week later, the #4 cylinder coil went out. I have been a promoter of fords for years having owned 3 F-150s. I'm tradiing the truck next week and won't own a Ford again.

Richard of Richland WA (12/15/07)
I have a 1998 Ford Expendition with a 5.4 motor and my spark plug blow out.

Patrick of West Long Branch NJ (12/14/07)
12/14/07 My 2001 Ford E250 5.4 Liter Triton is not Ford Tough!!!Found On Road Dead!!I was driving this morning when i heard a popping noise,I thought it was a blow out for a minute until I exited the vehicle and heard it was coming from the engine.My speed was about 30 mph,I know what your thinking way to fast for a ford engine to handle. The truck has 82,887 miles on the engine.I never beat on it and always drove slow,its a work van!!I bought this truck new in 2001.Ford Tough On My Wallet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Scott of Independence KY (12/14/07)
My ford F150 (2000) blew out a spark plug.

Joe of Yuma AZ (12/14/07)
My wife was comming home from Phoenix and she called me just as she got off the freeway here in Yuma. She told me something is wrong with the truck it is making a loud rumbling from the engine. Oh Boy I was worried that the engine blew up. I asked her if she had scanned her gauges to see if she had oil pressure. Her reply was I expect my vehicle to perform for me. That didnt make me feel any the better, so I am racing to her location thinking engine blown. When I got there I was glad to see no oil leaking below the vehicle. What I did find was a blown spark plug. The number two plug had blown the coil off and was laying on the manifold. I had just replaced the plugs myself about 3 months ago. I was very frustrated as I could not screw in a new plug. I had it towed home and for the next 3 days I spent time going to the parts house and back home several times. I bought several items and could not make any of them work. I finally bought a kit for alluminum head repair but when I got it home I could not get the proper tools into the hole to put it toghether. I called the company that made this product and was able to talk to a tech. I told him I was working on my Ford excursion and he told me do not use our product. He was nice enough to talk to me and tell me of several experiences that he has had with the triton v10 and told me to call a machine shop down the road from him in california. I did that and was told the exact product to get for my problem. It was a dorman item 42025. I called the dorman company and they could not sell directly to me so I ordered out of Newport PA. It took me about 20 minutes to put it in and it works excellent. I am going to buy two more kits and put in my vehicle because I would be able to do this in the field in about 30-40 minutes. It is not a cheap product like many I have seen. It will take a differnt spark plug and a modified boot for the coil which comes in the kit. The kit listed for 93.00 dollars and I bought it for 46 dollars. This has been a lifesaver.

Ronn of Baltimore MD (12/12/07)
well I have a 2001 ford Expedition with triton, you guys can add me the spark plug no# 3 blowout, list its totally redicoules how us as a consumer can be screwed and no one seems to give a sh####t,how can ford ignore this problem but has changed the thread pattern, on the newer models, know Im stuck with getting a new enginge for xmas thanks alot ford.

Eric of Mission Viejo CA (12/12/07)
12/11/07 On a Friday morning I shut the motor off on my 2002 Ford e-350 van , to get some coffee. Upon starting the engine I heard a loud repeating noise. I had the van towed home. Upon investigation, I discovered an ejected spark plug and broken coil. I consulted a local mechanic, he has heard about this happening before. He has fixed a truck recently. Merry Christmas Ford. This year Santa (me) will be repairing a poorly designed product instead of bringing toys and holiday cheer

Tim of Hendersonville NC (12/11/07)
I had a spark blow out on 12/10/07. I have only had this car for about 6 months and had nothing but problems, from MAF to Suspension to IAC Valve to vaccume line leak and now this, This is the latest in a series of events that have me wondering