2002 Ford F-250 Engine Problems
- Complaints
- 12about this part
- Share
- 8%of 156 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 156,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 12 complaints about the engine of the 2002 Ford F-250, 8% of the 156 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 156,000 miles. 2 a fire, according to the filers.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“My 2002 Ford f250 super duty 5.4 gasoline engine had a spark plug blow out at around 165,000 miles. I had pulled over to take a call turned off the engine, when I started it back up it was making a loud popping sound, my machanic shop was next door to where I was so I was lucky that I did not have to drive it anywhere.”
NHTSA complaint #10874039, filed 2016-06, 165,000 miles“2002 F-250 7.3l diesel. Driving down the highway pulling a horse trailer engine just completely stalled without warning. I lost all steering and brakes. I put it in neutral and restarted while coasting. Drove another few miles and it stalled again. Would not start again after that. This happened on a remote highway at night. Had a wrecker tow us to a diesel shop who reported truck started fine next day. Went and picked it up and it stuttered a few times on the way home but did not stall. A few months later, engine stalled at a red light in heavy traffic but started back up. …”
NHTSA complaint #11271348, filed 2019-10, 162,000 miles“On november 26th 2017, my truck started having a significant mis-fire in cylinder #4. Travelling at about 30 MPH on city streets; this particular incident was not a safety issue although difficult to limp the vehicle home as it did not accelerate well. Upon removing the spark plug; it was determined that the cylinder head threads in the spark plug port have been damaged. This would have resulted in an ejected spark plug had the vehicle been continued to be operated. …”
NHTSA complaint #11051574, filed 2017-11, 98,000 miles“The #3 spark plug blew out of the engine head. This is the second time this has happened on the same side of the engine. By blowing out, it is a fire hazard ,as the engine still pumps gas through this piston. This is an expensive problem to fix and Ford needs to take responsibility for its bad head problem.”
NHTSA complaint #10478498, filed 2012-10, 156,000 miles“The contact owned a 2002 Ford F-250. While the vehicle was parked for a couple of hours in cold temperatures and connected to the block heater, the vehicle caught fire. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. The vehicle was destroyed. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The cause of the failure was not determined. The failure mileage was 177,700.”
NHTSA complaint #11172110, filed 2019-01, 177,700 milesEngine: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 8 | 6% |
| 2013 | 9 | 9% |
| 2012 | 27 | 10% |
| 2011 | 30 | 12% |
| 2010 | 9 | 12% |
| 2009 | 5 | 9% |
| 2008 | 19 | 10% |
| 2007 | 5 | 8% |
| 2006 | 21 | 10% |
| 2005 | 26 | 18% |
| 2004 | 19 | 12% |
| 2003 | 13 | 11% |
| 2002 | 12 | 8% |
| 2001 | 13 | 6% |
| 2000 | 10 | 3% |
| 1999 | 16 | 3% |
| 1997 | 2 | 1% |
| 1995 | 1 | 1% |
| 1994 | 1 | 1% |
| 1989 | 1 | 1% |
Other parts of the 2002 Ford F-250
23 complaintsTires
22 complaintsBrakes
19 complaintsElectrical system
14 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
12 complaintsVehicle speed control
12 complaintsSteering
10 complaintsSuspension
10 complaintsFuel system
8 complaintsOther or unknown
8 complaintsSeat belts
8 complaintsAir bags
7 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2002 Ford F-250
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology