2002 Ford F-350 Engine cooling Problems
- Complaints
- 19about this part
- Share
- 16%of 116 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 60,400miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 19 complaints about the engine cooling of the 2002 Ford F-350, 16% of the 116 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 60,400 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved and 2 a fire, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“While driving approximately 35 MPH the water pump started to leak. This caused the serpentine belt to become wet and slipped off the pulleys which caused the vehicles brakes and power steering to fail. I questioned the service advisor at the Ford dealer(henry day Ford) in west valley utah and they advised they had not heard of the problem. To me this is a very important safety hazard for occupants and could be a liability for Ford motor company.”
NHTSA complaint #10651716, filed 2014-10, 147,230 miles“I have a 2002 Ford f 350 with v10 engine. The manifold bolts keep rusting off and breaking. I only have about 11,000 miles on the truck now. Ford fixed the bolts on the right side on may 8, 2007 as I had purchased the extended warranty. They should have fixed both sides at the same time as this is an obvious problem. The truck only had 8500 miles on it then. They actually brought a rep in from Ford on may 2, 2007 to photograph my truck during the repair at whited truck center in bangor, maine. …”
NHTSA complaint #10321365, filed 2010-03, 8,500 miles“My husband was driving his Ford f350 truck down the road when he smelled smoke at first he wasn't sure where it was coming from then he looked down and saw fire coming out of the fire wall and up his leg, he immediately stopped the vehicle and got out. He could not extinguish it and the fire department was called to put it out. He had no warning and heard no noise just smelled the smoke.”
NHTSA complaint #10257124, filed 2009-02, 154,000 miles“While driving 70 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The consumer was concerned that she will be rear ended if the problem continued. The cd would not eject due to error.”
NHTSA complaint #10097837, filed 2004-11, 33,000 miles“Dt: the consumer stated that 2002 Ford f350 stalled and accelerated when the brakes were on. The truck stalled intermittently. This happened a couple of times a week. Acceleration was happening all the time when the consumer was at a stop light. This was happening for a year. The consumer has not had the truck checked nor inspected in the year that he was having these problems. The consumer contacted the dealer and the consumer said that he would take the truck sometime next week for checkup. The consumer has not contacted Ford. The vehicle was stalling at low speeds 0-20 MPH.”
NHTSA complaint #10135813, filed 2005-09, 11,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10013071Oct 1, 2002Loud squealing noise from the engine area when the engine fan clutch is under load while operated in hot dusty climates. Vehicles equipped with a 7.3l engine.
Engine cooling: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 3 | 3% |
| 2013 | 2 | 3% |
| 2012 | 8 | 5% |
| 2011 | 6 | 4% |
| 2008 | 31 | 24% |
| 2007 | 3 | 8% |
| 2006 | 21 | 14% |
| 2005 | 17 | 15% |
| 2004 | 64 | 40% |
| 2003 | 19 | 21% |
| 2002 | 19 | 16% |
| 2001 | 12 | 8% |
| 2000 | 17 | 6% |
| 1999 | 22 | 5% |
| 1998 | 1 | 8% |
| 1997 | 26 | 17% |
| 1996 | 17 | 13% |
| 1995 | 25 | 19% |
| 1994 | 13 | 14% |
| 1993 | 21 | 21% |
| 1992 | 10 | 19% |
| 1991 | 3 | 10% |
| 1990 | 9 | 23% |
| 1989 | 5 | 12% |
| 1988 | 3 | 10% |
Other parts of the 2002 Ford F-350
20 complaintsSteering
16 complaintsElectrical system
14 complaintsBrakes
11 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
10 complaintsVehicle speed control
7 complaintsBody and structure
6 complaintsSuspension
6 complaintsFuel system
4 complaintsSeat belts
4 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
4 complaintsWheels
4 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2002 Ford F-350
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 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