U.S. public vehicle records

2002 Ford F SERIES: complaints, problems and recalls

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

34 owner complaints analyzed

1 distinct recall campaigns

98,000 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2002 model year. Data snapshot: 2026-09-12 (September 12, 2026). 31 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Engine is the most frequently named component, appearing in 6 of 34 complaints (17.6%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Fuel system concerns	5	14.7%
Braking behavior	3	8.8%
Transmission and shifting	2	5.9%
Steering behavior	2	5.9%
Engine operation	1	2.9%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Engine

Engine And Engine Cooling

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine

Fuel System, Gasoline

Electrical System

Fuel/Propulsion System

Power Train

Unknown Or Other

Engine: 6; Engine And Engine Cooling: 5; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine: 4; Fuel System, Gasoline: 4; Electrical System: 2; Fuel/Propulsion System: 2; Power Train: 2; Unknown Or Other: 2

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 2; 25,000 to 49,999: 7; 50,000 to 74,999: 3; 75,000 to 99,999: 4; 100,000 to 149,999: 7; 150,000 and above: 8

150,000 and above miles has the most reports with usable mileage (8). 3 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2003

2004

2005

2007

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2022

2003: 5; 2004: 4; 2005: 3; 2007: 4; 2011: 6; 2012: 2; 2013: 2; 2014: 6; 2015: 1; 2022: 1

Pattern summary

Engine leads the component reports. Fuel system concerns appears in 5 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 3 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 2 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Examples from the source records

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10008221 · 2003-02-27 (February 27, 2003)

I AM TRYING TO FIND OUT IF THERE ARE ANY RECALLS OR TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS ON THE FOLLOWING VEHICLE. 2002 FORD F150 SUPERCREW 4 - WHEEL DRIVE. THIS VEHICLE SEEMS NOT TO BE LISTED IN YOUR DATA BASE. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. 31,750 miles reported. Look up ODI 10008221 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10010566 · 2003-03-17 (March 17, 2003)

I MADE A TRIP TO CALIFORNIA AND RIGHT BEFORE I LEFT I HAD THE OILS CHANGED ON MY TRUCK. MY TRUCK HAD ABOUT 15,000 MILES ON IT. THE TRIP WAS 1,000 MILES ROUND TRIP AND IT USED 2 1/2 QUARTS OF OIL. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS NORMAL TO USE THAT MUCH OIL. AND THEY CHANGED THE OIL TO A DIFFERENT WEIGHT TO DO A TEST ON OIL CONSUMPTION. IT STILL USES OIL AND NOW THE MOTOR SMOKES WHEN YOU FIRST START IT UP. AND IF IT SITS FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS IT WILL KNOW LOUD WHEN YOU START IT. THE FOR D DEALER SAID THIS IS NORMAL. *NLM

Owner-reported narrative. 15,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10010566 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10018996 · 2003-05-20 (May 20, 2003)

CRUISE CONTROL WAS ON AS WE PROCEEDED UP A HILL. WHEN DRIVER TRIED TO DISENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL IT WOULD NOT DISENGAGE. ENGINE CONTINUED TO EXCEL, GOING FASTER. IT REACHED SPEEDS OF ALMOST 80 MPH. HITTING BRAKES WOULD NOT STOP CRUISE CONTROL, NOR SLOW THE VEHICLE. *NLM

Owner-reported narrative. 19,889 miles reported. Look up ODI 10018996 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10045372 · 2003-11-03 (November 3, 2003)

I HAVE A 2002, FORD F150, V-6, SUPER CAB,XLT, WITH 47000 MILES. THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON. A FORD SPECIALIST HAS IT DIAGNOSED AS A FAILED ABS COMPUTER MODULE (WHICH CURRENTLY IS A ONE PIECE MODULE). IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED WITH A NEW REDESIGNED - MODULE CONSISTING OF 3 PARTS - . THIS REPAIR IS VERY COSTLY IN PARTS - OVER $ 900.00. IT DOES NOT AFFECT REGULAR BRAKING AND I ASSUME THAT ABS - BRAKING IS DISABLED AT THIS TIME (DID NOT HAVE TO USE IT SO FAR). IT SEEMS TO ME, THAT THE ABS MODULE IS A BAD DESIGN BY FORD AND THEREFORE IS NOT USED AGAIN I…

Owner-reported narrative. 47,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10045372 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10046800 · 2003-11-12 (November 12, 2003)

TRUCK EXPERIENCES A "ROUGH IDLE" AT ALL CONDITIONS WHERE ENGINE IS IDLING.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10046800 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10058541 · 2004-02-19 (February 19, 2004)

DUE TO A DESIGN FLAW IN THE FORD 5.4 ENGINE MY 2002 HARLEY F-150 BLEW A SPARK PLUG LAST WEEKEND (2/15/04). FORD IS ONLY WILLING TO REPLACE THE ONE HEAD WITH THE NEWLY DESIGNED HEAD (AND THAT IS COSTING ME $500 BECAUSE MY TRUCK HAS 40,000 MILES). IT'S A KNOWN DESIGN FLAW AND HAS HAPPENED TO MANY OWERS WITH LESS THAN 10,000 MILES. FORD NEEDS TO STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT.

Owner-reported narrative. 40,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10058541 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10059041 · 2004-02-26 (February 26, 2004)

VIBRATION IN DRIVETRAIN AT HIGHWAY SPEED (BETWEEN 65 -75 MPH). ONLY HAPPENS WHEN TRUCK IS UNDER POWER. AS SOON AS YOU REMOVE YOUR FOOT FROM THE PEDAL, THE VIBRATION GOES AWAY. DRIVE SHAFT WAS REPLACED OVER 6 MONTHS AGO, BUT THAT DID NOT FIX THE ISSUE.*AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10059041 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10069330 · 2004-01-15 (January 15, 2004)

EXCESSIVE EXHAUST SMOKE. POOR PERFORMANCE.

Owner-reported narrative. 77,249 miles reported. Look up ODI 10069330 at NHTSA ↗

Recall history

1 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.

03V094000 · Structure

Reported: 2003-03-07 (March 7, 2003)

CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCK, VAN, AND MINI VAN CONVERSIONS EQUIPPED WITH SOUTHERN COMFORT BUILT RUNNING BOARDS THAT CONTAIN CERTAIN COURTESY LIGHTS MANUFACTURED BY AMERICAN TECHNOLOGY COMPONENTS, INC. THESE UNITS CONTAIN A COURTESY LIGHT OR LIGHTS THAT MIGHT OVERHEAT WHEN THE WIRE HARNESS IS EXPOSED TO EXCESSIVE MOISTURE AND ROAD SALT.

Consequence: THIS OVERHEATING CONDITION CAN CAUSE THE RUNNING BOARD TO MELT OR CAUSE A FIRE.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE WIRING HARNESS ON THESE RUNNING BOARDS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MARCH 7, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT SOUTHERN COMFORT AT 1-800-745-6096.

NHTSA campaign record ↗