Your vehicle report
2002 Ford F-150
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 821
- Received Jan 2002 to Jul 2026
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Spark plugs blow out of cylinder head210 complaints · 26% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Vehicle catches fire from wiring87 complaints · 11% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Seat belt fails to latch or retract51 complaints · 6.2% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #11V385000Ford is recalling certain 1997 through 2003 model year ford F-150, 2004 model year ford F-150 heritage, 1997 through 1999 model year F-250 less than 8,500 lbs. Gross vehicle weight rating (gvwr), and 2002 and 2003 lincoln blackwood vehicles manufactured from june 20, 1995, through august 4, 2004, originally sold, or currently registered in, connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia. Prolonged exposure to road deicing chemicals may cause severe corrosion of the fuel tank straps which secure the tank to the vehicle.
- Recall #05V388000On certain pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles equipped with speed control, the speed control deactivation switch may overheat, smoke, or burn.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 51 crashes, 95 fires, 60 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 20 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 38 |
| 2003 | 40 |
| 2004 | 54 |
| 2005 | 85 |
| 2006 | 56 |
| 2007 | 45 |
| 2008 | 59 |
| 2009 | 65 |
| 2010 | 65 |
| 2011 | 89 |
| 2012 | 36 |
| 2013 | 32 |
| 2014 | 31 |
| 2015 | 29 |
| 2016 | 24 |
| 2017 | 19 |
| 2018 | 15 |
| 2019 | 12 |
| 2020 | 5 |
| 2021 | 4 |
| 2022 | 4 |
| 2023 | 7 |
| 2024 | 3 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 2 |
| Total | 821 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spark plugs blow out of cylinder head | 210 | 26% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 87 | 11% | – | NHTSA recall #05V388000 |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 51 | 6.2% | – | |
| Ford F-150 transmission unexpectedly downshifts or jerks | 50 | 6.1% | – | |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 46 | 5.6% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 30 | 3.6% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 30 | 3.6% | – | |
| Water leaks into cabin during rain | 20 | 2.4% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 13 | 1.6% | – | |
| Frame rusts and corrodes through | 12 | 1.5% | – | |
| Glass shatters or cracks without impact | 11 | 1.3% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 11 | 1.3% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 10 | 1.2% | – | |
| Cruise control fails to disengage | 10 | 1.2% | – | |
| Windshield wipers work intermittently or fail | 8 | 1.0% | – | |
| Steering wheel shakes violently at highway speed | 8 | 1.0% | – | |
| Suspension clunking or rattling noise over bumps | 8 | 1.0% | – | |
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 6 | 0.7% | – | |
| Tie rod ends break or come loose | 6 | 0.7% | – | |
| Axle breaks while driving, wheel detaches | 6 | 0.7% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #11V385000July 29, 20111,100,000 vehicles affected
fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly: mounting
Ford is recalling certain 1997 through 2003 model year Ford F-150, 2004 model year Ford F-150 heritage, 1997 through 1999 model year F-250 less than 8,500 lbs. Gross vehicle weight rating (gvwr), and 2002 and 2003 Lincoln blackwood vehicles manufactured from june 20, 1995, through august 4, 2004, originally sold, or currently registered in, connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia. Prolonged exposure to road deicing chemicals may cause severe corrosion of the fuel tank straps which secure the tank to the vehicle.
As a result of the corrosion, one or both straps may fail allowing the fuel lines to separate from the tank, or in some cases, causing the tank to contact the ground. Either scenario may result in a fuel leak presenting a fire hazard.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners and instruct them to take their vehicles to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to have the fuel tank straps replaced with straps that have increased corrosion protection. Early in this campaign, if replacement straps are not available, dealers may install a cable support under the strap as an interim repair or a steel reinforcement over the existing strap as a permanent repair. Any repairs will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on september 16, 2011. Owners may contact Ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's recall campaign number is 11S21
NHTSA recall #05V388000September 7, 20054,500,000 vehicles affected
vehicle speed control
On certain pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles equipped with speed control, the speed control deactivation switch may overheat, smoke, or burn.
A fire at the switch could occur.
Remedy
By letter dated september 12, 2005, owners were instructed to return their vehicles to their dealers to have the speed control deactivation switch disconnected. Owners who have had their speed control deactivated are being notified that parts will be available and advised to make an appointment to reconnect the speed control beginning in february 2006. Owners who did not have their speed control deactivated are being notified to have their system remedied beginning in february 2006. Owners are urged to avail themselves of the free disconnect service as soon as possible because of the significant risk of fire. Owners may contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673. (note: also see recalls 05V017 and 06V286)
Other model years
- 1991 304
- 1992 470
- 1993 586
- 1994 676
- 1995 626
- 1996 324
- 1997 2,758
- 1998 1,381
- 1999 1,044
- 2000 1,075
- 2001 1,236
- 2002
- 2003 423
- 2004 2,029
- 2005 1,112
- 2006 585
- 2007 488
- 2008 369
- 2009 324
- 2010 843
- 2011 2,194
- 2012 1,784
- 2013 2,992
- 2014 1,539
- 2015 1,745
- 2016 2,093
- 2017 1,463
- 2018 2,325
- 2019 1,343
- 2020 742
- 2021 1,040
- 2022 602
- 2023 418
- 2024 195
- 2025 109
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2002 Ford F-150.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN