NHTSA Complaint #10005785 — 2001 FORD F-150

RE: 2001 FORD SVT LIGHTNING MY VEHICLE VIOLENTLY EJECTED A SPARK PLUG FROM THE ENGINE'S HEAD, WHILE MERGING ON A HIGHWAY ON-RAMP. UPON FAILURE, THE VEHICLE OBVIOUSLY STARTED MISFIRING, BUCKING, AND WAS A HANDFUL WHEN PULLING OVER TO SIDE OF THE ROAD. FORD ONLY USED 4 SETS OF THREADS ON THEIR LIGHTINING HEADS FROM 1999 TO EARLY 2003. CONVENTIONAL HEADS TYPICALLY USE BETWEEN 8 AND 10 THREADS TO HOLD A PLUG, BUT FORD DESIGNED THEIR HEADS WITH ONLY 4 THREADS ON MANY MODULAR 5.4-LITER V8 MOTORS TOO (NOT JUST THE LIGHTNING). THEY HAVE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM, AS THEY HAVE CHANGED THE HEAD DESIGN IN EARLY 2003 TO A NEW PART WITH 8 THREADS. BUT FORD HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL FOR OLDER LIGHTNINGS (AND OTHER F-150'S), EVEN THOUGH THIS COULD BE A POTENTIAL SAFETY PROBLEM (FIRE, LOSS OF CONTROL, ETC.). I HAVE ALREADY HAD MY HEAD REPLACED WITH ANOTHER INFERIOR 4-THREAD DESIGN, AND I WONDER WHEN THE NEXT PLUG WILL BE BLOWN FROM MY ENGINE. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE NHTSA ENCOURAGE FORD TO RETROFIT ALL AFFECTED VEHICLES AS THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR MANY LIGHTNING OWNERS.