NHTSA Complaint #10111889 — 1999 FORD F-350 SD

TRUCK HAS 56K MILES ON IT. MY WIFE WAS DRIVING A COUPLE OF MILES FROM HOM EWHEN SHE HEARD A LOUD BANG OR POP NOISE WHICH SHOOK THE TRUCK. THE TRUCK THEN CONTINUED MAKING A LOUD NOISE, SHE DROVE BACK HOME AND AFTER LOOKING AT THE ENGINE, I DETERMINED THAT A COIL PACK HAD BLOWN OFF. THE SPARK PLUG WAS ALSO ATTACHED TO IT SO THE NEXT MORNING I CALLED MY LOCAL FORD DEALER, AV FORD AND THEY SAID MORE THAN LIKELY IT'S WHAT THEY CALL A 'BLOWN PLUG'. THEY ESTIMATED THE HEAD SHOULD BE REPLACED SINCE THIS WOULD STRIP THE THREADS OF THE HEAD. THE SERVICE ADVISOR SAID THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND THAT BOTH HEADS SHOULD BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $5800 BECAUSE OTHERWISE I MIGHT HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AGAIN IN A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME. I DID SOME RESEARCH ONLINE AND FOUND THAT THIS PROBLEM IS VERY COMMON WITH THE FORD V10 ENGINES FROM ABOUT 1999-2003. I TALKED TO A COUPLE OF OTHER FORD SERVICE TECHS AT OTHER DEALERSHIPS AND THEY AGREED THAT IT'S A VERY COMMON PROBLEM THAT FORD IS NOT RECOGNIZING OR DOING ANYTHING ABOUT. I CALLED FORD CONSUMER RELATIONS TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE DEFECT AND THEY SAID BEFORE THEY CAN HELP ME, I NEED TO HAVE THE DEALER OFFICIALLY LOOK IT OVER. THE TRUCK IS AT THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY WANT $5800 TO FIX IT. THERE ARE SEVERAL HUNDRED OR EVEN THOUSANDS OF POSTS ONLINE OF OTHER FORD OWNERS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS SAME PROBLEM WITH THE V10 ENGINE. THE DEFECT IS THAT THE ALUMINUM HEADS DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH THREADS TO HOLD THE SPARK PLUGS SECURELY AND EVENTUALLY THEY WILL VIBRATE LOOSE ENOUGH TO BLOW OUT CAUSING UNREPAIRABLE DAMAGE TO THE HEAD.