NHTSA Complaint #10125263 — 2001 FORD SUPERCREW

WITHOUT WARNING, ENGINE BEGAN RUNNING ROUGH AND SOUNDED LIKE AN EXHAUST LEAK. ENGINE WAS STOPPED AND RESTARTED. SOUND GOT MUCH LOUDER WITH A BANG OR CLUNK UNDER THE HOOD. TRUCK WAS STOPPED AT THAT POINT AND TOWED TO FORD DEALER. THEY REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO BE A "SPARK PLUG HAD BLOWN OUT" OF THE CYLINDER HEAD. THE ONLY REPAIR THAT THEY RECOMMENDED WAS CYLINDER HEAD REPLACEMENT, $2700 AND ONE WEEKS TIME. A QUICK LOOK AT THE INTERNET, PLACING THE WORDS "SPARK PLUG BLEW OUT" IN YAHOO SEARCH REVEALED HUNDREDS OF INSTANCES OF PLUGS BLOWING OUT OF FORD 5.4 AND V10 TRITON ENGINE, MOST REQUIRED CYLINDER REPLACEMENT. IT IS REPORTED THAT FORD WILL NOT COVER THE COST OF THIS CYLINDER HEAD DESIGN FLAW REGARDLESS OF MILEAGE. I BELIEVE FORD SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO COVER ALL OR PART OF THE COST OF THIS REPAIR, AS IT IS NOT A RESULT OF IMPROPER OPERATION AR MAINTENEANCE BUT IS OBVIOUSLY A CYLINDER HEAD DESIGN FLAW.