NHTSA Complaint #10384087 — 2002 FORD EXCURSION

2002 FORD TRITON 6.8L V10 ENGINE IN AN EXCURSION VEHICLE EJECTED AN ORIGINAL (UNCHANGED, FACTORY TORQUED) SPARK PLUG WITH GREAT FORCE AND DAMAGE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. COIL WAS IMMEDIATELY DAMAGED AS SPARK PLUG RICOCHETED AROUND THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT FOLLOWED BY THE SMELL OF GASOLINE VAPORS AND LOUD NOISE FROM THE ENGINE COMPRESSION BEING DIRECTLY VENTED FROM THE VACATED SPARK PLUG HOLE. THE FIVE THREADS OF THE TRITON SPARK PLUG HOLE WERE DAMAGED BY THE FORCE OF THE EJECTION. THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN WITH THE FORD ENGINE TO THE CUSTOMERS SAFETY GIVEN THIS WAS AN ORIGINAL PLUG (AT 85,000 MILES). THE WEATHER AT THE TIME OF THE SPARK PLUG EJECTION WAS -4F, AND THE SPARK PLUG EJECTED AS THE VEHICLE WAS BEGINNING TO ACCELERATE FROM A STANDSTILL. FORD HAS A MAJOR AND COSTLY DEFECT WITH THEIR TRITON ENGINES THEY SOLD TO CUSTOMERS (ENGINE REPLACEMENT IS ESTIMATED AT $4000) AND THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD ENFORCE FORD TO RECALL AND REPAIR ALL SPARK PLUG HOLES IN THESE ALUMINUM ENGINES SPANNING YEARS 2000 TO 2004 GIVEN THEY ONLY USED 5 THREADS IN EACH SPARK PLUG HOLE, WHICH IS INSUFFICIENT FOR AN ALUMINUM BLOCK. HOW IS IT THAT THIS WIDELY KNOWN ISSUE IS NOT GETTING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S ATTENTION GIVEN THIS IS A DEMONSTRATED MAJOR DEFECT AND A SAFETY ISSUE (COULD HAVE HAD A FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT IF A SPARK FROM THE EJECTED SPARK PLUG OCCURRED). *TR