NHTSA Complaint #10402125 — 2001 FORD F-150

I HAVE A 2001 FORD F-150 LIGHTNING WITH ROUGHLY 31,000 MILES ON IT. THREE WEEKS BACK I WAS TURNING INTO MY NEIGHBORHOOD AT 5 MPH, AND I HEAD A POPPING SOUND, AND THE TRUCK BEGINS TO RUN ROUGHLY. I IMMEDIATELY PULL OVER, AND POP THE HOOD, I SMELL GASOLINE. I SHUT THE TRUCK OFF. CALL A TOW TRUCK TO MY FORD DEALERSHIP. THERE THEY TELL ME THAT THE SPARK PLUG HAS SHOT OUT OF THE CYLINDER HEAD, STRIPPING THE ALUMINUM HEAD. I GET THE BILL FOR REPAIR IN WHICH THEY RE-BORE THE HEAD, AND INSTALL A HELI COIL AT A COST OF $560 PLUS LABOR. THE DEALERSHIP TELLS ME THIS SHOULD IN FACT STRENGTHEN THE CYLINDER, SO I CONTINUE NORMAL OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE TUESDAY 5/17/11, I WAS DRIVING ON ROUTE 290 IN WORCESTER WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN AT 70 MPH THE HELI COIL POPS OUT CAUSING ME INSTANTLY LOSE POWER. IN AN EFFORT NOT TO DAMAGE THE VEHICLE FURTHER I PUT IT IN NEUTRAL, AND COAST TO THE BREAK DOWN LANE OF A THREE LANE HIGHWAY AND PROCEED TO CALL AAA TO GET A TOW. ONCE BACK AT THE FORD DEALERSHIP THE TECH TRIES TO DO THE SAME THING, AND RE-BORE THE HEAD TO INSTALL ANOTHER HELI COIL. HE DOES AND TAKES IT FOR A TEST DRIVE. THE HELI COIL THAT HE JUST INSTALLED BLOWS. NOW THEY ARE TELLING ME THAT I NEED A NEW CYLINDER HEAD. A $1600 PART, PLUS 19 HOURS OF INSTALLATION COSTING $3600 IN TOTAL. THIS AS I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP AND UPON HOURS OF RESEARCH, IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 1999-2003 FORD 5.4L TRITON ENGINE. THIS IS A FACTORY FORD DEFECT, THEY DID NOT DRILL THE APPROPRIATE THREADS FOR THE SPARK PLUGS. NOW IT HAS HAPPENED TO ME TWICE, THIS VERY EASILY COULD HAVE GOTTEN ME HURT ON THE HIGHWAY, OR COULD HAVE SET FIRE TO MY VEHICLE SINCE GASOLINE FROM THE CYLINDER WAS SPILLING ONTO THE HOT ENGINE BLOCK, DIRECTLY NEXT TO THE FUSE BOX, THERE A CURRENT RUNS THROUGH. I HAVE SPOKEN TO FORD AND THERE IS NO RECALL ON THIS. A FACTORY DEFECT, THAT IS COSTING ME ALMOST $4000, THROUGH NOTHING BUT CAREFUL CARE OF THE VEHICLE. *TR