NHTSA Complaint #10446103 — 2001 FORD F SERIES (LIGHT)

ATTEMPTED TO START A 2001 FORD F-150 SUPER CREW THAT HAS A 5.4LITER ENGINE AND ONLY 80,500 AND HEARD A BANG. ENGINE STARTED BUT MADE A LOT OF NOISE. I SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE AND CHECKED UNDER HOOD. ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF ENGINE FOUND A PLUG WIRE AND COIL DESTROYED WHICH INDICATED A SPARK PLUG EXPLODED OUT OF THE CYLINDER HEAD. REPAIR SHOP SAID DO NOT DRIVE IT AS FUEL WILL SPRAY ON HOT MANIFOLD AND WILL CAUSE A FIRE. THEY SAID I WAS LUCKY ENGINE WAS NOT HOT. THESE WERE THE FACTORY INSTALLED PLUGS AS ORIGINAL WINDOW STICKER SAYS 100K MILE TUNE-UPS. ESTIMATE OF REPAIR IS $4,000. FORD ACCRONIM APPLIES HERE "FOUND ON ROAD DEAD OR, FIX OR REPAIR DAILY." UPON INTERNET SEARCH THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON OCCURANCE AND NEITHER FORD OR NHITSA ARE DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT. FORD HAS EVEN PUT OUT A TSB07-15-2 AUTHORIZING A SPECIFIC TOOL AND REPAIR PROCEDURE FOR ALUMINUM HEADS FOR THE 5.4 1997 TO 2004 FSERIES. FORD KNOWS IT IS AN ENGINEERING DEFECT AND NHITSA KNOWS IT IS A FIRE HAZARD AS SOME VEHICLES HAVE CAUGHT ON FIRE. *TR