Ford F-150 / 2003
2003 Ford F-150 problems
Owners have filed 527 complaints about the 2003 Ford F-150 with NHTSA. Engine and engine cooling accounts for 13.5% of them — narrowly the most common, ahead of power train at 12%.
Complaints527
Crashes57
Fires47
Injuries54
Deaths1
What owners report breaking
Engine and engine cooling 13.5% · 71
Power train 12.0% · 63
Electrical system 9.1% · 48
Structure 6.6% · 35
Vehicle speed control 6.1% · 32
Air bags 5.5% · 29
Engine 5.3% · 28
Tires 4.0% · 21
Severity
Of those complaints, 57 describe a crash, 47 describe a fire, 54 report an injury and 1 report a death.
Reading the numbers
Across the 35 model years of the Ford F-150 in this data, 2003 sits 29th by complaint volume. 2013 draws the most.
Filings are rising — 15 in the last three years against 13 in the three before. For a vehicle this age that usually points to a wear-related failure owners are hitting now.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 64,532 miles.
In owners' own words
I have a 2003 f150 v8 5.4 L and I was driving down the road and I heard a pop, and I checked my engine and noticed the ignition coil was loose and the spark plug was attached to the ignition coil, so now the threads in the head are stripped and I cannot drive my vehicle!! This is a huge problem and I am very disappointed that because not enough people have complained that this is not recall issue it should be!!! Engine and engine cooling · reported at 15,646 miles
The spark plug on my 2003 Ford F-150 was ejected from the engine. The truck has 42,000 miles on it. There was a huge bang from the engine, and the gas vapors flooded the cab. Luckily I was able to navigate to the side of the road and my family was not injured. This problem appears to be well-documented online, and I will be following up to see where the nhtsa is on this issue. Engine and engine cooling · reported at 42,000 miles
On april 20, 2009, spark plug #7 blowout while accelerating from a traffic light. Approx. Speed 25 to 35 mph. Engine lost compression, damaged the ignition coil, but I was able to make it to a firestone repair garage within 10 miles. The spark plug #7 was replaced with the heli coil and the ignition coil damage was also replaced. Total cost of labor and parts was $352.81. Engine and engine cooling · reported at 179,764 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…