There are 50 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2003 Ford F-150in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
TL* THE CONTACT'S BOYFRIEND OWNS A 2003 FORD F-150. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE IGNITION COILS AND ALL SPARK PLUGS WOULD BLOW OUT INSIDE OF THE ENGINE WHICH WOULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO STALL AS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD APPEAR ON THE DASHBOARD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE HAS HAD THE IGNITION COILS AND SPARKS PLUGS REPLACED ON FOUR SEPARATE OCCASIONS ALL BY INDEPENDENT MECHANICS HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE CONTACT ALSO CALLED THREE SEPARATE DEALERS BUT WAS UNABLE TO REACH A SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT UNDER RECALL. SHE WAS REFERRED TO NHTSA FOR ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 110,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD F-150. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER PARKING THE VEHICLE FROM DRIVING, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SMOKE FROM THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHORTLY AFTER THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE UNDER THE HOOD ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME TO PUT OUT THE FIRE AND FILED A POLICE REPORT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND DEEMED TOTALED. THE CONTACT HAD CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP (SAM PACK'S FIVE STAR FORD ADDRESS: 1635 S INTERSTATE 35E, CARROLLTON, TX 75006 PHONE: (972) 446-5027) WHO INFORMED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL ON THEIR VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 240,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD F-150. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT HAD BEEN ILLUMINATED SINCE THE DAY OF PURCHASE. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE CAR PORT THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME AND PUT OUT THE FIRE. A FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORT WAS MADE. THE VEHICLE WAS DEEMED TOTALED AS WELL AS DAMAGED THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE CONTACT CONTACTED A CERTIFIED MECHANIC WHO INFORMED THEM OF A RECALL FOR THE YEAR/MAKE/MODEL, NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 06E056000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). THE CONTACT STATED THE VIN HAD NOT SHOWN TO BE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 203,000. *BF *DL
TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2003 FORD F-150. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 05V017000 (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) AND A REPAIR APPOINTMENT WAS SCHEDULED WITH THE LOCAL DEALER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE WAS NOT INFORMED BY THE DEALER THAT THE DEFECTIVE PART COULD HAVE BEEN DISCONNECTED FROM THE VEHICLE TO AVOID A FIRE WHICH WAS STATED IN THE RECALL REMEDY. THE CONTACT STATED AFTER HIS GIRLFRIEND PARKED THE VEHICLE, ABOUT FOUR AND A HALF HOURS LATER THE VEHICLE UNEXPECTEDLY WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES FROM THE ENGINE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED AND EXTINGUISHED THE FLAMES. A FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT TWO OTHER VEHICLES WERE DAMAGED BY THE FIRE. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE INCIDENT AND CANCELED A SCHEDULED APPOINTMENT HOWEVER THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE INCIDENT. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT DEEMED THE VEHICLE A TOTAL LOSS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 196,000.
REQUESTNG FORD BE MADE TO ISSUE A RECALL FOR EXHAUST MANIFOLD HOLES AND CRACKING ISSUES. THIS ISSUE IS KNOWN AND THE ARE MULTIPLE FORUMS ONLINE WHERE PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT HAVING THIS ISSUE. WHEN THE MANIFOLD LEAKS, THE RISK IS THERE THAT EXHAUST FUMES CAN GET INTO THE DRIVING COMPARTMENT AND ASPHYXIATE THE PEOPLE IN THE CAR. IT IS AN EXPENSIVE REPAIR FOR AN ISSUE FOR SHOULD HAVE RESOLVED LONG AGO.
THE SPARK PLUG EJECTED FROM MY ENGINE AND CYLINDER HEAD. AND APPARENTLY THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE WITH FORD TRUCK ENGINES. SEEMS TO ME IT SHOULD BE A DEFECT OR A RECALL. THAT SHOULD NOT HAPPEN IT COULD BE DANGEROUS. I THOUGHT MY VEHICLES ENGINE HAD EXPLODED. AND THE COST OF THIS COULD BE OUTRAGEOUS.
WAS DRIVING ALONG AT 35 MPH GOING STRAIGHT ON A CITY STREET. A SPARK PLUG WAS EJECTED FROM THE ENGINE HEAD. THIS COULD CREATE A FIRE HAZARD.
SPARK PLUG 2ND CLOSEST TO THE PASSENGER BLEW OUT.
DRIVING UP A HILL AT HIGHWAY SPEED I HEARD A LOUD BANG AND A CLUNK AND THE TRUCK STARTED SHAKING. I WAS QUITE STARTLED. I PULLED OVER IMMEDIATELY, SHUT IT OFF, AND FOUND THE SPARK PLUG HAD EJECTED FROM CYLINDER NUMBER 6. NOT BEING FAR FROM HOME, I ATTEMPTED TO DRIVE IT THE REST OF THE WAY ON LESS BUSY ROADS, BUT I HAD TO PULL OVER AGAIN WHEN I STARTED SMELLING A STRONG GASOLINE SMELL. I WAS ABLE TO DISCONNECT THE FUEL INJECTOR AND DRIVE IT THE REST OF THE WAY HOME, BUT I FEEL THERE WAS A DANGER OF AN ACCIDENT WHEN THE INCIDENT HAPPENED DUE TO THE SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER IN TRAFFIC ON A HILL, AND THEN A DANGER OF A FIRE WHEN I HAD TRIED TO CONTINUE DRIVING IT WITH THE FUEL INJECTOR ACTIVE.
SECOND TIME SAME SPARK PLUG HOUSING HAS FAILED TO HOLD SPARK PLUG AND EJECTED IT FROM ENGINE ALONG WITH RAW FUEL ALMOST IGNITING ENGINE COMPARTMENT.
WHILE DRIVING MY TRUCK WITH MY WIFE & SON, WE HEARD A LOUD POP, LIKE A GUN SHOT, THEN MY TRUCK STARTED TO RUN REAL ROUGH, I FOUND A COIL, & A SPARK PLUG HAD BEEN BLOWN OUT OF THE ENGINE, BECAUSE OF THE FUEL BUILD UP & THE SPARK FROM THE TRUCK STILL RUNNING WE ARE LUCKY THAT THE TRUCK DID NOT CATCH FIRE.
AS WE STARTED THE TRUCK, WE HEARD A LOUD POP AND THEN THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING ROUGH. I COULD SMELL GAS BURNING NOT IN A GOOD WAY, SO WE TURNED OFF THE ENGINE AND POPPED THE HOOD. THERE WAS GASOLINE RUNNING UNDER THE TRUCK, AND GASOLINE COMING FROM THE EXHAUST. A PASSERBY INFORMED US THAT THE F-150 WITH TRITON ENGINE IS NOTORIOUS FOR BLOWING SPARK PLUGS AND PROCEEDED TO POINT OUT WHICH SPARK PLUG HAD BLOWN. I RESEARCHED THIS ISSUE WHEN I ARRIVED HOME AFTER OUR TRUCK WAS TOWED TO A MECHANIC, AND DISCOVERED THAT JUST ABOUT EVERY F-150 OWNER GOES THROUGH THIS. WHY IS THIS NOT A DEFECT THAT FORD IS BEING REQUIRED TO FIX? DO PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE BEFORE A DEFECTIVE PART IS TAKEN CARE OF? *TR
A SPARK PLUG BLEW OUT, ANOTHER PLUG BLEW OUT 3 DAYS LATER. IT COST ALMOST $2000 TO FIX AND THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THAT THE REST WON'T BLOW OUT. *TR
ANOTHER CRACKED PASSENGER SIDE MANIFOLD ON REGULARLY SERVICED VEHICLE. FORD MOTOR COMPANY SHOULD ISSUE RECALL OR PROVIDE "GOODWILL" BASED ON THE NUMBER OF FAILED COMPONENTS BEING REPORTED BY FORD OWNERS. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD F-150. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE MADE AN ABNORMAL NOISE. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE RECURRED TWICE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE WHERE AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THAT THE SPARK PLUG DETACHED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 148,000.
MY 2003, FORD F-150 BLEW A SPARK PLUG FOR THE FOURTH TIME YESTERDAY. EACH TIME A DIFFERENT PLUG. I WAS HEADING TO CHURCH AND "POP". WE WERE JUST GETTING ON THE ON RAMP WHEN IT HAPPEN. FOUR TIME NOW AND EACH TIME I HAVE TO PAY TO GET IT FIXED. RIGHT NOW I CAN'T AFFORD TO FIX IT AND IT'S SITTING IN MY YARD... *TR
WHILE DRIVING AT 65 - 70 MPH ON I-95, THE SPARK PLUG ON THE #2 CYLINDER BLEW OUT. #2 CYLINDER IS 2ND PLUG FROM FRONT OF ENGINE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. LOUD NOISE AND LOST POWER. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD F-150. THE CONTACT STATED THAT EXHAUST FUMES WERE PRESENT INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE MANIFOLD WAS LEAKING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.
MY FAMILY AND I WERE SITTING IN A DRIVE THROUGH PICKING UP A PIZZA. CAN WE WENT TO PULL FORWARD AND IT STARTED LOOKING REALLY BAD .. DID SOME RESEARCH AND FELT ALL THE PLUGS AND FOUND THAT NUMBER FOUR PLUG BLEW OUT OF THE HEAD! IT COST US 500 FOR FIX AND NOW ANOTHER ONE IS STARTING TO GO!! *TR
AS I WAS DRIVING HOME, MY ENGINE BEGAN MAKING A LOUD NOISE & RUNNING BADLY. UPON INSPECTION OF THE MOTOR, I FOUND THE SPARK PLUG HAD BLOWN OUT OF THE #3 CYLINDER, BREAKING THE COIL PACK IN THE PROCESS. I DO NOT BELIEVE THIS IS A NORMAL OCCURRENCE. I HAVE CHECKED ON-LINE TO SEE IF THIS HAS HAPPENED TO OTHER F-150 OWNERS, AND FOUND OUT IT IS FAIRLY COMMON. WHAT CAN BE DONE TO GET FORD TO HELP WITH THIS PROBLEM? *TR
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026