Total Complaints
50 filings
FORD F SUPER DUTY · model year
50 NHTSA complaints, 3 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2002FORDF SUPER DUTY carries 50 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 3 crashes, 3 fires, 1 injury, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2002 F SUPER DUTY is engine and engine cooling with 8 filings, followed by electrical system (6) and power train (4). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 177 investigation files overlapping the 2002 F SUPER DUTY, and 8 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
50 filings
Crashes Reported
3 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 8 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 6 |
| POWER TRAIN | 4 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 3 |
| ENGINE | 3 |
| TIRES:SIDEWALL | 2 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | 2 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 2 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 2 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 2 |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 2 |
| TIRES | 2 |
| STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | 1 |
| STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR | 1 |
| SUSPENSION | 1 |
PURCHASED 6 TOYO HT OPEN COUNTRY TIRES. 4 OF THE 6 HAVE SEPERATED
SET OF 5 UNIROYAL LIBERATOR TIRES PURCHASED NEW, LT265-75-16 LOAD RANGE E, 2002 F-250 4X4 (OEM SIZE) *THESE TIRES ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE THRU WAL-MART WHERE THEY WERE PURCHASED AND INSTALLED. THE FOLLOWING OCCURRENCES WERE/ARE DUE TO DEFECTIVE TIRES, NOT ANY ACTIONS COMMITTED BY WAL-MART, THE INSTALLER/SELLER. OWNER OF VEHICLE IS CERTIFIED MECHANIC AND MAINTAINS VEHICLE & TIRES TO OEM SPECS. AT APPROX. 10,000 MILES ON TIRES, WE EMBARKED ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY TRIP FROM FLORIDA TO IDAHO AND BACK, TRAVELING THRU UTAH, NOTICED AN IMBALANCE AT 70MPH. ENTERING IDAHO THE IMBALANCE NOW OCCURRED AT ALL SPEEDS. INSPECTION OF ALL TIRES REVEALED DRIVER-SIDE REAR TIRE TREAD HAD A PRONOUNCED BULGE A FOOT LONG IN THE CENTER OF TREAD. SPARE TIRE WAS INSTALLED, AND VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO WAL-MART IN BOISE. (MANAGER VERIFIED TREAD/BELT SEPARATION, TIRE STILL AT 70PSI.) REPLACED WITH GOODYEAR WRANGLER SAME SIZE. RETURNING TO FLORIDA, ANOTHER IMBALANCE OCCURRED ON THE INTERSTATE IN SOUT
Mileage: 116,000
MY 2002 F250 SUPERDUTY WITH 7.3L DIESEL WILL NOT TURN AT PARKING SPEEDS AND HIGHER SPEEDS IF APPLYING THE BRAKE. I HAVE CONTACTED FORD AND OTHER OWNERS WITH THE SAME VEHICLE AND THEY ALL SAY IT IS CONSISTENT WITH THE 7.3L POWERED SUPERDUTY TRUCKS. I BELIEVE THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS CONDITION AND DO NOT WANT TO BE PUT INTO A POSITION WHERE I MAY HURT SOMEBODY DUE TO A FAULTY DESIGNED STEERING SYSTEM. INCREASING RPM DOES NOT HELP. MY TALKING TO EXPERTS HAS FOUND THE GENERAL CONSENSUS TO BE THAT THE HYDRO BOOST PUMP DOES NOT PRODUCE ENOUGH VOLUME AND WAS A POOR DESIGN RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC. MY RESEARCH ON THE ISSUE ALSO FOUND THAT THOUSANDS OF CUSTOMERS COMPLAINED EARLY ON AND BECAUSE THERE WERE NO DEATHS IT WAS DISMISSED AS A NON ISSUE. I THINK THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED AS I HAVE ONLY 40,000 MILES AND THIS IS A DANGEROUS CONDITION THAT HAS ONLY FORTUNATELY NOT CAUSED ANY DEATHS THAT I'M AWARE OF.
Mileage: 38,000
MY 2002 F250 SUPERDUTY WITH 7.3L DIESEL WILL NOT TURN AT PARKING SPEEDS AND HIGHER SPEEDS IF APPLYING THE BRAKE. I HAVE CONTACTED FORD AND OTHER OWNERS WITH THE SAME VEHICLE AND THEY ALL SAY IT IS CONSISTENT WITH THE 7.3L POWERED SUPERDUTY TRUCKS. I BELIEVE THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS CONDITION AND DO NOT WANT TO BE PUT INTO A POSITION WHERE I MAY HURT SOMEBODY DUE TO A FAULTY DESIGNED STEERING SYSTEM. INCREASING RPM DOES NOT HELP. MY TALKING TO EXPERTS HAS FOUND THE GENERAL CONSENSUS TO BE THAT THE HYDRO BOOST PUMP DOES NOT PRODUCE ENOUGH VOLUME AND WAS A POOR DESIGN RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC. MY RESEARCH ON THE ISSUE ALSO FOUND THAT THOUSANDS OF CUSTOMERS COMPLAINED EARLY ON AND BECAUSE THERE WERE NO DEATHS IT WAS DISMISSED AS A NON ISSUE. I THINK THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED AS I HAVE ONLY 40,000 MILES AND THIS IS A DANGEROUS CONDITION THAT HAS ONLY FORTUNATELY NOT CAUSED ANY DEATHS THAT I'M AWARE OF.
Mileage: 38,000
TRAVELING ON A BUSY HIGHWAY AT 65 MPH; THE SPARK PLUG ON MY 5.4L V8 TRITON BLEW OUT OF ITS SOCKET. (ANY MECHANIC WILL TELL YOU EVERYTHING YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THIS) THIS CAUSED AN IMMEDIATE BANG AND VERY ROUGH RUNNING CONDITION. AS SOON AS IT HAPPENED; THERE WAS AN IMMEDIATE LOSS OF POWER WHICH IN TURN; CAUSED A RAPID REDUCTION IN VEHICLE SPEED. NOT TO MENTION, THE DISTRACTION THAT OCCURRED THAT CAUSED THE LACK OF FOCUS ON SURROUNDING VEHICLES AND OTHER POSSIBLE HAZARDS. THIS IS THE SECOND OCCURRENCE OF A SEPARATE SPARK PLUG BLOWING OUT OF ITS SOCKET ON THE SAME MOTOR. THIS WILL COST SEVERAL THOUSAND IN REPAIRS AFTER ALL IS SAID AND DONE. ON TOP OF THE MONEY SPENT REPAIRING THE LAST INCIDENT. THERE IS A DOCUMENTED HISTORY OF THIS SITUATION WITH THE MORE EXTREME HAVING FIRE ISSUES. THE FIRE IS BECAUSE ATOMIZED FUEL IS SPRAYED INTO THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT DUE TO THERE BEING A HOLE WHERE THE SPARK PLUG IS SUPPOSED TO BE. THERE WAS NO CRASH, FIRE OR INJURY IN THIS CASE. HO
Mileage: 88,000
THIS ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS REPLACED BY FORD IN A FACTORY RECALL ON APRIL 2011. AT THE TIME THE ORIGINAL PEDAL WORKED FINE BUT IT WAS CHANGED OUR ANYWAY. THE REPLACEMENT PEDAL FAILED ON 12/15/14. DURING FAILURE, THE VEHICLE ENGINE COMPLETELY LOSES POWER AND GOES BACK TO IDLE. DURING CERTAIN MANEUVERS THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION, SUCH AS ACCELERATING TO MERGE ON THE FREEWAY OR PULLING OUT FROM A STOP SIGN IN TRAFFIC. I HAVE READ OF MANY INSTANCES WHERE THIS HAS HAPPENED TO OTHER FORD OWNERS. FORD NEEDS TO COME UP WITH A REPLACEMENT THAT IS RELIABLE AS THIS IS A KEY COMPONENT TO SAFE VEHICULAR TRAVEL. *TR
Mileage: 112,000
THIS ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS REPLACED BY FORD IN A FACTORY RECALL ON APRIL 2011. AT THE TIME THE ORIGINAL PEDAL WORKED FINE BUT IT WAS CHANGED OUR ANYWAY. THE REPLACEMENT PEDAL FAILED ON 12/15/14. DURING FAILURE, THE VEHICLE ENGINE COMPLETELY LOSES POWER AND GOES BACK TO IDLE. DURING CERTAIN MANEUVERS THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION, SUCH AS ACCELERATING TO MERGE ON THE FREEWAY OR PULLING OUT FROM A STOP SIGN IN TRAFFIC. I HAVE READ OF MANY INSTANCES WHERE THIS HAS HAPPENED TO OTHER FORD OWNERS. FORD NEEDS TO COME UP WITH A REPLACEMENT THAT IS RELIABLE AS THIS IS A KEY COMPONENT TO SAFE VEHICULAR TRAVEL. *TR
Mileage: 112,000
THIS ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS REPLACED BY FORD IN A FACTORY RECALL ON APRIL 2011. AT THE TIME THE ORIGINAL PEDAL WORKED FINE BUT IT WAS CHANGED OUR ANYWAY. THE REPLACEMENT PEDAL FAILED ON 12/15/14. DURING FAILURE, THE VEHICLE ENGINE COMPLETELY LOSES POWER AND GOES BACK TO IDLE. DURING CERTAIN MANEUVERS THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION, SUCH AS ACCELERATING TO MERGE ON THE FREEWAY OR PULLING OUT FROM A STOP SIGN IN TRAFFIC. I HAVE READ OF MANY INSTANCES WHERE THIS HAS HAPPENED TO OTHER FORD OWNERS. FORD NEEDS TO COME UP WITH A REPLACEMENT THAT IS RELIABLE AS THIS IS A KEY COMPONENT TO SAFE VEHICULAR TRAVEL. *TR
Mileage: 112,000
VEHICLE CAN SHIFT OUT OF PARK WHEN KEY IS IN "ACCESSORIES" MODE WITHOUT PUTTING PRESSURE ON BRAKE PEDAL. *TR
Mileage: 151,000
AFTER BACKING MY CAMPING TRAILER INTO MY DRIVEWAY AFTER A 4 HOUR TRIP I NOTICED FUEL ON THE TRAILER TONGUE AND SMELLED A STRONG SMELL OF DIESEL. LOOKING UNDER THE TRUCK WHILE IT WAS STILL RUNNING I OBSERVED DIESEL FUEL POURING OUT ON THE GROUND FROM THE MOTOR. I QUICKLY SHUT THE MOTOR OFF BEFORE A FIRE RESULTED FROM THE HOT MOTOR. LATER, AFTER SEARCHING FOR THE SOURCE OF THE LEAK IT WAS FOUND THAT A METAL CLIP THAT WAS SECURED AROUND A STEEL FUEL LINE AND HAD RUBBED THROUGH THE LINE CAUSING FUEL TO LEAK OUT ON TOP OF THE MOTOR. *TR
Mileage: 197,511
MY F-250 FORD DIESEL TRUCK CAUGHT FIRE WHILE IT WAS PARKED. ELECTRONIC BRAKE CONTROL ABS MODULE BURNED AND CRUISED CONTROL STOPPED WORKING. WIRING HARNESS WAS BURNED AWAY FROM THE ABS MODULE. *TR
Mileage: 273,000
MY F-250 FORD DIESEL TRUCK CAUGHT FIRE WHILE IT WAS PARKED. ELECTRONIC BRAKE CONTROL ABS MODULE BURNED AND CRUISED CONTROL STOPPED WORKING. WIRING HARNESS WAS BURNED AWAY FROM THE ABS MODULE. *TR
Mileage: 273,000
MY F-250 FORD DIESEL TRUCK CAUGHT FIRE WHILE IT WAS PARKED. ELECTRONIC BRAKE CONTROL ABS MODULE BURNED AND CRUISED CONTROL STOPPED WORKING. WIRING HARNESS WAS BURNED AWAY FROM THE ABS MODULE. *TR
Mileage: 273,000
VEHICLE SECURITY MODULE- THIS MODULE CONTROLS DOOR LOCKS ( FOB & VEHICLE IN MOTION AUTO DOOR LOCKS), AUTO HEADLAMPS, SAFETY DOOR AJAR INDICATORS, ALL INTERIOR ELECTRICAL AUTO LAMP & RADIO FEATURES. ALL THESE ITEMS ON VEHICLE ARE INOPERATIVE DUE TO FAULTY MODULE (VSM). FALSE SAFETY INDICATIONS ARE BEING DISPLAYED. ORIGINAL PART # IS 2C7T-15K602-AJ, REPLACEMENT PART # IS 4C7Z-15604-AC. VEHICLE HAS BEEN AT DEALERSHIP ALMOST (2) MONTHS. INFORMED VEHICLE NON-REPAIRABLE DUE TO UNAVAILABILITY OF PART FROM FORD MOTOR COMPANY. THIS IS A SAFETY ITEM ! ACCORDING TO ON-LINE WEB-SITES, HIGH VOLUME OF OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING SIMILAR PROBLEMS. SINCE THIS A SAFETY ISSUE ( DOOR AJAR INDICATOR & AUTO HEAD LIGHT TURNING OFF WHILE DRIVING), PLEASE ADVISE REMEDY. FORD DEALERSHIP OR FORD MOTOR CO HAS NOT SHOWN ANY INTEREST IN REPAIR OR PART AVAILABILITY. *TR
Mileage: 181,000
VEHICLE SECURITY MODULE- THIS MODULE CONTROLS DOOR LOCKS ( FOB & VEHICLE IN MOTION AUTO DOOR LOCKS), AUTO HEADLAMPS, SAFETY DOOR AJAR INDICATORS, ALL INTERIOR ELECTRICAL AUTO LAMP & RADIO FEATURES. ALL THESE ITEMS ON VEHICLE ARE INOPERATIVE DUE TO FAULTY MODULE (VSM). FALSE SAFETY INDICATIONS ARE BEING DISPLAYED. ORIGINAL PART # IS 2C7T-15K602-AJ, REPLACEMENT PART # IS 4C7Z-15604-AC. VEHICLE HAS BEEN AT DEALERSHIP ALMOST (2) MONTHS. INFORMED VEHICLE NON-REPAIRABLE DUE TO UNAVAILABILITY OF PART FROM FORD MOTOR COMPANY. THIS IS A SAFETY ITEM ! ACCORDING TO ON-LINE WEB-SITES, HIGH VOLUME OF OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING SIMILAR PROBLEMS. SINCE THIS A SAFETY ISSUE ( DOOR AJAR INDICATOR & AUTO HEAD LIGHT TURNING OFF WHILE DRIVING), PLEASE ADVISE REMEDY. FORD DEALERSHIP OR FORD MOTOR CO HAS NOT SHOWN ANY INTEREST IN REPAIR OR PART AVAILABILITY. *TR
Mileage: 181,000
VEHICLE SECURITY MODULE- THIS MODULE CONTROLS DOOR LOCKS ( FOB & VEHICLE IN MOTION AUTO DOOR LOCKS), AUTO HEADLAMPS, SAFETY DOOR AJAR INDICATORS, ALL INTERIOR ELECTRICAL AUTO LAMP & RADIO FEATURES. ALL THESE ITEMS ON VEHICLE ARE INOPERATIVE DUE TO FAULTY MODULE (VSM). FALSE SAFETY INDICATIONS ARE BEING DISPLAYED. ORIGINAL PART # IS 2C7T-15K602-AJ, REPLACEMENT PART # IS 4C7Z-15604-AC. VEHICLE HAS BEEN AT DEALERSHIP ALMOST (2) MONTHS. INFORMED VEHICLE NON-REPAIRABLE DUE TO UNAVAILABILITY OF PART FROM FORD MOTOR COMPANY. THIS IS A SAFETY ITEM ! ACCORDING TO ON-LINE WEB-SITES, HIGH VOLUME OF OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING SIMILAR PROBLEMS. SINCE THIS A SAFETY ISSUE ( DOOR AJAR INDICATOR & AUTO HEAD LIGHT TURNING OFF WHILE DRIVING), PLEASE ADVISE REMEDY. FORD DEALERSHIP OR FORD MOTOR CO HAS NOT SHOWN ANY INTEREST IN REPAIR OR PART AVAILABILITY. *TR
Mileage: 181,000
SPARK PLUG EJECTED FROM HEAD, CAME OUT WITH SUCH FORCE AS TO BREAK THE COIL ON THE FUEL RAIL, SHATTER THE SPARK PLUG AND DISINTEGRATED THE SPARK PLUG BOOT. HAD TO TAP LARGER HOLE AND INSTALL THREADED INSERT SO A NEW SPARK PLUG COULD BE THREADED INTO HEAD AND TORQUED TO SPECS. REPLACED THE COIL AND BOOT AND REINSTALL THE FUEL RAIL AND INJECTORS TO MAKE THE TRUCK SERVICEABLE AGAIN. *TR
Mileage: 171,000
SPARK PLUG IN CYLINDER #2 BLEW OUT OF HEAD TAKING THE THREADS WITH IT. THIS AGAIN HAPPENED 6 DAYS LATER WITH CYLINDER #4. I CHECKED INTERNET AND DISCOVERED THAT THERE HAD BEEN MULTIPLE SITUATIONS WHERE THIS HAS OCCURRED WITH AT LEAST 3 OF FORDS ENGINES. MINE IS THE V10 ENGINE. CALLED THE DEALER I ORDERED THE TRUCK FROM AND THEY INFORMED ME THERE WASN'T A RECALL AND SINCE MY ENGINE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO FIX IT EXCEPT AT MY COST. THEY REFERRED ME TO FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE. THEY TOOK MY INFORMATION BUT SAID THEY WOULD NOT REPAIR IT. ACCORDING TO FORDS TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN TSB 07-21-2 THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM AND IF YOUR TRUCK IS UNDER WARRANTY THEY WOULD REPLACE THE HEADS. IF NOT UNDER WARRANTY THEY RECOMMEND HOW TO REPAIR IT AT CUSTOMER COST. THIS IS NOT RIGHT. THE SPARK PLUG BEING BLOWN OUT OF A DEFECTIVE HEAD IS A FIRE HAZARD AND MAJOR PROBLEM. YOU HAVE A HOT CYLINDER WITHOUT ANY FUEL BEING CAPTURED IN AN ENCLOSED AREA. THE PLUG COULD SPARK CAU
Mileage: 78,000
WENT TO START MY TRUCK AND THAT'S WHEN THE SPARK PLUG BLEW OUT. *TR
Mileage: 112,000
WENT TO START MY TRUCK AND THAT'S WHEN THE SPARK PLUG BLEW OUT. *TR
Mileage: 112,000
Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up
Timing Belt Failure
Underbody shields detachment
B-Pillar Trim Detachment
Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.