2002 Ford F-250 SDProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 245 owner complaints about the 2002 Ford F-250 SD, most often about the engine and engine cooling. It is covered by 3 safety recalls.

CarFlaw IndexSolid year1.1× the F-250 SD median · #11 of 28 years by complaints

Safety recalls3Free fix at dealers Owner complaints24539 with a crash, fire or injury Typical failure mileage83kEngine and engine cooling, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through May 1, 2017. Updated daily.

Complaints by system

Where the 2002 Ford F-250 SD has problems

245 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

101Engine and engine cooling10 crash/fire/injury

29Electrical system3 crash/fire/injury

25Service brakes, hydraulic4 crash/fire/injury

25Tires3 crash/fire/injury

14Vehicle speed control

12Power train

12Steering

7Suspension

5Service brakes

3915 other systems7 crash/fire/injury

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.

Complaints by system
System	Complaints	Crash, fire or injury
Engine and engine cooling	101	10
Electrical system	29	3
Service brakes, hydraulic	25	4
Tires	25	3
Vehicle speed control	14	4
Power train	12	0
Steering	12	1
Suspension	7	0
Service brakes	5	0
15 other systems	39	7

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

3 recalls

2002 Ford F-250 SD recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

no report yet

Exterior lighting: brake lights

Recall 11V-352 · Jul 13, 2011 · 26,715 vehicles

Risk. NON-FUNCTIONING LIGHTS COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

no report yet

Vehicle speed control

Recall 09V-399 · Oct 13, 2009 · 4,500,000 vehicles

Risk. A VEHICLE FIRE COULD OCCUR WITH OR WITHOUT THE ENGINE RUNNING.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

no report yet

Engine: diesel

Recall 07V-553 · Dec 5, 2007 · 1,176,000 vehicles

Risk. IN THE EVENT OF AN ENGINE STALL, A CRASH COULD RESULT WITHOUT WARNING.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Ford.

Mileage at failure

When do engine and engine cooling problems start?

83kmiles, median

Based on the odometer reading in 91 engine and engine cooling complaints. 69% were reported before 100,000 miles.

2under 30k miles63under 100k miles28100k miles or more

Owner-reported costs

What owners say repairs cost

Dollar amounts owners wrote in their complaints when describing a repair or a quote. These are not price estimates; a system is shown only when at least 8 owners mentioned a cost.

Engine and engine cooling

18 owners mentioned a cost

$1,050median

Middle half: $794 – $2,853

If a problem is covered by a recall, the dealer fixes it for free. Some manufacturers also reimburse owners who paid for a repair before a recall was announced.

Best & worst years

2002 vs. every other F-250 SD year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the F-250 SD median. How we score

4 2 9 11 39 1 24923328824517825429527454 14123 32 12257 21 26 2962911,1554001,16627217113044 41 17 9

'93'94'95'96'97'98'99'00'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25'26

Avoid
Caution
Solid
Best
Not rated

4 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 2002 Ford F-250 SD, and the recalls they led to.

Sep 22, 2005
SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEADDP05005 · closed Jan 4, 2006
No recall
Feb 23, 2004
ACCELERATOR PEDAL SENSOR (ETC)EA04006 · closed Feb 10, 2005
No recall
Mar 22, 2005
ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRESEA05005 · closed Aug 2, 2006
Led to recall 05V-388
Jun 22, 2006
ENGINE STALLINGEA06012 · closed Dec 7, 2007
Led to recall 07V-553

In owners' words

What F-250 SD owners report

Recent engine and engine cooling complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

2002 FORD F250 SUPERDUTY. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO A STRONG DIESEL FUEL ODOR AND FINDING FUEL ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT IN THE CAB OF THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER, THE DIESEL ENGINE WAS DESIGNED WITH COPPER SLEEVES OR CUPS AROUND THE FUEL INJECTORS. THE…
Complaint 10495681 · Jan 30, 2013

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 FORD F250 SD. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A LOUD NOISE OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE AND SUDDENLY THERE WAS A REDUCTION IN THE ENGINE POWER. THE CONTACT MANEUVERED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND THEN RESUMED CAUTIOUSLY TO THE RESIDENCE. UPON REACHING THE…
Complaint 10436535 · Nov 21, 2011 · 142,000 miles

SPARK PLUG IN THE #8 CYLINDER WAS BLOWN OUT BREAKING THE COIL PACK AND MESSING THE THREADS UP INSIDE THE HEAD ON THE TRITON 5.4 V8. *KB
Complaint 10429430 · Oct 11, 2011 · 183,595 miles

Own a 2002 F-250 SD?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.