2001 Ford F Series problems & reliability
44 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2001 Ford F Series, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 12 | 27% |
| Electrical System | 7 | 16% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 6 | 14% |
| Engine | 5 | 11% |
| Seats | 3 | 7% |
| Structure | 3 | 7% |
| Seat Belts | 2 | 5% |
| Suspension | 2 | 5% |
| Tires | 2 | 5% |
| Air Bags | 1 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 18 reported components →Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 36 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 102,500 miles (middle 50% between 68,072 and 131,000 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Spark plug ejected from the engine block, as vehicle was moving on a highway. Disabled, needed a tow. Repair very expensive. *tr”
Engine · filed Nov 30, 2016
“Spark plug blown out of head. Spark plug #7 blew out 9 months ago. Now plug #8 blew out. Mechanic says it's due to poor design of aluminum head and insufficient threads. Both times, this happened while coasting at a slow speed (< 30 mph).”
Engine · filed Oct 15, 2016
“The sparkplug blew out for the second time. The first time was about 9 months ago. Running fine then about 40 mph the plug blew out”
Engine · filed Sep 21, 2016
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEAD
Defect Petition DP05005 · opened Sep 22, 2005 · closed Jan 4, 2006
- FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
Engineering Analysis EA05004 · opened Feb 17, 2005 · closed Jul 6, 2005
- FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
Recall Query RQ04011 · opened Oct 22, 2004 · closed Feb 17, 2005
- TIRE VALVE STEM
Recall Query RQ02002 · opened Jan 14, 2002 · closed Aug 19, 2002 · led to recall 01V046000
Technical service bulletins
27 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2001 Ford F Series. The 10 most recent:
Jerr-dan: anti stall feature for ford f series light duty chassis with v10 gas engine and an engine drive clutch pump. Model years unknown. *pe
TB-08-258 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 29, 2008
Ford: certain 1999-2001 model year vehicles up to 6000 lb gvwr registered in new york and certain 2001 vehicles up to 6000 lb gvwr registered in the state of maine, certified for sale in california-federal emission…
CSP-08B01 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 16, 2008
Malfunction indicator lamp (mil) illuminated - system lean diagnostic trouble codes (dtc's) - service tips. Various models including 2004 f-series. *tt
04174 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 6, 2004
Customer satisfaction program 02m01 supplement #4. Certain ford 2000 through 2003 vehicles equipped with a tube-mounted egr pressure sensor - additional egr pressure sensor warranty coverage. *tt supplement #3. *mj…
02M01 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 1, 2004
Remote keyless entry (rke) - service tips. *tt
03181 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 15, 2003
Clear gel-like substance in the hydraulic brake master cylinder reservoir. This substance is a silicone base lubricant used during assembly of the master cylinder. *tt
16891 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 1, 2003
False failure of the vapor management valve (vmv). *tt *jb
16683 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 1, 2003
New service part - number 5 needle bearing and race kit - 4r70w transmission - service tip. *tt
03261 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 5, 2003
Some 5.4l windsor power improved engines may exhibit a slight oil leak or weep at the cylinder head to block joint. *tt
15851 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 2002
Some dedicated cng vehicles may exhibit driveability conditions of hard start / no start / rough running. *tt
15761 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 1, 2002
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2001 Ford F Series has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2001 Ford F Series?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 102,500 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.