Amen.

I don't care how many millions of 5.4's Ford installed with this issue. It is their screw up plain and simple and has nothing to do with a truck at 35K or 100K......spark plugs don't normally break. While we're defending Ford let's remember their billions in profit. Manufacturing vehicles is a risk. When you make a good reliable one (I think the pre-2004 F150 fits this description), you win. When you have a major design flaw you lose.....some of your billions in profit but because you are a reputable company you would never stick your customer with the cost.

 

Higdog, I have probably 80k or so. Not sure right now. If anyone is guaranteed to have them break, I'm sure I'm in that category. I don't have the best luck.

And it's not open minded of you to think a flaw of this magnitude is not worth ranting on a forum, for some people an extra $1500 is better used elsewhere than fixing design flaws. It's rather unhealthy to instill blind faith like that in anything, especially a Motor Company who will turn a cheek to the very customers they claim they have pride in. It's not tough to understand customer loyalty and it's stimulus, but apparently it's tough to practice.

No joke, where can I write a letter to, now I'm all upset

 

I guess Ford didn't turn a completely blind eye. They came out with special tools and procedures that only the dealers are supposed to know about. Also the RUMOR is that Ford redsigned the plug and heads sometime for the 08's. They are threaded all the way down to the end of the plug. I've seen a picture of this plug but not sure WHEN OR IF it took affect for the current body style. So Ford is fixing their mistake but for all of us prior to are up the creek without a paddle. Just because of this plug issue and how it's being handled I'm going to be looking at the other competition very closely before buy another Ford.

 

Wow Jimco, didn't take long for you to start bashing Ford once you finally found out about the plug issue, which isn't an issue at all if the plugs are changed properly. .

 

Try telling Quintin or the other techs that know how to change them but still have broken some off. I believe it was Quintin that broke plugs on a truck that had between 30k and 40k miles on it. Or mention that to someone who had to float $1000 or what ever ridiculous amount for a simple plug change. I bet you'll get an ear full of how much of a problem it is. Just because some peoples plugs did not break does not classify it as not a problem

On the recent brake recall I think I saw there were 10 or so reported instances of failure. This was enough to classify that as problem since it was safety orientated. It would be safe to assume that there have been more plug problems but instead of safety this hurts the Fords customer’s wallets and damages Fords reputation.

 

That's not what I meant. Though they come out harder than standard plugs, even when they break off they come out. Mostly when the heads have to come off to get a shield out the tech isn't familiar with removal TSB's concerning these plugs.

My dealer charges a set price for plug changes, breakage or not. Some dealerships are taking advantage of people.

 

My old cars in the 60s and 70s had to have new plugs about every 12,000 miles. I did the changes myself but if you had it done, it would cost $45 or $50. In 100,000, that would be 7 or 8 changes or $350 to $400. I had the plugs changed in my truck for $350 . So, not all that different. My dealer has had little trouble getting the plugs out. When I was in, they had had 2 break.

 

Gotcha

I've still heard horror stories of a dealer still wanting around $800 even if they didn't have to take the heads off. This should be crime but what can we do?
Sounds like you have a pretty good dealer! I guess they are averaging the cost of having to do the extra work incase any break off across all plug changes. So they charge a little more on every job just to make up the difference on the jobs that do break.

 

bold stuff up there is me


I'm a Ford guy 100%...but I'll be the first to admit they have issues. It's nice to be aware of them, but I'm not going to go all Chicken Little because I heard that something might happen.


Jimco, lets apply your rationalization to another product. Say...a Sony Plasma HTDV 60".the above example actually happened...Sony (and every other brand of Plasma TV) usually didn't cover the cost of fixing this TV after the 1yr warranty period. They did apply R&D to make it less likely a problem. But you know what? issues 2a, 2b, 2c all still occur...at a drastically reduced rate, but it still happens.

The same applies with the F-150 or any other vehicle. Ford knows there is a problem...and they addressed it with extraction tools and later a head/plug redesign. It took almost 2 yrs after the NBS trucks appeared before this problem even really surfaced.

Most of the issues first seemed to crop up in Jan 2006...IMO, Ford has been proactive with this. The expectation that Ford cover the cost of breakage repair is ridiculous. It's a 100,000 mile plug. I fail to see how you can honestly expect a company to warranty a product 5-7 yrs old with 100,000 miles

 

I expect this company to warranty a product this long being it's a maintanance item that they specifically recommend waiting until 100k to change. Being FMC knows the problem exists even in low mileage(<36k) vehicles, even has the "special" tools to extract the fragments, yet still tells customers to wait until 100k to change is DISHONEST. If nothing else, FMC can change the interval in their manual to a lower mileage interval to advise us customers to consider early changeout. FMC has been burying it's head in the sand for years with this. FMC admits it can be a problem but has shown no remorse in helping those who get slapped with a heavy bill after having problems with the plugs.
Fact is and always has been, the plugs are the problem, not necessarily the heads. One piece plugs will eliminate the issue. Problem is, FMC doesn't want to help with the cost to fix the initial changeouts with it's crappy plug design. That's the least FMC can do. They don't have to cover an already expensive plug change(hell, I'll pay $250 buck if that's what the normal amt is) but if it's not that serious of a problem as FMC says, then they can at least cover the f'up if they break them at the dealerships by their ASE mechanics. If FMC gave a crap, they would have had a one piece already out that they would recommend putting in after the initial changeout. End of problem.
To make a long story short, I DO hold FMC responsible if my dealership breaks one. Saying anything can break at 100k has some truth behind it. However, FMC know the S.O.B's break at mileage below that of their warranties, yet does NOTHING. Calling the "special" tools doing something is lame. Maintanance items should be that, Maintanance, Not Engine Overhaul.
If that's the case FMC should print on the sticker, "Might need major engine work when change plugs". Sounds stupid, I know but it's not a far cry from being truthful. And that's the "Truth About FMC's 5.4 3v Trucks"

 

X2!!
It could be handled so much better by FMCO. Just show the true lack of customer care after the sale imo. Yet they wounder how they can improve repeat business

 

You are contradicting yourself here. In the first post you implied that the dealer got them out with ease and the plugs didn't even look that used. Then in the second post you said they had 2 break. I don't really think it matters either way but a little clarification might be good.

 

No contradiction, if you will re-read, you will see that I was not talking about my truck. They had one plug break on each of two other trucks. My truck, they had no trouble at all. They did say that if they had not followed the TSB, the soaking, turning back and forth, coming out slowly, that they probably would have broken some.

The trucks where they broke a plug were oilfield trucks that had over 100,000 miles, plus they spent a lot of time with the engine idleing. They figured they had the equivalent of maybe 120,000 miles.

I got my old plugs back and the tips do not look worn at all. My truck runs no better nor is gas mileage any better. They were changed at 65,500.

 

5 out of 8 broke on mine.

It just sucks, because we've been reading about the issues for 3 years now, and then it happens to you.

I agree, if they have a Known Design flaw, they should own up to it. Ford is losing a lot of customers over this thing.

You're honestly better off to just Never change them unless you're under warranty. My gas mileage or engine performance never suffered to 108 thousand miles.

I decided to do mine while the dealer was fixing Another Design flaw of Fords, the weak Exhaust manifold Studs..

 

It's not rumor. It's true. It effects every single vehicle with the 3V heads. I believe it's a new head and plug design, considering it's a new PN# for both. All vehicles built in 2008. I believe a FEW 2008s built in 2007 also got the heads but not many. My car was one of thew few. I've only seen one other person have a 2008 vehicle built in 2007 that has the updated heads.