- The problem
- Ford is recalling certain model year 2011 ranger trucks built from january 25, 2011, through april 25, 2011 at the twin cities assembly plant, and service parts distributed to dealers for certain 2004 through 2011 model year ranger trucks, 2002 through 2005 model year excursion vehicles, and 2002 through 2007 model year f-250, f-350, f-450, and f-550 trucks for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "Lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." The multi-function switch was shipped with a subcomponent (slider) that may experience deformation. A multi-function switch with a deformed slider may malfunction causing the turn signal, tail lights, hazard warning signal flashers and/or brake lights not to activate.
- The risk
- Non-functioning lights could increase the risk of a crash.
- The fix
- Dealers will replace the switches free of charge. The safety recall began on august 15, 2011. Owners may contact ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332.
Vehicle safety record
2002 Ford F-250 Problems, complaints & recalls
Owners have filed 156 complaints about the 2002 Ford F-250 with NHTSA, most often about the engine & cooling (34) and the wheels & tires (24). Those complaints describe 12 crashes, 9 fires, 12 injuries and 1 death. It is covered by 7 recalls, the latest in July 2011 for the tail lights. For comparison, the 2001 has 0 and the 2003 has 116.
NHTSA data checked
FFar more problems than a typical F-250 year, for its age
#74 most complained-about 2002 vehicle
- Complaints
- 156
- Recalls
- 7
- Crashes
- 12
- Fires
- 9
- Injuries
- 12
- Deaths
- 1
Most common 2002 Ford F-250 problems
Share of all 156 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.
2002 Ford F-250 recalls 7
Recall repairs are free. Your dealer fixes them whether or not you bought the car there - check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see if yours is done. What to do
- The problem
- Dope, inc. Is recalling 42,540 combination corner and bumper lamp assemblies of various part numbers sold for use as aftermarket equipment for various passenger vehicles. These headlamps fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "Lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." These lamps do not contain the required amber side reflectors.
- The risk
- Decreased lighting visibility may result in a vehicle crash.
- The fix
- Dope, inc. Will notify owners and offer a full refund for the noncompliant combination lamps. The safety recall began on july 28, 2009. Owners may contact dope, inc. At 1-626-272-1798.
- The problem
- Sabersport is recalling 16,270 combination corner and bumper lamp assemblies of various part numbers sold for use as aftermarket equipment for various passenger vehicles. These headlamps fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "Lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." These lamps do not contain the required amber side reflectors.
- The risk
- Decreased lighting visibility may result in a vehicle crash.
- The fix
- Sabersport will notify owners and offer a full refund for the noncompliant combination lamps. The safety recall began on may 11, 2009. Owners may contact sabersport at 1-909-598-7589.
- The problem
- Certain cequent 90 degree 7-way right angle adaptors sold by distributors in tow packages for aftermarket sales to tow 5th wheel rv travel trailers. Due to incorrect wiring of the harness, the trailer lights may not operate properly.
- The risk
- If the trailer lights are not working properly, a vehicle crash can occur.
- The fix
- All of the defective tow packages are still at the distributor level and have not been sold to any consumers.
- The problem
- On certain trucks equipped with speed control, gasoline or natural gas engines, the speed control deactivation switch may overheat.
- The risk
- Overheating could result in smoke or burn and an underhood fire.
- The fix
- Dealers will install a fused wiring harness into the speed control system free of charge. The recall began on august 7, 2006. Owners may contact ford at 1-866-436-7332. (Note: also see recalls 05v017 and 05v388)
- The problem
- Certain eagle eyes headlamps, p/nos. Fr208-b101r, fr208-b101l, fr208-b001r, and fr208-b001l, sold for use as replacement equipment for the passenger vehicles listed above. These headlamps fail to conform to the photometric requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, Lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment.
- The risk
- Decreased lighting visibility may result in a vehicle crash.
- The fix
- Sabry lee will notify owners and offer full credit for any noncompliant headlamp. The recall is expected to begin on june 14, 2006. Owners may contact sabry lee account executive at 1-866-467-2279.
- The problem
- Certain ck motorsports combination headlights, clear corner, bumper, and side marker lights sold as replacement lamps for use on the passenger vehicles listed above. Some combination lamps that are not equipped with amber side reflectors fail to conform to federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, Lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment.
- The risk
- Without the amber reflectors, the vehicle will be poorly illuminated, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash without warning.
- The fix
- Ck motorsport will notify owners and replace the noncompliant lamps free of charge. The recall began on july 1, 2006. Owners may contact ck motorsport at 1-909-610-7211.
What owners say
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156 complaints about the 2002 Ford F-250
Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners. Page 1 of 7.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine seized. No warning light was illuminated. The contact attempted to start the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that the vehicle started after several attempts. The contact stated the vehicle sat for a while before starting the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact was informed that the repair was not covered under recall....
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The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic; however, the failure was not officially diagnosed. The contact was informed that the failure was possibly caused by an unknown sensor. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact stated that the failure started in 2013; however, the vehicle had been parked and undriveable since 2017. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 109,000.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford F-250. The contact initially discovered patches of fluid on the garage floor. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where a diagnostic test was performed. The dealer discovered a leak in the engine oil pan due to a faulty silicone gasket. The contact stated that the oil pan was replaced by the same dealer a year prior to the recent failure. The contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall on the VIN related to the failure. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 138,683.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford F-250. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being lifted onto a tow truck, fuel began to leak from the middle plastic made fuel tank. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the fuel tank hoses were faulty. The mechanic determined that the fuel tank needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 108,000.
The vehicle is equipped with adjustable brake and accelerator. The pedals should move up and down together. But the brake pedal is several inches higher causing a safety issue.
Both front driver and passenger seat belts will pop out of buckle while driving. This happens at any speed.
While driving on a fairly rough highway I'm AZ, 180A, traveling about 50 mph over bumps and repaired cracks in the pavement, the steering wobbled and shook which did not seem far out of the ordinary on this particular stretch of highway. Suddenly, without warning, the steering failed causing loss of control of the vehicle, the driver was unable to steer the truck which veered off the road and sent us directly into the embankment of a dry wash. The truck hit the embankment head on 50-55 mph. I was riding as...
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passenger of my vehicle since I was 8 months pregnant and experiencing severe heartburn all morning. My fiance drive and 3 of my children were in the back seat. After crashing head on into the dirt wall I was pinned in between the dashboard and seat. I suffered serious life changing injuries as a result. One of the firefighters who arrived in the scene inspected and confirmed the steering was broken. I was sent by helicopter to Flagstaff regional medical center where I spent 10 days. The truck was towed to an impound yard in St John's, az. I was able to retrieve my personal belongings but was not able to afford the tow truck drivers verbal quote of the charges due nor the cost to tow the totaled truck back home to snowflake. The truck had a lien and I assumed the lienholder would be notified to collect the vehicle. They were not notified and t ownership was transferred leaving me an abandoned vehicle fee and hold on my registration privileges in AZ. The truck is likely still at the tow yard which may allow an inspection if requested, however I no longer own it as a result of the circumstances. My 9 year old son was injured in the accident as well as my own informed which included a shattered patella and fractured acetabulum, after orthopedic surgery I was made to deliver my unborn son via C-section, thankfully the baby suffered no physical injuries.
As soon as the truck started, it popped out one of its spark plug. The truck started shaking and made a hollow noise and began to smoke and quickly caught on fire. The fire burned the entire truck.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford F-250. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the vehicle experienced the death wobble. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to regain control of the vehicle and continued driving to his residence. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 175,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford f-250. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stationary at a traffic light, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was restarted and driven to his destination. The contact stated that the failure was experienced on three separate occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 300,000.
The emergency parking break does not work, I don't think it ever has. I have had it repaired twice over the years and it quickly quit both times. It feels like normal resistance when you push it in with your foot, and does a normal clunk and release when you release it, but it does not at all hold the truck in place. It is a manual transmission so it is very inconvenient for this to not work. An example, that I have to deal with regularly is hooking up to a trailer. I need to get out to see how close I am and I have to put it in gear (only reverse will hold it, the other gears will slip and the truck will roll) and turn it off to go look.
2002 F-250 7.3L diesel. Driving down the highway pulling a horse trailer engine just completely stalled without warning. I lost all steering and brakes. I put it in neutral and restarted while coasting. Drove another few miles and it stalled again. Would not start again after that. This happened on a remote highway at night. Had a wrecker tow us to a diesel shop who reported truck started fine next day. Went and picked it up and it stuttered a few times on the way home but did not stall. A few months later, engine...
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stalled at a red light in heavy traffic but started back up. Took it to my mechanic who read a cam position sensor circuit fault on the computer. Replaced cam position sensor. A few months later, stalled again at an intersection. I coasted to the side of the road and had it towed to my mechanic. Upon arriving and unloading from wrecker. Truck started up. Started to drive it home and stalled again halfway there on a busy rural road with no shoulder. Called wrecker again and towed to different diesel shop. Replaced cps again and truck started fine. Took it home and ran it at idle until engine temp was normal. Engine stalled again and would not start. Waited about 2 hours and it started up just fine and ran at idle for one hour without stalling. Current cps was from ford dealer (the grey one) but apparently the same problem as the one involved in nhtsa id: ea06012 recall from 2006 is still a problem. It could stall without warning in the middle of an intersection and cause a serious crash. This is a serious safety issue!!
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford f-250. While the contact was inspecting the vehicle, he noticed that the fuel system tank straps were lose. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The dealer (apple ford lincoln of york, 1801 whiteford rd, york, pa 17402, (717) 755-2911) was contacted and stated that the vin was not included in a recall. The dealer advised the contact to speak with the manufacturer and file a complaint. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the vin was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 174,000.
NO WRECK THAT I WAS TOLD ABOUT WHEN BOUGHT
Tl* the contact owned a 2002 ford f-250. While the vehicle was parked for a couple of hours in cold temperatures and connected to the block heater, the vehicle caught fire. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. The vehicle was destroyed. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The cause of the failure was not determined. The failure mileage was 177,700.
On november 26th 2017, my truck started having a significant mis-fire in cylinder #4. Travelling at about 30 mph on city streets; this particular incident was not a safety issue although difficult to limp the vehicle home as it did not accelerate well. Upon removing the spark plug; it was determined that the cylinder head threads in the spark plug port have been damaged. This would have resulted in an ejected spark plug had the vehicle been continued to be operated. Since this is the 3rd different cylinder...
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this has occurred on with numerous reports from multiple owners of the same engine design by ford; I have decided to file this report. This is the 2nd report I have filed with the nhtsa. The first report I filed was because the 2nd time this occurred; a spark plug ejected from the #3 cylinder at highway speeds with a significant reduction in speed in traffic on the highway. That occurrence also caused a significant vibration and had to be pulled over immediately. Even though there have been significant reports to ford and documented occurrences dating back to 1997; ford continues to say that because no "safety issues" have risen or been proven to be caused by this issue that it is not there problem. I will also be filing reports with bbb, consumer affairs and consumer reports.
One of the vapor valves breaks on the gasoline tank, it is not replaceable so you have to buy a new tank. Ford has obsoleted the tank and it is not available from any place. You can smell the gas vapors when the truck is at rest. I am waiting for it to blow up.
CRUISE CONTROL ISSUE
The driver's and passenger's seat belt will unlatched for no apparent reason. This happens at all different speed. It has happened while driving on all paved streets and highways
Paint is peeling off of hood of my ford f 250 heavy duty truck.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford f-250. While driving 40 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was able to restart on the second attempt; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 07v553000 (engine). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 117,000.
Driving down interstate, heard a loud pop. Lost all steering ability. Steering box shaft sheared in half. I was pulling a 18' empty trailer at the time. Truck blocked both westbound lanes almost causing life threatening injuries. Both county sheriff and va state police came to scene.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford f-250. While driving at any speed and as soon as the engine became hot, a burning oil odor was present inside the vehicle. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The dealer diagnosed that there was a defective head gasket that needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.
My vehicle was being driven out my driveway while making a right turn the steering wheel locked up. Then to the left the same. While sitting still I could turn the steering wheel all the way to the left none stop. Fluid is full. While driving straight steers fine until I turn a little to right or left then it gets tight. I noticed from 2002 to 2006 their were steering problems unsolved. *Tr
My drivers side seatbelt has started to randomly unbuckle. There isn't anything touching it, pressing it or otherwise interfering with the operation. I firmly press the buckle into the receptacle, pull on it to ensure it is latched and randomly it will come undone. The dealership said there isn't a recall or warranty to cover it so I had to purchase a new receptacle. This has happened going as slow as 5mph and as fast as 50mph and is quite startling as the seatbelt instantly starts to rewind. I don't feel comfortable driving my truck knowing the seatbelt might not hold if an accident were to happen. *Tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford f-250. While driving 65 mph, the front driver's side wheel bearing caught fire. The contact pulled over and extinguished the fire. It was determined that the hub bearing caught fire, which also set the rest of the tire on fire. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 136,000.
Ford F-250: every year compared
All F-250 years2002 Ford F-250 vs rivals
| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 Ford F-250 | 156 | 7 | F | |
| 2002 Dodge Ram 2500 | 155 | 2 | C | Compare |
| 2002 Dodge Ram 3500 | 44 | 1 | C | Compare |
| 2002 Ford F-350 | 0 | 3 | C | Compare |
| 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 | 0 | 3 | C | Compare |
| 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 | 0 | 2 | A | Compare |
| 2002 GMC Sierra 2500 | 0 | 4 | C | Compare |
| 2002 Ford Explorer Sport Trac | 3,613 | 4 | F | Compare |
| 2002 Ford Explorer Sport | 3,613 | 5 | F | Compare |
More sales usually means more complaints, so compare similar vehicles of the same year. The grade compares each vehicle with its own model's other years.
Questions about the 2002 Ford F-250
Does the 2002 Ford F-250 have any recalls?
Yes - NHTSA lists 7 recalls for the 2002 Ford F-250: tail lights (July 2011); headlights (May 2009); exterior lighting (April 2009); electrical (August 2007) and more. Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether yours has been fixed.
What are the most common problems with the 2002 Ford F-250?
By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the engine & cooling (34), wheels & tires (24), brakes (19).
How many complaints has the 2002 Ford F-250 had?
156 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on November 8, 2001 and the latest on June 2, 2025. Of these, 12 describe a crash and 9 a fire, and together they report 12 injuries and 1 death.
Is the 2002 Ford F-250 a reliable vehicle?
Its Safety Index is 2 out of 100 (grade F: far more problems than a typical Ford F-250 year, for its age). The index weighs complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls against how long the vehicle has been on the road, compared with the same model's other years. It is not a measure of every repair - read the complaints and owner experiences, and have any used vehicle inspected before you buy.
Which Ford F-250 years have the most complaints?
2002 (156), 2003 (116). See every Ford F-250 year compared.
What should I do if my 2002 Ford F-250 has a problem?
If it is a safety problem, stop driving it if it is unsafe and contact your dealer. Report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem - enough reports start investigations and recalls - and share your experience here so other owners know what to look for.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data