Engine Exhaust System problems of the 2002 Ford Expedition

While driving my youngest daughter to school there was a loud bang from under the hood and a noticeable loss of power. It sounded like the car had a severe exhaust leak. When taken to my local dealer I was informed that a spark plug had blown out of the engine and that this was a very common occurrence with the 2002 5. 4 liter engine. I was told that repairs would run anywhere from $700 to $3500.

I own a 2002 Ford Expedition. The spark plug popped out of the engine head on two occasions. The first time it happened was on thanksgiving, 11/26/2009. The engine was smoking and it smelled like gasoline. My mechanic said this is happening to Fords all over the country and that it is documented all over the internet if you do a "google " search on Ford spark plugs popping. The repair cost me $500. On January 8, 2010, another spark plug popped out from a different cylinder. The truck is in the shop now. My mechanic advised me not to put new Ford heads on the truck because the new heads will have the same defect. I expect this new repair to cost $500 as well. Ford needs to be ordered to issue a recall. This is a dangerous defect that can cause a fire or an explosion under the hood due to the gas vapors being pumped into the engine compartment while the popped out plug is still sparking. I was fortunate to shut down the engine when I started to smell the strong gas fumes.

On December 22, 2007 while traveling we heard a 'pop' in the engine compartment and then the sound an smell of exhaust escaping the engine. When taken to bob tomas Ford in mckinney texas I was told the the #3 sparl plug had been ejected from the engine head which had stripped the threads. I was then told that this has been an ongoing problem but that Ford has not issued a recall and was not providing any financial assistance for those customers who were no longer covered by a warranty. My vehicle had 97,433 miles when this problem occurred. The total repair bill was $3375. 20 to replace the right head. I requested assistance from Ford after pointing out that the maintance schedule that came with the vehicle did not require a check of the spark plugs until the vehicle had reached 100,000 miles. Ford stated they would not assist in any way.

Blown spark plug on a 2002 Ford Expedition. Mileage:36046 cylinder number 3 I took the truck to Ford 4 days before the incident as I had been hearing a slight ticking nose coming from engine. Ford dealer told me to keep driving it until something bigger happened as my extended warranty might not cover all labor costs if they couldn't find the problem. Turns out it was small exhaust leak around the threads of the plug. Once the plug blew on the highway approximately 65 mph loud noise and loss of power. Now the vehicle needs a new head and will be with dealer for over a week.

The contact stated the inside of the vehicle occasionally had a strong smell of gasoline when driving at 75 mph. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic, but the mechanic could not duplicate the problem. The contact only used the vehicle for driving her children to school, which was about 5 or 6 blocks away. Due to her fears about the smell she tried to exchange the vehicle for another but the dealer denied her request.