I moved my vehicle from driveway to park on the street so my husband could park in the driveway. I then turned my vehicle off and roughly 2 hours later, a lady came screaming "fire fire fire!" I went to see where she was talking about and my truck was smoking under the hood, I then called the fire department and they came to extinguish the fire. I was unaware of any recalls as I am the 3rd owner of this vehicle.
2003 Ford F-150 engine problems
97 complaints (23% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 103,000.
- owner complaints
- 97
- of this car's complaints
- 23%
- typical mileage
- 103,000
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Engine23
- Exhaust system: manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe5
- Engine: gasoline5
- Exhaust system3
- Exhaust system: emission control: gas recirculation valve (EGR valve)1
- Exhaust system: emission control1
- Engine: gasoline: belts and associated pulleys1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Ford F-150 engine problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2003 Ford F-150 engine
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Spark plug ejection from cylinder head
On september 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or ejected from the engine.as of december 8, 2005, odi is not aware of any allegations where the alleged defect resulted in a loss of vehicle control, a crash, an injury, or a fatality in any of the 10,319,810 subject vehicles.in addition, odi is aware of only two incidents where the vehicle stalled without restart.information contained in the odi consumer complaints and obtained from 72 telephone interviews with complainants showed the following:(1) 99% of the complaints were on my 1997 to 2002 subject vehicles.(2) most the complainants reported hearing a loud pop while driving or upon starting up the vehicle followed by a loud, repetitive clicking or popping sound.(3) many of the complainants reported that the popping sound was accompanied by some loss of vehicle power; however, in 99% of the incidents reported, the vehicle did not stall.in the very few incidents where the vehicle did stall, most vehicles could be restarted.(4) only a small percentage of the complainants cited that they smelled gas or a slight burning smell when the incident occurred.(5) in all but a very few incidents, vehicle damage was limited to the engine.in one incident, the complaint reported that the fuel rail was damaged and replaced after one of the spark plugs ejected from the engine; however, the complainant reported that the damage did not result in any type of fuel leak or fire.in another incident, the only incident where a fire was alleged, the complainant reported that no fluid leak was observed, but that a fire resulted after the spark plug had ejected from the engine and he had restarted the vehicle and driven to another location.none of the complainants reported any damage to the vehicle hood.(6) only two complainants reported that they observed what appeared to be some drops of fuel coming from the cylinder where the spark plug had failed or on the spark plug itself; however, each of these complainants reported that there was no smoke or flames as a result of his incident.as the petitioner noted, and odi?s analysis showed, it is possible for a spark plug to detach from the engine cylinder threads in the subject vehicles.however, odi?s analysis of 474 complaints describing such incidents found only a very few alleged any safety-related consequences.none of these showed any evidence of a serious safety consequence.given the large population and relatively long exposure time of the subject vehicles, the complaint analysis indicates that the risk to motor vehicle safety from the alleged defect is very low.in view of the foregoing, it is unlikely that the federal safety agency would issue an order for the notification and remedy of the alleged defect at the conclusion of the investigation requested in the petition.therefore, in view of the need to allocate and prioritize the federal safety agency?s limited resources to best accomplish the agency?s safety mission, the petition is denied.
DP05005
What 2003 Ford F-150 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
On 11/27/2022 at or around 4:30 P.M. my 2003 Ford F-150 burned almost completely, without any mechanical failures or warnings, thirty full minutes after being parked and then after only having been run for three to four miles. The fire department ended up putting it out before it was fully consumed.
Tl* the contact's boyfriend owns a 2003 ford f-150. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the ignition coils and all spark plugs would blow out inside of the engine which would cause the vehicle to stall as the check engine light would appear on the dashboard. The contact stated that she has had the ignition coils and sparks plugs replaced on four separate occasions all by independent mechanics however, the failure persisted. The contact also called three separate dealers but was unable to reach a service representative. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. She was referred to the federal safety agency for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford f-150. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle from driving, the vehicle began to smoke from the driver's side of the vehicle. The contact stated that shortly after the vehicle caught on fire under the hood on the driver's side. The fire department came to put out the fire and filed a police report. The vehicle was towed and deemed totaled. The contact had contacted the dealership (sam pack's five star ford address: 1635 s interstate 35e, carrollton, tx 75006 phone: (972) 446-5027) who informed that there was no recall on their vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 240,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford f-150. The contact stated that the check engine warning light had been illuminated since the day of purchase. The contact also stated that while the vehicle was parked in the car port the vehicle suddenly caught on fire. The fire department came and put out the fire. A fire department report was made. The vehicle was deemed totaled as well as damaged the contact's residence. There were no injuries. The contact contacted a certified mechanic who informed them of a recall for the year/make/model, the federal safety agency campaign number: 06e056000 (fuel system, gasoline). The contact stated the VIN had not shown to be included in the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 203,000. *bf
Tl* the contact owned a 2003 ford f-150. The contact stated that the vehicle was included the federal safety agency campaign number: 05v017000 (vehicle speed control) and a repair appointment was scheduled with the local dealer. The contact stated that he was not informed by the dealer that the defective part could have been disconnected from the vehicle to avoid a fire which was stated in the recall remedy. The contact stated after his girlfriend parked the vehicle, about four and a half hours later the vehicle unexpectedly was engulfed in flames from the engine. The fire department was called and extinguished the flames. A fire department report was filed. The contact stated that two other vehicles were damaged by the fire. The dealer was notified of the incident and canceled a scheduled appointment however the manufacturer was not made aware of the incident. The fire department deemed the vehicle a total loss. The failure mileage was 196,000.
Requestng ford be made to issue a recall for exhaust manifold holes and cracking issues. This issue is known and the are multiple forums online where people are talking about having this issue. When the manifold leaks, the risk is there that exhaust fumes can get into the driving compartment and asphyxiate the people in the car. It is an expensive repair for an issue for should have resolved long ago.
After a rainstorm and while driving, my windshield wipers stopped working, my radio/cd player started turning off and on, my panel light dimmed, and I heard a clicking noise under my driver side dash board. There was also a clicking noise coming from the engine. While stationary and key out of the ignition, I noticed water on the driver side floor, and when I looked under I could see drops of water sliding off I believe my emergency bake and brake pedal, and an ongoing clicking sound under the steering wheel. I left my truck in driveway overnight, and the next morning my battery was dead. I had aaa tow come and replace battery that afternoon. The next morning the battery was dead again. Aaa came and checked the starter and alternator, all were fine. As they recharged battery there was a weird noise heard in the engine area. I drove it to a mechanic with ford truck experience. He stated the gem and fuse box were wet and attributed it to water leakage coming from the windshield weather stripping trim which was common in fords vehicles. He recommended replacing gem, fuse box, and windshield trim. This water/electrical problem happens every year after a rainstorm. I never thought a vehicle in good condition could have outside water leaks getting inside and onto the fuse box and gem module. The mechanic told me it can become very dangerous for the gem and fuse box to fail because it controls everything in the truck. The gem and fuse box should be protected from outside elements. When water is introduced to these modules, it makes the whole system go wacky and can cause serious and possibly dangerous situations. Ford needs to acknowledge that this is a manufacture defect and fix and/or reimburse us consumers on the cost of fixing it
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford f-150. While driving 35 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal sound from the engine and the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the lifters failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The mechanic even signed off for the vehicle to pass state inspection. After retrieving the vehicle, the check engine warning indicator illuminated again and the abnormal sound returned. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 247,000.
Trans went out a month after intake crack had to be replace almost $1,650 together also ball joints and tierod ends no good shock no good brake are falling and rear end is grinding this truck should have never been sold help and there's "more".
Questions about the 2003 Ford F-150 engine
Does the 2003 Ford F-150 have engine problems?
Owners have filed 97 complaints about the engine of the 2003 Ford F-150, 23% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 2003 Ford F-150 engine problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 103,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2003 Ford F-150 engine?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Ford F-150 have bad engine?
The Ford F-150 model years with the most engine complaints are 2018 (591 complaints), 2013 (567 complaints) and 1997 (544 complaints).
Other 2003 Ford F-150 problems
Transmission 62Electrical 47Fuel system 46Acceleration 32Body 32Airbags 29Brakes 28Tires 21Visibility 20Seat belts 16Steering 15Suspension 14Wheels 13Lights 9Driver assistance 2Locks 1Seats 1
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2003 Ford F-150?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history