"How reliable is the 2002 Ford F-150?"

"Based on 963 NHTSA complaints, the 2002 Ford F-150 has a median complaint mileage of 90000 miles. The most common issue is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING."

"What are common problems with the 2002 Ford F-150?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2002 Ford F-150 is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, accounting for a significant portion of the 963 total complaints filed."

2002 Ford F-150: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 963 complaints

963

Total Complaints

90,000mi

Median Mileage

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

51,145 25th Percentile

90,000 Median Mileage

136,500 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

ENGINE

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

SEAT BELTS

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

AIR BAGS

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Severity Assessment

Crashes

115

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"SENT EMAIL UNDER JPSK8RACER. NO SAFETY DEFEC TLISTED. *AK"

"VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH GOODYEAR WRANGLER RTS TIRES, P265/70R17. IN WET WEATHER REAREND OF VEHICLE SPINS OUT WITHOUT APPLYING BRAKES. CONSUMER HAS OWNED THIS VEHICLE ONE WEEK, AND IT SPUN OUT TWICE. GOODYEAR CUSTOMER SERVICE STATED THIS VEHICLE SHOULD HAVE ATS TIRES NOT RTS.*AK"

"MY COMPANY PURCHASED THIS TRUCK FOR ME TO WORK IN \ WITH TO PERFORM MY JOB. THE SEAT IS TOO HIGH. MY EYES ARE LEVEL WITH THE TOP OF THE WINDSHIELD AND IT'S IRATAITING TO LOOK THUR THE COLORED PART IN THE TOP PART OF THE WINDSHIELD. SEATING THIS HIGH UP ALSO CAUSES THE REAR VIEW MIRROR TO BLOCK MY..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28