3.What Vehicles are included in the Settlement?
The Vehicles covered by this Settlement must have been sold or leased in the United States and contain a 5.4-Liter 3-valve engine and include:
2004-2008 Ford F-150 trucks
2005-2008 Ford F-Super Duty trucks (e.g., F-250 and F-350)
2005-2008 Ford Expeditions
2005-2008 Lincoln Navigators
2006-2008 Lincoln Mark LTs
For as long as the F150 has been the best selling truck/vehicle…this will be very expensive for Ford.
FDR
its about time the ford owners get a break on this issue.
in the last six or so years I have replaced around three hundred of these worthlessly designed plugs. the poorly designed cylinder heads also were part of problem.
the problem is the clearance between the cylinder head and sparkplug is so tight that carbon fills in the void and binds them tight enough that the plugs break just below the threaded portion leaving the stamped stainless plug body and electrode stuck in the head.
a special tool was designed to push the electrode through the plug body and a another tool is threaded into this body and pulled by mechanical force,the other problem was getting the busted porcelane chips out of the cylinder so it wouldnt wreck the cylinder wall with abrasion when the piston cycled up and down which would pretty much destroy the engine.
this procedure took about twenty minutes per broken plug which could add a potential two or more hours to an already lengthy three and half hour plug replacement time.
I had several instances where all eight plugs did bread off on the cylinder head and the bill would come to around eight hundred bucks.
customers were warned ahead of time that this could be a possibility and more often than not,we were told to only repair the cylinder that was misfiring at that time.
fords idea was to pull the plugs every forty thousand miles and replace the anti-seize compound on them that was never added at the factory,who wants to pay two hundred plus dollars just to keep their plugs from seizing every two years???
the new design plug which runs around twenty three bucks a piece is supposed to keep this from happening in the future. sshhheeeezzzzz!!! sure feel sorry for those who had to pay for this stupid idea,and I am glad they are finally getting help for it.
$702 dollars was my cost. I’m filling claim forms today.
I don’t understand why my ’99 isn’t included. Maybe it’s a different issue but I had 2 of them blow right out of the head.
First of all ..this is a sad deal for FORD 5.4 owners !
Second I qoute…. “this procedure took about twenty minutes per broken plug which could add a potential two or more hours to an already lengthy three and half hour plug replacement time.
I had several instances where all eight plugs did bread off on the cylinder head and the bill would come to around eight hundred bucks.”
I was a little skidish about doing this job when asked to do it, after I did my first Plug removal/replacement it wasn’t as bad as people made it out to be and still don’t understand why they charge so much for doing the job.
I just completed my 4th 5.4 plug job (all 8 plugs broke) and still did it in less then 3 hours ! It is a job you CAN NOT RUSH or you will break the plug removal tool and then you have BIG problems, even @ $90-$105 an hour shop rate it shouldn’t run $ 600-$800 to do all 8 plugs. Now granted I am NOT ASE certified but have 30 plus years of auto experience repair and my shop rate is lower than most all shops I still cant justify charging upwards of $600-$800 for the job even using the updated plugs!,The hardest plugs to do are the back 2 on the right bank .
I have done this particular job for 2 IDO members now and they were shocked on my price difference versus other shops ans very please with the work done !
All I can say is ..Thank you FORD for creating work for me !
JMHO Jeff
There’s a Chevy joke in here somewhere, but this just sucks. Always heard of these issues, but, well…
Always respected Ford and how they handled the recession. Had two cousins that worked at the plant here, one got layed off with a great severance package when she shutdown, the other had to move to Missouri and is doing quite well.
I sure hope one of these truck companies starts putting out quality machines again. Have heard crappy stories of almost all newer trucks nowadays with stuff going wrong. America needs a strong auto industry dammit.
Problem is, you have to have been one of the guys to kept your paperwork for the repairs to even have a chance to file a claim. I’ve owned two of these trucks, and my buddies who bought them from me felt with the problem later down the road…. neither has paperwork available. They, like myself, all got notices of being able to file, but nothing will come from it.
I don’t understand why my ’99 isn’t included. Maybe it’s a different issue but I had 2 of them blow right out of the head.
First of all ..this is a sad deal for FORD 5.4 owners !
Second I qoute…. “this procedure took about twenty minutes per broken plug which could add a potential two or more hours to an already lengthy three and half hour plug replacement time.
I had several instances where all eight plugs did bread off on the cylinder head and the bill would come to around eight hundred bucks.”I was a little skidish about doing this job when asked to do it, after I did my first Plug removal/replacement it wasn’t as bad as people made it out to be and still don’t understand why they charge so much for doing the job.
I just completed my 4th 5.4 plug job (all 8 plugs broke) and still did it in less then 3 hours ! It is a job you CAN NOT RUSH or you will break the plug removal tool and then you have BIG problems, even @ $90-$105 an hour shop rate it shouldn’t run $ 600-$800 to do all 8 plugs. Now granted I am NOT ASE certified but have 30 plus years of auto experience repair and my shop rate is lower than most all shops I still cant justify charging upwards of $600-$800 for the job even using the updated plugs!,The hardest plugs to do are the back 2 on the right bank .I have done this particular job for 2 IDO members now and they were shocked on my price difference versus other shops ans very please with the work done !
All I can say is ..Thank you FORD for creating work for me !
JMHO Jeff
Jeff,I myself have been at this for thirty seven years,and I have had engines with low miles,less than 90K that the plugs came out fairly easy with no breakage,the engines that had 130k + were the ones that were the worst about it,you might have three that break,and you might break all eight.
mitchell gives you 3.9 hours to do this job,if you are doing it in less than three hours,YOU THE MAN,but if you are not billing labor times given,you are giving away money. we did discover that using a 3/8’s impact gun would run them out with out breaking one off in the head,then,book time was billed,time and materials was billed for the rest.
Thank you Lord for the work,I understand that,but why should the customer bear the burden for fords and others mess ups?
the other poster,your engine did not have the plugs we are talking about,and yes they were prone to blowing out of the head and taking the threads with them,you usually had to put a heli-coil insert in to get new threads for the plug,worse case scenario’s were to pull the head and replace it because of intrusion into a water jacket when drilling the old threads out.
The dealership the work was completed at should be able to supply you with the documentation.
Without an invoice there’s a form to file that will get you $50. I’m not sure it’s worth the effort.
trumar,an example from our shop:
mitchell labor: 3.9 hrs at 75hr.292.50
8 plugs: X 18.60 each: 148.80
additional lbr 2.7hrs 202.50
equals 643.80
tax X 7 percent 45.06
total 688.86
this was average,the additional one hundred dollars I mentioned for a total of eight hundred bucks would include only one coil that was misfiring and needed replaced,this was usually the problem when it came in,and the vehicle was overdue for a tune-up,now add in a scan fee of 50 dollars and we would be over the 800 mark.
what is the labor rate in your area?
Reputable Ford Dealer
3 plugs and packs = $900.00 plus
Neighbor
5 plugs and rebuilt alternator = Just over $300.00
“Thank you Ford for the work,I understand that,but why should the customer bear the burden for fords and others mess ups?
I am a private mechanic with very low overhead costs (except for tools.lol) and fully agree why should the customer pay the burden of these repairs and that’s why I try to keep the cost down.This is similar to the Dexcool issue with the GM vehicles in the past.
Another thing that gets me going on these issues is why they think these issues are always fixed in a “shop”! Dont they realize that some these vehicle drivers are mechanically inclined and do the repairs themselves and have no paper work to prove said repairs besides part receipts ?
Engineers should repair their own faulty designs !
“Thank you Ford for the work,I understand that,but why should the customer bear the burden for fords and others mess ups?
I am a private mechanic with very low overhead costs (except for tools.lol) and fully agree why should the customer pay the burden of these repairs and that’s why I try to keep the cost down.This is similar to the Dexcool issue with the GM vehicles in the past.
Engineers should repair their own faulty designs !
brother,aint that the truth!!!!
the sad thing is this,if engineers were allowed to build what they want,we couldnt afford it, the problem does not lay on the engineer,they are working for a company that looks at manufacturing economics.
however,I do think that engineers should have to work in the field for five years before they go to work as an engineer,then real world problems would help them out in their designs.
now,how in the world are you getting all eight broken plugs out and replaced in less than three hours,from my experience,this is impossible,not doubting you,but could always use insight into new ways.
when you have to remove the computer off of the right hand firewall,the power steering reservoir,the emission hose on some,and then eight coil packs,then the plugs,you have already have burnt an hour,then you have reassembly.?????????????? and this does not include one broken one???
thanks!!!
and for that reason ^^ I’m out.
and pay someone else to deal with it.
Not sure what procedure others are using but the best we have found is to have the truck at operating temp and use an impact and work fast so it doesn’t cool down. Very seldom break a plug this way. A 3/8 impact works great and seems to break the carbon loose, on really tight ones you have to run back and forth a couple times for it to free up.
now,how in the world are you getting all eight broken plugs out and replaced in less than three hours,from my experience,this is impossible,not doubting you,but could always use insight into new ways.
when you have to remove the computer off of the right hand firewall,the power steering reservoir,the emission hose on some,and then eight coil packs,then the plugs,you have already have burnt an hour,then you have reassembly.?????????????? and this does not include one broken one???
thanks!!!
Now I dont know if it is luck or skill,But all I use to do the 5.4 plug job is a Snap-On 1/4″ drive rubber handled ratchet with a 3/8 head in it(shorter and easier for me work with) and of course the wrench’s to hold the puller and such.1/4 Snap-On impact to remove all accessories on right side and 1/4″ swivel 7mm to get bolts out of coil packs.
Maybe it’s blind luck who knows really.. But I dont find it difficult to remove the broken plugs now !
I remove all accessories and coil packs first then proceed to plug removal,if one breaks,I remove it then on to next plug ect.. then I go back and remove plug nose out of the head,once done I install all new plugs using the NEW STYLE plug with no seize on them and reinstall all accessories, clear any codes and fire up the beast, then have a smoke(outside of the vehicle) while I watch my scanner !
Job done..Pay up !!
Just about to pull the trigger on a late model F-150 with the 5.0. Any trouble with that engine? Sounds like only the 5.4 is affected but still makes a guy nervous about Ford.
trumar,thanks for the input,I am not lacking in skill on these things,and I am not slow by any means for my age,you must be one lucky fellow!!
I can beat quoted labor times when everything goes right most every time,but,when you are digging around even with the right stuff,( I own snap-on as well) I still cannot get close to less than four hours when they all break,and I pretty much do what you are doing.
crankbait: fords 4.6 as well as the 5.4 had terrible timing chain issues,when they broke you usually ended up with a new engine,the cam phasers were problimatic as well when they had high miles on them,meaning anything over 120k,and I know thats low these days,but nothing last forever.
if you are referring to the new turbocharged models,they had aftercooler issues that have somewhat been resolved,and they also had problems with the turbos,havent seen much for resolution yet in this area other than to buy aftermarket turbochargers YIKES!! they can run over 3K for these.
before any uptight ford owner cries foul!!! I never have any problems with my ford!!! yeah,right,I work in an area where ninety nine percent of trucks and cars are fords,and this is a small area of Iowa,this represents a small percentage of ford vehicles sold,and to see the problems I do on a daily basis is ridiculous for what things cost these days,so if you dont have problems,you are either trading every two years,or dont put any miles on what you own,or you are very lucky,or in denial?
I will add this,there is not one vehicle of any make that does not have problems unique to their brand,so not one is better than the other as far as what it cost to maintain them.
now if we can convince the manufacturer to put on brake lines that dont rust out,caliper pins that dont seize rendering the vehicles ability to stop when needed,and manifold bolts that dont break,etc.yep,I may be out of work,but at least my head wont hurt as much trying to figure out how anything can be so poorly designed and the effort that is put forth to repair them!!
The next time I do a 5.4 plug(all 8) job I will run a timer on the job and see where I really come in at .
Either way it’s not a good deal for the owners !
The dealership the work was completed at should be able to supply you with the documentation.
They both found guys doing it on the side for half what ford dealers were charging. I’m guessing this happened a LOT. I think one of the local dealers wouldn’t even take the job… flat out said no. It was a no win deal for them. Customer never happy, and the chance for it to become a much bigger problem, they just passed on doing it.
I’ve always traded my trucks off with about 55K on them… always Ford F150’s. This 2012 I have now with the Ecoboost… 45K. Brakes are almost shot, and common opinion is I’ll have to swap rotors as well. Rotors don’t get the life they once did. Never dealt with them in the past even with more miles.
I think the entire trend to make vehicles lighter, build profits, and give us more fancy toys on the dash come at the expense of quality and durability everywhere else.
Now considering a different truck… back to the V-8, consider Chevy for the first time ever, I have no clue. Always loved Fords, but want one I can run a long time next, as my job is slowing down a lot. Ecoboost doesn’t have my confidence…. but most new stuff lacks in that trust area as well.
It the same as it always has been, new technology will always have its unknowns. Turbos have been around a long time, I wouldn’t be concerned with that, its the direct injection motors that concern me more. With direct injection you need to perform more maintinance to keep the valves clean increasing the operating cost, does the fuel savings make up for it, I doubt it. My dad traded off his 2013 GMC because it was starting to rust in a couple spots, must have been from washing it to much.
It the same as it always has been, new technology will always have its unknowns. Turbos have been around a long time, I wouldn’t be concerned with that, its the direct injection motors that concern me more. With direct injection you need to perform more maintinance to keep the valves clean increasing the operating cost, does the fuel savings make up for it, I doubt it. My dad traded off his 2013 GMC because it was starting to rust in a couple spots, must have been from washing it to much.
you are correct sir when you state turbos have been around a long time,the problem with the new ones on the ecoboost is they are so small,they cant take the heat like the old ones,and there is a technical service bulletin on these stating not to use injector or turbo cleaning agents as this raises the heat significantly enough to wipe out the factory turbo.
the mileage we get today is a poor representation of the technology that is available,my folk’s old pontiac catalina that weighed around 4K, with a 400 cubic inch engine got twenty three miles to the gallon,that was with a rochestor two barrel carb and a points type distributor.
with the technology we have now,that same car should be getting over 50 mpg.
the problem lies with the government,if you use less gas,they take in less tax money,then there is the oil companies,could go on,but am sure you are aware of all of the bs.
Well guy’s
I’ve owned my 2004 F-150 since new for going on 12 years at over 76000 miles and if I pay 600-800 bones for spark plug replacement so be it. The truck is a gem on wheels and I haven’t had one minor or major issue with it. Sure it sucks spending that much for plugs but when it comes time I will either trade or bite the bullet. I just never cared for those other ugly trucks on the road. Paint me true blue. ROCK ON FORD 
trumar you said:
so if you don’t have problems,you are either trading every two years,or don’t put any miles on what you own,or you are very lucky,or in denial?
> well, my 07 F150 5.4 just turned 93+k and few weeks ago. Has an oil change coming up at 94K…. still original plugs. starts and runs well. MPG still about the same as the day I got it(had 25K on it in 2010)>
> so you think I should get the plugs change? ? I’ve heard these are a bitch to change, but so far never thought it needed it…..maybe we should have a talk 
trumar you said:
so if you don’t have problems,you are either trading every two years,or don’t put any miles on what you own,or you are very lucky,or in denial?
> well, my 07 F150 5.4 just turned 93+k and few weeks ago. Has an oil change coming up at 94K…. still original plugs. starts and runs well. MPG still about the same as the day I got it(had 25K on it in 2010)>
> so you think I should get the plugs change? ? I’ve heard these are a bitch to change, but so far never thought it needed it…..maybe we should have a talk
We can talk about doing it soon if you want, will PM you my number.
Iowaboy1 as I stated I am a private mechanic,my hourly is $50 an hour,but once I learn how to do these kind of jobs I will flat rate them letting the customer know what happens if the job goes bad or I find more wrong than original complaint.
I have yet to get burnt on a flat rate job,I can afford to do them cheaper than a typical shop or dealership. I save them money and they will return again.
Jeff
Trumar you are a mechanic and jig maker?
Hats off to you 
I know a couple mechanics very well and and the only nimble thing those guys can do with their hands is pick their nose. Good grief, god blessed you with some good ligaments there!
nhamm!!!! see if I ever help you out again!! just kidding!! and fyi to you,it takes talent to get those little ones at the back dug out!!!
yesterday I couldnt spell mek a neck,and today I are one,lol.
trumar,if you havent run into this one yet,the ’04s thru ’08 had a fuel pump driver module that drives the fuel pump at different speeds depending on pressure demands,and it is mounted above the spare tire,its a little black box with an aluminum housing mounted directly on the support tube for the spare,it is notorious for rotting out and breaking the circuit board,really bad for this happening in iowa where road salt is spread with wreckless abandon here every time they forecast flurries.
the updated ones have longer mounting bolts to get it away from the tube as salt and brine accelerates dissimilar metal corrosion,paint it first with undercoating spray,and use dielectric grease on the connector,doorman sells these for less than half of what ford gets.
if you havent seen this yet,it will simulate a bad pump or plugged filter,use your scanner to check driver outputs.hope you can use this info.
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