"How reliable is the 2002 Ford F-250?"

"Based on 189 NHTSA complaints, the 2002 Ford F-250 has a median complaint mileage of 89000 miles. The most common issue is Engine."

"What are common problems with the 2002 Ford F-250?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2002 Ford F-250 is Engine, accounting for a significant portion of the 189 total complaints filed."

2002 Ford F-250: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 189 complaints

189

Total Complaints

89,000mi

Median Mileage

Engine

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

54,009 25th Percentile

89,000 Median Mileage

151,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Engine

Tires

Tread/Belt

Unknown Or Other

Engine And Engine Cooling

Engine

Vehicle Speed Control

Electrical System

Steering

Frontal

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"PASSENGER SIDE EXTERIOR MIRROR IS CAUSING BLIND SPOT WHICH RESULTS IN POOR VISIBILITY WHILE DRIVING. DEALER NOTIFIED, AND UNWILLING TO ASSIST IN THIS MATTER. *AK"

"WHEN APPLYING BRAKES IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS PEDAL FEELS HARD, AND THERE IS NO BRAKING ACTION, AT ANY SPEED. VEHICLE NOT TAKEN TO DEALER YET.*AK"

"CONVEX MIRROR PART ON OUTSIDE MIRROR IS NOT ADJUSTABLE, MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE TO CHANGE LANES SAFELY.*AK"

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

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Engine 12 complaints

25th: 113,000 mi Median: 156,000 mi 75th: 171,350 mi

Tires 9 complaints

25th: 71,207 mi Median: 89,625 mi 75th: 103,098 mi

Tread/Belt 9 complaints

25th: 19,950 mi Median: 45,800 mi 75th: 60,500 mi

Unknown Or Other 8 complaints

Median: 200,000 mi

Engine And Engine Cooling 8 complaints

Median: 99,600 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 35 TX: 18 MI: 15 OH: 11 FL: 8 AZ: 8 CT: 7 MD: 6 IN: 6 VA: 5

Who Files Complaints?

41.8%

Original Owners

58.2%

Second+ Owners

Ford F-250 — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1991	145	94,177	Switch	5
1992	149	91,000	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	6
1993	183	152,500	Tank Assembly	6
1994	156	114,581	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	7
1995	238	115,000	Front	12
1996	212	125,000	Tires	11
1997	348	114,000	Tires	21
1998	76	114,500	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	2
1999	702	94,000	Tires	61
2000	417	75,768	Tires	39
2001	269	67,000	Tires	20
2003	148	90,000	Tires	7
2004	201	55,079	Engine And Engine Cooling	12
2005	207	65,000	Steering	4
2006	332	61,200	Steering	14
2007	84	42,000	Steering	3
2008	255	75,000	Steering	12
2009	92	69,000	Steering	0
2010	109	80,400	Steering	2
2011	384	70,000	Suspension	8
2012	418	78,000	Suspension	5
2013	153	78,000	Suspension	2
2014	235	83,154	Suspension	3
2015	425	70,300	Steering	7
2016	424	62,000	Steering	9
2017	1713	30,000	Steering	18
2018	615	28,252	Steering	10
2019	1912	20,000	Steering	25
2020	336	41,900	Power Train	4
2021	200	43,000	Fuel System, Diesel	5
2022	136	40,000	Power Train	4

Active Recalls (7)

Federal safety recalls issued for this vehicle.

Tail Lights

Campaign 11V352000 | 13/07/2011

NON-FUNCTIONING LIGHTS COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.

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 Speed Control

Campaign 06V286000 | 01/08/2006

OVERHEATING COULD RESULT IN SMOKE OR BURN AND AN UNDERHOOD FIRE.

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)

Headlights

Campaign 09E025000 | 11/05/2009

DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

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.

Exterior Lighting

Campaign 09E012000 | 07/04/2009

DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

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.

Electrical

Campaign 07E066000 | 28/08/2007

IF THE TRAILER LIGHTS ARE NOT WORKING PROPERLY, A VEHICLE CRASH CAN OCCUR.

ALL OF THE DEFECTIVE TOW PACKAGES ARE STILL AT THE DISTRIBUTOR LEVEL AND HAVE NOT BEEN SOLD TO ANY CONSUMERS.

Exterior Lighting

Campaign 06E049000 | 24/05/2006

WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

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.

Headlights

Campaign 06E052000 | 12/06/2006

DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

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.

Extend Your Engine Life

Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.

Change oil on schedule — this is the single most important thing you can do
Use the manufacturer-recommended oil weight and type
Replace the air filter every 15,000-30,000 miles
Don't ignore the check engine light — small issues become expensive fast
Let the engine warm up for 30 seconds before driving hard in cold weather
Address coolant leaks immediately to prevent overheating damage

Vehicle Rankings

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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