2001 Ford F-150 Engine and Engine Cooling Problems
Owners have filed 234 complaints with NHTSA about engine and engine cooling problems on the 2001 Ford F-150, 19% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 92,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “spark plug” (50% of reports).
- 234engine and engine cooling complaints
- 92,000median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 2mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $3,050typical repair cost reported by owners
- 35%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Spark plug: mentioned in 116 of 234 complaints (50%)
- Cylinder head: mentioned in 26 of 234 complaints (11%)
- Caught fire: mentioned in 20 of 234 complaints (9%)
- Loud pop: mentioned in 19 of 234 complaints (8%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical engine and engine cooling repair on the 2001 Ford F-150 at $3,050, and half of them between $990 and $5,200.
Based on 36 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2004–2012), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do engine and engine cooling problems happen?
Based on 191 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 234 complaints, 1 mention a crash, 36 a fire, 2 an injury.
Ford F-150 engine and engine cooling complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine and Engine Cooling complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 F-150 | 1 | 1% | 1,000 |
| 2024 F-150 | 4 | 2% | 15,135 |
| 2023 F-150 | 1 | 0% | 9,000 |
| 2022 F-150 | 3 | 1% | 30,000 |
| 2021 F-150 | 19 | 2% | 44,000 |
| 2020 F-150 | 11 | 1% | 81,557 |
| 2019 F-150 | 62 | 5% | 75,567 |
| 2018 F-150 | 88 | 4% | 71,662 |
| 2017 F-150 | 70 | 5% | 80,000 |
| 2016 F-150 | 30 | 1% | 80,000 |
| 2015 F-150 | 24 | 1% | 107,000 |
| 2014 F-150 | 10 | 1% | 131,300 |
| 2013 F-150 | 20 | 1% | 92,500 |
| 2012 F-150 | 17 | 1% | 13,000 |
| 2011 F-150 | 33 | 2% | 8,250 |
| 2010 F-150 | 31 | 4% | 17,000 |
| 2009 F-150 | 10 | 3% | 58,000 |
| 2008 F-150 | 22 | 6% | 26,670 |
| 2007 F-150 | 41 | 8% | 56,000 |
| 2006 F-150 | 77 | 13% | 58,507 |
| 2005 F-150 | 111 | 10% | 64,000 |
| 2004 F-150 | 167 | 8% | 76,000 |
| 2003 F-150 | 69 | 16% | 93,000 |
| 2002 F-150 | 196 | 24% | 82,000 |
| 2001 F-150 | 234 | 19% | 92,000 |
| 2000 F-150 | 135 | 13% | 87,000 |
| 1999 F-150 | 219 | 21% | 85,250 |
| 1998 F-150 | 174 | 13% | 94,000 |
| 1997 F-150 | 529 | 19% | 99,250 |
| 1996 F-150 | 23 | 7% | 119,967 |
| 1995 F-150 | 71 | 11% | 138,500 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists engine and engine cooling for the 2001 Ford F-150. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owns a 2001 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he heard an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. After visual inspection, the contact was able to conclude that the sound originated from the passengerâs side exhaust manifold. No…
Vehicle was parked and motor was off. Vehicle catch on fire and fire departments had to go turn it off but we could not save anything from this truck it got very damaged. *tr
While driving down the interstate, the vehicle caught on fire. Everything under the hood was destroyed. *tr
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2001 Ford F-150s have engine and engine cooling problems?
No. NHTSA has 234 owner complaints about engine and engine cooling for the 2001 Ford F-150 (19% of the 1,236 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2001 Ford F-150 engine and engine cooling?
No recall currently lists engine and engine cooling for this vehicle.
At what mileage do engine and engine cooling problems start?
The median reported mileage is 92,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix engine and engine cooling problems on the 2001 Ford F-150?
Owners report a typical cost of $3,050 (half paid between $990 and $5,200), from 36 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about engine and engine cooling problems on the 2001 Ford F-150?
The most frequent phrase is “spark plug”, in 116 of 234 complaints, followed by “cylinder head” (26).
Other 2001 Ford F-150 problems
See all 2001 Ford F-150 problems or engine and engine cooling problems across all F-150 years.