2001 Ford Ford Truck reliability: common problems

Owners of the 2001 Ford Ford Truck filed 20 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine and cooling and tires. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 20

What fails most often

1 Engine and cooling 30% of all complaints
2 Tires 15% of all complaints
3 Vehicle speed control 15% of all complaints
4 Electrical system 10% of all complaints
5 Steering 10% of all complaints
6 Equipment 5% of all complaints
7 Fuel system 5% of all complaints
8 Powertrain 5% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Engine and cooling: 6 complaints (30% of all).
Tires: 3 complaints (15% of all).
Vehicle speed control: 3 complaints (15% of all).
Electrical system: 2 complaints (10% of all).
Steering: 2 complaints (10% of all).

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 20 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

A/C or heater2 · 10%
knocking, grinding or other noise2 · 10%
infotainment or screen glitches2 · 10%
smoke, burning smell, fire2 · 10%
seat belts1 · 5%
stalls while driving1 · 5%
steering or power steering problems1 · 5%
unintended acceleration1 · 5%
tires: bulges, blowouts1 · 5%
vibration1 · 5%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash	Technical service bulletins (TSB)
Engine and cooling	6	0	0
Tires	3	0	0
Vehicle speed control	3	0	0
Electrical system	2	0	0
Steering	2	0	0
Equipment	1	0	0
Fuel system	1	0	0
Powertrain	1	0	0
Seat belts	1	0	0
Suspension	1	0	0
Other	1	0	0

What owners report

Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.

While driving on highway at highway speeds and when throttle is applied at full capacity, throttle pedal sticks for up to thirty (30) seconds before self releasing. Engine rpm reaches near maximum and vehicle speed increases until vehicle is placed in 'neutral' and throttle self releases.
Powertrain · 2011-12-12 · NHTSA complaint #10439350
Spark plug for # 3 cylinder blew out, damaging head threads and ignition coil. This spark plug was original from the ford factory, not a replacement. Dealer in my area quoted $800 to install a heli coil and new ignition coil; but advised that new heads should be considered as the other 7 cylinders could also be…
Engine and cooling · 2011-11-26 · NHTSA complaint #10437332
On november 7th I was inspecting my brakes and found that all the rubber seals in the front end were worn out or better still the rubber was crumbley and no grease remained. I have 63,000 miles on the 2001 ford xlt ranger. It seems that this would be a factory inferior product installation at the factory.
Steering · 2007-11-08 · NHTSA complaint #10208402
2001 excurtion stalled at 45 mph very scary experiance no power and break was not working proprely.......wasted $550 between jeffy lube changing all fluids and filters and the same at my local garage.....problen still continued ...kept stalling for no apparent reason....fustrated went into the net and found out about…
Fuel system · 2007-06-21 · NHTSA complaint #10193883
Ford 2001 expedition has random problem with uncontrolled throttle surge when stopping. Started out happening once every 2 months and has degraded to once or twice a week. Dealer has run full diagnostics and road tests but cannot find any problem.
Engine and cooling · 2005-12-01 · NHTSA complaint #10144166
First noticed that the heater fan stayed running after ignition was shut off. Then, during a stormy winter, the wipers, lights, radio, windows, and keypad entrance all stopped working--sometimes together, other times separately.
Electrical system · 2005-10-20 · NHTSA complaint #10140375
We called the dealership and they told us it was probably "air in the power steering lines" and that sometimes happens after fixing the problem they fixed. They told us it would "work itself out". Well, it didn't work itself out, it got worse.
Engine and cooling · 2005-10-06 · NHTSA complaint #10138894
I was in a 2001 ford escape that caught on fire on august 20, 2005. The truck began smoking and all of the check engine, oil lights came on. Then the truck starting shutting down. This whole time I was in the middle lane of the highway.
Vehicle speed control · 2005-09-08 · NHTSA complaint #10135771

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

20001
20013
20021
20033
20041
20057
20072
20112

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 7,852 of 32,257 model years in the NHTSA data (top 24% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Ford Truck has 13 complaints (24 years in the data). This year has 20, above average.

What to check before buying

Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 2001 Ford Ford Truck?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: engine and cooling, tires, vehicle speed control. Total complaints: 20. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: A/C or heater (10%), knocking, grinding or other noise (10%), infotainment or screen glitches (10%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2001 Ford Ford Truck?

NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.

Should I buy a 2001 Ford Ford Truck from a US auction?

Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.

Other 2001 models

Read also

Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-06.