NHTSA complaint #11764811

Owner complaint summary

The valve cover on my 2019 Ford F-150 equipped with the 5.0L V8 engine has failed and is leaking engine oil directly onto the exhaust. The vehicle was inspected by a professional technician, who confirmed that the valve cover itself is the source of the leak rather than simply the replaceable valve cover gasket. The technician also advised that the valve cover on the opposite side is showing signs that it may develop the same issue and recommended replacement of both valve covers. This creates a safety concern because engine oil is leaking directly onto hot exhaust components. I am concerned that continued oil leakage onto the exhaust could result in smoke or an underhood fire. At this time, I am not aware of an actual fire occurring. The failure and location of the oil leak were confirmed by a professional service technician. The vehicle/component has not, to my knowledge, been inspected by Ford specifically for this issue. I am not aware of any warning lamp or dashboard message that appeared before the leak was discovered. The affected valve covers are composite/plastic components. Replacement of the complete valve cover has been recommended because the technician determined that the cover itself, rather than only the gasket, is causing the leak. The failed component can be retained and made available for inspection upon request after replacement. I am submitting this complaint because failure of the valve cover is allowing engine oil to leak directly onto the vehicle's hot exhaust components, creating a potential fire hazard.