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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
109,465 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2004 Ford F-150 engine problems

engine problem

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2004 Ford F-150 Owner Comments (Page 1 of 5)

problem #91

Aug 152022

F-150

  • 150,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2004 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact observed the spark plug being ejected from the fuel compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 150,000.

- Marysville, IN, USA

problem #90

Apr 262023

F-150

  • miles
Truck stalls in traffic. Also when hitting the brake. it stalls in reverse. it stalls while idling. Worst truck ever!! Severe safety issue ?

- Erie, PA, USA

problem #89

Feb 152021

F-150

  • 87,000 miles
Throttle body causes vehicle to stop dead when slowing down on city street.

- Godfrey, IL, USA

problem #88

Aug 232020

F-150

  • 154,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While driving on the freeway I notice a noise and a lose of power pull off and had truck towed to dealer they called me told me needed new motor I was shocked only has 154000 miles on it what the hell dealer told me $9000 to replace motor what told them I would be there to pick up truck with tow truck well they called me back said $7000 still way to much but I need the truck cant buy a new one so I had to get 2 loans to replace my motor then I find out the motor in a 2004 F 150 has a major issues but the dealer never told me anything of the sort so now I have a truck with the same motor as before that cost me a large amount of money I didn't have Ford should step up and take care of the problem so now I have 2 loans to pay off hope to hell this motor last and they wonder why people go postal if Ford dosent resolve this I will never buy a Ford product again !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- Covina, CA, USA

problem #87

Jul 172020

F-150

  • 79,950 miles
F150 stalls out randomly causing a hazard for other drivers and myself. Happens while in gear driving, reverse, etc.

- Upper Darby, PA, USA

problem #86

Jan 072020

F-150

  • 55 miles
Paint cracked, coils malfunction, springs front

- Winterhaven, CA, USA

problem #85

Jan 012019

F-150

  • 160,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2004 Ford F-150 engine is bad. The 5.4 liter engine. I bought this vehicle used 3 years ago and now the engine is ruined. My husband researched and also consulted with several mechanics and found that these engines were known for the cam phasers going bad so Ford stopped putting this engine in the vehicles in 2007. The last time I drove this vehicle aa I was making a right turn, the truck cut off on me in the middle of the road which is very dangerous. We owe $8,000 on this Ford which is now no food. Sits in our yard. We want action. Ford needs to stand behind their product.

- China Grove, NC, USA

problem #84

Jun 202019

F-150

  • 15,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Ford F-150. While driving approximately 40 mph, the check engine indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the egr valve and the fuel injector needed to be replaced. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The contact stated that the transmission and check engine indicators illuminated and were replaced in 2018. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.

- Natchez, MS, USA

problem #83

May 062019

F-150

  • 233,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled and the accelerator pedal hesitated when depressed. As a result, the vehicle made an abnormal puttering sound while in drive. In addition, the electrical system failed. The spark plugs were changed multiple times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the spark plugs should not be touched because they were Ford certified spark plugs and tear easily. A special onsite Ford mechanic repaired the spark plugs. The accelerator pedal and stalling failures were not repaired. The manufacturer and dealer were not made aware of the failures. The failure mileage was 233,000.

- Sarasota, CA, USA

problem #82

May 062017

F-150

  • 266,666 miles
Think I bought a lemon truck from Ford after spending a lot of money to try and keep truck running but after all the time and effort I put into the truck it will only go in reverse and engin sounds rough.

- Grants Pass, OR, USA

problem #81

Jul 152016

F-150 8-cyl

  • 165,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My Ford F 150 has thrown a rod & the motor is knocking badly, to my understanding all 2004 Ford F150 3V have a bad motor in all trucks, every truck I know have this problem. You exchange this motor to a later or early motor it won't work I being told by the dealership mech. I believe Ford should be held to recall & replace these motors.

- Biloxi, MS, USA

problem #80

Oct 032017

F-150

  • 116,454 miles
Cam phazer is out leaning out the timing, causing the motor to knock and idle at 500 rpms causing the vehicle to completely stop in traffic or at a stop light. I am told at minimum a timing chain kit, phaser, might fix the problem if not I would need a new engine at $5000 dollars this needs to be a recall fix my truck only has 116454.miles on it and should not need this kink of repairs yet. Or should be covered by Ford through a malfunction of equipment that was installed and there for malfunctioned prematurely

- Bremerton, WA, USA

problem #79

Sep 272010

F-150

  • 50,000 miles
Truck died, lost all power while driving down the road. This has happened 5 - 6 times through the years starting around 2010. Sometimes driving down freeway sometimes driving slowly into driveway. Battery was checked, it was okay and connected fine. Various other engine problems later include a rattle noise and low RPM. Running hot, chugging along like running out of gas, etc. Having to pull over till it could go again. Currently just a little over 100,000 miles.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #78

Sep 072017

F-150

  • 115,000 miles
While driving the vehicle at highway speeds - rpms on engine begin to fluctuate between 2000 and 750. At next stop, engine dies, but will immediately restart. No engine malfunction codes when checked with an obd II reader, and the check engine light does not illuminate.

- Evansville, IN, USA

problem #77

Jun 242014

F-150 8-cyl

  • miles
To begin with I had to have all 4 windows repaired. The mechanism that raises and lowers the windows broke. Since this was bought as a used vehicle, there was no warranty. So I pd. $150. To $175 each. Was told Ford knew of this problem but since it wasn't a "safety factor" no recall was issued. I feel like this is quite unfair to the consumer. We purchase a vehicle that has a good reputation and then are told that this expense is our baby to take care of. I feel like this was very unfair to this consumer. I have purchased Ford for years with no complaints until now. Also, the headlights developed a leak and filled with water thus shorting out my right headlight, and is slowly doing the same to the left one. I have been told that just the burned out bulbs cannot be replaced, that the whole assembly had to be replaced and this is at a cost of approx. $175 to $200. Per assembly. This is outrageous. Also, there is a problem with what used to be "points & plugs" which are now a "coil" assembly. This problem developed approx. 6 months ago. According to the readouts I have gotten, the #1 plug is misfiring approx. Every 1,000 revolutions which causes a miss in the engine and was very alarming to me since I was on the highway about 200-250 miles from home, traveling by myself. So, another expense is looming. I realize there are expenses to owning a vehicle. I do not expect to not have any problems or repairs with my vehicle, but I did not anticipate this many. Nor did I expect the cost of the repair parts alone to be so outrageous. I am on a fixed income and had I anticipated these problems I wouldn't & #8203; have made this purchase. I truly love my truck, but is there anyway these other repairs can be done for a lesser amt? I've already pd. To replace motor & rotors in all 4 windows. Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. [xxx] ('parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).'

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #76

Jul 112011

F-150

  • 95,000 miles
Complete engine failure less than 100,000 miles. Driver and front passenger window motor failure.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #75

May 212008

F-150

  • 109,176 miles
On 5/21/08 spark plug # 3 popped out while I was driving down the freeway I had it repaired. Then on 1/8/13 spark plug #3 came out of my 2004 Ford F150 and I took my truck to Ford. When they were replacing the threads on #3, #5 popped out so they replaced the helix coils on it as well. In April my truck start having the same issue with the # 1 spark plus. This does not seem like something that should just happen. There should have been a recall on this a long time ago.

- Fairfield, CA, USA

problem #74

May 012014

F-150

  • 50,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced stalling without warning. In addition, the seat belt would not latch. The dealer diagnosed that the vehicle's software needed to reflashed. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The contact had the engine replaced after it was diagnosed that there was water in the oil pan and a fuel rod failure. The failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

- Oklahoma City, OK, USA

problem #73

Jun 012015

F-150

  • 139,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while stationary, the camshaft phaser malfunctioned. The contact stated that there was a knocking noise coming from the engine of the vehicle. In addition, the spark plugs and the timing chain were the source of the failure as well. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 139,000.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #72

Feb 272017

F-150

  • 115,000 miles
2 times in the last 6 months, most recently on 2/27/17 my vehicle suddenly accelerated as if the gas peddle was being held to the floor. I was stopped at a light this time and had my foot on the brake, so I was able to prevent my vehicle from lurching into the intersection. I placed the truck into neutral and shut off the ignition. When restarted the vehicle functioned normally. The first time this occurred (about 6 months ago) I was slowly entering a parking lot when the truck suddenly accelerated.

- Stony Brook, NY, USA

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