RoadVitals

2004 Ford F Series

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
7
Latest Jul 23, 2012
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
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InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
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Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
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Overview

Our database contains 7 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2004 Ford F Series, most frequently naming the visibility, engine and electrical categories. 1 manufacturer communication is on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Visibility342.9%
  • Engine228.6%
  • Electrical114.3%
  • Powertrain (other)114.3%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Powertrain (other)
Filed Jul 23, 2012

STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS LAST YEAR WITH TRANSMISSION. OVERDRIVE WOULD GO OUT AND SOMETIMES TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT ENGAGE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. JULY OF THIS YEAR WAS AT A STOPLIGHT TRUCK WOULD NO MOVE , AFTER RACING ENGINE TRUCK MOVED , FAULT CODE SHOWED ON DASH. WHEN GOT TRUCK HOME REVERSE WOULD NOT ENGAGE, I FINALLY GOT IT TO ENGAGE INSTEAD OF GOING BACKWARDS IT WENT FORWARD. *TR

NHTSA ID
10467062
Incident
Jul 12, 2012
Mileage
104,000 mi
ElectricalVisibility
Filed Jul 8, 2012

WHILE DRIVING DOWN INTERSTATE DRIVERS WINDOW FOR NO REASON JUST FELL DOWN CAUSING A LOAD CRASHING NOISE I NEARLY WENT INTO DITCH. TWO DAYS LATER THE DRIVERS REAR WINDOW DID SAMETHING. I WAS NOT ROLLING WINDOWS UP OR DOWN THEY JUST FELL CAN FORD ADMIT THEY HAVE PROBLEM BEFORE SOMEONE GETS INJURED. *TR

NHTSA ID
10464599
Incident
Jul 4, 2012
Mileage
86,520 mi
Visibility
Filed Oct 17, 2011

WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AT 65 MPH,WITH CHILDREN IN BACK SEAT,WINDOW ON PASSENGER SIDE IN BACK FELL DOWN,ABOUT A WEEK LATER THE OTHER BACK WINDOW DID THE SAME THING .SCARED MY WIFE AND KIDS BECAUSE IT FELL SUDDENLY WITHOUT WARNING. COULD HAVE CAUSED ME TO SWERVE INTO ONCOMING VEHICLE.I REPORTED TO FORD BUT THERE ONLY RESPONSE WAS THEY SENT ME BROCHURES TO BUY A NEW TRUCK[HA HA}.I RESPONDED BY TELLING THEM THAT MY NEXT NEW TRUCK WILL BE CHEVY OR CHRYSLER. *TR

NHTSA ID
10430533
Incident
Jul 6, 2011
Mileage
99,500 mi
Filed Sep 16, 2011

THE SPARK PLUGS IN THE 2004 F-150 PICKUP TRUCKS DID NOT GET ANIT-SEIZE COMPOUND WHEN INSTALLED IN FACTORIES. JUST GOOGLE 2004 F-150 SPARK PLUGS AND YOU WILL SEE MUCH MORE INFORMATION. NOW WHEN YOU REPLACE THE SPARK PLUGS, THEY HAVE A TENDENCY TO BREAK OFF. DEALERSHIP COST TO REPLACE THE SPARK PLUGS IS $350.00 PLUS $90.00 FOR EACH SPARK PLUG THAT IS BROKEN. THIS IS AN OBVIOUS DESIGN FLAW THAT IS COSTING THE PUBLIC MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WORLD WIDE AND THE NTSB NEEDS TO STEP IN AND ORDER A RECALL TO PROTECT CONSUMERS AND STOP FORD FROM TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE CONSUMERS BECAUSE OF THEIR SPARK PLUG DESIGN FLAW.. *TT

NHTSA ID
10425741
Incident
Sep 1, 2011
Mileage
100,000 mi
Engine
Filed Mar 18, 2011

WHILE DRIVING MY 2004 F150 AND APPROACHING A RED LIGHT OR TURN MY TRUCK WILL INTERMITTENTLY SHUT OFF AND NEED TO BE RESTARTED. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS I HAVE HAD TO PUT BOTH HANDS ON THE WHEEL AND CRANK (NO POWER STEERING) OR BOTH FEET ON THE BRAKES (NO POWER BRAKES) BECAUSE THE TRUCK TURNED OFF AND I LOST ALL POWER FUNCTIONS. IT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN AS BIG OF A DEAL IF THE DEALER IN MY AREA HADN'T TOLD ME THIS WAS "NORMAL" FOR F150S AND SENT ME ON MY WAY. SINCE THAT DEALER I HAVE DEALT WITH 2 OTHERS IN MY AREA WHO SAY ITS NORMAL AND TO JUST DRIVE MY TRUCK UNTIL IT FIXES ITSELF. I WASN'T AWARE THAT FORD MADE SELF DIAGNOSING/FIXING VEHICLES. IN EITHER CASE I AM EXTREMELY UPSET THAT THIS PROBLEM IS FOR SOME REASON NOT CONSIDERED A PROBLEM AND THAT THERE IS NO CURRENT FIX FOR THIS ISSUE. I NO LONGER FEEL SAFE IN MY TRUCK AND HAVE RESORTED TO DRIVING MY PARENTS VEHICLES UNTIL I CAN RID MYSELF OF THIS DEATH TRAP. ON ANOTHER NOTE I HAVE ALSO HAD THE VEHICLE FLASH DASH BOARD LIGHTS AT ME AFTER GOING OVER SMALL BUMPS AND THEN SHUTTING OFF 1/4 OF A MILE LATER. WHEN THIS PROBLEM WAS BROUGHT UP THE DEALER SAID IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE (IT'S HAPPENED TWICE) AND THAT I HAD TO BE IMAGINING IT. *TR

NHTSA ID
10392198
Incident
Oct 16, 2010
Mileage
110,000 mi
Visibility
Filed Sep 27, 2010

2004 FORD F-150 POWER WINDOW REGULATOR FAILED ON TWO OF THE FOUR DOORS WHILE DRIVING CAUSING THE WINDOWS TO COME CRASHING DOWN SHATTERING ONE. CONTACTED LANDERS FORD IN COLLIERVILLE, TN, WHO SOLD ME REPLACEMENTS PARTS BUT, SINCE THE PARTS ARE NOT PART OF A RECALL, WOULD NOT PROVIDE WITHOUT COST. BOTH ASSEMBLIES HAD TO BE REPLACED ALONG WITH ONE WINDOW. *TR

NHTSA ID
10357798
Incident
Sep 26, 2010
Mileage
45,000 mi
Engine
Filed Mar 10, 2009

I BOUGHT A FORD F450 NEW AND FROM DAY ONE I HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE 6.0 DIESEL ENGINE. THE LATEST WAS A BLOWN INTERCOLLER AND TO ENGINE CYLINDERS. *TR

NHTSA ID
10261453
Incident
Mar 2, 2009
Mileage
48,000 mi

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

TB-08-258

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

JERR-DAN: ANTI STALL FEATURE FOR FORD F SERIES LIGHT DUTY CHASSIS WITH V10 GAS ENGINE AND AN ENGINE DRIVE CLUTCH PUMP. MODEL YEARS UNKNOWN. *PE

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Ford F Series by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2008100
2007400
2006400
2005900
2004Viewing700
2003111
2002341142.4
2001441457.3
2000401453.6
1999360345.7
1998200132.0
1997470248.9
1996160252.6
1995160252.3
1994711
1993511
1992211
1991601
1990221
1989221
1988614
1987304
1986004
1985012
1984112
1983001
1979010
1978030
1977020
1976020
1975030
1974020
1973010
1972010
1971110

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.