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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
58,703 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 3)

problem #46

Jul 022011

F-150

  • 114,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2004 Ford F150. While driving 40 mph, the contact stated that the vehicle began to shake excessively and he was unable to continue to drive. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the vehicle was inspected. The dealer informed the contact that the timing belt tension was fractured and that he needed to replace the engine. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was aware of the failure. The current and failure mileages were 114,000.

- Severna Park, MD, USA

problem #45

Jun 012011

F-150 8-cyl

  • miles
S10 appropriate handling- letter from doj forwarding a letter from re his 2004 Ford F-150 the consumer stated the dealer botched the spark plugs replacement, and now the cost to replace all eight spark plugs is $2200 when he was originally quoted a price of $335. The dealer informed the consumer the spark plugs were difficult to replace and needed extra care and a special solvent. Updated 07/19/11.

- Morgantown, IN, USA

problem #44

May 262011

F-150

  • 94,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Ford F150. The contact stated during routine maintenance with a local mechanic he was advised that the spark plugs broke off into the spark plug casing and the spark plugs were defective. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN information was not available. The failure and the current miles were 94,000.

- Grants Pass, OR, USA

problem #43

Feb 102011

F-150

  • 120,000 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 was driving 10 mph as the vehicle began jerking violently. The manufacturer was contacted who advised him to take the vehicle to the dealer for diagnosis. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed the failure as the cam shaft which would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 120,000.

- Trenton , NJ, USA

problem #42

Nov 132010

F-150 8-cyl

  • 142,000 miles
The #3 spark plug was ejected from the engine block. Upon inspection, the threads were stripped and damaged beyond belief. After tapping the whole, the plug was able to be replaced. A month later, the #7 plug did the same thing being ejected from the engine. Another round of fixing but this time the repair was not successful. The new plug did not stay in. Both of the old plugs are in pieces with most of the parts lost to the roadway below.

- Seattle, WA, USA

problem #41

Nov 222010

F-150

  • 147,312 miles
I was driving on a highway at 55 mph in my 2004 Ford 150 when I heard a loud noise from the engine. Found a spark plug had been completely blown out of the engine. I have done some reading and found this to be a common problem with Ford's Triton engines. Coil pack was sparking which could have led to a serious engine fire. Please have Ford fix the problem.

- Fairborn, OH, USA

problem #40

Jul 182010

F-150 8-cyl

  • 62,000 miles

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

My gently used 2004 Ford F-150 with approximately 63K miles is having motor problems. There is severe ticking/knocking of the motor for no apparent reason. There is also a gross loss of power and the gas mileage has immensely decreased. All the required maintenance and service has been consistently done on this vehicle and it is mainly driven on the weekends due to the fact that I am a nyc commuter. I have taken the truck to Ford and they are unable to help me without thousands of dollars of repair. This truck is gently used and was conveyed to be in excellent condition & excellent working order by Ford at the time of purchase. There is no reason for this problem to occur. The vehicle has become unsafe to drive and Ford refuses to take responsibility for the problem. Updated IVOQ 12/01/10

- Valley Stream, NY, USA

problem #39

Aug 062010

F-150

  • 140,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Ford F150. While the contact was driving approximately 62 mph, the engine warning light illuminated with a slight loss of engine power. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where they stated that one or more of the spark plugs detached from the engine. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired at an estimated cost of $600. The contact had concern of a potential fire hazard due to the defect. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Rocksprings, WY, USA

problem #38

Jul 122009

F-150 4WD 8-cyl

  • 99,000 miles
Ford F-150 with Triton engine. I serviced spark plugs at 99,000 miles per Ford manual. Plugs snapped off when mechanics tried to remove them even with special tools. The garage said I was lucky that it only cost $1200 to change the plugs. They didn't have to pull the heads on the engine which could have cost thousands. Garage said this defect was common on Triton engines. I called Ford. Their reply was that they wouldn't do anything because this is a maintenance part. Interesting to note that Ford now supplies the new plugs with a tube of grease so the plug threads don't lock up in the engine head. Other posts on this site detail similar problems plus plugs blowing out of the heads. One needs to wonder if Ford didn't transfer their blow out problem to the rest of us by tightening the plugs too tightly at the factory.

- Lewisburg, PA, USA

problem #37

Apr 262010

F-150 4WD 8-cyl

  • 62,833 miles
Engine started knocking at 62,000 miles leading to total catastrophic engine failure while driving. Engine shut down and I had limited control of the vehicle while driving.

- Gardner, KS, USA

problem #36

Mar 152010

F-150

  • miles

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

2004 Ford F150 with issue during spark plug replacement. Consumer states that it is impossible to remove spark plugs without breaking them causing more money to be spent to get the dealer or mechanic to fix it. The consumer stated once that happens it involves removing the head and incurring charges of $2,000 to $2, 5000 in labor costs.

- Columbia, MO, USA

problem #35

Feb 202010

F-150

  • miles
I own a 2004 Ford F150 5.4 liter engine. I have never changed the spark plugs. I driving and a spark plug blew out of the engine. This could be a serious problem and expensive and not created by me, it has to be a defect. The gas vapors coming out of the plug hole could start a fire.

- Mcarthur , OH, USA

problem #34

Feb 062010

F-150

  • 99,686 miles
Ford spark plugs fail and are unable to be removed without damage, requiring special tool or significant cost.

- Rogers, MN, USA

problem #33

Dec 112009

F-150

  • 48,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Ford F-150. Upon vehicle inspection, a technician from the dealer stated that the spark plugs would fractured soon, if they were not repaired. Shortly after the advisement, the vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician stated that the sparks plugs would have to be replaced at the owners expense because they have fractured. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired. The failure and current mileages were 48000.

- Coleman, WI, USA

problem #32

Nov 292009

F-150

  • 108,000 miles
Spark plug was ejected from the engine stripping the threads in the head, and causing the truck to die in the middle of the road. Dealership gave a bulletin reporting that there is a problem, and reports that it happens all the time. Ford refusing to help. According to the dealership repair will cost $2,100. I was picking up my 3 yr. Old daughter, and if this problem would have happened 10 minutes later I would have been crossing a busy intersection with my daughter in the truck. Once I get me truck fixed who is to say that one of the other cylinders won't do the same thing! I feel the truck is unsafe to have my daughter in it. What if this would have happened when pulling onto the interstate. The bulletin says that this has been an issue since 1997, when is someone going to make sure that they are held responsible. How do I even know that this is not a problem that is still ongoing?

- Union City, IN, USA

problem #31

Sep 012009

F-150

  • 140,616 miles
2004 Ford F150 with 4.6 engine. 140,616 miles. #2 spark plug blew out of head. Had to have heli-coil insert installed.

- Lincoln University, PA, USA

problem #30

Aug 042009

F-150

  • miles
2004 F150 5.4 Triton 88,000 miles. Fomoco recommends spark plug change at 100,00 dealer changed 8 plugs broke 6.I was charged a plug extraction fee of $85 per plug in addition to the $320 initial quote.internet research and word of mouth shows many, many instances with the same problem.fomoco quoted"we are not assisting customers at this time".definite engineering flaw they deny.fomoco even invented their own extraction tool to aid in removal of plugs.

- Warren, MI, USA

problem #29

Jun 302009

F-150

  • 64,865 miles
2004 F150 4.6ltr engine. Spark plug blow out #3 cylinder 64865 miles. Original factory parts. Spoke directly to Ford motors they act as if this is my fault. The parts have never been changed. Ford told me it is not covered under warrenty because this is a maintanence part. The dealer told me that this has been a big problem for Ford. But they wont honor to fix the problem even though it is a mechanical failure due to bad design. It cost $600 to fix and I beleive this should be covered by Ford due to the number of instences. There were two trucks fixed the same day for the same problem and again the service department said this has been a big issue. I would like this to be resolved. The consumer should not have to worrie about a spark plug blowing out while driving. This is a saftey issue because fuel keeps flowing into the cylinder and when ignights flames fly out through the spark plug hole. Quit acting like th is is not a problem and recall these poor desinged parts before someone does get hurt.

- Menasha, WI, USA

problem #28

Jun 292009

F-150

  • 30,000 miles
There is already a tsb for the problem but Ford should really recall the cam phasers on the 2004 and newer F150's. most people in this economy cannot afford to throw 2 grand into there car to have a factory defect fixed and Ford won't step up to the plate. I have owned numerous Ford's in the past and will never buy one again because of their lack of being a good company. I'm sure because the problem is on there number one engine they don't have the money to cover it and don't care that they'll loose half those customers.

- Denver, CO, USA

problem #27

Jun 012008

F-150

  • 16,235 miles
On a Sunday, I was on a side street when the engine went dead. I noticed the wrench light was on. I called the wrecker service as it was still in warranty. The wrecker driver arrived and asked if I had tried to restart it, which I didn't. I started it and drove home. I took it to the dealer on 06/04/08. They could not duplicate the error nor find anything in the computer module. On 03/29/09, the same thing happened. If I had been on a highway or freeway, I might have had a serious accident. I waited a few minutes, then the truck started up again. I took it back to the dealer on 04/01/09. They kept it overnight doing various tests. The computer showed nothing. They finally suggested to replace the throttle body and reprogram the PCM. I agreed even though it was out of warranty and cost me $484 to repair. I was leery of driving on a highway and freeway as if it happens there, I'm sure if I can't pull over I will surely cause an accident. Subsequent checks on the internet found the is a common occurrence. The engine is supposed to go into "limp mode" to allow one to slowly, but safely drive to a safe spot. My truck, and many others, do not go into "limp mode"; they just go dead. I strongly suggest this be investigated before a serious accident occurs due to this default.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

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