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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
114,462 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.

2005 Ford F-150 engine problems

engine problem

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2005 Ford F-150 Owner Comments (Page 1 of 6)

problem #114

Jun 152023

F-150

  • 200,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2005 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, he smelled an abnormal fuel odor. Additionally, the contact stated that while the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

- Glendale, AZ, USA

problem #113

Apr 072023

F-150

  • miles
Pulled out of driveway and made it 50 feet and whole truck shut down right on the road. Could not make the vehical restart no click or anything dead right where it stopped. Could of caused an accident. Had to have truck taken to a shop they took a week to find out that the electrical fuel system harness had a dead short in it. So no fuel going to the feul injectors or to the key to start the vehical. Still have head lights and breaks and radio. Just no way to restart the vehical. They checked thw wires and after unplugging many wires to the fuel system and retesting it started. Left with the truck a day later the same thing happen but this time i had to jump a curb to avoid an accident and coasted into a parking lot. I got out and wiggled a few of the wires and the truck started back up. I made it back to where i was staying only 2 blocks up the road and it died in the parking lot in a stall. That has been over 3 weeks and cant find the parts to fix it even by talking to ford shops. There not able to get this harness due to they have been discontinued...truck has low miles on it and now i dont know what to DO. This is my daily driver for WORK. This shouldnt of happened with the wires being wrapped even the mechanic who has his own shop but also works for Ford as a mechanic he has seen this before and now having problems getting parts. I hope you can help with this matter. Due to its very disturbing to myself when its in good shape and was taken care of and NOW cant get parts..

- Wis Rapids, WI, USA

problem #112

Apr 142021

F-150

  • 183,459 miles
I bought used cash truck, drove fine for first day, second day while truck was in motion and put in reverse it dies, took a couple turns to started up and it started coding the camsaft sensors, got codes cleared, and it drove ok for 30 minutes coated again started to stall and stutter a bit. I heard a lot about Ford in the camshaft sensors does that mean my truck is done for. My truck has to camshaft sensors. 5.4

- Lubbock, TX, USA

problem #111

Apr 062021

F-150

  • 150,000 miles

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

Spark plugs and coil pack continue to eject themselves from the cylinder head.(F150 blown out spark plug). This continues to be a problem and has occurred while the car is in motion on the hwy., traveling at a speed of about 30 mph.

- Marrero, LA, USA

problem #110

Nov 052020

F-150

  • miles
The engine timing system failed causing the engine to stop without warning. This failure occurred on a city street. A fellow who helped push the truck to thecurb mentioned the Triton engine is 'known for this problem'.

- Des Moines, IA, USA

problem #109

Aug 152020

F-150

  • 1,150,000 miles
Had vehicle towed to a repair garage to have starter replaced.according to repair tech.while lifting truck a lot of cracking sound S inspection of frame reviled excessive rusting and cracks.they called and told me truck was un safe to use.have bills with statements made by repair shop.

- Cleveland, OH, USA

problem #108

May 202020

F-150 8-cyl

  • 175,000 miles

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

My truck is rattling bad and its the timing chain Ford should have recalled this because it is a known problem. The oil seals on the tensioners start leaking causing them to not keep the chain tight like it should be and also fails to push oil around to the right side cam which causes it to fail. This should be recalled it is dangerous and could cause injuries if the truck stalls out. Also the spark plugs blow out of the heads causing very high repair bills. This also could cause a accident resulting in death. Ford has known about this problem but yet has done nothing to make it right. Ford should stand behind there mistake and make it right fix or replace the engine no matter what the mileage is because they knew about it. My truck repairs will cost over $7000 dollars to fix because Ford would fix the problem they knew about. I change my oil every 3000 miles with val oil and lucus oil stabilizer because of this issue it seems to help the rattle alittle but its just going to get worse and I cant afford $7000 to replace an engine.

- White Oak, TX, USA

problem #107

Dec 052019

F-150

  • 215,000 miles
Engine tapping when warm only at idle doesn't do it while cold or while driving I had a mechanic look at it and he said it's due to a design flaw with Ford 5.7 engines.

- Mobile, AL, USA

problem #106

Dec 272019

F-150

  • 170,000 miles
While driving 75 mph on interstate 40, vehicle went into fail safe mode (happened a couple of times). Subsequently, engine began with a ticking noise with ever increasing rattling/shaking to a point that the engine had to be turned off. This happened numerous times while stopping or idling in city traffic. Local Ford dealership replaced all coils & plugs, throttle body, fuel filter, etc. Vehicle ran fine for six months, however the rattling, knocking, shaking, surging, stalling have returned two fold. Vehicle is now experiencing a massive oil leak from the engine. Had it checked by an independent mechanic who could not make the repairs (but did complete an oil change). Ford Motor Company is totally responsible for these issues. These issues are not just inconvenient and expensive but mortally dangerous to the passengers of the vehicle as well as to anyone in close proximity. Step up Ford!

- Oklahoma City, OK, USA

problem #105

Jan 012009

F-150

  • 75,000 miles
1. brake dot 3 is running out after several months. When I apply the brakes, the vehicle keeps going. In order to keep the vehicle running, I must push down the brake very hard to stop the vehicle. I have to constantly refill the oil tank. 2. when driving on the highway and the speed reaches at around 45-65 mph, the vehicle automatically loses power and hit at 3-5 mph before stopping. After I completely turn off and reset the battery, the vehicle starts normal again. The vehicle happened from 2009 to current time, but the odb scan does not detect any code or errors.

- Huntington Beach, CA, USA

problem #104

Apr 012019

F-150

  • 184,994 miles

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

The contact owns a 2005 Ford F-150. Upon starting the vehicle, it idled and the contact heard a rattling noise coming from the engine. The contact also stated that the vehicle had an oil leak and the check engine indicator illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic to have the ignition coils replaced; however, the failures continued. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 184,994.

- Mcgregor, MN, USA

problem #103

Jan 282019

F-150 8-cyl

  • miles
Letter from the office of the attorney general state of Illinois on behalf of constituent regarding his 2005 Ford F150 Ford truck and a faulty engine which was not disclosed by the company.

- Edwardsville, IL, USA

problem #102

Oct 142018

F-150 8-cyl

  • 94,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Ford F-150. While the vehicle was stationary and while driving various speeds, it shook while idling at a red light and stalled without warning. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle would not restart when prompted. An independent mechanic diagnosed that the head gasket was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. A dealer and the manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 94,000.

- Hoopeston, IL, USA

problem #101

Mar 172018

F-150

  • 62,500 miles
Vehicle stalls and or surges and has dead spots. After many attempts to solve the issue it still persists. Looking on line it is a common problem with this vehicle.2005 -2008 F 150 5.4. it is especially dangerous when towing a trailer my wife has almost got into accidents a couple of times while towing a horse trailer and is now afraid to drive the truck. Spoke to Ford but no real response. I think this issue needs to be looked at further especially when considering people do tow with their trucks and it amplifies this issue. Thanks mario.

- Venetia, PA, USA

problem #100

Mar 122018

F-150

  • 164,000 miles
Ford had an extended warranty on their 2005 5.4L engines in the F-150 trucks. The extended warranty was for customer satisfaction program 07M08. The extended warranty covered fuel injector failures but failed to cover the result of those failures. I lost several injectors which resulted in "damage to other powertrain components." Those component were the catalytic converters. Both of my catalytic converters failed. The vehicle would hesitate when accelerating and fuel consumption increased as the catalytic converters continued to fail. Emission testing was never performed of this vehicle. I can be assumed that emission testing would have failed while the vehicle was still under the 07M08 coverage.

- Kennewick, WA, USA

problem #99

Feb 192018

F-150

  • 120,000 miles
Exhaust manifolds are leaking and causing exhust fumes to enter the vehicle. Truck has aprox 120,000, issue started at around 80,000. It's at the point now where it makes people in the truck sick and it won't pass state inspection. Cam phasers make noises as well. Wo know when this engine will fail. Common problems with the 5.4 V8 engine. Well documented on the internet.

- Bellingham, MA, USA

problem #98

Aug 112017

F-150

  • 136,000 miles
Purchased Ford F150 from old saybrook Ford, Feb. 16. the truck has the 5.4 engine which has numerous complaints of engine failure. Driving on route 1 when truck eccelorates or loses power. When we bought the truck the chain guide was broke and eating through the case. Spark plugs get stuck in engine or propel them selves through the truck hood. Dangerous engine to have on road. I owe $8000 on a truck that now needs 4-6000 worth of work.

- Westbrook, CT, USA

problem #97

Jul 012017

F-150

  • 130,600 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Ford F-150. While operating the vehicle, the odor of exhaust fumes was present inside the vehicle. Also, when the engine was started, a ticking type noise was heard under the hood on the passenger side. The cause of the failures was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local unknown dealer were notified, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 130,600.

- Maquoketa, IA, USA

problem #96

Jul 142017

F-150

  • 112,500 miles
Following purchase from a Ford dealership with a tune up and milage related service completed my 2005 Ford F150 ran for less than 6000 miles before a stuck fuel injector caused a failure of the engine. At the time I was coming to a stop under normal conditions following a 18 mile commute from my previous stop. A metallic sound was heard and the drive became shaky and weak in accelaration. I proceeded 4 blocks to the dealership to assess the problem.the faulty fuel injector which was undetected until complete failure and resulting damage to engine components. This problem is well documented by other Ford owners online will cost my family over $6000 without a recall on the parts known to fail widely in these vehicles.

- Warrens, WI, USA

problem #95

Dec 202016

F-150

  • 109,000 miles
I am the second owner of my 2005 Ford F-150 XLT 5.4L 3V 4X4 crew cab (VIN# available on request) and there is a loud knocking noise coming from the engine. I can hear the noise while idling in drive, idling in reverse, idling in neutral, idling in park and traveling under low throttle and/or power in any gear(it is especially loud when the echoes bounce off of a hard-sided building, such as a drive-through restaurant). The events leading to my breakdown on a busy acceleration ramp are as follows: My vehicle lost almost all power on an acceleration ramp, slowing me down to a crawl. It also caused massive oil leaking from the engine compartment, which resulted in road spillage, causing unsafe driving conditions for me and the people around me. I've done some independent research and have personally had this issue fixed once. I've had it fixed at a mechanic, the resulting repair costs ended up being ~$3500. Full diagnostic and repair receipt is available upon request, but the main issues were the cam phaser, and timing chain. I have seen multiple upon multiple complaints about this issue, and I am formally requesting the nhsta to investigate and hold the Ford Motor Company (hereafter referred to as "Ford") responsible for this poor design choice. I would like to see a recall for every Ford F-150 reported with this issue, as well as reimbursement for any documented repairs conducted by mechanics from Ford. This may be an outlandish request that may not even be in the nhsta's cumulative power, but, as a taxpayer, a working man, and most importantly, a husband, I would like to see action taken by the people I put my faith in, to rectify this situation. Thank you for your time, and good day.

- Winterville, GA, USA

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