FORD F-SERIES · model year

2004 FORD F-SERIES

8 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2004FORDF-SERIES carries 8 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2004 F-SERIES is visibility:power window devices and controls with 2 filings, followed by engine and engine cooling:cooling system (1) and engine and engine cooling (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 1 investigation file overlapping the 2004 F-SERIES. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

8
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

8 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1
VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1
POWER TRAIN1

Recent Complaints

20120723POWER TRAIN

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

Mileage: 104,000

20120708ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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

Mileage: 86,520

20120708VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS

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

Mileage: 86,520

20111017VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR

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

Mileage: 99,500

20110916UNKNOWN OR OTHER

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

Mileage: 100,000

20110318ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

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 GO

Mileage: 110,000

20100927VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS

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

Mileage: 45,000

20090310ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM

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

Mileage: 48,000

Compare 2004FORDF-SERIES to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2004 FORD F-SERIES have?
The 2004 FORD F-SERIES has 8 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2004 FORD F-SERIES?
The most-complained component for the 2004 FORD F-SERIES is VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING.
Is the 2004 FORD F-SERIES safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.