The contact owns a 2004 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while parked when the vehicle suddenly rolled backwards downhill the contact's son attempted to get into the vehicle to make it stop. The trailer's jackknife stopped the vehicle from going onto the road. The contact manually moved the vehicle back into their garage. The contact stated their son did receive injuries to their head, left or right leg (the contact was unsure of the exact leg), and their left or right arm (the contact was unsure of the exact arm). Medical attention was needed. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and opened a case. The manufacturer referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline to file a safety complaint. The failure mileage was 74,000.
The worst 2004 Ford E-150 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Brakes8
- Acceleration4
- Transmission4
- Engine3
- Visibility3
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Brakes8
- Acceleration4
- Transmission4
- Engine3
- Visibility3
- Locks2
- Wheels2
- Body1
- Electrical1
- Fuel system1
- Lights1
- Seat belts1
- Seats1
- Suspension1
Recalls 5
Equipment adaptive/mobility
- What is wrong
- Van conversions is recalling 52 my 2004-2007 ford e-150, e-250 e-350 and my 2006 gm savanna 3500 vans built on ford and gm chassis and equipped with ricon platform style wheelchair lifts. These lifts fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 403, "platform lift system accessible for motor vehicles," the anti-stow interlock may not detect the presence of a wheelchair or mobility aid user. The pressure sensing switch that detects the presence of weight on the platform was not adjusted to the necessary sensitivity level. The lift could stow even though someone or something is still on the lift.
- Risk
- A lift occupant can be injured should the lift begin to stow unintentionally.
- Remedy
- Van conversions is working with ricon to correct the wheelchair lifts free of charge (please see 07e097). Owners may contact ricon at 1‑818‑267‑3000 or van conversions at 610‑837‑0707.
Recall number 09V100000 · Recall details
Equipment adaptive/mobility
- What is wrong
- Van conversions is recalling 74 my 2004-2007 ford e-150, e-250 e-350 and my 2006 gm savanna 3500 vans built on ford and gm chassis and equipped with ricon platform style wheelchair lifts. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 404, "platform lift installations in motor vehicles." the threshold warning system may not detect the presence of a wheelchair or mobility aid user in a certain spot within the defined threshold area.
- Risk
- The user of the lift could be injured should the lift move unintentionally.
- Remedy
- Van conversions is working with ricon to correct the wheelchair lifts free of charge (please see 07e095). Owners may contact ricon at 1‑818‑267‑3000 or van conversions at 610‑837‑0707.
Recall number 09V102000 · Recall details
Equipment adaptive/mobility
- What is wrong
- On certain vans equipped with sure-lok wheelchair securement systems, the sprocket teeth of the retractor assembly is out of alignment.
- Risk
- In the event of a vehicle crash, the wheelchair may not be adequately secured possibly resulting in injuries to a wheelchair occupant.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and replace the wheelchair securement retractors as necessary. Sure-lok will handle the repairs for this campaign. Owners should contact sure-lock at 1‑908‑231‑1804 or mobilityworks at 1‑800‑769‑8267.
Recall number 04V562000 · Recall details
Electrical system: wiring
- What is wrong
- On certain vans, a diode in the anti-lock braking system (ABS) module may experience an electrical short.
- Risk
- The electrical short may cause an ABS malfunction that would illuminate the ABS warning light, or the module may overheat resulting in a burning odor, smoke, and/or fire. This condition may occur while the vehicle is being driven or unattended.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a new fuse in the ABS circuit and install a heat shield over the ABS module. The recall began on october 15, 2004. Owners should contact ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673. Also ford is extending the limited warranty (for a one time replacement) of the ABS module for a total of 10 years or 150,000 miles from the warranty start date, whichever occurs first. If your vehicle has already accumulated more than 150,000 miles, this coverage will last until september 30, 2005.
Recall number 04V444000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling
- What is wrong
- On certain vans, the air filter element material process resulted in an air filter paper element that can smolder or burn. This change in filter paper composition combined with the configuration of the air induction system, may allow hot carbon particles to contact the air filter element during certain driving conditions that create hot particles.
- Risk
- These hot particles may ignite the air filter element with the potential for air induction system damage or underhood fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and replace the air filter element. The recall began september 27, 2004. Owners should contact ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673. Also ford is extending the limited warranty (for a one time replacement) of the ABS module for a total of 10 years or 150,000 miles from the warranty start date, whichever occurs first. If your vehicle has already accumulated more than 150,000 miles, this coverage will last until september 30, 2005.
Recall number 04V445000 · Recall details
See all 5 recalls for the 2004 Ford E-150
Defect investigations
Spark plug ejection from cylinder head
On september 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or ejected from the engine.as of december 8, 2005, odi is not aware of any allegations where the alleged defect resulted in a loss of vehicle control, a crash, an injury, or a fatality in any of the 10,319,810 subject vehicles.in addition, odi is aware of only two incidents where the vehicle stalled without restart.information contained in the odi consumer complaints and obtained from 72 telephone interviews with complainants showed the following:(1) 99% of the complaints were on my 1997 to 2002 subject vehicles.(2) most the complainants reported hearing a loud pop while driving or upon starting up the vehicle followed by a loud, repetitive clicking or popping sound.(3) many of the complainants reported that the popping sound was accompanied by some loss of vehicle power; however, in 99% of the incidents reported, the vehicle did not stall.in the very few incidents where the vehicle did stall, most vehicles could be restarted.(4) only a small percentage of the complainants cited that they smelled gas or a slight burning smell when the incident occurred.(5) in all but a very few incidents, vehicle damage was limited to the engine.in one incident, the complaint reported that the fuel rail was damaged and replaced after one of the spark plugs ejected from the engine; however, the complainant reported that the damage did not result in any type of fuel leak or fire.in another incident, the only incident where a fire was alleged, the complainant reported that no fluid leak was observed, but that a fire resulted after the spark plug had ejected from the engine and he had restarted the vehicle and driven to another location.none of the complainants reported any damage to the vehicle hood.(6) only two complainants reported that they observed what appeared to be some drops of fuel coming from the cylinder where the spark plug had failed or on the spark plug itself; however, each of these complainants reported that there was no smoke or flames as a result of his incident.as the petitioner noted, and odi?s analysis showed, it is possible for a spark plug to detach from the engine cylinder threads in the subject vehicles.however, odi?s analysis of 474 complaints describing such incidents found only a very few alleged any safety-related consequences.none of these showed any evidence of a serious safety consequence.given the large population and relatively long exposure time of the subject vehicles, the complaint analysis indicates that the risk to motor vehicle safety from the alleged defect is very low.in view of the foregoing, it is unlikely that the federal safety agency would issue an order for the notification and remedy of the alleged defect at the conclusion of the investigation requested in the petition.therefore, in view of the need to allocate and prioritize the federal safety agency?s limited resources to best accomplish the agency?s safety mission, the petition is denied.
DP05005
Technical service bulletins for the 2004 Ford E-150 60
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- When performing any transmission fluid changes or topoffs involving MERCON SP, MERCON LV has replaced all...
- Ford: when shifting between park, reverse and/or during 2-3 shift, an intermittent clunk occurs with a...
- Ford: on some trucks, there is a no crank situation and if voltage on transmission range sensor at pin 21,...
- Brake booster system may exhibit a brake pedal kickback and/or grabbing condition when applying the brakes. nj
- Lack of power due to low fuel pressure - fuel tank liner seperation. kb
- Lack of power due to low fuel pressure, fuel tank liner seperation. kb
- Slow fuel fill on vehicles with a 4.6L or 5.4L engine and mid-ship fuel tank. kb
- Headlight adjustment needed. kb
- Watch for oil flow from the base engine oil pump. vehicles equipped with a 6.0L diesel engine. kb
- Oil flow from the base engine oil pump. kb
2004 Ford E-150 fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.6L 8‑cyl | RWD | 13-14 | 18 | 15 |
| 5.4L 8‑cyl | RWD | 12-13 | 16 | 14 |
What 2004 Ford E-150 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Viberation in rear and clunking noisr in rear when stopping at light then taking of while making a right turn
2004 ford 4.6l engine: #2 spark plug ejected from cylinder head. ~$700 to repair!!!
There are tons of drivers on public roads using off road LED light bars and using amplified hid headlights. They are so bright I have to block the light with my hands when they drive by. I know this is illegal. It is terribly unsafe. Why are there not laws being enforced to prevent their use on the street?
At the point I reach 40 MPH truck shifts to neutral, have to pull over safely and take truck out of overdrive to get home. Very dangerous when traveling at that rate of speed. Did some of my own investigating and found many website have angry people who also own same vehicles with very low mileage. I saw the range of miles between 44,000 miles to 150,000 miles. Please refer to www.carcomplaints.com just to start with, there are many other websites for this model you can see. Please help.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. The contact stated that the lower ball joints were causing premature wearing of the tires. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed that the front end springs were completely fractured. The dealer and manufacturer were made aware of the failure. The manufacturer stated that there were no active recalls regarding the failure and declined to provide a remedy to resolve the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 93,000. Updated 05/05/14
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. The contact stated the front passenger's side window independently opened. The failure recurred several months later on the rear passenger window. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who stated that both window regulator assemblies would need to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacture was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford e-150. The contact stated that a private mechanic attempted to remove the spark plugs but they were fused to the engine. The vehicle was eventually repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 118,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Today was driving normally on the side road not towing & in overdrive when around 40mph the overdrive disengaged & starts revving like it's in neutral. I pull over & put it into park & then back into overdrive & start driving once again & same thing happened three times. Luckily there was a service shop close. I took the truck in & they said take it to a transmission shop. He also said it was fine to take it out of overdrive & that wouldn't cause it to do that. So, I took it out of overdrive & it didn't miss a beat. After reading the reviews it seems to be an issue with the overdrive servo retaining clip breaking. This is by far a major problem ford needs to look into that could potentially put lives at risk. If it's a bad part why not fix the problem if there are hundreds of reports on this same exact issue? I've been a ford owner all my life & am truly saddened that this could possibly be my last ford I ever buy again. I'm holding ford accountable on this & everyone else that has the same issue should do the same. It's a $2.50 part, that's all. & when you bring it into ford or any other transmission shop they want to do a whole rebuild which will cost thousands. We go by the saying built in america for a reason & that's not using crap parts. Build it right the first time & have no problems. If you start throwing parts & bubble gumming it to death, this is what happens. Fix it ford! There are enough complaints on this already.
During the winter months our 2004, ford, e150, van has had occasional yet complete brake failure several times. Typically, it has happened when it was very cold -10f and typically slower speeds 10-15mph but today it was 30 f and speeds were 45-50 MPH as we were coming down a mountain pass in colorado. We almost rear ended a semi and almost took another car head on but they had moved into the far lane. Before reaching the brake failure run off we were able to down shift and eventually the brakes came back to complete working order. The van has been brought in several times to ford dealership and each time same answer, we can't reproduce the problem so they haven't done anything.
Compare the 2004 Ford E-150
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Questions about the 2004 Ford E-150
Is the 2004 Ford E-150 reliable?
Owners have filed 33 complaints about the 2004 Ford E-150, 2.8 times a typical E-150 model year.
What is the 2004 Ford E-150 year score?
The 2004 Ford E-150 scores 36 out of 100 (poor). The score compares it with the other model years of the Ford E-150: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2004 Ford E-150?
Brakes, with 8 complaints, typically around 2,262 miles. Next is acceleration (4).
How many recalls does the 2004 Ford E-150 have?
5 recalls, covering equipment adaptive/mobility, electrical system and engine and engine cooling.
What year does the Ford E-150 have bad brakes?
The Ford E-150 model years with the most brakes complaints are 1994 (26 complaints), 1995 (20 complaints) and 1997 (18 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 2004 Ford E-150 get?
Official estimates for the 2004 Ford E-150 range from 14 to 15 mpg combined. The most efficient version (4.6L 8-cyl, RWD) gets 13-14 city and 18 highway.
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