THE component system addressed, which is available for inspection, is the propane line routed through a jagged torched hole in the vehicle main frame; location is left-rear frame extension. Pictures are available. IF piping is allowed to remain, the propane line will sustain a propane leak with constant rubbing against the hole going through the frame. Our safety, and the safety of many others across the nation is at risk, specifically with the reports of motorhome fires to date. THE existing problem has not been confirmed by a dealer or independent service center at this time. THE existing problem has not been confirmed by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others. NO indicators of any kind for system failure are included on this model. Propane smell or fire would be immediate. Problem appeared after news broadcast of last motorhome fire; I investigated problem on my own. TWO attempts to report this system problem failed when the federal safety agency would not accept or recognize vehicle VIN number.
The worst 2004 Ford E-450 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Engine10
- Electrical5
- Fuel system5
- Transmission5
- Brakes4
- Tires4
- Body2
- Visibility2
- Acceleration1
- Lights1
- Locks1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2004 Ford E-450
Recalls 5
Equipment adaptive/mobility
- What is wrong
- Matthews is recalling 8 my 1998 bluebird, my 2004 ford e450, my 2005-2006 thomas built buses, my 2006 international bus, my 2007 chevrolet 5500, freightliner and dodge sprinter trucks, transit buses, and specialty vehicles equipped with ricon platform style wheelchair lifts. These buses fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 404, "platform lift installation 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
- Matthews 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 matthews specialty at 336‑297‑9600.
Recall number 08V524000 · Recall details
Equipment adaptive/mobility
- What is wrong
- Matthews is recalling 8 my 1998 bluebird, my 2004 ford e450, my 2005-2006 thomas built bus, my 2006 international bus, my 2007 chevrolet 5500, freightliner and dodge sprinter trucks, transit buses, and specialty vehicles 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
- Matthews 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 mattews specialty at 336‑297‑9600.
Recall number 08V526000 · Recall details
Electrical system: wiring
- What is wrong
- Certain pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles and vans equipped with 6.0l diesel engines may experience stalling without warning while driving and may or may not restart.
- Risk
- Should the engine stall, a vehicle crash could occur.
- Remedy
- Dealers will upgrade the fuel injection control module (ficm) wire harness or replaced, and/or have a new injection control pressure (icp)) sensor connector installed free of charge. The recall began on july 22, 2005. Owners may contact ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673.
Recall number 05V270000 · 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-450
Defect investigations
HVAC Switch Failures
ODI has received 1 complaint and reports from 4 transportation fleets alleging 182 switch failures.Each fleet operates mini buses built on a Ford E350 or E450 cutaway chassis.The OEM HVAC blower switches have melted, smoked, burned or experienced open flame and become inoperable on vehicles in each fleet.Some drivers have reported a burning smell or smoke coming from the dash.One fleet reported a vehicle fire.No injuries were sustained.However, the bus was carrying special needs children when the driver noticed smoke coming from the dash.The driver was able to evacuate the children prior to the vehicle becoming engulfed in flames.This PE has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis (EA) to determine if the blower motor switch failures create a situation where a vehicle fire is possible and presents a safety risk to the driver and other passengers.
PE09055
Technical service bulletins for the 2004 Ford E-450 53
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,...
- Ford: runs rough, lacks power, hard start, no start
- Ford: some vehicles with diesel engines may experience no starts, hard starts or rough running when cold...
- Ford: some vehicles equipped with 6.0L diesel engine may exhibit any one or combination of the following...
- Ford trucks: misfire, lack of power, buck/jerk, excessive smoke, crank/no start-diagnostics for fuel system
- 6.0L turbocharger carbon deposit diagnostics and service tips
- 6.0L--MIL ON--P0401, P0402, P0404, P1335--LACK of power or surge with some 2003-2007 f-super duty,...
- Lack of power or MIL on - turbocharger sticking - revised diagnostics
What 2004 Ford E-450 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
My box truck caught on fire, fire started at the plug in receptacle that keeps the glow plug warm and spread from there. Luckily my across the street neighbor helped put out the fire temporarily with 2 of his fire extinguisher until the fire truck arrived, otherwise it would have been a major catastrophe.
I was driving my rv down the freeway when the inside dual blew out on the passenger side of the vehicle. Before the tire blew out I noticed a vibration on the passenger side of the rv. A few moments later the tire blew out and the tread came off completely leaving only the side walls. I do not remember running over any objects in the freeway and had not hit any pot holes. This tire was three years old with less than 5,000 miles on it. I had checked and verified the tire pressure before leaving and ensured that I had inflated the tires to the recommended tire pressure per the vehicles owner manual 80 psi. These tires were the definity dakota lt225/75/16 tire. The tire was replaced by pep boys as I had purchased the hazard warranty.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford e-450. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 17v782000 (equipment). The manufacturer was contacted at 1‑855‑262‑3540 approximately two months ago. The contact left a voicemail for a call back, but did not receive a response. The contact felt that a reasonable amount of time had passed for the recall remedy. The contact had not experienced a failure. The VIN was not available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford e-450. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. In addition, the vehicle failed to start intermittently. The vehicle was taken to a dealer multiple times. The technician diagnosed that the power control module, starter and the hop oil pressure pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred on numerous occasions. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 119,000.
Avi foodsystems vehicle # [xxx] is a danger on the road it is not federally inspected and you can see the truck is a hazard. I feel bad for the driver everytime I see her come to our account. She is risking her life driving that vehicle. This truck has ohio plates and is in erie,pa I wanted to inform d.o.t. Anonymously. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Bfg commercial t/a tire (215/85 r16) blew out and had total tread separation causing some vehicle damage. Tire was under 5 years old per dot date code, under 15k miles, had good tread, no indication of damage. No known impact with any road debris, blow out occurred while traveling under 55 MPH. Very little warning, just slight feeling of misbalance before tire exploded. Tires had been checked for proper inflation 2-3 days before. Tires were visually inspected during travel - no signs of over/under inflation.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford e-450. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the brakes suddenly engaged independently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. The mechanic stated that the aluminum pucks in the braking system expanded when heated, causing the brakes to engage. The mechanic recommended replacing the aluminum pucks with steel ones. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000. Updated 3/28/14
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford e450 sd. The contact stated that while driving various speeds, the brakes would seize independently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis where both the front and rear brakes were replaced. The master cylinder was also included in the repair. The failure recurred numerous times. There had been other repairs that involved the replacement of the brakes. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 26,000.
The tire developed a "slow leak" at 16,500 miles since installation. The tire dealer removed the tire and found the tire to have a 2-3 inch slice in the outer skin of the sidewall which ran parallel to and closest to the rim (as opposed to the tread). It was very apparent there was total seperation of the outer sidewall from the inner ribbing yet there was only a slow leak of psi.
Compare the 2004 Ford E-450
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Questions about the 2004 Ford E-450
Is the 2004 Ford E-450 reliable?
Owners have filed 27 complaints about the 2004 Ford E-450, 2.3 times a typical E-450 model year.
What is the 2004 Ford E-450 year score?
The 2004 Ford E-450 scores 43 out of 100 (below average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Ford E-450: 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-450?
Engine and cooling, with 10 complaints, typically around 32,000 miles. Next is electrical (5).
How many recalls does the 2004 Ford E-450 have?
5 recalls, covering equipment adaptive/mobility, electrical system and engine and engine cooling.
Was there a recall on the 2004 Ford E-450 engine?
Yes, 1 recall: 04V445000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Ford E-450 have bad engine?
The Ford E-450 model years with the most engine complaints are 2004 (10 complaints) and 2006 (10 complaints).
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