2 1/2 years ago my husband purchased a used 2004 f-150 fx4 with the 5.4 tritan engine (with a 5 for the 8th digit in the VIN) along with a 2 year extended warranty (that covered the engine among other things), from a ford dealership. It had just under 50,000 miles. Over time, we had the suggested oil changes, put new tires on, new battery and had the spark plugs changed. The problem I am most upset about is the ??ticking?? Sound I heard the day my husband brought the truck home. When I asked about it he said he already asked the dealership what the sound was and they said it was just how ??this engine sounds??. It was such a strange sound, we asked two other ford dealership and they stated the same thing, but they never looked into it. One morning in october, my husband was driving to work and the truck started shaking severely. It was so bad he had difficulty controlling the vehicle. If it wasn't on a back road, we know he would have been in an accident. We took it to court street ford and they said they had to run diagnostics on it. They received a code of 340, but couldn't find anything wrong. The ford dealership brought ford engineers in to help identify what was wrong with the vehicle. Per the engineers?? Suggestion, the mechanic would ask for permission to run a test. Each time, we were told, this test will tell us if it is this repair or that. After 2 weeks and almost $700 in tests, imagine our surprise at the final diagnosis "catastrophic engine failure" due to clogged oil passages. Now we find that this particular sound is a symptom for this engine that has nothing but problems and even has a tsb for it (06-19-08). This tsb replaces parts that would prevent this problem, but was never part of a recall.
2004 Ford F-150 engine complaints
Page 5 of 10: complaints 101 to 130 of 257, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. While driving approximately 40 MPH the vehicle noticed the vehicle began to hesitate while accelerating and a heard a knocking noise in the engine. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The technician stated the spark plugs had to be replaced. The dealer attempted to remove the spark plugs but one of the spark plugs was stuck in the head gasket and could not be removed; however, the head gasket would have to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 95,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. The contact stated that while driving at the speeds of 45 MPH, there was a popping noise heard coming from the engine compartment. The contact stopped the vehicle and noticed that a spark plug and coil pack detached from their cylinder. The vehicle was driven to the contact's residence and then taken into the dealer where the failure was diagnosed. The dealer replaced the spark plug and coil pack, but the failure recurred. The contact did not feel safe driving the vehicle. The failure mileage was 71,000 and the current mileage was 84,266.
I was stopped at a red light and had just put my foot on the accelerator when there was a loud pop and the sudden smell of gas inside the cab of the truck. When I got it to the dealership I was told that the spark plug had blown out of the head and the coil pack was damaged. I was told that the head that ford decided to use only had three threads to hold the spark plug in place and that the plugs seemed to blow out of 1997-2004 models. They could use a helicoil to repair the threads but they couldn't make any guarantees about the repair. After I had it repaired I discovered thousands of other complaints on the internet about the same issue of spark plugs being blown out of the heads and other people having to replace the heads on their vehicles. I spoke to a buddy of mine in topeka who told me of his neighbor who just bought a used 2004 model ford truck and had an engine fire because of this same issue. I got lucky with the cost of this repair but because of the poor construction design of this head, that it should have been covered under a warranty of courtesy coverage. This issue needs to be seriously looked at as a recall because of the potential of a fire hazard and a safety issue because if someone is looking under the hood when this occurs, they can be seriously hurt by flying debris.
To whom it may concern, I have a problem with my f150 with a 5.4 triton motor. The truck has some valve train noise that I fear will get worse and cause the engine to fail. I found that ford issued two different tsb's related to this very problem which advised their technicians of the problem and how to fix it down to the parts required. It was such a problem that ford updated the parts to be replaced in may 2005 according to the information provided in the tsb issued by ford. This truck has been well maintained and should not have this kind of valve train noise at 75000 miles. I feel ford only took care of the problem for those that complained under warranty and ford should be required to fix an engine problem they knew had faulty parts and is evident by their tsb releases. I have contacted ford, but my complaint has fallen on deaf ears. They want me to sink $1500-$2000 into a fix that I feel they knew about but chose to ignore. Ford should, instead, recall the trucks on the road with this engine. Thank you in advance for your time.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer for service and a tune-up. Six of the eight spark plugs that were being replaced fractured during the repair. The dealer informed the contact that the failure was common in the particular model because the manufacturer recommended that the sparks plug be replaced every 100,000 miles but the dealer stated that spark plugs should never be in a vehicle for that long of a period before being replaced. The failure and the current mileage was 96,000. Updated 01/25//12 *bf the consumer stated the repair was performed by an auto mechanic, not the dealer, because their price was excessive.updated 04/18/12
I just had to pay my ford dealership $1,270.00 to replace the "spark plugs" on my 2004 f-150,the ford motor company states that they have an issue with the spark plugs in their technical service bulletin 08-7-6 in ford f-150 trucks, ford mustangs, ford explorers, ford expeditions, lincoln navigator,lincoln mark lts, and mercury mountaineers model years 2004-2008. The plugs will break or snap during the removal process in turn the owner is expected to eat the cost of their labor and material to correct the problem. The owners manuals state that the plugs will last for 100,000 miles before replacement, I spoke to the relations department with the ford motor company and they state that they know that the problem exists but that is all they will say.
On the highway, as I hit 40 MPH, the engine didn't upshift and disengaged with the drivetrain. When I pressed the accelerator, the engine revved, but there was no power to the wheels. After a couple of failed attempts of shifting to neutral and back into drive (while on the highway), I turned the overdrive function off and the engine engaged with the drivetrain again. I was able to drive home safely. Today, the same problem is happening. I called the local ford dealer and they can't get me into the shop for a week due to a high volume (their words to me) of transmission problems. I have found numerous complaints on the web indicating the same problem by other owners. I'm not sure if they are filing a complaint, but it appears that this is a larger issue potentially due to poor quality parts in the transmission.
While driving my 2004 ford f150 on saturday 10/29/2011 I started smelling gas and then the number 6 spark plug blew out. After finding the problem back home there were 3 other plugs loose.
Truck blew out plugs from # 3 at 50 MPH truck shut off,I got a h coil got it put in,it blew it out I done that 4 more times,then got repair kit from ford put in it didn't stay in 1300 miles and blew out.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. The contact stated that the vehicle would make an abnormal noise while in motion. The dealer diagnosed that the cam-phasers would need to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified, but denied any assistance with repairs to the defect. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 110,000 and the current mileage was 117,000.
The engine has ejected a spark plug twice in two months.
Failure of both cam phasers resulting in engine problems and decreased gas mileage along with emission failure.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for routine maintenance when four out of eight spark plugs fractured while the technician attempted to remove them to tune up the engine. The contact stated that the failure occurred due to a design flaw. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000. Updated 09/29/11 *bf the consumer stated the cost to replaced eight spark plugs was % 916.12. Updated 10/05/11
Spark plugs failing. Ford say they should be changed even though they are rated for 100,000 miles. Cost starts at $300 and can go up to thousands of dollars. The fault is that ford installed spark plugs that can gaul or react with the al block. This means the plugs might break on removal leaving park of the spark plug in the block. The block would then need to be drilled out to remove the remaining part of the spark plug. It is also a known fact that some of the spark plugs are blowing out of the block on their own.
I purchased this vehicle used from my brother in law when it was 2 or 3 years old. All maintenance has been done timely. The 5.4 triton engine started running very rough. I immediately went to my mechanics shop. It was late so he gave me a ride home. On the following monday he called to say that he ran a scope and found that the piston was gone and it would not be cost effective to repair. He looked at buying a used engine from reputable dealers who specialize in used engines only to be told that they won't buy that particular engine because their defective and they've yet to see a good one. I've been waiting in the hopes of buying a used wreck with low mileage. A rebuilt engine runs $5,905.00 installed with a 3 year 100k warranty. In my conversation with jasper the woman immediately told me that this engine was rebuilt with the upgrades to the weak timing chain problem that ford had designed into the engine. I called ford and of course this was the first they had ever heard of such a problem. My mechanic says that year truck and engine are "dropping like flies". He had one in is lot already and saw an add in the local paper of an 04 f-150 for sale with blown motor. He thought it was me but someone else has the same truck and problem. I don't know if this is the right place to discuss this issue but I was wondering if you have heard of anyone else with this problem? If so, how many and what does it take to force a company to remedy a problems they created? My maintenance of my vehicles is second to none. The 97 chevy truck I'm currently driving was purchased new buy me in may of 97. I just turned 358k miles yesterday and it's the same engine with no major repairs. I've never gotten less than 250k out of a vehicle because of my maintenance.
Tl* 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.
S10 appropriate handling- letter from doj forwarding a letter from re his 2004 ford f-150 *tgw 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. *jb the dealer informed the consumer the spark plugs were difficult to replace and needed extra care and a special solvent. Updated 07/19/11.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford f150. While driving approximately 25 MPH, the contact heard a knocking noise coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the dealer where the contact was informed that the variable time cam phaser tensioner needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and a report was filed. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 115,428.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked outside of his residence when he was informed that the vehicle was on fire. The police and fire department were called and a report was filed. The manufacturer was not contacted nor was the vehicle inspected by a dealer for the cause of failure. The failure mileage was approximately 214,000. The VIN was unavailable.
I purchased my truck six months ago, at the time of purchase I noticed a ticking in the engine, after inquiring to the salesman about the engine noise he informed me that his service tech's had inspected the problem and there wasn't a problem. The noise has progressively worsened since purchase. I was at an engine re-builders place of business with a friend and the mechanic asked if I knew what the ticking was, I replied no and he took me into his office and printed a tech bulletin (aera tb2471) that addressed the camshaft and lash adjuster design change for ford 5.4l VIN 5 engines. These were redesigned in 2005 to correct the ticking noise and keep valves from dropping, which the mechanic informed me he had 5 vehicles in his shop due to this issue. I went to my local dealership for a recall issue (clockspring in air bag) the service advisor mentioned the ticking as I drove up, I asked if he knew of the service bulletin and showed him the copy I had, his comment was to not tow anything! I called the service manager for this location and was told to contact ford directly, which I have and am waiting for a response. The mechanic I spoke with said this is a common occurrence with this engine, look for the number 5 as the eighth digit in your VIN number. I feel that this truck has been completely misrepresented to me during and after purchase and feel lemon laws or recalls should be used or in place.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. While the vehicle was parked the contact stated the engine was extremely loud and made a ticking noise. The check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician stated the cam phasers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000.
Tl*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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford f150. The contact had taken the vehicle to an authorized dealer for routine maintenance. While the technician was performing the repair, the spark plugs fractured. The technician stated that the spark plug failure was a common issue due to the design of the engine. Currently, the vehicle was being repaired. The failure mileage was 92,000. The VIN was unavailable.
My ford f-150 truck blew the #5 spark plug. Broke the coil on the spark plug. Had to have the truck towed and the repairs cost me about $90. On march 21st, the truck blew the #3 plug. This time it stripped the threads in the block and had to be retapped and repaired. This repair cost over $200. I contacted ford and they claim they were not aware of this issue. However, both the mechanics that worked on this truck told me that they had repaired a lot of these ford trucks. This could be a very dangerous situation since unburned fuel is pumped out of the crater left by the blown plug and onto the hot motor. I have been lucky that my truck hasn't caught fire. If my wife had been driving I don't know that she would have known what to do. If you google "blown spark plugs on ford f150 trucks" online, you will see that there have been thousands of these issues reported to ford, and various other agencies that are supposed to take care of these things. Ford motor company is ignoring the problems because they don't want to have to recall all the defective vehicles. Will everyone just sit around and wait until a few people are killed because of these defects. Please do something!!
2004 f150 truck. Ii had plugs changed and the mechanic broke three of them, dropping one down on the head. When I complained he said everyone knows that these engines do that. I'm looking at $6000 to pull the motor and get the rest of the plugs in. Evidentally everyone in the world knew about the plug problem but me. No more ford products for this old boy. 3/16/2011 campbellsville,ky
While traveling on I-70, westbound through illinois, my ford f-150 began shaking violently and was barely controllable. There was no previous warning of any kind that there was a problem with the truck. I managed to get to an exit and got the truck to the nearest ford dealer, in the small town of greenville, il. The ford mechanic diagnosed the problem as catastrophic engine failure. At least two valve stems had broken and the valves had fallen into the cylinders. They could not tell me what caused the failure but showed me a few of the parts they had removed (a broken valve spring, pieces of valve stem and a frozen rocker arm). The engine had been scrupulously maintained and the oil and filter were changed at least every 5000 miles. The engine was clean and there was plenty of oil. I have since seen several on-line posts about this engine (ford's 5.4 liter v-8 gas) failing due to faulty valve springs failing. I believe this engine has serious flaws that might cause serious problems if engine failure happens at high speed in traffic. Fortunately, I was in very light traffic when the failure happened.
2004 ford f150 with 5.4 liter v-8. Engine problems, stalling when slowing down, hestitation, spark plugs ratcheted down that they break when removing. Engines that need to be replaced because of design. Ford aware of problem but techs at ford tell people its bad gas until it is too late. Check f150forum.com and you will see how big the problem really is. I believe ford knew of this problem and is trying to bury it. My engine failed in a snowstorm going up hill. I was almost in a terrible accident with snow covered roads. Mechanics know its a flawed engine, and I want to know why the federal safety agency didn't do anything about it. You are told it is bad gas and to keep changing your fuel filter. My truck would not go over 85 miles an hour since I bought it new. I was told it was bad gas. I kept changing the filter every six months as I was told. I think they knew this engine had a bad design and kept people in the dark hoping the engine would last until it was out of warranty.
Tl* 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.
I was driving with my children when out of nowhere my f150 started to power down, vibrate and shake. During this time, no check engine light came on. I was able to make it back home albeit running very roughly. I called the ford dealership where I bring my truck, they said to bring it in the next morning. On dec 11 I was able to get my truck to the dealership finally having the solid check engine light come on that morning. After a couple of days I received a call from the dealership saying I had a major problem, I needed a new engine. I was able to speak with the mechanic and he said after pulling the 1st spark plug it shattered upon removal. He was able to get the parts out of the cylinder head, but did notice the bottom of the spark plug was bent backwards. They used an engine scope to inspect the damage and they were able to see damage to the piston head about the size of a quarter. When I asked him what caused this to happen, he couldn't give me an answer, saying in all his years, he's never seen anything like this before. I proceeded to have the vehicle towed to another mechanic to see if he saw the same thing. He came to the same conclusion as the ford dealership again never having seen something like this before and could not explain why this happened to my truck. I was told by the dealership a new engine would cost around 7500 for my truck. In the years that I've owned the truck, I had the check engine light come on one time. After checking the owners manual, it stated it could be numerous things including a loose gas cap or possible water in the gas line. If the light goes out after a couple of cycles of gas, which it did, no need to follow through. When I spoke with the ford mechanic and independent mechanic, both said I should've heard something. I never heard any sounds in the vehicle that would've prompted concerns for a complete engine overhaul. No warning lights ever indicated a severe engine problem and thus putting my family's safety at great risk.
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