2004 Ford F-150: whining or grinding noise

Filed Jul 4, 2019 · Transmission · 1,700 miles · OH

Takata purchase our 2004 ford f150 4x2 supercrew from kings ford. When going to tenn. Pull off to get gas and when leaving the gas station making left hand turn real wheel lock up had to back up to unlock the rear wheel, called kings ford and was told not to make sharp turns. Returned home with the rear end making banging noises, king ford repaired on aug 24 2004 replace the traction lock clutch pack part#4947 2151 miles. After the repair we notice a whining sound coming from the rear end was told to bring the truck back, droped the truck off on sept 30,2004 and to pick it back up on oct 2, was told by service rep no work was done. Caller service rep the flowing monday and was told ford would not pay for the fix because engineering is currently investigation this condition and for us to call every month. Called ford many times finely was told to take our truck to lincoln mercury garage in fairfield, ohio had a person that would rebuild the rear axle with 4205a differential carrier. Assemble, ford did take care of this. After leaving the garage notice a whine in the rear turn around went back to the garage and was told they may have the parts to tight and will need to loosen then up. This has been going on for the last 15 years with still no fix we have now 95800 miles and with another fix for $3000.00

Filed Feb 23, 2012 · Transmission · 73,000 miles · KS

The clutch pack in the driven train rear differentials lock up when turning corners and howls when going down the road. These failures are so common on ford truck that ford is now adding friction modifiers to the rear differentials to rear the problem and aftermarket suppliers are making replacements for the clutch pack like detroit locker to eliminate the problem. This lock up on winter surfaces cause the wheels to loose traction increasing the potential for accidents. The howling sound is also a drag on the drive train components, reducing mpg and capability of the vehicle to handle adverse conditions. Ford has known about this problem for several years and has done nothing to fix the problem or reimburse owners for the cost of repair. On my truck, total rear end repair costs have exceeded $3700.

Filed Oct 8, 2008 · Transmission · 35,000 miles · OH

I have a high whining noise in the rear end of my 2004 ford f150. Independent repair place recommends total rear end replacement and so does dealer. There is a technical notice ford put out in 2005 05-23-03 that covered 1997 to 2005 f150's with this problem. If not fixed it may cause the rear end to lock up. Contacted ford and they said they would not cover. I have 55400 miles on the truck. If they knew about it in 2005, why not contact people to get it in for repair at their cost. I feel this is a very unsafe condition that could case a serious accident if not fixed.

Filed Jul 31, 2005 · Transmission · 11,000 miles · WA

3.37 rear axle issues. Shudder at low speed turns / binding of lmtd slp disks. Order and inst spacer. "corrected" barely noticeable shudder but at about 800 miles, "whine" reappeared. Whine became louder over time. Dealer inspected the inside gear and pinion needed to be replace. Manufacturer out of stock. 1 month on order, new gear and pinion arrived. Dealer inst. At 800 to 1000 miles "whine" reappears. Dealer again inspects and orders 2nd gear and pinion. Rep made within a week of diag immediately noticed a low speed "rumming" noise. Returned to dealer. Ford field service tech relented to replacing the entire rear axle which is now on order. This diagnostic was the 7th in shop visit for the same problem.

Filed Jun 28, 2005 · Transmission · 2,000 miles · TN

Rear axle whine at highway speed when accelerator is applied. Unrepaired two times by dealership. Third repair refused by me because dealership and ford refused to replace the rear axle and wanted to keep my truck for an indefinate period of time to discover what the problem was without providing me a loaner/rental. A manditory recall should be required for all vehicles with this problem where the rear axle assembly is replaced, not just the ring and pinion. Under the current tsb's for this problem their is too much room for error! Vehicle only has 5000 miles.

Filed Jun 23, 2005 · Transmission · IA

Vehicle has drive train vibration & rear end howl sense I test drove it aug 2004. I pointed out the drive train vibration to my salesman and he said it " probably lost a wheel balance weight". A friend went into the same dealership ( lindquist ford) and was told the same thing after they have acknowledged there are tsbs on this problem and after my truck was in & out of their shop numerous times. So far the tires and wheels have been forced balance, drive shaft replaced, cab mounts replaced, transmission tail shaft end play checked & rear end replaced. None have resolved the issues. The service manager told me ford has identified the automatic transmission as the problem. We preceeded to arrange replacement and I insisted on a new not a rebuilt one. He got back with me and said the new ford rep he was dealing with doesnt replace transmissions ! Mine suddenly.......... You guessed it.. Its within specifications !! The dealership management wont return my calls. Ford wont be shamed into fixing these problems unless/ until the media gets involved.

Filed Mar 24, 2005 · Transmission · NJ

Rear end shudders or slips when accelerating from stop and turning...there is also a whining sound coming from the rear end...from reading nhsta complaints this seems to be quite a large problem with this truck...seems like ford would step up and fix whatever it is....worst truck I ever bought

Filed Jan 5, 2005 · Transmission · 1 miles · CA · 1 injury

I purchased a new 2004 ford f-150 supercrew. The rear differential made a "whining" sound between 45-50 miles per hour from the day I purchased the truck. My truck now has 7000 miles on it and the whine has become extremely noisy and now makes the whine from 45 MPH to 70mph and above. My ford dealer will not make any repairs on the truck becasue they are told that ford motor company is "investigating the problem" . Ford motor company has been investigating this "problem" since 07-04. It is not 01-05 with no progress to this problem and it has become so severe that I get headaches just from commuting every day listening to the constant "whine" sound. There needs to be a recall or something to make ford fix his problem as I can't even sell my truck as no one would even consider owning it.

Filed Dec 31, 2004 · Brakes, Fuel system · 14,670 miles · NY

This will be the third time advising the federal safety agency and ford concerning the same problems stated before.those are the the rear end shuddering upon acceleration,the whining noise from the rear end, the automatic transmission slippage, the whining noise from the power steering unit and last but not least the brakes constant squealing.I have gone to three different ford service centers in three differeent states.ny,nj,nc.of all the dealerships svc centers mahwah ford in nj spent the most time investigating these problems.shultz ford ny and cella ford nc forget them (no help what so ever just a bunch of lame people with lame excuses)total visits 6 and nothing has been replaced even upon my insistance. I owned a 1998 f-150(best truck to date) I'm sorry that I traded it in for this 2004 bucket of bolts.

Filed Dec 28, 2004 · Transmission · WV

2004 ford f-150 has had a severe vibration in the steering wheel, gas and brake pedal, floorboard, seat, etc. At all speeds and worse after driving for 20-30 miles, that causes arms and legs to tingle and right leg to go numb resulting in having to use left foot to brake since week three of ownership. This vibration is also causing severe back pain. This truck also has had a clunking and squealing in the rear end. This issue is happening in the majority of 04 and 05 f-150's and ford does not know how to fix it. Dsb has said that since there is a liability issue, they cannot make a ruling. So, I am stuck with a $30,000 vehicle that I cannot physically stand to drive!!! Ford needs to come up with a fix or recall them all!!! Note: have had damper installed, drive shaft indexed twice and clutches in the rear end replaced twice. The rear end is also clunking and whining.

Filed Dec 1, 2004 · Transmission · 14,000 miles · KY

I bought a 2004 f150 stx 4x4 in late february of 2004. The truck has a 4.6 liter v-8, automatic transmission and a 3.73 limited slip rearend. Since I have had the truck the rearend has developed a loud whining sound and slung the rearend lube out and under the bed. It was replaced and have had not further trouble in that area. The truck then developed a stall like it was low and gas and blew black smoke on cold starts and take-offs. That problem still hasnt been solved after 3 attempts w/ my dealership to get it fixed. The windsheild also developed a large crack in it, it was replaced. The dealership said that it was stress related. Currently the truck is at my dealership unmoveable because the transmission just recently went out. The dealership refused to fix my truck because they "claim" it has water in it. The truck has never been exposed to water other than what rain gathered on the road. My dad went to inspect the situation and they only showed him water in a cup he didnt see and drained from the transmission.

Filed Nov 11, 2004 · Transmission · 2,500 miles · VA

Reported to dealer service dept. That my new 2004 ford f150 fx4 truck had whine and clunking noise coming from rear axel/differential assembly at take off from stop and speeds between 45 and 55 MPH. Dealer was instructed by ford motor company engineering dept. Not to attempt repair. 1000 miles later the problem has got worse.