Your vehicle report
2004 Ford F-150
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 2,029
- Received Oct 2003 to Sep 2026
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Power window regulator fails and window drops713 complaints · 35% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Ford F-150 transmission unexpectedly downshifts or jerks150 complaints · 7.4% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Steering wheel shakes violently at highway speed132 complaints · 6.5% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #11V385000Ford is recalling certain 1997 through 2003 model year ford F-150, 2004 model year ford F-150 heritage, 1997 through 1999 model year F-250 less than 8,500 lbs. Gross vehicle weight rating (gvwr), and 2002 and 2003 lincoln blackwood vehicles manufactured from june 20, 1995, through august 4, 2004, originally sold, or currently registered in, connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia. Prolonged exposure to road deicing chemicals may cause severe corrosion of the fuel tank straps which secure the tank to the vehicle.
- Recall #11V107000Ford is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 F-150 pick up trucks as well as certain model year 2006 lincoln mark lt vehicles. If the clockspring jumper wire comes in contact with the driver side frontal air bag lower horn plate, the wire insulation may become chafed, creating a potential for a short circuit. If this occurs the air bag warning lamp may illuminate indicating that service is required.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 75 crashes, 40 fires, 74 people injured, 6 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 20 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
- Steering wheel shakes violently at highway speed
- Suspension clunking or rattling noise over bumps
- Tires blow out or tread separates
1 more problem
Body, doors & glass
- Power window regulator fails and window drops
- Glass shatters or cracks without impact
- Frame rusts and corrodes through
1 more problem
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 3 |
| 2004 | 169 |
| 2005 | 164 |
| 2006 | 69 |
| 2007 | 70 |
| 2008 | 143 |
| 2009 | 345 |
| 2010 | 455 |
| 2011 | 199 |
| 2012 | 80 |
| 2013 | 51 |
| 2014 | 64 |
| 2015 | 43 |
| 2016 | 44 |
| 2017 | 38 |
| 2018 | 31 |
| 2019 | 19 |
| 2020 | 10 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 7 |
| 2023 | 9 |
| 2024 | 6 |
| 2025 | 6 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 3 |
| Total | 2,029 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power window regulator fails and window drops | 713 | 35% | – | |
| Ford F-150 transmission unexpectedly downshifts or jerks | 150 | 7.4% | – | |
| Steering wheel shakes violently at highway speed | 132 | 6.5% | – | |
| Glass shatters or cracks without impact | 119 | 5.9% | – | |
| Spark plugs blow out of cylinder head | 85 | 4.2% | – | |
| Frame rusts and corrodes through | 51 | 2.5% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 37 | 1.8% | 20.8× | |
| Suspension clunking or rattling noise over bumps | 37 | 1.8% | – | |
| Front brake rotors warp and wear early | 35 | 1.7% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 34 | 1.7% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 32 | 1.6% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 31 | 1.5% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 28 | 1.4% | – | |
| Engine knocking from rod or main bearings | 27 | 1.3% | – | |
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 22 | 1.1% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 21 | 1.0% | – | |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 18 | 0.9% | – | NHTSA recall #04V200000, #04V443000 |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 18 | 0.9% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 15 | 0.7% | – | |
| Coil springs break and puncture tires | 14 | 0.7% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #11V385000July 29, 20111,100,000 vehicles affected
fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly: mounting
Ford is recalling certain 1997 through 2003 model year Ford F-150, 2004 model year Ford F-150 heritage, 1997 through 1999 model year F-250 less than 8,500 lbs. Gross vehicle weight rating (gvwr), and 2002 and 2003 Lincoln blackwood vehicles manufactured from june 20, 1995, through august 4, 2004, originally sold, or currently registered in, connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia. Prolonged exposure to road deicing chemicals may cause severe corrosion of the fuel tank straps which secure the tank to the vehicle.
As a result of the corrosion, one or both straps may fail allowing the fuel lines to separate from the tank, or in some cases, causing the tank to contact the ground. Either scenario may result in a fuel leak presenting a fire hazard.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners and instruct them to take their vehicles to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to have the fuel tank straps replaced with straps that have increased corrosion protection. Early in this campaign, if replacement straps are not available, dealers may install a cable support under the strap as an interim repair or a steel reinforcement over the existing strap as a permanent repair. Any repairs will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on september 16, 2011. Owners may contact Ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's recall campaign number is 11S21
NHTSA recall #11V107000February 23, 20111,325,000 vehicles affected
air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
Ford is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 F-150 pick up trucks as well as certain model year 2006 Lincoln mark lt vehicles. If the clockspring jumper wire comes in contact with the driver side frontal air bag lower horn plate, the wire insulation may become chafed, creating a potential for a short circuit. If this occurs the air bag warning lamp may illuminate indicating that service is required.
The driver side frontal air bag could inadvertently deploy increasing the risk of injury or loss of vehicle control if occurring while in motion.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners and instruct them to take their vehicles to a Ford or Lincoln/mercury dealer to have a new clockspring jumper wire installed that incorporates a protective mesh cover. Repairs will be performed free of charge. This safety recall began on some vehicles in march 2011. The recall campaign on the expanded population is expected to begin on or about may 9, 2011. Owners may contact the Ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332.
NHTSA recall #07V336000August 3, 20073,600,000 vehicles affected
vehicle speed control
On certain pickup trucks, passenger vehicles, sport utility vehicles, and motor homes chassis, the speed control deactivation switch may, under certain conditions, leak internally and then overheat, smoke, or burn.
This could result in an underhood fire.
Remedy
Dealers will install a fused wiring harness. Owners of the passenger cars included in this campaign will be instructed to return their vehicles to their dealers to have the speed control deactivation switch disconnected as an interim repair. As soon as repair parts are available (expected october 2007), owners will be instructed to return to the dealers for installation of a fused wiring harness. The recall began on august 13, 2007, and mailing completed by september 19, 2007. Owners may contact Ford at 1-888-222-2751.
NHTSA recall #04V443000September 13, 20041,689 vehicles affected
fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly: mounting
On certain trucks equipped with 4.2L, 4.6L and 5.4L gasoline engines, the fuel tank may have a depression at the seam between the top and bottom halves of the tank. If a depression is large enough, fuel may permeate the fuel tank wall resulting in a fuel odor, illumination, of the "service engine soon" indicator light, or a fuel leak.
Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the fuel tank. The recall began september 17, 2004. Owners should contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673.
NHTSA recall #04V200000April 26, 2004371 vehicles affected
fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly
Certain pickup trucks may have a fuel tank with localized depressions in the fuel tank wall at the seam between top and bottom halves of the tank. If a depression is large enough, fuel may permeate the fuel tank wall resulting in a fuel odor, or the "service engine soon" indicator light in the instrument cluster may illuminate.
If left uncorrected, a fuel leak could eventually develop.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the fuel tank on these vehicles. Owner notification began on may 6, 2004. Owners should contact Ford at 1-800-248-0186.
Other model years
- 1991 304
- 1992 470
- 1993 586
- 1994 676
- 1995 626
- 1996 324
- 1997 2,758
- 1998 1,381
- 1999 1,044
- 2000 1,075
- 2001 1,236
- 2002 821
- 2003 423
- 2004
- 2005 1,112
- 2006 585
- 2007 488
- 2008 369
- 2009 324
- 2010 843
- 2011 2,194
- 2012 1,784
- 2013 2,992
- 2014 1,539
- 2015 1,745
- 2016 2,093
- 2017 1,463
- 2018 2,325
- 2019 1,343
- 2020 742
- 2021 1,040
- 2022 602
- 2023 418
- 2024 195
- 2025 109
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2004 Ford F-150.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN