Problems with 2004 Ford F-150 SUSPENSION

My 2004 ford f-150 has 61,000 miles and no rust on the outside of the vehicle. i've kept the truck well maintained and it looks almost new. the frame however right where the rear leaf spring attaches to the frame is rusted right through. it is incredible that this has not been recalled as of yet. hopefully it will be recalled. while driving a part of the exhaust heat shield fell onto the driveshaft. when i went to inspect the underside i found a hole in the frame and i was able to put my finger right through it. *dt consumer stated one important fact that i forgot to add to my complaint is the section of the frame that rusted through has the exact same issue in the same spot on both the passenger frame rail as well as the driver's side frame rail. the 2004 ford escape was recalled for similar issues that year but in the front of the vehicle. my truck has only 61,000 miles on it and from forums and posts i've read it seems to be a major issue for that year vehicle.*jb

Took truck get new tires, mech said, needed new coil springs, springs busted. (mech stated seen many ford f150 same problem, ).

Excessive shaking at 40 mph+ , trans fault light came on & off . trouble using reverse would jerk & slip. have replaced many parts recently

When braking springs made noise and it takes several brakes to stop.

My vehicle has developed what i would refer to as a death wobble. at speeds from 40 to 55 mpg the front of the trick shakes as though it's going to rattle apart. this is clearly a ford issue and is now getting a good share of attention on you tube. there are a lot of us out there who have inheritated this from ford who is in constant denial of it's refusal to address and take corrective action to repair the buckleing of the front end. how many more accidents need to happen or ford's diligence on preventitive measures may just save lives and customers. please help in resolving this manufacturing issue.

112000 miles 90% driven in summer months. garaged extensive rust and frame damage from corrosion .body and interior flawless all service recommendations by ford followed

Frame rusting out prematurely causing a safety hazard.

Lower control arm mount is broken ,mount is welded to the frame,i just noticed it on 2-20-2016 while replacing my front shocks.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. the contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle began to veer to the driver side. the failure recurred several times. the vehicle was taken an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the coil spring needed to be replaced. it was unknown if the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 82,000.

I own a 2004 ford heritage 4x4 and the frame is literally rusting away on or about the 10th of march the bracket that holds the rear driver side leaf spring rotted away and punched through the bottom of my bed. i was only going 30 when it happened so everyone was safe. i also had to replace the trailer hitch last year because the frame was so rotted away. i stopped at a stop sign and when i went to go i saw my trailer just go up and slam back down on the ground. luckily i was not going 65 mph otherwise i would have had a accident. the back of the frame now is paper thin. ford should do a recall on these frames. i have owned many ford and never had rust this bad. *tr

Bought a 2004 ford f-150 from a neighbor recently. front end was drooping. went to put a "leveling kit" on it and found both front coil springs broke in the same place. this can't be a coincidence. can't really afford new springs right now but looks like a manufacture defect. thanks. *tr

A new york state inspection revealed two broken springs on front end of 2004 ford f150. the cost to replace is not cheap and after researching online, seems to be a common problem with this vehicle. ford motor company should recall these vehicles based on safety issue. i hope others will document this problem to help resolve this issue. *tr

I took my truck to a garage to have the oil changed. while up on the rack the rust was noticed by my mechanic who said it would not pass inspection better have it fixed. i contacted a professional who came to my house and looked at it with the bed off. upon his inspection he found it was unrepairable there was not enough original metal left to weld to. i have contacted ford customer relationship center only to be told there is no warranty, no recall, sorry for your luck and got hung up on. while researching online i have discovered that ford has a recall on 2004 escapes for this very same reason "the frames are rusting out" it would make sense to me that there must have been a bad batch of metal used in the building of these frames. i would like to know if any more 2004 vehicles from ford have reported similar problems and what can we do about this? *tr

I took my truck in for state inspection and was told that both front coil springs were broken. they explained that the coating applied to the springs actually caused rust and made them fail. i consider this to be a manufacturing and safety defect but was informed by the dealer and ford that they would not consider any help toward the $400 bill to replace them. i don't feel that a consumer should have to pay for a structural design flaw that could have caused an accident. internet research shows this to be a common problem. *tr

-repair shop-2004 ford f150 crew cab, frame completely rotted through, frame replacement required. customer will not have repaired. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. the contact noticed rust on the rear axle housing. the dealer diagnosed that the axle was nearly rusted all the way through and that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. the vin was excluded from nhtsa campaign number: 15v608000 (suspension). the manufacturer was notified. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 76,000.

Front coil springs both broke in same place. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford f150. the contact stated that both front suspension springs were broken. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure and the current mileage was 93,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. the contact stated that while the vehicle was being serviced, the technician discovered that both front coil springs were fractured and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure and current mileage was 90,000.

On preparing to change the brake pads, i noticed the front left coil spring has snapped. after checking on line and my local ford dealership, it seems this is not uncommon on 2004 ford f150 vehicles, and it indicates that ford is not prepared to assist customers, even though they realize this is a manufacturing defect. photograph available if needed. the ford dealership advises they need to replace both front road springs at a cost of $575.00, but the shock absorbers might need replacing also which would be additional monies. a broken road spring on the front can severely effect the handling and safety of the driver and others on the road, and i believe ford should do something about it. *tr

Brought truck in for service due to hit pulling to the right and seemed to be sitting low. when the dealership removed front wheels it was discovered the both front coil springs had been broken. both springs were broken diagonal at the base where it sits in the strut. was told that the springs needed to be replaced in order for a proper alignment to be completed. further research online shows that this is a very common issue in the ford f-150. truck has never been taken off road or driven hard. truck is taken well care of. *tr

We have always taken our truck to the ford dealer for regular service. took it to a 3rd party mechanic to have brakes done and they showed us that both front coil springs were broken, completely severed and had been that way for quite a while evident by rust and corrosion at breaking point. after reading the other complaints on here this seems to be a common defect in this make and model and year. i am doing separate complaints regarding the spark plugs and exhaust manifold issues. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. the contact stated that while the vehicle was being service for regular maintenance, the dealer diagnosed that the rear axle needed to be replaced due to a design flaw. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the approximate failure mileage was 50,938. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. while driving approximately 42 mph, the contact noticed the front end of the vehicle began to shake abnormally. the contact inspected the vehicle and discovered that the front coil springs were fractured. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostics or repairs. the approximate failure mileage was 73,000.

While my truck was being serviced, it was brought to my attention that i had a broken front passenger side coil spring. their was a 2 inch piece of coil spring hanging on by the plastic covering of the spring. the piece was corroded, which tells me that it had been broken for some time. i have noticed online that this is not a uncommon occurrence. *tr

Original owner of 2004 ford f150 fx4. from stop the rear end will vibrate as i accelerate. it's been doing it for quite a while. i believe it started around 40000 miles. i only have 54000 on it currently. so it has been like this for at least 3 or 4 years. it sounds like this is a pretty common issue. does should definitely fix this known issue. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. the contact stated that the vehicle was having unrelated repairs performed by an authorized dealer, when the dealer stated that the front end could not be aligned properly because the ball joints needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 24,500. the vin was not available.

During acceleration there is a severe vibration and shaking. it also happens when driving down the road. the shaking is so bad that you almost lose control of the vehicle. *tr

No event leading to failure - to my knowledge poor handling, uneven tire wear, discovered both front springs broken at 120,000 miles truck is used pretty much as a passenger vehicle currently replacing both front springs. *tr

2004 ford f150 supercrew starts shaking horribly at highway speeds when pulling a travel trailer. it doesn't matter if you slow down, speed up, or take out of gear the only way to make it quit is to come to a complete stop. this has happened 3 times to me so far and it feels as if all the wheels are about to fall off. i called my dealer and they said that they haven't heard of this problem, but if you do a search on it there is a lot of people concerned of this dangerous issue. luckily i haven't been on an interstate with my travel trailer because i would believe that this could cause me to possibly lose control at those kind of speeds. *tr

My truck is a 2004 ford f150 fx4, the suspension on the front is bad. i bought it with 65,000 miles and it was bad. i have had to replace it after nearly hitting a semi head-on after hitting a bump and it about bounced me off of the road. this has been an ongoing problem that i couldn't figure out at first. i have called ford corporate office with no return phone call. after looking on the internet at the forums about this truck and year, i determined that this is common. i don't know if ford knows but they should. it has cost me over $850 to get the sway bar bushings replaced, tie rod ends, upper and lower control arm and shocks. i drive alot a miles in a year. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. while examining the vehicle, the contact noticed that the inside of both front tires was wearing unevenly. the contact replaced the tires and took the vehicle to an authorized dealer to have an alignment performed. the contact was informed that the alignment could not be done because both front ball joints were worn. the ball joints were not replaced but the tires were balanced and aligned. the current and failure mileages were 64,460.

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford f150. during routine maintenance the mechanic noticed that the left lower control a-frame was cracked. the vehicle was then taken to the dealer where they confirmed that the lower control arm was cracked and they could not tell if it was only cracked on the side. they informed her that she would be responsible for the repair since there was no warranty or related recall. the manufacturer was notified and informed her there was nothing they could do since the warranty had expired. the failure mileage was 23,650. updated 02/09/11*lj the consumer stated ford finally agreed to help pay for the repairs. updated 05/06/11

While rotating the tires on my 2004 f-150 i noticed the drivers side front coil spring was broken. i then looked at the passenger side and seen that one was broken also. i was broke in the exact same spot as the other one. i have never taken this truck off the road. it only has 75000 miles on it i think these springs should not be broken and there is a problem with them. while looking online i noticed alot of other people with the same problem. *tr

My 2004 ford f 150 fx 4 regular cab flareside pickup which currently has 36,000 miles has a massive vibration / shuddering while under acceleration past forty miles per hour ; i have already taken the vehicle to the dealer where they told me that it was an emergency brake problem after getting fixed the problem occurred less than a week later ; it is going back into the dealer again to get rediagnosed and cost even more money please make ford motor company accountable for this issue !!! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. the contact stated that there was a recurring failure of the hub and calipers as well as the front and rear axle sporadically becoming fractured. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 46,000 and the current mileage was 79,000. *tr

2004/5 ford f150, 33,000 road miles (never been off road) parked at traffic lights in my truck when the front drivers side coils spring collapsed. having inspected the failed part, it has not failed in the normal fracture straight through the coil but diagonally through it, surely this must be a manufacturing flaw. so glad i was stationary when it happened. *tr

I'm driving my truck when all of a sudden it will start vibrating horribly, like driving over a washboard type of road. the only way to get it to stop is to pull over to the side of the highway, put it in park, wait, and then try to resume driving. but this does not always work. you sometimes have to stop and change to park, or reverse, a couple of times, before driving again so that the vibration goes away. i have complained about this before, and i see hundreds of complaints for the same issue on "ford owner websites", and everybody is pissed. nobody can get an answer from ford service as to what is wrong. many people have replaced many different things (i.e. transmission, clutch pads, bearings, u-joints, emergency brake cable or pads), all to no avail. they have wasted their time and money, and ford refuses to live up to this awful and very dangerous problem. apparently, ford knows this is a big problem with 2004 f-150 trucks, especially, but will not acknowledge it. someone wrote on the web that ford knows they had a retooling problem with these trucks, and let the trucks go out for sale anyway. i am now having this problem more often, and i am afraid to drive it. i do not have any money to fix my truck, since our economy is so bad and have been unemployed for years. make ford take ownership of this recall problem! *tr

2004 ford f-150... truck starts to shake horribly when accelerating. the problem is random (once every 2-3 days?), but only stop s after the car comes to a complete stop. most of the time the problem arise when accelerating on the interstate. it feels like driving over a washboard, which is very unnerving when traveling at 60 mph. i have repeatedly had to pull of the interstate, stop completely (maybe twice), before the issue is resolved. the issue has not yet been diagnosed by the dealer. other people say it has to do with the rear differential, but not sure yet, since it has not been repaired. no injuries yet, but the problem seems very unsafe and widespread. problem started in october 2007, and has progressively gotten worse.*tr

My accident in a parking deck is on security recording at the beau rivage casino in biloxi, ms i think. ford cannot explain why a wheel broke off at 8 mph. i caught an 18" h x 6" w x 24' l steel traffic control device with the outside edge of my front driver's side tire. i don't know how fast i was going but the tape does. i think it less than 10 mph. i am pretty sure i was braking when it happened. i was on a down ramp and there were other cars. i was taking care, but looking at another car pulling in next to me when the accident occurred. it's on tape. anyway, my front wheel snapped off. ford has a non explanation. they agree this is not supposed to happen under the conditions it did, and since it may have been taped...the beau won't give it up to me but maybe you....have given an alternative explanation that makes no sense. according to ford, both astro ford in d'iberville, ms and the mysterious adjuster (apparently he is not compuncted to state his findings, just judgment) who seemingly concurs with astro, there is a part missing that had to have been left out in one of two maintenance (brake and align) jobs, the most recent of which was more than 20000 miles ago. when asked if i could operate the truck with the part missing, they call it a key, the answer was a definitive and unanimous no. would the tire wear funny? they say yes, and agree it is not. there is nothing, when you look closely at this truck, that would indicate any form of hard living. the spare tire is unused. the reason why i know 20000 since anything is because that's when the tire was mounted on the wheel that failed and other than washing it, that's the last attention that wheel had. i have that record. neither the brakes or alignment were done since. *tr

Driving on the interstate @ 55mph the truck has a vibration -begins to shake- returned to dealer no problem found, this story goes on and on i have replaced out of my pocket rotors, calibers two whole set of tires and still to this day is still will shake @ and around 52 mph to 57 mph nobody will help me find the problem now it is out of warranty ford doesn't care. *tr

Took vehicle to the dealership six moths ago had vibrations coming from the car and steering. took car to the dealership and was advised there was no problem. six months later problem kept recurring and took car to independent shop and was advised i needed right upper and lower ball joint. this is a 2004 f150 fx4 this should not be happening on a barely 2 year old car. i'm lucky my car did not buck on me on the road. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated a roaring noise was heard from the rear end of the vehicle. the entire rear end has been replaced once and rebuilt on three separate occasions. the dealership has been alerted.

2004 f150 brakes began to shimmy and shutter 3 months after purchase. rotors and brakes were resurfaced and replaced. *ts ***no answer required*** about three months after the vehicle was purchased the consumer began have problem with the brakes. the dealer has replaced the rotors 3 time, resurfaced them twice, replaced the brake pads three times and replaced the front calipers once. the rear end was replaced on dec 2, 2004 because of vibration and bad bearings.

Dt: the contact stated while driving vehicle became impossible to steer. he pulled the vehicle over and had it towed to a dealership. they found the front driver side wheel tilted in, and the ball joint nut was missing. the vehicle is currently getting repaired at the dealership.*ak

Since purchase the f150 has had terrible shaking in the front at 55-60 mph. repeated attempts to fix have been negative. dealers, repair shops have failed. replaced all four tires, repeated balancing have not helped. *tr

At least once a week our truck will go in to a violent shaking episode. the majority of the time it rides beautifully. there doesn't seem to be a pattern other than it begins after the truck has been parked and started to be driven again. it feels as if the wheels are falling off literally. it seems to be suspension related but sets off no engine light or warnings. usually if my wife or i stop the truck, place it in park, shut the truck off, the problem will stop. it is such a violent shaking that the vehicle can not be driven and must be pulled off the road. here in amish country not all roads have emergency lanes and this has put us in some dangerous predicament. had the truck in to one dealer who could not replicate the problem. i have an appointment next week at another dealer for the same issue. i normally carry no load and no towing has been done with this truck to date.*jb

Dt: the contact owns a 2004 ford f150. the rear end failed seven times. the contact took the truck to service dealer on 9-28-05, and the service dealer acknowledged that there was a problem, but stated that the contact could drive the vehicle , and advised him to call customer care because there was going to be a disagreement between customer care and the dealership as to who was going to fix the vehicle. the vehicle was still under warranty. on 10-03-05 the contact drove the vehicle at 45-50 mph and while pulling a work trailer he heard a loud noise. the brakes locked and then the rear end locked up. *sc . *ak

Rear of consumers 2004 ford f150 pulled him off the road. *ts the consumer managed to get the truck back on the road, but immediately went off the road again. when the consumer managed to get the truck on the road a second time, he lost control of the truck and went across four lanes of the street. the consumer traveled up an embankment on the opposite side of the street and hit a tree. the consumer was told by the insurance company of which he was not aware of, that hit another vehicle twice and caused that car to cross all four lanes of the road. *jb *nm

dt: contact states at speeds of 65 mph, the steering wheel starts to shimmy back and forth. the vehicle has been to the service dealer 3 times. they replaced one tire and a steering wheel dampener. this did not remedy the problem. the service dealer said they would send an engineer to the dealership next week to inspect the vehicle. the service dealer emphasized that the problem poses no safety danger. *ak