Problems with 2004 Ford F-150 POWER TRAIN

Truck would not start even though lights, dash indicators, & radio came on. checked under hood & then placed in neutral to try & start. vehicle started in neutral. placed vehicle in park and upon taking foot off brake, vehicle lurched backward (in reverse) almost going over an embankment when i slammed brakes. vehicle shift indicator showed it in park but, transmission was actually still in reverse. could not get shift to engage into park. placed vehicle into garage with emergency brake secured until could determine problem. research indicated ford had a recall (recall - #97v171000) for this exact issue on 1997-1998 models only. but, apparently it is still a problem on later models. could not find a recall on 2004 model. note that this condition almost caused a serious accident. *tr

When i turn left or right i can feel a shake or vibration coming from the rearend. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. the contact stated that while driving 50 mph, the vehicle started to shake violently as the transmission fault warning lamp illuminated. the failure was recurring. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 88,000 and the current mileage was 120,000.

Started my truck as usual to go to work, put it in reverse and it was like i put it in neutral, no engagement at all. glad i wasn't in a situation when this happened that could have put myself or someone else in danger. ford knows they have a problem, it is wide spread. sure my truck has 124000 miles on it but the transmission malfunction light has been going on and off for the last 70000 miles and the dealer said they could not find any trouble codes or malfunctions during this period. i can rev my motor to about 2000 rpm and it will finally gently start to roll into reverse but my failsafe mode engages, check engine light comes on and the motor stumbles badly until i put the vehicle in drive gear and go about 2 miles at which time the failsafe mode goes off and it smoothes out. for the most part my vehicle has been dealer maintained. *tr

Started to notice shaking when turning to right, then left and as soon as i started to move forward. this is the third time i have had this failure and each time the dealer has replaced the rear end cutches and all bearings in the rear end housing. the last time it totaled over $900.00 and 17,000 miles after it is happening again. this is apparanty a common problem since the dealers stock al required parts and are not unaware of this faiure. i have had this same faiure happen 3 times in 70,000 miles and the more people i talk to the more i find that most have had at least 1 faiure. ford needs to step up and correct a problem that exists yet today in 2011 models. *tt

The rear differential is making a chattering noise at low speeds. it has a posi-trac rear differential, and i can feel a 'stop and go' type action as i am driving in a straight line at low speeds. even after i added a limited slip additive, the problem is still there. it tends to be worse after a cold start, and when i am going up hills of after i go over a speed bump. *tt

2004 ford f150. consumer states problem with rear differential *tgw the consumer stated in 2006 the transmission had to be replaced. *jb

My truck has been vibrating horribly when around 30 - 60 mph like i was on a washboard road. it is intermittent. i have not repaired my truck yet, but found out it is my rear differential clutch and possibly my e-brake. *tr

Original owner of truck, 37,000 miles. terrible vibration/shudder when turning. now it also does this driving down the road at over 45 mph. feels like it is going to freeze up. was told it is issues with the differential. this is wrong for a vehicle with low miles. please investigate. i've read lots of other people have had the same issue with this model. *tr

Vibration at highway speeds. *tr

2004 ford f-150 fx-4 pickup truck that has a grinding noise in the rearend. i complained about this a couple of years ago while truck was under warranty and gene latta (the ford dealership in hanover,pa) said they fixed but here it is at 45,020 miles making the same vibrating/grinding noise again. after finding several complaints online this is obviously a problem with this model and ford should fix at no cost to the owner!!!! *tr

Automatic transmission shift cable is routed too close to the engine causing the cable cover to melt over time allowing the cable to become loose. this prevents the column shifter from transferring the vehicle into park even though the dashboard indicator is in the park position. *tr

2004 ford f150 4.6l v8, yesterday 10/13/10 while driving on freeway traffic the truck would jerk when i let go of the gas coast for a few feet and get back on the gas. today 10/14/10 the truck would not go past 30mph, it wont shift into the next gear. transmission has gone bad. *tr

Truck died, lost all power while driving down the road. this has happened 5 - 6 times through the years starting around 2010. sometimes driving down freeway sometimes driving slowly into driveway. battery was checked, it was okay and connected fine. various other engine problems later include a rattle noise and low rpm. running hot, chugging along like running out of gas, etc. having to pull over till it could go again. currently just a little over 100,000 miles.

I started to get a vibration in the rear of the truck at 45 mph. i had just replaced the tires not long before and thought they might be out of balance. they are not. they have been checked many multiple times and rotated. the problem still exist. the dealer doesn't know what the problem is and claims it's not the differential or rear axle. i have replaced the bearings, seals, gear lube and rear shocks. now there is a knocking sound coming from the rear end. it is a 4x2 and has not been driven hard. the vibration, which was annoying at first, has progressively gotten worse. the whole bed of the truck shakes when i hit 45 till about 55.*tr

A humming noise began to emanate from the rear differential. i took it into my garage to have it looked into. i was told that the gears had not been aligned properly and had worn out with just over 34000 miles on the truck.. i've been told by ford mechanics that this is a recurring problem with the ford f-150 truck and can occur with as little as 5000 miles on the vehicle. ford says that it isn't a problem until they've been told by your nhtsa says so and issue a recall. why? the problem is known to exist by ford but if your out of warranty then it's the owners problem so go fix it yourself. is the nhtsa aware of this problem? are you willing to step up and order ford to make the necessary repairs? it's a problem of their own making and they push it off to the unsuspecting buyer. *tr

2004 ford f150 with a 4.6 liter triton engine. ejected 3rd cylinder back on the passenger side . this happened 24000 miles after i changed the plugs. *tr

Transmission failure in my 2004 f-150 ford truck at 76,000 miles. *tr

2004 f-150, moderate to severe vibration appearing to come from the drive train or drive line. vibration appears in the 55 - 60 mph and can get so bad that i was forced to pull over to check vehicle for damage. problem first surfaced after towing a 3500 lbs trailer for about 60 miles. no problem previously. f150 rated for 5000 lbs. problem occurs intermittently but comes on suddenly and must pull over for fear of losing control of vehicle. attempted typical vibration related repairs. tires completely rotated and rebalanced. transmission flushed and fluid changed. differential fluid changed. transfer case fluid changed. engine electronically checked for operational issues or "codes". none. when vibration begins, put f150 into neutral to check for possible engine mount problems. neutral had no effect on easing the severe vibration. attempted simply easing off gas - no effect. vibration remained severe. only solution is to come to a complete stop and then restart. vibration stops but only for a period of time then comes back just as severe. repairs typically associated with vibration at speed have had no effect. danger is in potential loss of control and having to stop on hi-speed interstate highways with the associated danger of collision from passing vehicles. *tr

2004 ford f-150: the transmission will not shift out of 4wd when driving. it will however shift into neutral. the failure was caused by the solenoids which can get wet and short out ruining the actuators. this is a part which ford knows is defective, because they have created a new part. they currently have a tsb out on this issue. in april of 2006 they started putting water guards on the solenoids to ensure this won't happen. having a transmission that will not engage properly is a safety hazard. *tr

I purchased my 2004 f150 used from a local dealer, i had a 30 day 3000 mile warranty. i purchased it with 72,000 miles for $15,899.00. within 3 days it started a shaking, vibration going up inclines around 45 mph. i contacted dealer and they told me it was the catalytic converters, a day later it was doing it again, i called dealer and they said i was out of my 30 days. obviously it wasn't the cats. i read all the complaints online about this problem and it sounds like ford knows there is a problem, then they should be responsible to recall it. this is my work truck and my only transportation. *tr

I was doing nothing abnormal, simply trying to back up from a store with nothing in bed of truck. the truck shifted into reverse normally then as i took my foot off the brake a slight thud. truck then revved in reverse as if it was in neutral. no signs leading up to incident, no noises, abnormal behavior, or signs of any kind. corrections are being looked into two days from now but a rough estimate from 3 transmission shops estimate aprx. $2000 to repair. the old internal parts may be able to be saved for inspection, i will inquire with mechanic. *tr

Transmission failure, driving to work, transmission shift into neutral , again and again, lost of power in traffic while driving ,all fluids were normal, will not shift into 3rd gear, slips into neutral at 34 mph, 80,176 miles on od. i drove to ford dealer in 2nd gear, $450.00 just to look at, 3- rings +valve body need replacing, total of $2,468.00 cost of repair. safety issue == loosing all drive power in traffic, this should have been a recall after seeing all the complaints on this website this is my second big repair with drive train. at 60,000 mile a had to replace the rear differential at $1,600.00+ , i do not tow anything and do not use the truck for work, 4.6l , 2-wheel drive. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. the contact stated that the steering wheel would vibrate excessively when driving 40 mph and over. the vehicle would not remain in third gear when shifted and the interior of all four tires were worn prematurely. the tires were replaced at a local tire specialty facility and the contact was advised to rotate the tires every 2000-3000 miles. in addition, the contact stated that the vehicle would exhibit an unusual knocking from the top portion of the engine. the rear brake light above the crew cab would become filled with water that was leaking into the vehicle. also when accelerating to highway speeds, the vehicle would become resistant to acceleration. the contact would have to depress the accelerator pedal abruptly. when doing so, the check engine warning light would illuminate and the vehicle would vibrate violently. the contact believed there was an issue with the fuel gauge and tank. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 70,000 and the current mileage was 98,000.

Plug failure in v8-triton engines they break off in the heads of the engines is one problem causing a 300 dollar tune up to sky rocket all the way up to 2800 dollars this is all triton 3 valve motors ford said the fixed the problem they did not and they still break . the other problem is that some of the plugs blow out the heads causing a sudden power loss and possible accidents when i contacted the dealer all they would do is give me a price quote against broken plugs trying to take them out they said it falls under warranty restrictions and that's not fair because one of the selling points about the truck was no need for a tune up for 100.00 thousand miles you can't hit that number 3 years 3600 miles there are a lot angry people out there because of this me included and i believe it falls under a dangers vehicle problem i no they have fixed other people trucks over the warranty and i had to fix my on truck after it stop running and i couldn't get a attorney i am handicap and don't have the money it took at least week to get the plugs out by my self the new plugs cost a $103.00 and the time crawling around because my legs or bad i figure 100,000 would be fair or may plugs paid and a trade for new tires. *tr

1. driving the truck at about 60 mph and heard a strange winding sound. 2. began to slow down to pull over and the truck seemed to go into a lower gear than warranted by the speed. pulled truck over and put truck in park then back in drive. drove in parking lot about 50 feet and it felt like it was in 4wd. stopped truck and moved the 4wd selection knob to 4wh, and then 4wl and back to 2wd. attempted to drive truck in parking lot again. truck seemed to be stuck in 1st gear. trans fault displayed on lcd display and o/d light was constantly blinking. read owners manual and it said the truck the truck would go into "limp mode" intended to allow you to drive at a slow speed. while driving in limp mode at about 15-20 mph the transmission seemed to lock up. pulled truck over again and put it in park. tried one more time to put it in drive and get home in limp mode, limp mode allowed us to get home. 3. no repair attempt has been made as of yet due to the anticipated high cost. *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

Window failure in my 2004 f150 ford pickup. window just falls down & tape will not even hold it up. this is a well known failure by ford & no recall. also, my automatic transmission is slipping for the second time. it only has 47k miles with these well known & documented pervasive problems. *tr

Overdrive on my 2004 ford f150 bit the dust after only 55000 miles. mechanic could not rebuild the transmission had to be replaced. cost $2356.78 to repair! of course truck was out of warranty! bob boyd ford dealership in lancaster, ohio was less than helpful. mechanic discovered that the case had large grooves in it where the sealing rings on the output shaft ride. *tr

Own a 2004 ford f-150 4 door. i have had to replace three of the fourpower window regulators. all three were still under warranty also, the transmission hesitation/loss of rpm/ while driving more so on the freeway when the rpm's reach about 1200/1500 or loss of rpm on deceleration. the dealer would not look at my tranny. truck was still under warranty. now 1 year later my tranny has gone out. i have no warranty and not sure how much it is going to cost to get replaced. i believe this all could have been avoided if the dealer would have just looked at my tranny when i asked while my vehicle was still under warranty. mileage is approx. 98,684. less than 99,000. *tr

2004 f-150, 4x4, 4.6l engine. transmission keeps slipping. the vehicle only has 33,800 miles on it, but the time has expired for the factory warranty. this occurs approximately every fifteen miles or so. it started one time about three months ago and quickly went to the ford shop for repair. they "fixed it" they said, but about five hundred miles later, you guessed it, it started again. i have read a ton of forums specifically about this happening to hundreds of other vehicle owners of the same make and model. please assist with getting this problem fixed and some help is holding them responsible. the same dealership that fixed the problem (lol) stated that they fixed it and that they are not responsible for fixing it again, despite it only being three months ago. please help. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. while the contact was driving 40 mph he noticed a loud clanking noise coming under the vehicle. a local mechanic informed the contact that the auto hub lock needed to be replaced. there were no prior warnings. the current and failure mileages were 44000. updated 11/17/09 *bf the consumer stated there was no part cover on the part to prevent moisture. updated 11/1/8/09

My drivers side window went out one day, then about two days later my passenger and back left window went out. i brought it to the ford dealership to get it fixed, along with what i thought was a spark plug and coiles. well i a found out that a 2004 f-150 i have to replace the engine. while it was in the shop my back right window aperantly went out . it was working when it went in, and when i got it back i had a plastic tarp on my window, panel was off, and noone had told me they let it rain in my truck or that the one window that had worked was now out also. *tr

My overdrive gear got wiped out. while driving the truck i got up to 30 mph and the engine started to rev up real bad and would not move. the truck has 65,000 miles on it and was not beaten on at all. just one month past the extended warranty and ford won't honor the warranty or extend it. from what i am reading this happens a lot to the 2004s. the next vehicle won't be a ford.. i suggest that no one buys a ford truck as they will have the same problem. my fathers 2006 had the transmission go out at 55000 miles. this is obviously a problem that ford needs to own up to. *tr

Transmission is messed up. *tr

On june 29, 2009 while driving the vehicle on a busy city street the automatic transmission suddenly and without warning appeared to shift into neutral. there was no noise or any indication of the catastrophic failure that had occurred. the engine revved with no response from the transmission. while trying to avoid traffic as the vehicle slowed i attempted to clear traffic lanes as safely as possible. the transmission was shifted down into second gear as i slowed to see if this had any effect on the transmission. the vehicle immediately responded and i pulled out of traffic lanes. i immediately checked the fluid level and it was in standard operating range. i then disengaged the overdrive of the transmission and the vehicle was driven home. an inspection of the vehicle found the overdrive clutch pack failed. this vehicle is well maintained, does not tow anything and is driven to and from work, 30 miles each way. the repair is $2500.00 for a 5 year old vehicle with 69,700 miles. i believe this standard equipment from ford was not designed to perform at an adequate performance level as expected from a consumer. the consumers who purchase new ford vehicles should be able to expect the product to last longer than the payments one makes on the new vehicle! *tr

2004 ford f-150 4.6l v8 regular pickup truck, 39,000 miles on odometer - driving 50 mph and the truck starts vibrating horribly like driving over a washboard road. nothing will cause the vibration to stop, even throwing the vehicle into neutral. must stop completely, and sometimes put the transmission into reverse for a moment, then put it back into forward drive, to make the problem go away. this happens periodically, about once every couple of weeks. search on google reveals hundreds of others complaining of the exact same thing with their 2004 f-150 trucks. most claim it is an expensive differential problem, and caused by some tooling error at the manufacturing plant. ford has not initiated a recall, and this is an expensive and dangerous problem. the problem just happened again today, september 17, 2010, and i now have 43,000 miles on my truck. it's used for getting groceries. no heavy use, ever. also, the dozens of complaints from other 2004 ford f-150 owners said their trucks only had 35,000 to 45,000 miles on them when the problem surfaced. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150 heritage. the contact stated that there was a hole found in the muffler on the bottom which he noticed after seeing a puddle under the vehicle. furthermore, the clutch on the manual transmission would not shift correctly. the vehicle was inoperable. the vehicle had not been inspected or repaired at the time of the complaint. the manufacturer had not been notified. the current mileage was 104,921. the failure mileage was 83,023.

I started experiencing a growling and hissing noise coming from the rear of my 2004 ford f150 xlt at approximately 84,000 miles. the noise was most prominent between 20 to 35 mph. the dealership inspected the vehicle and found the pinion, ring gear and four bearings to be in need of replacement. when i inquired what would cause these parts to fail i was told it was "due to no fault of my own". parts were replaced and i do have all of the replaced parts in my possession. i talked to the dealership and corresponded with ford motor company customer service regarding this incident. ford motor company was unwilling to assist in any way to either fully or partially reimburse me the $1300 repair bill due to the fact the 75,000 mile extended warranty had elapsed. this vehicle has never been used to tow anything and has never been abused. i have owned new vehicles and personally put 150,000+ miles on them without ever having any type of rear differential failure. *tr

One year ago my 4 wheel drive stopped working. my f-150 was 47 months old and purchased to go in snow and off road. the 4 wheel drive broke and the limited slip rear axle (also defective) only spins the right rear wheel. now, if you get on wet grass you are stuck and need a tow. i took my f-150 to the ford dealer and they did a $100 diagnostic and said the powertrain control module had failed. ford dealer said this 4x4 module (integral part of the pcm) was not covered by the 8 year 80,000 mile powertrain control module warranty because the f-150 would still pass emissions testing (the other two thirds of the pcm still worked correctly). the cost estimate started at $1100 to replace the entire pcm, and the dealer was willing to negotiate on the repair price. the repair was not affordable for me at this time. the reason i purchased the truck was to go in the snow, but it is worse than any other vehicle in the snow now without the 4 wheel drive. it can't even get up the slight hill in my neighborhood right now with a few inches of snow, and just spins the right rear wheel with zero traction. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. while driving approximately 40 mph on normal road conditions, the overdrive switch was activated and the transmission slipped between gears. when the overdrive was deactivated, the vehicle operated normally. there were no warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing and they stated that the failure was related to the computerized system. the vehicle has not been repaired. the vin was unknown. the failure and current mileages were 112,800.

I own a 2004 ford f-150 four door extended cab pick up. i have used it as a recreational vehicle and it only has 58,914 miles and the transmission has broken. i took the truck to the shop and the mechanic stated that there was no reason the trucks transmission should have this issue. he stated that unfortunately it has been his experience that this particular year ford f150 has a history of poor transmission performance due to its very thin transmission gears. he stated the truck was in very good condition, i had proof of my maintenance schedule. *tr

Transmission went bad after warranty. *tr

I own a 2004 ford f-150 4 door. i have had to replace all four power window regulators. two were still under warranty and the other two came out of my pocket. the dealership is aware of the problem but nothing has been done to help the customer. also, the transmission has a kicking problem at certain speeds. *tr

I have a 2004 ford f-150 crew cab pickup truck. the transmission failed today with no warning or hint there was a potential problem. the vehicle has 75,000 miles on it. the repair guy says the truck is too young for this kind of problem. *tr

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. *tr

Transmission overdrive failure resulting in a total rebuild caused by an $18.40 snap ring breaking on the overdrive servo. *tr

2004 ford f150 with numerous problems. now at 82000 miles the transmission is slipping badly. the transmission slips when accelerating and the engine revs until the transmission kicks in. i am afraid when it decides to jump in gear it is going to cause an accident. from what i have read on the internet many other f150 owners are experiencing the same problem with the transmission. our truck was purchased new but has been in the shop repeatedly for brake problems (7 times), tire problems (2 times), rear end (2 times), broken drive shaft (2 times), electrical (1 time), electrical is starting to have problems now too. we replaced a 98 mazda truck with this 04 f150 because we thought the f150 would be safe and reliable. the 98 mazda, sold to my brother-in-law, is still running great. what a mistake!!!! *tr

2004 f-150 5.4 engine 4x4 crew cab. while driving between 15-20 mph metallic grinding is coming from under the truck. last for about 5 second until something fall to place like gears in a transmission. it has happen two time and i have schedule the truck for maintenance at sno country ford in monroe wa. i only have 1000 miles left on my extended service plan. i hope they fix the problem the first time before it expires. *tr

The transmission went out at 35,000 miles. the truck has never been driven hard. metal chips all over. i have to pay for a new transmission for an obviously lemon of a transmission, however i have read on message boards that alot have complained about the same thing happening. i hope that ford recalls the transmissions for these trucks and reimburses me for the 3,800 dollars i have had to pay koons ford to get a new one. does not seem right. *tr