Problems with 2004 Ford F-150 POWER TRAIN

My 2004 ford 150 heritage pick-up has serious transmission slippage- it also wont go into reverse at times- i mentioned this at the ford deal while under warranty, and they nothing was wrong with the truck- the transmission starting banging into when 1st put into d- and now has severe slippage in it- the list ed incident date below- is when i 1st started to notice erratic transmission behavior. *tr

Been to dealer 4 times with complaints of vibration. replaced tires, drive shaft, rotors & cluthes in rear end. still had vibration & returned to dealer ony to hear "we can not duplicate the problem". the vibration occurs about every 500-1000 miles.

This truck has a serious problem in the drive train and the dealer is now refusing to even attempt to repair the problem any longer, claiming that it is a "characteristic of the truck." the problem can be described as a violent lurching of the whole truck accompanied by a loud, metallic "clunk" sound in the drive train. this occurs frequently during normal driving conditions but especially when accelerating up a hill, out of a turn, or up out of a dip in the road. the problem has existed in the truck since i purchased it new in may 2005. i've had the dealer attempt to repair the problem at 3,000, 6,000, 12,000, 18,000, and at 22,000. they've attempted various repairs, but nothing has corrected the problem. at one point they told me that the wrong size driveshaft was installed at the factory. they replaced it with a shorter one, but this did nothing to correct the problem. at first i thought i was just facing a problem that was difficult to solve, but after doing some research on the internet, i know now that this is absolutely a known problem and the manufacturer has instructed all dealerships to not even attempt repair. (the service manager actually showed me this in writing.) *nm

My 2004 ford f150 vibrates. the dealer has mad e four attempts at repairs with no success. currently, the vehicle will suddenly start to vibrate severely at freeway speeds, and the only way to stop the vibrations is to slow down to 20 to 25 mph. slowing down this much on the freeway is unsafe it could cause an accident. when this severe vibration starts, it's as if something is about to fail in the driveline. as it is now, i have no confidence in this vehicle, and am reluctant to drive it. vehicle was purchased new on 7-10-04, and now has 6770 miles.*ak

2004 ford f150 problems with upper ball joint assembly as well as tire wear.*mr the upper joint was the cause of the tire wear on one tire. the consumer stated since he purchased the vehicle it exhibited a rattle noise, the side view mirror had to be replaced because it was vibrating so badly, the hood had to be reinforced so it would not flutter at highway speeds. the vehicle needed a new transmission. *jb

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

Bought my 2004 f 150 2wd from dealer in ok. 5800mi have a vibration @ 38-42mph and 58-62mph. have taken to the dealer 4 times in which they have replaced the driveshaft, reclocked the driveshaft on second visit, rebalances and rotated the tires but still have the peroblem in which they mentioned will be acceptable. it isn't normal.*ak

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. *jb

Dt: had to put 4 sets of brakes on vehicle since purchasing the car. the rotors were getting grooved so badly that vehicle pulls off the road. the consumer talked to ford, and they ignored him. he traveled and saw this problem with several other ford cars. ford told him it was cosmetic. *ak while on the first trip with this vehicle, the rear end had gone out, the clutch pack was removed and replaced, the fog lamps were holding moisture and were replaced, the brakes would pulsate and pull from one side, the shifting was harsh when changing from first to second gear, a loud clunk would be present at times when starting from stop then decelerating and the vehicle would crank but would not start at times. sc

I bought a 2004 ford f150 in april 2004. several times in the past 10 months, i have brought it to the dealer to have them fix two problems. the first problem is regarding my brakes. they continually squeak and sometimes feel sluggish. i had a jiffy lube representatives inspect my brakes and they said the rotors looked scarred. i brought this to the attention of the ford dealer and they said my brakes were within ford specifications, and they could not do anything for me. the second problem revolves around a transmission that skips in an out of gear. in several poinst, while pulling on to highways, the transmission skips and and delivers too much power to the rear wheels, causing the tires to slip on wet pavement. luckily, neither of these incidents has caused any accidents. however, i am concerned as they happen frequently and the dealer states that the conditions are normal. i have researched these problems and found that many 2004 f150 super crew owners experience similar problems.*ak

When transmission shifts it has a clunking sound and truck vibrates. i have taken it to the dealer (allan vigil) fayetteville ga. 3 times. the final outcome is that ford engineers say this normal. i disagree. worst truck i have ever owned. ford needs to fix this issue. *nm

The 2004 f150 and i assume expeditions had undersized front brake rotors and calipers and were outlined in a service tech bulletin for the purpose of diagnosing the front end shaking/shimming during braking. *tr this is my opinion should have fallen under a mandatory recall due to the serious nature of poor engineering. no recall and out of pocket $$$. the same holds true for the rear differential which in my case has been replaced (3) times and again ford published a tech bulletin outlining the fact that the '04 rear differential housing was subject to faulty machining causing rapid wear on ring/pinion and bearings. i believe these two defects should have been addressed due to the fact that failure of either component could result in a serious accidents. i truly believe ford tried to cover up/white wash these defects. i still have this '04 and still have issues with the brakes and rear differential not to mention a host of other issues that have plagued this particular year model. i look forward to hearing from someone and would like to know the extent of fords involvement and any accidents involving '04f150's. best regadrs

15 days after purchase of vehicle, it was in to have the rear axle assembly replaced. one year later, it had the rear diff friction plates were replaced. 2 months later (right now) the rear end seals are leaking. *ak

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. the contact stated that the vehicle began to violently shake while driving 35 mph. the vehicle was maneuvered to the shoulder and the contact noticed that the rear differential failed. the dealer made three attempts to duplicate the failure. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. no repairs were performed. the failure mileage was 4,000 and the current mileage was 62,000.

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.*ak

I was driving my new ford f150 ,3 weeks old, up the highway 70 mph with cruise control on. suddenly the air bag depolyed, buring my right ear lobb. i then pulled over to the side of the highway ,with out any incedent, when i got out i noticed that the driveshaft fell out of the transmission. the transmission was shattered like an egg shell. the mechanics at the dealership pointed out that one c-clip was either never put in the front u-joint. they did not know why the ait bag should have gone off.they then tried to tell my my insurence should fix it. there is no body damage not even a piece of dirt missing. then they said they would fix it. wwhen i went up to sign work release the said they want to send the truck back to the factory. but theynever did this. i then told them i do not want it back they can just keep it. under the lemon law. it was alrready in the shop for over 30 days. they had there legal dept. call me and tell that it is not a lemon and i must keep this truck. i did not argue. but then out of the blue they agian saying i could come up there and pick out 1 of 2 2005 f150 that were more expensive and did not have options mine had. i would have to pay the cash difference up front to pick 1 up. i did not have that kind of cash so i stuck to my word that i dont want a nother ford truck.after this time no one else would discuss the matter with me they just hang up. now they sent a letter to say they selling my truck to pay for legal fees and repiars. please help me to deciced what action i shouldi take . ps i did not go to the hospital so layer do not want to help. *ak

While driving approximately 20 mph vehicle stalled. driver was able to restart vehicle, and it was taken to the dealer for inspection. mechanic determined that the pcm needed to be replaced, and replaced it. however, the problem recurred, and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer numerous times. however, dealer could not duplicate the problem. *ak

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. while driving at any speed, the transmission will automatically switch from 2 wheel drive to 4 wheel drive. the contact had to make 3-5 attempts before the vehicle would shift back into 2 wheel drive. also, when the vehicle is in 4 wheel drive, the steering wheel is very difficult to turn. the vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. the current mileage was 22,229 and failure mileage was 22.

Clunking sound in the transmission area, when turning corners and/or slowing down and the truck is shifting into a lower gear. as soon as i give it gas i will get the clunking sound again ( it is a very hard sound). the dealership and ford says this is typical, and all of the trucks do this. ford remedy-lube the yoke. this does not work or solve the problem. *ak

2004 f-150 vibration issue. this is a real and serious issue. i took my truck in for a daignosis on the vibration. the dealer said they narrowed it down to the driveshaft. i waited 3 weeks for a replacement due to the fact that the driveshaft was on back order. after replacement of the driveshaft, dealer informed me that it had not cured the problem. i was told that ford was looking for a fix and they would get back to me when they figure it out. after picking up my truck from the dealer i took it on the freeway to test it out, took to about 55 mph and applied the brakes,i felt a serious vibration from the steering wheel. i called the dealer back and notified them of the unsafe handling of the truck. i was told that the truck was safe to drive. but no guarantees!!! i carry my children in this vehicle. something has to be done about this issue. people's lives are at stake. remember the explorer and the deaths due to rollover!!! thnk you for your time.*ak

Transmission tends to pop and switch gears on its own. reverse occasionally serves like the neutral gear, preventing vehicle from backing up. vehicle taken to dealer for testing , but results show that everything is normal. this tends to be a problem only when consumer is operating vehicle on own time.*ak

Continuing problem with the truck, there is a vibration from the driveline. it has been in and out of service since 11/25/04 until present for the same issues. ford orginally did not know the problem, and went down the tsb list replacing different parts such as transmission mounts and differential bearings until the last service on 1/27/05 finally fixed the problem by replacing the ring and pinion in the rear differential. however, on 4/15/05 i noticed a vibration and grinding noise from the rear end when turning from a stopped position. vehicle wikk be back in service on 4/25/05.*ak

This will be the third time advising nhtsa 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. *ak

Dt:the contact states in order to shift the vehicle from the park position, the neutral switch must be manually pressed. this happens every time the vehicle is driven. the dealership said the neutral safety switch has a defect, the part was ordered before the vehicle was out of warranty. the manufacture has been contacted; there are not recalls on this vehicle. this vehicle is now out of warranty and has not been repaired. *nm

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.*ak

Had horrible vibration at highway speeds,after 6 or so visits they replaced the driveshaft. now at idle warm or cold i have a constant shutter,and now a steering wheel nibble has developed. completely dissappointed in this truck.this was my first new vehicle,a shame it turned out like this!*ak

Truck has rearend vibration @55-60 mph. truck also has steering wheel shake at highway speed (above 45 mph). ford states that they no they have a problem and are working on a fix.*ak

I purchased new ford f150, the first time up to highway speeds the vehicle had a vibration between the speed of 55 and 65 mph. *ak

2004 screw lariat - vibration throughout whole vehicle at speeds between 45-60mph, only in o/d. i believe this is related to the contents of tsb 04-25-07 and tsb 04-25-08. *ak

While driving 54 mph the truck vibrated. the vibration was so strong that the right passenger seat shook. the consumer used the truck to pull an open stock trailer. *nm the problem was perceived as the universal joint was in too straight a line with the transmission. ford lariat f150 2004 *sc

The vehicle was parked when it began to roll across a parking lot. the driver managed to unlock the door, jump into the vehicle and put the brake on before it rolled onto a main street. *nm vehicle was only 20 days old and would not restart. the consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealership only to find from the service manager that the clip to bracket from the factory was missing. when the consumer called in to complain she was told by a sales representative that it's not their fault they did not build the truck. no loaner cars available. the consumers name was not put into the system for roadside assistance. *tc *jb

There is a vibration from rear can be felt through out truck seat ,/steering wheel /bed shakes when driven at highway speeds40-65

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. *jb

Vehicle has a shimmy (vibration) at or above 45 mph, increases when loaded and feels unsafe to drive. *ak

Dt: the contact stated she had an ongoing failure of the brakes. the vehicle was serviced by the dealership nine times. the pads and rotors were replaced six times. a manufacturer's engineer inspected the vehicle. he made several suggestions to the dealership. the dealership implemented these suggestions although the aforementioned problems recurred. also, the transmission started slipping while driving. it was inspected by the dealer, and they were unable to determine the cause of the problem. *ak

When using passing gear at 45-65 mph you get a very strong vibration until you go into overdrive. when you use the od shut off button at 65 - 50 mph you get the same vibration. (1) ford sent letter in janurary from 1st complaint in oct 04 saying it was the tires and would only warranty them for 3 year not replace them now. (2) may both front steel rims. now at this point vibration is only between 50 - 65. (3) truck was in shop from 31 may to 10 jun 05. replaced (a insulator asy - engine support), (drive shat assemby -rear) removed and installed. (insulator - powertrain rear support) replaced. i do not have old parts, dealer kept them. vibration is still there. the mechanic told me that this problem is only in 373 rear ends. my brother in tx (san angelo, was helping me, his best friend is the service mgr at the ford dealer there and they have the same problem). a friend told me her father in al has the same problem and ford can not fix it. my service mgr bryan and i drove a 2005 identicile to my truck and the vibration was worse then mine. my concern is what in the lon term will it have on us who will be towing campers and going up and down mountaing and using the lower gear for power and braking. what will that vibration do to the drive train? who lives will be put in at risk because of this. thank you for your help.

I recently purchased a 2004 ford f150 supercab pickup truck, as i left the dealership and started home i noticed that the bed was shaking terribly between 55 and 62 mph. i called the dealership before i was three miles away and they told me to bring it back the next day, i did. they said that it was fixed, it wasn't. i left again (the day after i purchased) and immediately called the service department at jacky jones ford in sweetwater, tn., and told them the problem was just as bad. the service clerk (jason) told me that there was a problem with this model truck and that ford was in the process of fixing it. that was a month ago. now i have learned that there are hundreds, maybe thousands of ford f150's with this problem and they are not being fixed. i cannot get the dealer to reschedule a time to repair my truck.*ak

The consumer 2004 ford f150 experienced sudden acceleration which resulted in an accident. *nm the vehicle was taken to the dealer who ran a diagnostic test. the test indicated 4 trouble codes (camshaft position sensor, pcm processor fault, throttle actuator control system which forced shutdown and an internal control module software incompatibility). *nm

Noise in rear end abount 60 to 70 miles a hour.whinning noise.*ak

I purchased the truck less than 30 days ago. vibration in the drive train started within the first 1000 miles. dealer says that the vibration is "normal" operation for the vehicle. vibration could represent a safety issue if not corrected. *nm

2004 f150 with the 4.6 liter v8 engine and limited slip differential. when the truck is running @ 2100 rpm at highway speeds something in the rear end makes a strange "warbling" type of high pitched noise. it only does it @ 2100 rpm. local dealer tried to tell me it was exzhaust resonance. they replaced my exhaust system and the problem persists. they are investigating to determine true cause.*ak

I have two main problems with my ford f150, my vehicle has a vibration which is at it_x0019_s worse between 40 to 60, which is getting worse, constant at around 50mph, and to a lesser extent throughout the 0 to 40 mph and a strong vibration is sometimes felt on deceleration, just before stopping, i also hear a loud booming which coincides with the vibration speeds and i think that this vibration is setting up a resonance or reverberation in the vehicle and with the windows in open positions, on the second day i noticed scratches and indentations on roof, approx 5 of them running on a diagonal, called and left message with salesman, no response, thursday 9/23/04 had sales manager and body shop manager look at dents, truck was taken back and buffed out, scratches and dents still visible. appointment was made for a specialist to try to massage dents out, but in case results weren_x0019_t satisfactory, then body filler could be applied and painted, told them repeatedly i don_x0019_t want body filler on my new truck.i also made a complaint about a vibration between 40 to 60 mph, and that i believed that this was setting up a resonance or reverberation and causing booming sound in truck, service manager took ride in vehicle and said it was wind buffeting, said he would check with ford engineers and send me a transcript of findings, never did. sat 9/25 i called fords complaint number that is listed in the manual, explained that the truck was delivered damaged and requested a replacement truck, also explained that i felt pressured to accept body filler and vibrations in my new truck, was told that a transcript of the conversation would be sent to the complaint manager, he would receive the transcript on monday, 10am thursday 9/30/04, i expected a call regarding this transcript, after receiving none, i called the complaint manager and i was asked if it was alright for them to call me back, i said that would be fine, 5:30pm sat 10/02/04, have not recieved a call back, despite request made.*ak

Have a 2004 fx4 supercrew 4x4. have two problems. first, the speedo reads 4 to 5 mph fast, have had in shop twice still no fix, was told that was the best they could do. second, when taking off from dead stop rear end makes 2 slipping clunks, was told from dealer it is the leaf springs so they greased them. problem went away for a day maybe and is back louder then ever. only 5000 miles on truck. wish ford would step up to the plate and take care of some of these "known" problems. *jb

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. *jb

Continuous vibrations in 2004 f150 after five times to dealer for repairs. drive shaft has been replaced but still have vibrations. according to radar and gps the speedometer is incorrect up to 3 miles per hour clocking example. operating at 55 mph speedometer showing 58 to 58 1/2 mph.

Persistant driveline vibration, much more prevalent when towing. under heavy load the vibration is so substantial that vehicle cannot be used. *ak

On 3 different occasions,vehicle was parked in park with engine running,and truck began to move.third time was undable to catch it and totaled the truck. vehicle was only 4 months old.*ak

While parked with the key in the ignition vehicle came out of gear. as result, vehicle rolled backwards down an embankment. *ak

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

While driving and coming to complete stop automatic transmission didn't shift properly from the first to the second gear, finally the stick shift didn't move from park to a drive gear. also brakes vibrated while driving at any speed . *ak