Problems with 2004 Ford F-150 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

I have a 2004 f-150 that has spit two spark plugs out with in a year. the second one caught fire . there has been this issue with many owners of ford trucks and is a on going issue ford won't take care of. napa auto parts has a repair kit made just for this issue with ford engines. the cost is $ 73.00 plus having someone do the repair. *tr

Factory spark plugs in 2004 f 150 are breaking when removing even from the dealerships. *tr

Engine started knocking at 62,000 miles leading to total catastrophic engine failure while driving. engine shut down and i had limited control of the vehicle while driving. *tr

Ford f-150 with triton v-8 spark plug blowout. *tr

I have recently purchased a 2004 ford f 150 and today 3/4/2010 has made the second time it has blown out a spark plug. i understand that there is no recall on this and i would like to know why, because this is happening to alot of customers. [xxx] is my email. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)*tr

2004 ford f150 with issue during spark plug replacement. consumer states that it is impossible to remove spark plugs without breaking them causing more money to be spent to get the dealer or mechanic to fix it. *kb the consumer stated once that happens it involves removing the head and incurring charges of $2,000 to $2, 5000 in labor costs. *jb

I own a 2004 ford that the spark plug edjected from the head. i took the truck into a garage and they put a helicoil in, that lasted 1 week and blew out again. now i need a new head.

The 'engine fuel control module' on my 2004 ford f-150 4x4 extended cab, 6 3/4ft bed, 5.4l 3v engine 4x4 has failed due to poor design. the module is located under the bed of the truck, and cracks when hit by pebbles that are inevitably kicked up. water then gets into it and it fails causing the vehicle to stop and not run at all. once the mechanic found out what the issue was, he then tried to order the part. the module is on national back order, 3 months i'll have to wait to receive it. this is my only source of transportation and i do not know what to do. i paid over $30.000 for this vehicle and now i cannot drive it because of a $77 part that i cannot get. ford should be held responsible for this issue and the time that i will not be able to use it. if it is on 'national back order', then obviously there is a design issue and a recall should be issued. 3 months back order is not acceptable. is ford motor co going to give me a ride to work, the doctors, etc while i wait for the part to come in? something has to be done. please do your best to look into this and find a solution. thank you again for your time and consideration. *tr

I own a 2004 ford f150 5.4 liter engine. i have never changed the spark plugs. i driving and a spark plug blew out of the engine. this could be a serious problem and expensive and not created by me,it has to be a defect. the gas vapors coming out of the plug hole could start a fire. *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.

Since approximately 120,000 miles, this vehicle has experienced spark plug failure at a rate of about two each 5,000 miles. prior to this period, the vehicle had no history of spark plug failure. the plugs were changed in accordance with the manufacturer's recommended service schedule around 101,000 miles. between 120,000 and 142,000 miles, eight spark plugs and two coils failed during normal driving conditions. an additional tuneup and complete spark plug replacement was performed at 142,000 miles after two failed during normal freeway driving conditions. another spark plug blew out and was replaced at 148,000 miles. in addition to spark plug failure, several of these plugs have broken while being extracted, causing needlessly expensive repairs. *tr

Ford spark plugs fail and are unable to be removed without damage, requiring special tool or significant cost. *tw *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. while driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle stalled and the check engine light illuminated. the vehicle was towed to a local repair shop where the contact was informed that the spark plugs had detached from the engine. the contact called the manufacturer who advised him to take the vehicle to the local dealer. the vehicle had not been repaired. the current and failure mileages were approximately 97,000. updated 1/25/11 *cn updated 02/04/11*jb

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

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. upon vehicle inspection, a technician from the dealer stated that the spark plugs would fractured soon, if they were not repaired. shortly after the advisement, the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the technician stated that the sparks plugs would have to be replaced at the owners expense because they have fractured. the vehicle was in the process of being repaired. the failure and current mileages were 48000.

Tl*the contact owns 2004 ford f-150 truck. the contact was driving 30 mph when the engine stalled and the contact coasted in neutral gear onto the side of the road. the roads were wet, yet, they played no factor in the vehicle failure. the vehicle was towed to his residence. the dealers quoted a price of $300-$1800 to replace the spark plugs. the dealer stated that the repair did not fall under the 100,000 mile warranty. the failure mileage was approximately 60,100. the current mileage was 60,300. updated 03/26/10

Spark plug was ejected from the engine stripping the threads in the head, and causing the truck to die in the middle of the road. dealership gave a bulletin reporting that there is a problem, and reports that it happens all the time. ford refusing to help. according to the dealership repair will cost $2,100. i was picking up my 3 yr. old daughter, and if this problem would have happened 10 minutes later i would have been crossing a busy intersection with my daughter in the truck. once i get me truck fixed who is to say that one of the other cylinders won't do the same thing! i feel the truck is unsafe to have my daughter in it. what if this would have happened when pulling onto the interstate. the bulletin says that this has been an issue since 1997, when is someone going to make sure that they are held responsible. how do i even know that this is not a problem that is still ongoing? *tr

Had tune up on vehicle at 100,140 miles, per manufacture requirements. incurred additional costs due to two spark plugs exploiting in block. mechanic said this is a regular problem, see technical bulletin. ford has a special way or tool for fixing this problem . q: i am requesting research be done to see if recall should be in place for this issue in the ford f150. q: how many ford owners have had same repair? q: what are requirements by this agency for issuing recalls? *tr

I have a ford 2004 f150 5.4 l triton engine (3 valve) and it has 51,777 miles on it as of today. i called dave sinclair ford to check on having the spark plugs changed. they informed me that this job is has been a major problem because the spark plugs designed and made for the 2004 model break off because of poor design. this breaking of the spark plugs has been adding on 1000 to 2000 extra dollars because they have to take special measures and use special tools to fix this issue. ford motor co. has had the spark plug redesigned as of 2006 and has also issued a tsb special instruction for removing the defective plugs. the tsb 06-15-2 can be found on www.etoolcart.com/06152.pdf . ford has acknowledged that their is a problem however, they will not offer to cover all of the extra chargers that are added on due to this defective spark plug issue. a recall should have been issued as soon as they changed out the spark plug design, added the tsb bulletin, or when they started having special tools made for the job. ford needs to take care of its consumers and offer a recall for all of the 5.4 l triton engines that are having this problem. i have contacted mike detwiler, service manager, at dave sinclair ford. i have contacted ford motor corp. and made two complaints and they were sent to engineering. everybody acknowledges that this is a major problem, however; ford will not cover this issue and i cannot even use my extended warranty that i purchased extra to help cover unjustly expenses. *tr

2004 ford f150 with 4.6 engine. 140,616 miles. #2 spark plug blew out of head. had to have heli-coil insert installed. *tr

My 2004 f-150 (a $34,00 vehicle)ford pickup truck (58,000 miles) blew a spark plug out of the head in august of 2009. a ford dealer fixed the problem by putting in a helicoil into the plug to repair the issue. ($580) this past february it blew a plug again, the dealer told me that the only reliable fix was to put in a new engine head. the cost for this was $3,000 dollars. if you look at this web site you will see the thousands of consumers that have face this defect. it is apparent that ford is turning their back and ignoring the issue that these vehicles should be recalled. if they will not address the issue i am sure that your agency should look into this issue. http://www.topix.com/forum/autos/ford/tr7hfu0vd0n2u9kpd thousands of examples of this recallable failure. *tr

2004 f150 5.4 triton 88,000 miles. fomoco recommends spark plug change at 100,00 dealer changed 8 plugs broke 6.i was charged a plug extraction fee of $85 per plug in addition to the $320 initial quote.internet research and word of mouth shows many,many instances with the same problem.fomoco quoted"we are not assisting customers at this time".definite engineering flaw they deny.fomoco even invented their own extraction tool to aid in removal of plugs. *tr

Ford dealership broke all 8 of my spark plugs, initially my repair cost was $609 before they broke my plugs and after they are charging me $3200 to fix something that was not caused by me. *tr

Ford f-150 with triton engine. i serviced spark plugs at 99,000 miles per ford manual. plugs snapped off when mechanics tried to remove them even with special tools. the garage said i was lucky that it only cost $1200 to change the plugs. they didn't have to pull the heads on the engine which could have cost thousands. garage said this defect was common on triton engines. i called ford. their reply was that they wouldn't do anything because this is a maintenance part. interesting to note that ford now supplies the new plugs with a tube of grease so the plug threads don't lock up in the engine head. other posts on this site detail similar problems plus plugs blowing out of the heads. one needs to wonder if ford didn't transfer their blow out problem to the rest of us by tightening the plugs too tightly at the factory. *tr

2004 f150 4.6ltr engine. spark plug blow out #3 cylinder 64865 miles. original factory parts. spoke directly to ford motors they act as if this is my fault. the parts have never been changed. ford told me it is not covered under warrenty because this is a maintanence part. the dealer told me that this has been a big problem for ford. but they wont honor to fix the problem even though it is a mechanical failure due to bad design. it cost 600.00 to fix and i beleive this should be covered by ford due to the number of instences. there were two trucks fixed the same day for the same problem and again the service department said this has been a big issue. i would like this to be resolved. the consumer should not have to worrie about a spark plug blowing out while driving. this is a saftey issue because fuel keeps flowing into the cylinder and when ignights flames fly out through the spark plug hole. quit acting like th is is not a problem and recall these poor desinged parts before someone does get hurt. *tr

There is already a tsb for the problem but ford should really recall the cam phasers on the 2004 and newer f150's. most people in this economy cannot afford to throw 2 grand into there car to have a factory defect fixed and ford won't step up to the plate. i have owned numerous ford's in the past and will never buy one again because of their lack of being a good company. i'm sure because the problem is on there number one engine they don't have the money to cover it and don't care that they'll loose half those customers. *tr

Own 2004 f150 while taking off from stop in traffic herd load pop and power loss.blew out number #3 spark plug. took to dealership for repair they told me they see this alot installed insert for repair 534.00 told me not to use truck for towing anything anymore. called ford about problem was told that this was a service problem. found over 1000 complaints on line for same thing someone is going to get killed if this is not resolved a loss of power like this or fire from fuel blowing out of the cylinder and nhtsa calling this not a safety problem. someone needs to wake up! *tr

I was driving the truck at about 45 mph when i felt the engine "missing". i rolled down my window and could hear the engine missing and running very rough. i was about 30 seconds from my house, so i continued. right before i got to my house i shut off the engine and coasted into my driveway. i tried cranking the truck the next morning and it idled rough for about 10 seconds and then the engine failed. i towed it to the ford dealership where they diagnosed that it hydrolocked. there was a lot of gas and water in the oil pan (the entire coolant system had dumped there). it was then that i found out that there was a recall on 2005 f150's for the same problem, a faulty fuel injector that caused hydrolocking. i called ford and asked if i was covered under this recall since i had the same part. they informed me it was only for 2005, not for 2004 regardless of the part #. they offered me no help since my truck was at 72k miles. the truck was impeccably maintained with the oil being changed every 3k miles. *tr

Ford 2004 supercrew pickup with 5.4l engine. factory spark plugs break off when trying to do normal factory service and ford wants customer to pay labor charges for the removal of the broken spark plugs. i was quoted $800. spark plugs should not break off from the factory. *tr

2004 ford f150 caught on fire while driving. burned to a total loss.

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.

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. when the contact inspected the vehicle, he noticed that a spark plug was loose and created a hole on top of the cylinder. the spark plug was defective and caused all the other spark plugs to come out of place. the manufacturer stated that they would not assist with the repair. the vehicle will not be repaired. the current and failure mileages were 90,000.

Ford f150 spark plugs breaking. *tr

On my 2004 ford f150 with a 5.4l 3 valve engine, the spark plugs all broke off when a tune-up was attempted. this is due to a know defect in the head design on the 04/05 models. the dealer charged me $904 dollars to change them. ford is not reimbursing customers for this outrageous charge even though they know it is a design flaw, and are doing nothing to fix the problem. my understanding is that all of these engines will have this problem. *tr

Truck taken into be serviced. mechanic broke spark plug off into the head. possibly leading to complete removal of engine and head. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford f150. the contact stated that the sparks plugs split into three pieces when removing them from the engine block. he took his vehicle to a repair shop and the spark plugs split into pieces when the mechanic attempted to install new spark plugs. ford's tsb number 08-7-6 was referenced. the contact will call the ford manufacturer regarding this issue. the failure mileage was 85,000. 4/01/09 *nj updated 04/07/09. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. approximately thirty minutes after parking the vehicle in the garage, the contact heard a noise and found the vehicle on fire. the fire department arrived, but could not determine the origin of the fire. a report was filed. the flames were located in the rear cab of the vehicle. the insurance company declared the vehicle to be destroyed. there were no injuries. the failure mileage was 46,000. updated 4/23/09 *cn updated 04/27/09.*jb

Driving my truck on my lunch break i noticed a pop sound which followed with a bad idle, a check engine light, and a loud mis-fire sound... i pulled into my jobs parking lot and notice that my 2004 ford f150 shot spark plug number 2 out of the cylinder head and shattered the coil boot into many pieces this was with only 76,000 miles. being in the auto parts business i know that they are known for this and deal with many people daily having this issue yet ford has still not made a recall to help us with this problem... i had to replace one spark plug, and one coil boot.. so far my coil has managed to hold up however from what i have noticed it is just a matter of time before this happens again and i would like to have some sort of info on why or how this happens and what ford plans to do about this issue. *tr

Went to change the spark plugs. ten days and $1000 later i have the truck back. if i had to do it all over again, i would sell the truck well before the 100,000 mile mark. idiotic design leads to spark plugs breaking. do not change plugs without discussing with dealer first. they have a special tool for extracting the broken part. it says a lot about the situation that ford had to come out with a tool to fix their poor engineering. ford needs to recall these vehicles with this defect and make good on it. i will never buy ford again. if you have this problem, speak up and lets get them to fix it. *tr

I have a ford f150 and one of the spark plugs just jumped out. this is the original plug from the factory. the service man at the ford dealer said he had never seen that happen before. checking the net there are many complaints about the problem. they wanted to replace the head for 4k. i called around and found out about putting a sleeve in for four hundred. *tr

Went to have spark plugs changed at 100,000 miles in accordance with manufacturer's factory maintenance schedule. spark plugs are stuck due to factory not seating plugs correctly and not using anti-seize compound during factory installation. it requires a $10,000 machine to negatively polarize the engine so that the plug threads can be decarbonized and hopefully removed. this is an unacceptable factory defect and ford needs to address the issue immediately and re-imbursed the unreasonable costs and burden placed on the consumer. no where in the literature provided by ford was this issue discussed had it been openly discussed or presented in the literature i would not have purchased the vehicle. this is fraud. *tr

Changing out spark plug at 65000 because an employee of a ford garage advised me to do so because of them getting stuck at 100,000 miles. i started to change them only to find the shaft below the threads of the spark plugs stuck anyway. i hauled the truck to boyd county ford where the service man stated that this was pretty common and that it would take about 500 dollars to fix. well 1000.00 dollars later they removed the stuck spark plugs and replaced them with some new ones. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. while driving approximately 60-65 mph, the contact heard several loud pops. the vehicle began jerking and idling roughly. he shifted into neutral and allowed the vehicle to coast to stop at an intersection. the vehicle was driven back to his residence and then towed to a local repair shop. the mechanic stated that the number 1, 3, and 5 spark plugs detonated and destroyed the heli-coil for the number 5 cylinder. the vehicle was repaired. the dealer and manufacturer have not been notified. the current mileage was 63,424 and failure mileage was 63,400. updated 02-18-09 updated 02/18/09. *jb

Driving my truck i heard a pop, i thought i blew out a tire but didn't. i drove it off the highway to a parking lot and it was driving very rough. took it to the shop and they said it blew out a spark plug (original spark plugs). called the dealer and they quoted me a 2500.00 dollar repair! did research and found that this has happened numerous times already and i ask if there was a recall and they said no. but offered me a new truck reduced 7 thousand...can you please check into this issue. *tr

Ford motor company has designed a defective head design that causes spark plugs to get stuck in the head when service is attempted. the 100k mile interval is too long, even sub 50k miles is unacceptable. the carbon buildup around the long 2 piece spark plug causes the lower, crimped on part to stay in the head while the top 2/3 and electrode come out when changing the plug. this design has been put in use for 4 years on all 5.4l 3valve motors. ford has a tsb that acknowledges the problem, but their remedy still does not help. once the plugs, broken and unbroken, are removed, putting nickel anti-seize on the threads still does not remedy the issue because the threads on the plug are not what is sticking. the lower part of the spark plug is what causes the trouble. ford has even designed a tool to remove the often broken plugs. this just ridiculous and a solution needs to be made before a very large class action suit is drawn upon fomoco. *tr

2004 f150 5.4 triton sounds like a diesel engine took to dealer for diagnosis at aprox. 30,000 miles. dealer stated that this is normal. engine failed at 98,000 miles due to valve timing issues, related to cam phasers. thus cam shaft quit rotating allowing pistons to collide with vales causing engine failure. dealer now wants 7624.00 to replace engine. the ford dealership states that they have not seen this type of engine failure. but after reviewing the complaints on this site along with many other web sites related to this issue it seems that fomoco knows that this is a serious issue and they are unwilling to address the issue. what can be done to have fomoco address and compensate for these issues. *tr

I bought the ford truck f 150 5.4 motor 2004 new. i went into the ford house to get plugs and wires changed. about two hours later they come out holding a sparkplug, saying they need to keep my truck for a couple days because these size of motors blow out spark plugs and part of your plug has fallen into the motor. they said this happen all the time, but it has not been recalled yet. i sent ford a letter also, i just don t know where to go from here. thanks for your help! *tr

2004 ford f150 5,4 camshaft failure been waiting 2 months on part ford says unavailable could take another 2 months ford says over 800 camshafts on back order there are no aftermarket parts even available there are 3 trucks in the same ford dealership with same problem. *tr

My 2004 ford f150 with 106,000 miles started to have an engine knock which we thought was just a stuck lifter. we took it in to the local ford dealership and was told that the timing guide broke and wrapped up in the engine causing it to be deprived of oil and now we will have to replace the engine. *tr

Truck(83000 miles) was parked in driveway. went and started and the truck began to sputter and shake and the check engine light came on. truck would not accelerate and i took to dealer. began to shake even more and lose power. problem was timing chain tensioner failure which caused failure to engine. engines needs replaced. dealer explained that this can happen at any time and usually causes major engine damage and failure. *tr