Problems with 2004 Ford F-150 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. while driving approximately 55 mph and attempting to slow down, the brakes failed to engage. the contact discovered that the brake vacuum hose separated due to a defective clamp. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer stated that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 08v208000 (service brakes, hydraulic). the failure mileage was 226,000. ....updated 07/05/16 *bf *cn

2004 ford f-150. consumer writes in regards to vehicle frame rust problems. *smd consumer sent additional correspondence. *smd the vehicle had to be towed to the repair shop, because the brakes went out. the rear brake lines, hoses, calipers, master cylinder and pads were replaced. updated 03/09/15. *jb

The rear brake lines failed. the rubber line from the caliper to the steel line on the rear axle separated, first on the drivers side and about three weeks later on the passenger side. on the first occasion i was just leaving my garage and on the second occasion i was pulling into a parking spot. the steel fitting that holds the rubber line to the steel line was so badly corroded that it literally disintegrated, allowing the rubber line to separate from the steel line when the brakes were applied. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford f250. the contact stated while the local mechanic was inspecting the vehicle he advised him that the rear emergency brake hub corroded which caused the brake and bolts to rust and brake into pieces. the manufacturer confirmed that the failure was not recalled. the vin information was not available. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current miles were 89,030.

2004 ford f150 w/ adjustable pedals - after a few years use, the brake lights do not work properly. the lights will come on, but only under extreme deceleration, hopefully. the lights will reset if the brake switch is unplugged and plugged back in with vehicle running, but then will continue to act unreliably after a few days of use. the brakes continue to work along with the switch to reposition the automatic shifter from out of park, but the brake lights are completely unreliable. i visit an official ford f150 forum with many other members that several others are starting to notice that their trucks are doing the same thing. replacing the "brake switch" recommended by ford did not correct this problem. this problem has been reported on the forum by members with 2005 and 2006 models as well. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. while driving at approximately 30 mph, the wheels began to lock. the contact further inspected the vehicle and found that the lining on the brake pads were separating and causing the brake failure. the vehicle was not taken to an authorized dealer to be examined. the failure and current mileages were 52,000. updated 10/26/10. *lj the consumer stated the emergency brake pads separated from the calipers which caused the pads to bind up in the calipers causing the rear wheels to lock up. updated 10/26/10

Truck vibrating. slowed down, applied brakes several times, vibrating stopped. after getting home, stated checking things. found emergency brake cable off. this has happened several times. poor design. i haven't found of any recall on this. this is unsafe and should be recalled by ford. if someone who doesn't have any mechanical ability could get "burned" by unnecessary cost by ford or repair shops. *tr

Severe vibration while braking from above 40m/hr. dealer had to replace both front rotors and machined both rear rotors for warping. rotor wore off before the original braek pads. dealer says its typical but i suspect poor quality as i am a careful driver. *tr

71k miles on the odometer has leaking rear axle seals on both sides and the oil is running down on the parking/emergency as well as the main brakes. this confuses the abs system and renders the rear brakes useless in normal as well as emergency situations. i blogged on the forum f150online and several other owners are experiencing the same problem with some having as few as 11k miles on their vehicle. look at the post, 'rear axle seals leaking on a 2004 4x4'. i did purchase this vehicle from the original owner knowing it needed a complete brake job on both axles. i performed the brake job just prior to making a 2k trip to visit my father during the holidays noticing the problem and could do nothing about the leaking problem until my return. the brakes worked very well during the whole trip. i noticed the leaking by oil dripping on my wheel after my return. the leaking is worse on the right side (passenger). i am a well trained mechanic and perform brake service to mine and my family's vehicles using the best parts i can buy in this area. if i do it, it stays fixed. i have the old parts removed from the brake job and would be willing part with them for an investigation on your part. *tr

On my 2004 f-150 super crew w/75000 miles i have had to replace front rotor 3 times because rotors are turning blue and wearing down prematurely causing bad braking, because bearings are failing and causing wobble and overheating rotors taking temper out of rotors, i have been to dealers and they say can't find problem and must be excessive braking, (not) this model rotor has built in bearing and cost over 200.00 each. now wheel is doing it again and looking at 4th set of rotors because wheel is wobbling( bearing failing again) some thing has to be done because other people are having same problem with front brakes on this model vehicle, did internet search, please let me know. *tr

Parking brake activates while driving at highway speed. it causes vehicle to shudder. local dealership, says this has been a consistent problem. *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

I own a 2004 f-150. when the brake pedal is depressed it travels nearly to the floor on the first "pump." the problem is remedied by pumping the brake once or twice to regain a solid pedal feel. this problem has been addressed to my dealer and to numerous brake shops to no avail. i have replaced all the major components of my brake system and the problem persists to this day. *tr

The front brakes have shuddered when applied since purchasing the truck new. as a result of this shudder, the rotors have warped and worn so thin they now have to be replaced. if we had not just bought new tires, we would never had known that the brakes were ready to fail. ford has known about the shudder problem since 2004 and in fact, made a design change to the front brakes beginning on november 29, 2004. however, they refuse to cover the work under warranty or send out a recall for this defect. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. when making right turns at any speed, the contact hears an unusual sound coming from the vehicle. when he makes left turns, he hears nothing. the failure worsened to the point that the unusual sound occurred when he would accelerate from a stop. the dealer informed him that the brakes failed and the vehicle needed a complete brake job. the failure mileage was 7,000 and current mileage was 8,200. updated 7/3/08 *cn updated 07/03/08 *jb

May 07 rear brake pads replaced. january 08 a violent shaking occurs at 50mph nearly causing a loss of control of vehicle on highway. took vehicle to shop and found that a broken clip on the parking brake allowed the parking brake shoes (on the inside of the rotors) to bind nearly locking the wheels. needed to replace parking brake, both rotors and brake pads due to damage. shop did not keep the parts. concern is the a broken parking brake clip can result in a loss of vehicle. cost was over $800. ford claimed that brake abuse was at fault. *tr

I drove the truck home from the automatic car wash (with underflush) and i parked it in my garage. i left for a 10 day vacation an hour after i parked it. when i came home 10 days later i found the truck hood and cab covered in black soot. the entire garage also had a thin film of black soot. as it turns out, the antilock brake control module caught on fire some time after i parked the truck. it caused $4000 damage between the brake control module and other related components. i have a full extended warranty which covered the repairs (initially the dealership told me the warranty would not cover the repair, but i challenged that decision, and the esp people agreed with me). *tr

Tsb 050621. this is where your brakes shudder very harshly when braking at higher rates of speed. this is a problem on every ford f150 built before mid november 2004. unfortunately ford has made this only a technical service bulletin but the repair is very expensive and not covered if the truck is out of warranty. it is too dangerous of a problem to not get repaired. *tr

I noticed my brakes pulsating when applied. the dealers service tech told me the front brakes were not releasing fully and had warped the rotors beyond repair. the caliper pistons had "cocked" in their housings, destroying the front calipers. the repair cost over $1,400. the risk is that the brakes would bind, fail to disengage when applied, and cause a crash. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. while driving between 30-50 mph, the front brakes would grind and the brake pedal would pulsate when the brakes were applied. the dealer stated that the pistons in the calipers were misaligned and failed to release the brake rotor. the dealer replaced the rotors and calipers. the current and failure mileages were 27,288.

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford f-150. approximately 3 years ago, the rear passenger side brakes began to vibrate. the failure occurred at various speeds. the vehicle was taken to the ford dealer 5 times before a repair was finally made. currently, the driver side is experiencing the same failure. the abs is locking the tires in a certain spot and preventing them from properly turning. the consumer stated the abs seemed to randomly activate on 1 wheel. the turn signal did not always cancel after making a turn. updated 12/05/07

Brake pads and rotors wear out every 40,000 miles. dealer says it is due to soft metal ford used. they recommend replacing. is this a recall item? if not, why not? *tr

I was driving down the interstate at 60 mph in a 65mph zone when out of nowhere with no prior warning or indication of malfunction it happened. no crash but emergency stop did have to happen and could have caused a crash. the emergency brake actuator froze up on the rear right side of my f150 2004 supercrew with only 46,000 miles on the odo. this freeze up caused the rear brake to engage involuntarily and destroyed the actuator, the brake pads, and the rotor. *tr

I was in a bank drive-up driving my daughter''s 2004 ford 150 truck. when i started to leave the truck lurched and the engine went to full speed. i immediately applied the brakes but they did nothing to slow the truck. i was headed straight for the bank where the tellers were, so i turned sharply to the right. the truck kept going at a high rate of speed with me trying to stop it with the brakes. it shot through the parking lot and across a very busy road where a car hit me. the impact of the other car didn''t even phase the truck. it kept going, over the curb across the street, through a burger king parking lot and rammed into metal stairs on the side of a jewelry store where it finally stopped. i hit the staircase at a tremendous rate of speed yet the airbags didn''t deploy. the car that hit me was totaled and the driver went to the hospital. my daughter''s truck was totaled and i had to go to the hospital with injuries that turned out to be bruises all over my body, especially on my legs. the staircase was destroyed and a car nearby had damage. the insurance was not adequate to cover all the damage. the insurance company sent someone out to do an engineering report on the truck but he could not find the cause. that didn''t surprise me as there was little left to inspect. this was definitely a mechanical failure. i did not have my foot on the gas peddle. i was trying to stop the truck with the brakes and steering to avoid people and other obstacles. ford needs to look into this as it is an extremely dangerous flaw or defect. i am going to be responsible for a lot of money to repair the damage that the insurance didn''t pay.

At 9000 miles the brake rotors warped and were replaced under warranty, but the pads were not. the rotors began warping again and were machined to remove the warping at 34000 miles but again the pads were not replaced. at 37000 the rotors warped again and now at 39000 the vehicle is unsafe to drive. ford claims this is normal wear and tear and will not authorize repairs because the vehicle is out of warranty. ford says the consumer must pay the cost to replace the rotors and pads. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while applying pressure to the brake pedal, the vehicle would not stop. the dealership determined the rotors were warped and the front and rear rotors were replaced.

My 04 ford f150 supercrew 4x4, at 10,000 miles noticed brakes and rotors starting to wear. at 17,000 miles they were destroyed. talked to the dealer and he said that it was normal wear and would cost me over $400 to fix it. the trucks under warranty, why should i pay for a manufacturer flaw in the brake system. i called ford direct and got someone who was reading answers out of a book and was absolutely no help. i e-mailed ford and their response was all dealers are independent and can charge whatever they want!! and never did give me an answer about my brakes. i finally talked to a friend who's father ia high up the ford ladder. he had someone give me a "deal" and repair my truck at a small cost. why should i have to get a "deal" when my truck is still under warranty? new brakes have 500 miles on them and already see the new rotors starting to groove!!! ford has not helped one bit in this problem i own two fords, cant wait to get rid of them. there will be no more fords in this family!! *nm

i have discovered what may be a factory defect in the 2004 ford f150 truck in relation to design and application. i just spent $500 in putting on new front rotors on my truck, however there was plenty of life left on the front pads. so if the rotors have to be replaced after 40,000 miles when the front pads are still good, then there is a problem. *nm

The parking brakes have failed causing severe vibrations while driving over 50 mph, and must be replaced as well as the rotors on my 4x4 f-150 truck. *b

While traveling on i-10 vehicle vibrated violently. once while traveling approximately 55 mph and once at 65 mph. during the incidents the vibration was not isolated to one part of the vehicle but the whole vehicle vibrated. after inspecting the vehicle the next day in daylight i noticed the following: 1. all wheel rims were completely covered with brake dust. even though i had just washed the vehicle prior to starting the 1,000 mile trip from houston, tx to green cove springs, fl. 2. all wheel rims had what was either brake fluid or melted wheel grease on the surface. 3. all four tires were damaged by the vibration i.e., tread had started to delaminate from the tire. tires had approximately 28,000 miles at the start of trip and were in good condition with no tire worn to wear bar. 4. all four tires had scuff marks that appeared as if the tires had been run low on air. 5. the front rotors on the outside surface were the brake pad made contact were grooved beyond what should have been present on a vehicle with 29,000 miles on the odometer. metal shavings were present on the front wheel rims. 6. the rear rotors were also grooved on the outside with the inside appearing as if the brake pad was not making contact with the rotor surface i.e., only outside pad is making proper contact. i took the 2004 ford f-150 to the ford dealer located in green cove springs, fl for correction of the above problems. service manager initially resisted admitting that anything was wrong with the vehicle until a maintenance tech walked by and said he had a "tsb on that". dealer subsequently replaced the front rotors, calipers, and pads. however, the service manager would not admit the vibration caused the damage to the tires. the rear calipers, rotors, and pads were not serviced or changed. further, the service manager could not or would not admit to original problem with the vibration being fixed. *jb

Failure of rear calipers on 2004 ford f-150 truck causing tires to lock up or violent shaking in front end. *nm

Felt like a flat first time it happened, but there was no flat. heavy vibration. dealer can't service under warranty without duplicating it. put my hand on right rear rotor, it was hot and the other 3 rotors were not. i suspect it is a bad piston in caliper or a faulty e-brake. i am going back to dealer again. *nm

Defective b. f goodrich long trail ta tires (265r60 18) ford f150 lariat appear to have a design defect causing a very harsh ride & shuddering upon stopping. when attempting to stop in the rain, the shuddering caused the anti lock brake module to malfunction and resulted in loss of control of the vehicle. ford is aware of the tire defect (a letter was received) yet has declined to replace the tires. *nm

Loss of braking. brake pedal went to the floor. could pump up brakes for partial braking, but brakes would not hold. vehicle was towed to bartow ford, bartow, fl on 3/29/06, but was not looked at until 3/30/06. service department could not replicate the problem and could find nothing wrong. tow truck operator mentioned to me that he had towed another 2004 ford f-150 the previous week that had the same problem with loss of braking. *jb

3/23/06 took my truck into dealership for what seemed to be the front left caliper sticking (truck felt like brake was continuously pressed, area smelled strongly of burned rubber). dealership stated they took left front wheel off and found no problems, truck was okay to leave in. 4/6/06 - while pressing brake pedal, it went all the way to the floor and brakes were hardly operable. while driving to dealership, brake pedal would continuously alternate between working okay and depressing all the way to the floor. dealership acknowledged lack of brake functioning and stated that is was a safety hazard and advised me that they would replace master cylinder. kept truck overnight. 4/14/06 - same exact problem as on 4/6/06. dealership again acknowledged lack of brake functioning and stated safety hazard. dealership stated that the new master cylinder that they put in must have been defective and that they would need to keep the truck over the weekend in order to get another new master cylinder in and replace it again. 4/24/06 - same exact problem again. dealership acknowledged lack of brake functioning and safety hazard. dealership told me that the master cylinder push rod was not adjusted properly. adjusted push rod while i waited. 5/18/06 - once again, brake pedal goes all the way to floor. drove straight to dealership & was informed of safety hazard and that they need to keep it overnight, because they are not sure what is wrong. i don't believe any consumer should be stuck with a vehicle that becomes potentially dangerous without warning and that has been in the ford repair shop 5 times in 2 months for the same thing. i do not feel safe driving the vehicle due to the number of incidents and the dealerships lack of being able to correct it. i am now stuck with a $16,000 payoff on a possible death machine and i think someone higher than the dealership should seriously review my situation before this happens again. *nm

2005 ford f-150. recurring brake problem in approx 28,000 i have had the vehicle back to the dealer 5 times as brakes squeal and grind. approx every 4 - 5,000 miles, the same problem occurs. *jb

The brakes began to shimmy and shutter and there was vibration from the rear when driving. *nm the problem started three months after the vehicle was purchased and recurred every three, four or five months. four repairs did not eliminate the problem so a fifth repair was required on jan 25, 2006 with 32040 miles. during the five repair the rotors were resurfaced twice and replaced three times. the brake pads were replaced three times and the front brake calipers were replaced once. *nm

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's wife was driving the vehicle and the brakes were not working properly. while traveling down hill there where no brakes. this, in turn, caused the contact's vehicle to rear end another vehicle. this accident involved four other vehicles which sustained damages. this crash was a frontal impact .upon impact, the air bags did not deploy. there were no warning lights prior to the accident. the vehicle was towed to a body shop for inspection .the vehicle was under warranty.

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

Dt: the brakes failed on 8-21-05. the consumer was driving when the brakes went out, resulting in a collision. the consumer noticed that the clamp on the breather was rubbing the brake line. the consumer stated there were no previous problems with the vehicle. the consumer was in the process of having the repairs done. *ak

Rear brakes applied without prompting truck vibrated wildly causing loss of control. result right rear emergency brake cable detached from seat, rear brakes burnt down to 33 mm. brake rotors out of true. tires wearing irregularly. *nm

The brakes have been a problem since i purchased the vehicle. the wheel shimmy's when i apply the brakes and it gets progressively worse. i have to take it into the shop again to have it looked at - the first time they ground the rotors - now i will want them to replace the pads and brake rotors. it is very scary to drive around a corner when you must apply the brakes.*ak

Brake pedal went to the floor while on the road, causing the brakes to malfunction. owner will take vehicle to dealer for check up.*ak

Accelerator pedal...adjustable pedal levels seem to move causing driver to step on accelerator instead of brake pedal...happens often...very dangerous

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

Vibration on take-off when cold from rear-end. ford won't fix extreme brake rotor wear for a new truck with only 12000 mles. ford says this is normal. i don't think so.*ak

I have a new ford f150 super crew that has had three sets of rotors , stabilizer bars, tires, brakes, brake cluster, etc. i now have 18,000 miles on this truck and it is needing another set of rotors now. it is completely unsafe to drive and we have children and are afraid to take them any where in this vehicle. i have other that i can provide info that has had the same problems. i need help with this and i am going to explore every avenue possible to see that no one is injured do to this defect.*jb

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