2004 Ford E-150 problems & reliability
33 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2004 Ford E-150, alongside 4 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
2 complaints report injuries (2 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2004 Ford E-150 vehicles were involved in 5 fatal crashes with 2 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 7 | 21% |
| Power Train | 4 | 12% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 4 | 12% |
| Engine | 2 | 6% |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 2 | 6% |
| Visibility | 2 | 6% |
| Wheels | 2 | 6% |
| Electrical System | 1 | 3% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 3% |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 70,000 miles (middle 50% between 37,000 and 93,000 miles), based on 21 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2004 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while parked when the vehicle suddenly rolled backwards downhill the contact's son attempted to get into the vehicle to make it stop. The trailer's jackknife stopped the vehicle from going onto the road. The contact manually moved the vehicle back into their…”
Power Train · filed Jul 24, 2025
“Viberation in rear and clunking noisr in rear when stopping at light then taking of while making a right turn”
Power Train · filed May 4, 2016
“There are tons of drivers on public roads using off road led light bars and using amplified hid headlights. They are so bright I have to block the light with my hands when they drive by. I know this is illegal. It is terribly unsafe. Why are there not laws being enforced to prevent their use on the street?”
Exterior Lighting · filed Jun 8, 2015
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEAD
Defect Petition DP05005 · opened Sep 22, 2005 · closed Jan 4, 2006
Technical service bulletins
60 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2004 Ford E-150. The 10 most recent:
When performing any transmission fluid changes or topoffs involving MERCON SP, MERCON LV has replaced all versions of MERCON SP and can be used going forward. Mixing MERCON LV and MERCON SP in the same transmission is…
SSM 51909 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 7, 2023
Ford: when shifting between park, reverse and/or during 2-3 shift, an intermittent clunk occurs with a torqshift transmission. Model 2003-2014 f-super duty, e series, excursion, f-53 motorhome chassis, low cab forward…
ASI-44534 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 2014
Ford: on some trucks, there is a no crank situation and if voltage on transmission range sensor at pin 21, is less than 5 volts, disconnect the engine cooling fan clutch, electronically, and recheck voltage. Model…
ASI-44404 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 1, 2014
Lack of power due to low fuel pressure - fuel tank liner seperation. *kb
19728 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 2007
Lack of power due to low fuel pressure, fuel tank liner seperation. *kb
19621 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 1, 2007
Headlight adjustment needed. *kb
19527 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 1, 2006
Watch for oil flow from the base engine oil pump. Vehicles equipped with a 6.0l diesel engine. *kb
19375 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 1, 2006
Oil flow from the base engine oil pump. *kb
19247 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 1, 2006
Misfire, lack of power, buck/jerk, excessive smoke or crank/no start. *tt
052625 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2006
Water-in-fuel (wif) lamp on. *tt
06310 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2006
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2004 Ford E-150 has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2004 Ford E-150?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 70,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.