2004 Ford F-250 SD problems & reliability
254 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2004 Ford F-250 SD, alongside 2 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.
9 complaints report injuries (14 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 101 | 40% |
| Electrical System | 56 | 22% |
| Power Train | 21 | 8% |
| Fuel System, Diesel | 18 | 7% |
| Tires | 17 | 7% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 17 | 7% |
| Steering | 15 | 6% |
| Suspension | 15 | 6% |
| Engine | 14 | 6% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 9 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 58,300 miles (middle 50% between 21,000 and 98,500 miles), based on 217 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford f-250 sd. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled several times and was unable to restart. In other instances, the vehicle restarted with a delay and the engine was slow to gain speed, but later accelerated at a high rate of speed. Dan collins ford (541-947-4965, located at 351 n o…”
Engine · filed Jul 5, 2019
“Takara recall I was driving down the freeway when the check engine light came on I all the sudden had a loss of power and it was like the motor was sputtering like it had a misfire after that it's very hard to start and barely moves it comes up with multiple injector codes that all failed at the same time some high…”
Electrical System · filed May 26, 2019
“2004 ford f250 sd 6.0l sputters, lunges & dies out when idle, waiting in traffic or driving slowly. Luckily, it's been starting right back up. It has been occurring quite often lately. Looked up possible causes and found recall 05v270000 from 2005, which seems to be the exact issue I am having. Called ford and was…”
Electrical System · filed Apr 22, 2019
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
- ENGINE STALLING
Engineering Analysis EA05003 · opened Feb 15, 2005 · closed Nov 2, 2005 · led to recall 05V270000
- ENGINE STALLING
Preliminary Evaluation PE04070 · opened Oct 7, 2004 · closed Feb 15, 2005
Technical service bulletins
88 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2004 Ford F-250 SD. 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
This SKU is a Transmission Line. The customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect the connector. The transmission line connector may have an incorrect thread size, which will prevent it from…
RFI20210210_624- · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 10, 2021
This SKU is a Spare Tire Hoist. Test results identified that the pull force parameter was not within specification, as a precautionary measure unsold inventory was requested to be returned for testing and containment…
DOR-U2J7Y-02 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 13, 2020
This SKU is a Spare Tire Hoist. Test results identified that the pull force parameter was not within specification, as a precautionary measure unsold inventory was requested to be returned for testing and containment…
DOR-C2C6H-02 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 13, 2020
Some 2002-2008 F-Super Duty, F-150 and Mark LT vehicles may exhibit concern during or after programing the VSM. The programming may fail or vehicle symptoms such as inoperative door locks, dome lamps, door ajar…
SSM 48157 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 2, 2019
This SKU is a front upper ball joint. The Customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect for ball studs with excessive rotational friction in the ball joint assembly. Excessive friction in the…
DOR-B8H4Z-11 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 2, 2018
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: the restraint control module (rcm) when using vcm ii, would have an error code 35 and diagnostic trouble code (dtc) b1035, and difficulty attempting programmable module installation (pmi). Model 2001-2004 f-super…
ASI-44408 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 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
Ford trucks service campaign: see document search button for owner letter. Vehicles have experienced severe steering wheel and front wheel vibrations and oscillations after traveling over a bump or dip in the road…
LP-09L02 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 1, 2013
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 F-250 SD has 2 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 F-250 SD?
- · 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 58,300 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.