2004 Ford F-250 problems & reliability
153 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2004 Ford F-250, 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.
5 complaints report injuries (5 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2004 Ford F-250 vehicles were involved in 132 fatal crashes with 72 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 44 | 29% |
| Electrical System | 36 | 24% |
| Engine | 19 | 12% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 19 | 12% |
| Power Train | 12 | 8% |
| Steering | 10 | 7% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 9 | 6% |
| Tires | 9 | 6% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 6 | 4% |
| Service Brakes | 6 | 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 43,000 miles (middle 50% between 7,700 and 124,149 miles), based on 119 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“My 2004 F250 has developed the "Death Wobble" that is normally associated with newer models, but the shudder at or around 40-45mph is identical to the described problems of the newer models in the class action lawsuit and tech bulletins published by Ford. Older models need to be considered in the tech bulletins…”
Suspension · filed Jul 16, 2025
“The contact owns a 2004 Ford F-250. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle jerked and briefly lost motive power before the vehicle stalled. No warning lights were illuminated. After several attempts, the vehicle restarted. The vehicle returned to normal…”
Electrical System · filed Jun 2, 2025
“The tie rod broke while the vehicle was in motion. This caused the vehicle to lose control and crash into another vehicle, causing damage to both vehicles. There was no warning and no sign of any issues. Vehicle has been very well maintained, in fact, it has been in the shop at least once per month for the past year…”
Steering · filed Jan 23, 2025
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
Preliminary Evaluation PE04070 · opened Oct 7, 2004 · closed Feb 15, 2005
Technical service bulletins
72 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2004 Ford F-250. The 10 most recent:
Buck/jerk or surge - 6.0l vehicles built before 8/22/2005. *tt
05215 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 31, 2005
Low/reverse gear set pinion shaft(s) that may walk out, causing metallic particle contamination. Customer satisfaction program 04b24. Transmission reverse planet replacement. *tt supplement #1 and #2. *tt supplement #3…
04B24 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 18, 2005
Customer satisfaction program 05b29: supplement#3. Charge air cooler duct replacement. *sc
08172005 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 17, 2005
4x4 transfer case jump out of 4th or 4l - manual shift transfer case. *tt
0536 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 21, 2005
Service tips before arc welding on the frame or body of a unit. *tt
18406 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 1, 2005
Lack of power, surge, and/or diagnostic trouble codes p2263 or p0299. *tt
18397 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 1, 2005
A driveline clunk or bump when starting from a stop. *tt
04266 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2005
Popping or quavering from radio on the am band. *tt
18384 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2005
A cold weather reverse engagement stall. *tt
18376 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2005
Warning indicators-parking aid-reverse sensing system (rss) and forward sensing system (fss)-false activation of warning tone-service tips. *mj update. *tt
0471 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 31, 2004
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 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?
- · 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 43,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.