2004 Ford F-350 problems & reliability
159 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2004 Ford F-350, 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.
7 complaints report injuries (13 injured, 2 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2004 Ford F-350 vehicles were involved in 71 fatal crashes with 32 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 | 64 | 40% |
| Electrical System | 19 | 12% |
| Power Train | 18 | 11% |
| Engine | 16 | 10% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 13 | 8% |
| Fuel System, Diesel | 11 | 7% |
| Tires | 11 | 7% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 9 | 6% |
| Steering | 9 | 6% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 7 | 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 50,575 miles (middle 50% between 14,500 and 99,400 miles), based on 127 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2004 Ford F-350. The contact stated that while driving approximately 76 MPH with his wife in the front passenger seat, the vehicle shuddered uncontrollably and stalled. The contact and his wife were concerned for their safety. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to regain…”
Electrical System · filed Apr 18, 2025
“While driving at 40-50 MPH the vehicle will lose power and then then stalls while moving leading to loss of power. The loss power of affects the power steering posing a direct threat for an auto collision due to the difficult in steering the moving vehicle into an emergency lane. Avoided several accidents with this…”
Engine · filed Apr 28, 2022
“The contact owns a 2004 Ford F-350 equipped with Cooper Tires, Tire Line: Discover AT3, Tire size: 265/75/R16, DOT Number: UPWM1M11718M16L. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the rear driver’s side tire had a sidewall blowout. The contact stated that all four tires had sidewall blowouts months apart. The…”
Tires · filed Sep 24, 2021
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
93 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2004 Ford F-350. 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
Safety belt retraction speed. *tt
042421 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 7, 2005
Low battery voltage - snow plow equipped vehicles - 6.0l diesel with single generator. *tt
0557 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 21, 2005
Use of stainless steel exhaust studs in service for 5.4l 2v engine. *tt
0554 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 21, 2005
Intermittent rough idle - non-commanded egr (exhaust gas recirculation valve) flow. *tt
05417 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 7, 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
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-350 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-350?
- · 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 50,575 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.