2004 Ford E-150
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
Vehicles › Ford › E-150 › 2004
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
These records cover every 2004 Ford E-150. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
7 recalls name the 2004 Ford E-150. Newest first.
Ford IS recalling certain replacement fuel tanks that could be installed into model year 2004 through 2008 E-150, E-250, and E-350 vans and wagons. the affected fuel tanks have an extra obdii sensor hole on the top of the tank that may not be properly sealed and may leak fuel.
A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source may result in a fire.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tanks free of charge. the safety recall began on november 28, 2011. owners may contact ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-800-232-5952.
Van conversions IS recalling 52 my 2004-2007 ford E-150, E-250 E-350 and my 2006 gm savanna 3500 vans built on ford and gm chassis and equipped with ricon platform style wheelchair lifts. these lifts fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 403, "platform lift system accessible for motor vehicles," the anti-stow…
A lift occupant can be injured should the lift begin to stow unintentionally.
Van conversions IS working with ricon to correct the wheelchair lifts free of charge (please see 07e097). owners may contact ricon at 1-818-267-3000 or van conversions at 610-837-0707.
Van conversions IS recalling 74 my 2004-2007 ford E-150, E-250 E-350 and my 2006 gm savanna 3500 vans built on ford and gm chassis and equipped with ricon platform style wheelchair lifts. these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 404, "platform lift installations in motor vehicles." the threshold…
The user of the lift could be injured should the lift move unintentionally.
Van conversions IS working with ricon to correct the wheelchair lifts free of charge (please see 07e095). owners may contact ricon at 1-818-267-3000 or van conversions at 610-837-0707.
Certain aftermarket fuel filters sold under the purolator brand name, p/n f65277, shipped from january 16 through june 2, 2006, for use on the above listed passenger vehicles. due to incorrect design, the quick connectors may not fully seat with the tube interface, even though the person making the connection may believe that the quick connector IS fully…
Failure of this connection could lead to fuel spillage and, in the presence of an ignition source, a fire could occur.
Ufi will notify owners and replace the filters free of charge. the recall began on august 4, 2006. owners may contact ufi filters USA at 800-230-5876.
On certain vans equipped with sure-lok wheelchair securement systems, the sprocket teeth of the retractor assembly IS out of alignment.
In the event of a vehicle crash, the wheelchair may not be adequately secured possibly resulting in injuries to a wheelchair occupant.
Dealers will inspect and replace the wheelchair securement retractors as necessary. sure-lok will handle the repairs for this campaign. owners should contact sure-lock at 1-908-231-1804 or mobilityworks at 1-800-769-8267.
On certain vans, a diode in the anti-lock braking system (ABS) module may experience an electrical short.
The electrical short may cause an ABS malfunction that would illuminate the ABS warning light, or the module may overheat resulting in a burning odor, smoke, and/or fire. this condition may occur while the vehicle IS being driven or unattended.
Dealers will install a new fuse in the ABS circuit and install a heat shield over the ABS module. the recall began on october 15, 2004. owners should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673. also ford IS extending the limited warranty (for a one time replacement) of the ABS module for a total of 10 years or 150,000 miles from the warranty start date, whichever occurs first. if your vehicle has already accumulated more than 150,000 miles, this coverage will last until september 30, 2005.
On certain vans, the air filter element material process resulted in an air filter paper element that can smolder or burn. this change in filter paper composition combined with the configuration of the air induction system, may allow hot carbon particles to contact the air filter element during certain driving conditions that create hot particles.
These hot particles may ignite the air filter element with the potential for air induction system damage or underhood fire.
Dealers will inspect and replace the air filter element. the recall began september 27, 2004. owners should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673. also ford IS extending the limited warranty (for a one time replacement) of the ABS module for a total of 10 years or 150,000 miles from the warranty start date, whichever occurs first. if your vehicle has already accumulated more than 150,000 miles, this coverage will last until september 30, 2005.
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 garage. The contact stated their son did receive injuries to their head, left or right leg (the contact was unsure of the exact leg), and their left or right arm (the contact was unsure of the exact arm). Medical attention was needed. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and opened a case. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to file a safety complaint. The failure mileage was 74,000.
Viberation in rear and clunking noisr in rear when stopping at light then taking of while making a right turn
2004 ford 4.6L engine: #2 spark plug ejected from cylinder head. ~$700 to repair!!!
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?
At the point I reach 40 mph truck shifts to neutral, have to pull over safely and take truck out of overdrive to get home. Very dangerous when traveling at that rate of speed. Did some of my own investigating and found many website have angry people who also own same vehicles with very low mileage. I saw the range of miles between 44,000 miles to 150,000 miles. please refer to www.carcomplaints.com just to start with, there are many other websites for this model you can see. Please help. *tr
TL* the contact owns a 2004 ford F-150. The contact stated that the lower ball joints were causing premature wearing of the tires. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed that the front end springs were completely fractured. The dealer and manufacturer were made aware of the failure. The manufacturer stated that there were no active recalls regarding the failure and declined to provide a remedy to resolve the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 93,000. updated 05/05/14*jb
TL* the contact owns a 2004 ford F-150. The contact stated the front passenger's side window independently opened. The failure recurred several months later on the rear passenger window. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who stated that both window regulator assemblies would need to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacture was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.
TL* the contact owns a 2004 ford E-150. The contact stated that a private mechanic attempted to remove the spark plugs but they were fused to the engine. The vehicle was eventually repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 118,000. The vin was unavailable.
Today was driving normally on the side road not towing & in overdrive when around 40mph the overdrive disengaged & starts revving like it's in neutral. I pull over & put it into park & then back into overdrive & start driving once again & same thing happened three times. Luckily there was a service shop close. I took the truck in & they said take it to a transmission shop. He also said it was fine to take it out of overdrive & that wouldn't cause it to do that. So, I took it out of overdrive & it didn't miss a beat. After reading the reviews it seems to be an issue with the overdrive servo retaining clip breaking. This IS by far a major problem ford needs to look into that could potentially put lives at risk. If it's a bad part why not fix the problem if there are hundreds of reports on this same exact issue? I've been a ford owner all my life & am truly saddened that this could possibly be my last ford I ever buy again. I'm holding ford accountable on this & everyone else that has the same issue should do the same. It's a $2.50 part, that's all. & when you bring it into ford or any other transmission shop they want to do a whole rebuild which will cost thousands. We go by the saying built in america for a reason & that's not using crap parts. Build it right the first time & have no problems. If you start throwing parts & bubble gumming it to death, this IS what happens. Fix it ford! There are enough complaints on this already. *tr
During the winter months our 2004, ford, E150, van has had occasional yet complete brake failure several times. typically, it has happened when it was very cold -10F and typically slower speeds 10-15mph but today it was 30 f and speeds were 45-50 mph as we were coming down a mountain pass in colorado. we almost rear ended a semi and almost took another car head on but they had moved into the far lane. before reaching the brake failure run off we were able to down shift and eventually the brakes came back to complete working order. the van has been brought in several times to ford dealership and each time same answer, we can't reproduce the problem so they haven't done anything. *tr
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford E-150. While driving 20 mph the contact noticed that the rear passenger door had suddenly opened without warning. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where the contact was informed that the door hinges needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. There were no prior warnings. The current and failure mileages were 130000.
My 2004 F-150 has a window regulator go out for the second time this IS a real issue it IS a hazard to my children and a real big cost to me being 300 dollar both times I had to replace it need to be recalled what a big disappointment can you help me in this matter thank you. *Tr
Driving down interstate in 2004 ford F150 xlt with approx. 70K miles and inadvertently lowered rear window. when I went to close the window, I heard a loud crack and realized that the window was not going back up. after pulling off onto the shoulder to inspect what had occurred, I saw that my rear window had dropped into the door. luckily it was not raining that day or I would have had a back seat full of water. I took it to a local mechanic who said that ford's power window bracket regulator, which was cracked, IS one piece and required replacement by taking apart the door. $275 was spent to fix the rear window. I have seen numerous complaints regarding ford's windows. right now I consider myself lucky that it has only happen to one window, but I won't be surprised if it happens again soon to another window since it appears others have had two or three windows with this problem. it appears to be a major defect that should be recalled. *Tr
Repeated vehicle brake failure. *Tr
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford E150. the vehicle speed control switch was disconnected approximately 6-8 months ago. the contact spoke with ford a couple of weeks ago and was informed that the part for the repair would not be available for another four months. there had been no failure to date. the current mileage was 106,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford E150. the contact stated that the brakes were inoperable . The dealer was unable to duplicate or diagnose the failure and as of spradley barr ford january 7, 2008, the dealer had not repaired the vehicle. the current mileage was 57,650 and failure mileage was 18,000. updated 02-14-08 *bf the consumer stated once the vehicle IS driven for 15 mins. And then parked. The consumer stated once driving again brakes become non existence. Updated 02/14/08 *tr
For the last 3 months, my seat belt warning beep has been on whether I have my seat belt on or off. The dealer ship where I bought this van, which IS bill collins ford, has not been able to help with this problem. Also my dvd player stopped working and the 3 row seat belt strap has broke off. *tr
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford econoline E150. he received a safety recall notification letter in august 2007 on the ford vehicle speed control. The information provided in the letter IS fraudulent and misleading and the dealer lead him to believe that a repair was going to be made during his appointment. The contact was later informed after the switch was disconnected that the part was not available. He has called ford every month since receiving the notification in august and every month he has been told that the parts would be available the following month. he has also tried more than one ford dealership and he received the same response. if he cannot have his car repaired that he would like to negotiate a refund. there are no failures at this time. The current mileage was 48,000. updated 01/17/08 *bf updated 01/17/08 *tr
Bolts falling off of brakes that hold caliper on. I have a total of 12 2004 ford E-150 and 1 2004 ford expedition. 3 of my e-250's and the expedition has all had this happen to them. What happens IS that it sounds like the brake pads are worn down to metal on metal, when brakes were checked for the problem, the bolt had come loose and was causing the caliper to rub against the rim. *jb
I was driving down interstate 91 in mass. Doing 65 miles per hour and everything was fine until I felt a slight vibration and with no warning my rear right wheel just snapped off. I was lucky to be able to stop the vehicle and keep it from rolling over or creating a pile up of traffic. When I had gotten out to look I found that all 5 lugs were snapped off and broken. There has to be some sort of defect with these bolts. My fear IS that someone else may get killed. Now I am in a process of trying to have it repaired and everyone including ford IS passing the blame on someone else. Please help me. *nm
Consumer 2004 ford E150 wheel came off. Lug nuts broke. *ts *jb
When driving on a highway with the vehicle speed cruise control on, the component will shut off without warning. I have brought the auto back to the dealer twice with this complaint, both times I was told that the problem was fixed. Both times the component failed again while in use. I will be bringing the auto in to the dealer again in two days for the same repair. I see that ford motors has been aware of this problem publicly since oct. 01, 2004. *Nm
On july 25, 2005 at @ 10:00am [xxx] was operating my 2004 ford explorer xlt (4 door) vin no.: [xxx]. She was intending to back out of the stone driveway of her residence located at [xxx].due to it being a stone driveway, it IS her practice to intially proceed 1-2 feet forward, then put the car in reverse, so as to not kick up any stones. [Xxx] proceeded to engage the accelarator for the purpose of travelling forward 1-2 feet. She then put her foot on the brake, while putting the vehicle into reverse. Once she took her foot off of the brake and before she engaged the accelerator, the explorer suddenly and unexpectedly surged backwards, out of control. The vehicle travelled out of the driveway (@15-20 ft), then continued to travel @75-100 ft. across the street and impacted with a parked 4X4 truck. During this time, [xxx] attempted to stop the vehicle by pressing down hard on the brake pedal. unfortunately this did not stop the vehicle in motion. [Xxx] then tried to shift the car into neutral, which did not stop the vehicle, as it continued to surge backwards, across the street and impact with a parked 4X4 pick-up truck. this impact did not slow down the explorer, as it proceeded to flip the pick-up truck upside down and finally came to rest directly on top of the pick-up truck with all four wheels spinning and the engine racing. the explorer sustained @$6,000.00 in pd and IS being serviced by superior auto body/manasquan, nj. Superior auto body has contacted ford motor company to have a specialist investigate the accelerator malfunction. The explorer must be taken to ford dealership located at 700 shrewsbury ave., red bank, nj. I am awaiting the results of this investigation. Updated 07/19/2012 *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(B)(6)
Purchased a new 2004 ford e 150 van. Side entry doors do not shut correctly. When driving, the doors rattle, indicating they are not latching correctly. I am concerned about the safety of passengers and the possibility of the doors coming open. Contacted ford motor company and was told they were aware of the problem and they would let me know when a fix was available. They placed tape on the inside of the door jams to force the doors together. I have since contacted an attorney and quit driving the vehicle for the past year as I waited for the fix from ford. After 12 months there have been no authorized fixes from ford motor company. I did not know I could submit this to you until today when a news cast made me aware of your web site.*jb
I rented a ford passenger van, that u-haul corp converted to a cargo van. While inside of the cargo area, wind blew the door shut. I could not open the door because of the child safety locks. In order to escape I was forced to break out a window. No instructions were given that the child safety locks were in the on position. The windows were secured by u-haul, and the drivers area IS screened off. No exit was available. Ambient temp was 80 degrees f. Estimated inside temp was 100 degrees plus. U-haul has not responded, however they did charge me for the damage to their vehickle. The point here IS not the money involved, but the safety issue. The interior IS not high enough to stand up in, the windows are to high to lay on your back and kick out, and without a tool or other means to break out the window, any person traped inside the cargo area could not get out.
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
On september 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 ford vehicles with triton V-8 and V-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or ejected from the engine.as of december 8, 2005, odi IS not aware of any allegations where the alleged defect resulted in a loss of vehicle control, a crash, an injury, or a fatality in any of the 10,319,810 subject vehicles.in addition, odi IS aware of only two incidents where the vehicle stalled without restart.information contained in the odi consumer complaints and obtained from 72 telephone interviews with complainants showed the following:(1) 99% of the complaints were on my 1997 to 2002 subject vehicles.(2) most the complainants reported hearing a loud pop while driving or upon starting up the vehicle followed by a loud, repetitive clicking or popping sound.(3) many of the complainants reported that the popping sound was accompanied by some loss of vehicle power; however, in 99% of the incidents reported, the vehicle did not stall.in the very few incidents where the vehicle did stall, most vehicles could be restarted.(4) only a small percentage of the complainants cited that they smelled gas or a slight burning smell when the incident occurred.(5) in all but a very few incidents, vehicle damage was limited to the engine.in one incident, the complaint reported that the fuel rail was damaged and replaced after one of the spark plugs ejected from the engine; however, the complainant reported that the damage did not result in any type of fuel leak or fire.in another incident, the only incident where a fire was alleged, the complainant reported that no fluid leak was observed, but that a fire resulted after the spark plug had ejected from the engine and he had restarted the vehicle and driven to another location.none of the complainants reported any damage to the vehicle hood.(6) only two complainants reported that they observed what appeared to be some drops of fuel coming from the cylinder where the spark plug had failed or on the spark plug itself; however, each of these complainants reported that there was no smoke or flames as a result of his incident.as the petitioner noted, and odi?s analysis showed, it IS possible for a spark plug to detach from the engine cylinder threads in the subject vehicles.however, odi?s analysis of 474 complaints describing such incidents found only a very few alleged any safety-related consequences.none of these showed any evidence of a serious safety consequence.given the large population and relatively long exposure time of the subject vehicles, the complaint analysis indicates that the risk to motor vehicle safety from the alleged defect IS very low.in view of the foregoing, it IS unlikely that nhtsa would issue an order for the notification and remedy of the alleged defect at the conclusion of the investigation requested in the petition.therefore, in view of the need to allocate and prioritize nhtsa?s limited resources to best accomplish the agency?s safety mission, the petition IS denied.
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.