MYRModel Year Report

2004 Ford F-150

■ Significantly worse — known issue year
2004 Ford F-150
BUILT 2026-10-10

This year had more than double the complaints of this model's typical year.

This verdict reflects complaint volume compared to this model's typical year. Recalls and safety issues below apply regardless of the verdict — always check them.

How is this computed?

Complaints
2,029
Recalls
16

Campaigns on file for 2004

Investigations
4

Opened by NHTSA

Top problem
Visibility

42% of complaints

Complaints per year

1984: 2 complaints 1984 1987: 2 complaints 1989: 14 complaints 1990: 21 complaints 1991: 306 complaints 1992: 479 complaints 1992 1993: 588 complaints 1994: 700 complaints 1995: 626 complaints 1996: 324 complaints 1997: 2,758 complaints 1997 1998: 1,381 complaints 1999: 1,044 complaints 2000: 1,076 complaints 2001: 1,236 complaints 2002: 821 complaints 2003: 423 complaints 2004: 2,029 complaints 2004 2,029 2005: 1,112 complaints 2006: 585 complaints 2007: 488 complaints 2008: 369 complaints 2009: 324 complaints 2010: 843 complaints 2011: 2,188 complaints 2012: 1,781 complaints 2012 2013: 2,987 complaints 2014: 1,532 complaints 2015: 1,711 complaints 2016: 2,054 complaints 2017: 1,438 complaints 2017 2018: 2,307 complaints 2019: 1,325 complaints 2020: 732 complaints 2021: 1,014 complaints 2022: 592 complaints 2022 2023: 408 complaints 2024: 191 complaints 2025: 105 complaints 2026: 10 complaints 2027: 0 complaints 2027
1984: 2 complaints 1984 1987: 2 complaints 1989: 14 complaints 1990: 21 complaints 1990 1991: 306 complaints 1992: 479 complaints 1993: 588 complaints 1993 1994: 700 complaints 1995: 626 complaints 1996: 324 complaints 1996 1997: 2,758 complaints 1998: 1,381 complaints 1999: 1,044 complaints 1999 2000: 1,076 complaints 2001: 1,236 complaints 2002: 821 complaints 2003: 423 complaints 2004: 2,029 complaints 2004 2,029 2005: 1,112 complaints 2006: 585 complaints 2007: 488 complaints 2008: 369 complaints 2008 2009: 324 complaints 2010: 843 complaints 2011: 2,188 complaints 2011 2012: 1,781 complaints 2013: 2,987 complaints 2014: 1,532 complaints 2014 2015: 1,711 complaints 2016: 2,054 complaints 2017: 1,438 complaints 2017 2018: 2,307 complaints 2019: 1,325 complaints 2020: 732 complaints 2020 2021: 1,014 complaints 2022: 592 complaints 2023: 408 complaints 2023 2024: 191 complaints 2025: 105 complaints 2026: 10 complaints 2026 2027: 0 complaints
1984: 2 complaints 1984 1987: 2 complaints 1989: 14 complaints 1989 1990: 21 complaints 1991: 306 complaints 1991 1992: 479 complaints 1993: 588 complaints 1993 1994: 700 complaints 1995: 626 complaints 1995 1996: 324 complaints 1997: 2,758 complaints 1997 1998: 1,381 complaints 1999: 1,044 complaints 1999 2000: 1,076 complaints 2001: 1,236 complaints 2001 2002: 821 complaints 2003: 423 complaints 2004: 2,029 complaints 2004 2,029 2005: 1,112 complaints 2006: 585 complaints 2007: 488 complaints 2007 2008: 369 complaints 2009: 324 complaints 2009 2010: 843 complaints 2011: 2,188 complaints 2011 2012: 1,781 complaints 2013: 2,987 complaints 2013 2014: 1,532 complaints 2015: 1,711 complaints 2015 2016: 2,054 complaints 2017: 1,438 complaints 2017 2018: 2,307 complaints 2019: 1,325 complaints 2019 2020: 732 complaints 2021: 1,014 complaints 2021 2022: 592 complaints 2023: 408 complaints 2023 2024: 191 complaints 2025: 105 complaints 2025 2026: 10 complaints 2027: 0 complaints 2027

2004: 2,029 complaints

View as data table
YearComplaints
19842
19872
198914
199021
1991306
1992479
1993588
1994700
1995626
1996324
19972,758
19981,381
19991,044
20001,076
20011,236
2002821
2003423
20042,029
20051,112
2006585
2007488
2008369
2009324
2010843
20112,188
20121,781
20132,987
20141,532
20151,711
20162,054
20171,438
20182,307
20191,325
2020732
20211,014
2022592
2023408
2024191
2025105
202610
20270

Known problem areas

Percentages can add to more than 100% — a complaint can name more than one system.

Visibility

42% · 849 reports

Most commonly citing power window devices and controls and glass, side/rear.

CRASHINJURY

Power train

12% · 245 reports

Most commonly citing automatic transmission and driveline.

CRASHFIREINJURY

Engine and engine cooling

8% · 170 reports

Most commonly citing engine and gasoline.

CRASHFIREINJURY
Show complaint excerpts

Vehicle had been driven earlier that morning. While parked in the rear of the home the vehicle caught on fire in the motor area. It started about 20 min after being parked. There was also damage to the house.

NHTSA ODI report, 2012-06-17

Service brakes

7% · 132 reports

Most commonly citing hydraulic and air.

CRASHFIREINJURY

Suspension

6% · 121 reports

Most commonly citing front and rear.

CRASHINJURY

Safety timeline

16 recalls · 4 investigations · oldest first

To check one car, enter its VIN on the NHTSA recall page. Check a VIN →

  1. ▮
    2004Complaint volume 2,029 complaints filed for this model year.
  2. R
    2004-05-06Fuel system, gasoline04V200000 Certain pickup trucks may have a fuel tank with localized depressions in the fuel tank wall at the seam between top and bottom halves of the tank. If a depression is large enough, fuel may permeate…

    Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel tank on these vehicles. Owner notification began on May 6, 2004. Owners should contact Ford at 1-800-248-0186.

    Check if this car was fixed →

  3. R
    2004-09-17Fuel system, gasoline04V443000 On certain trucks equipped with 4.2L, 4.6L and 5.4L gasoline engines, the fuel tank may have a depression at the seam between the top and bottom halves of the tank. If a depression is large…

    Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel tank. The recall began September 17, 2004. Owners should contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673.

    Check if this car was fixed →

  4. I
    2005-09-22Defect petitionClosed 2006-01-04 Spark plug ejection from cylinder head
  5. R
    2006-05-09Exterior lighting06E023000 Certain anzo combination headlamp assemblies sold as replacement lamps for use on certain passenger vehicles. Some combination lamps are not equipped with amber side reflectors which fail to…

    Remedy: Anzo will notify owners and replace the headlamps free of charge. The recall began May 9, 2006. Owners may contact anzo USA at 909-468-3688.

    Check if this car was fixed →

  6. R
    2006-06-14Exterior lighting06E052000 Certain eagle eyes headlamps, p/nos. Fr208-B101R, FR208-B101L, FR208-B001R, and FR208-B001L, sold for use as replacement equipment for the passenger vehicles listed above. These headlamps fail to…

    Remedy: Sabry lee will notify owners and offer full credit for any noncompliant headlamp. The recall is expected to begin on June 14, 2006. Owners may contact sabry lee account executive at 1-866-467-2279.

    Check if this car was fixed →

  7. R
    2006-08-01Exterior lighting06E060000 Certain aai motorsports combination lamps sold as replacement lamps for use on the above list passenger vehicles. Combination lamps not equipped with amber side reflectors fail to conform with the…

    Remedy: Aai motorsports will notify owners and replace the lamps free of charge. The recall began on August 1, 2006. Owners may contact aai motorsports at 909-923-9188.

    Check if this car was fixed →

  8. R
    2006-08-04Fuel system, gasoline06E056000 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…

    Remedy: 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.

    Check if this car was fixed →

  9. R
    2007-08-13Vehicle speed control07V336000 On certain pickup trucks, passenger vehicles, sport utility vehicles, and motor homes chassis, the speed control deactivation switch may, under certain conditions, leak internally and then overheat…

    Remedy: Dealers will install a fused wiring harness. Owners of the passenger cars included in this campaign will be instructed to return their vehicles to their dealers to have the speed control…

    Check if this car was fixed →

  10. R
    2007-09-05Equipment07E066000 Certain cequent 90 degree 7-way right angle adaptors sold by distributors in tow packages for aftermarket sales to tow 5TH wheel rv travel trailers. Due to incorrect wiring of the harness, the…

    Remedy: All of the defective tow packages are still at the distributor level and have not been sold to any consumers.

    Check if this car was fixed →

  11. R
    2007-11-06Exterior lighting07E075000 Certain eagle eyes headlamp assemblies, p/nos. Fr390-B001L and FR390-B001R, sold for use as replacement equipment for the above listed passenger vehicles. The thickness is unstable inhibiting the…

    Remedy: Eagle eyes will notify owners and offer reimbursement for any noncompliant headlights. The recall began on November 6, 2007. Owners may contact eagle eyes at 1-800-568-1098.

    Check if this car was fixed →

  12. R
    2007-11-21Exterior lighting07E089000 Certain spyder headlamp replacement assemblies sold for use on 2004 through 2007 Ford F150 pickup trucks. During production, the headlamps were internally misaligned and they fail the photometry…

    Remedy: Spyder will notify owners and offer a full reimbursement for any noncompliant headlamps. The recall is expected to begin during November 2007. Owners can contact spyder at 866-558-4264.

    Check if this car was fixed →

  13. R
    2007-12-14Exterior lighting07E080000 Certain headlamp assemblies imported and sold as aftermarket equipment by sonar auto parts for use on 2004-2007 Ford F150 pickup trucks. During production, the headlamps were internally misaligned…

    Remedy: Sonar will notify owners and offer a full reimbursement for any noncompliant headlamps. The recall began on December 14, 2007. Owners can contact sonar at 866-558-4264.

    Check if this car was fixed →

  14. I
    2008-10-31Preliminary evaluationClosed 2009-02-27 Cng regulator leak
  15. R
    2009-05-11Exterior lighting09E012000 Sabersport is recalling 16,270 combination corner and bumper lamp assemblies of various part numbers sold for use as aftermarket equipment for various passenger vehicles. These headlamps fail to…

    Remedy: Sabersport will notify owners and offer a full refund for the noncompliant combination lamps. The safety recall began on May 11, 2009. Owners may contact sabersport at 1-909-598-7589.

    Check if this car was fixed →

  16. R
    2009-07-28Exterior lighting09E025000 Dope, inc. Is recalling 42,540 combination corner and bumper lamp assemblies of various part numbers sold for use as aftermarket equipment for various passenger vehicles. These headlamps fail to…

    Remedy: Dope, inc. Will notify owners and offer a full refund for the noncompliant combination lamps. The safety recall began on July 28, 2009. Owners may contact dope, inc. At 1-626-272-1798.

    Check if this car was fixed →

  17. I
    2010-01-13Engineering analysisClosed 2011-04-25 Inadvertent airbag deployment
  18. R
    2011-03-23Air bags11V107000 Ford is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 F-150 pick up trucks as well as certain model year 2006 Lincoln mark lt vehicles. If the clockspring jumper wire comes in contact with the driver side…

    Remedy: Ford will notify owners and instruct them to take their vehicles to a Ford or Lincoln/Mercury dealer to have a new clockspring jumper wire installed that incorporates a protective mesh cover.…

    Check if this car was fixed →

  19. I
    2011-05-04Engineering analysisClosed 2011-08-19 Fuel Tank Strap Failure Due to Corrosion
  20. R
    2011-09-12Fuel system, gasoline11V385000 Ford is recalling certain 1997 through 2003 model year Ford F-150, 2004 model year Ford F-150 heritage, 1997 through 1999 model year f-250 less than 8,500 lbs. Gross vehicle weight rating (Gvwr)…

    Remedy: Ford will notify owners and instruct them to take their vehicles to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to have the fuel tank straps replaced with straps that have increased corrosion protection. Early in…

    Check if this car was fixed →

  21. R
    Date not on fileExterior lighting06E064000 Certain tradesonic combination lamps sold as replacement lamps for use on the above listed passenger vehicles.

    Remedy: Tradesonic will notify owners and replace the lamps free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during July 2006. Owners may contact tradesonic at 626-934-8884.

    Check if this car was fixed →

Buy-smart checklist

2004 Ford F-150 — pre-purchase inspection

Inspect

  • Visibility: 849 reports on file for this year.
  • Power train: 245 reports on file for this year.
  • Engine and engine cooling: 170 reports on file for this year.

Verify these recalls were completed

  • Recall 06E064000 · Exterior lighting
  • Recall 04V200000 · Fuel system, gasoline
  • Recall 04V443000 · Fuel system, gasoline
  • Recall 06E023000 · Exterior lighting
  • Recall 06E052000 · Exterior lighting
  • Recall 06E060000 · Exterior lighting
  • Recall 06E056000 · Fuel system, gasoline
  • Recall 07V336000 · Vehicle speed control
  • Recall 07E066000 · Equipment
  • Recall 07E075000 · Exterior lighting
  • Recall 07E089000 · Exterior lighting
  • Recall 07E080000 · Exterior lighting
  • Recall 09E012000 · Exterior lighting
  • Recall 09E025000 · Exterior lighting
  • Recall 11V107000 · Air bags
  • Recall 11V385000 · Fuel system, gasoline
Inspected by ______________ Date ______________

Other years of this model

See all years ranked →

Best years3 years

Worst years3 years

FAQ

Is the 2004 Ford F-150 reliable?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume compared to this model's typical year, the 2004 Ford F-150 is rated "significantly worse".
What are the most common problems with the 2004 Ford F-150?
The most-reported component is visibility, accounting for 42% of complaints on file.
How many recalls does the 2004 Ford F-150 have?
16 recalls on file for this model year.

Data updated 2026-10-09 · Complaints are unverified owner reports filed with NHTSA, not independently verified defects. Methodology.