Hey all, so im lookin to buy a new rig here this spring and i dig the 04-08 f150's! I had an 01 f150 supercab that i drove about 4 years but got rid of it a couple years back. It had a nice lift/35's etc.. But my buddy was telling me from 04 to 09 the 5.4 triton wasnt any good and has alot of issues with the heads and plugs.. Is this a known issue or is this guy blowin smoke??!. Also id like to be able to work on the rig myself as i did on my previous f150.. Are these models simple to work on myself? I would prob put a lift on my new rig too and i do alot of hunting etc. How do you think they compare to the 97-03 f150's Thank you for your time and any input is appreciated!! Cheers..

 

Some have had issues with the 3v 5.4, some have not. Since you'd be buying used, you really don't know how the previous owner maintained the truck so you can't be sure of what you'll end up with. The 2008 seems to have the least amount of issues.

If it were new, yeah I'd say go for the 5.4. But used, I'd personally pick the 2v 4.6.

 

Use the search button to research the issues with the plugs. Removing the plugs the first time can be a problem if you don't follow the example of those that are successful in removing them. It became a minor problem as the word got around. My favorite truck was my 2005 5.4. I would not hesitate to buy one that has been maintained properly and checks out good.

 

Hunter,

I'm running a 08 STX with the 4.6 V8 that just rolled over 228K yesterday. My friend and I are in Nashville today from northern MS, so I'm not scared to take her off on hours long trips. Personally, I'd stick with a truck running the 4.6 because I don't need the 5.4 for towing etc but if you do need the bigger engine, go with the 08 like XL said above.

Just browse the forum and if you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask

 

2005 had fuel injector problems also, and that warranty expires this year. They would freeze open and hydrolock the engine...(at worst) mine blew out the cats and put a lot of raw fuel in the cylinder....Still love my truck. By the way Ford would not replace all injectors when one failed, only the failed one. This happened twice to me and cost the cats both times. When warranty is up I am going to change the other 6 injectors.

 

Thanks for your guys input. I never thought about going with the 4.6 just because the 5.4 in 01 scab was so bulletproof i felt. But really i dont tow anything except maybe a quad trailer. Might end up getn a small camp trailer but nothin too big.. Ill keep an open mind on the 4.6 then! Thanks. Personally if i could find one i wouldnt mind get a 01-03 screw with the 5.4 in it.. Im gonna start lookin this weekend

 

Honestly? If you can find a clean relatively low mile 01-03 I feel it's a better truck than a 04-08, even though it's smaller, lighter, and comparatively technologically obsolete. With that said, there are a lot of satisfied owners of 04-08 trucks, even with the 5.4.

Now - if your wallet can handle it, in 2011 the entire engine range was replaced, the 4.6 and 5.4 Tritons were discontinued and replaced with a 3.7 V6, a 5.0 Coyote V8, and a 3.5 V6 Ecoboost. The 5.0 is the Mustang engine and has a very good reputation.

 

Well, I hate to disagree with some here, but my 2005 F-150 XLT 4x4 with the 5.4 was the both the best looking truck and the biggest pile of crap I ever owned. The problems began with less than 500 miles on the truck and the Cam Phasers having to be completely replaced. I could go on and on about things that went wrong like wheel bearings and power steering hoses, 4x4 solenoids, ESOF motors, the Fuel Pump Driver Module and more - all before 60,000 miles. (And most just out of warranty.) Yea, it was bad. In fact my local Ford dealer went out of his way to get me into a 2010 to keep me from defecting to another brand. If you look at Ford's own internal Quality data though, it clearly shows that they bottomed out in 2005 and have been getting better ever since.

If you really like the 2004-2008 styling, go for a 2007 or 2008. They'd ironed out a lot of the problems I'd had by then. Just my 2 cents.

 

This has been an interesting thread! I bought my previous truck, a 2005 King Ranch 5.4L 4x4 SCrew from the previous owner in a private sale in the spring of 2007. It had about 43000 miles on it then. I traded it in for my current truck at the end of April last year (2015) and it had about 95000 miles on it. The mileage was mostly towing miles pulling our 3500# travel trailer, although there were a couple long distance trips where I didn't pull anything.

It pulled that trailer over high (11,000+ ft) Rocky Mountain passes several times. If I was towing, I'd do my best to maintain 65 mph up or down hill, and it would be doing the steep climbs in 2nd gear, with the transmission temperature moving up to around 225 degrees. I once pulled the trailer up a 6 mile 13% grade in southern Utah, and had to do that one in 1st gear (and at a lower speed). If I wasn't towing, I'd drive at or slightly above the speed limit (which on Interstates out here is 75 mph).

That truck had absolutely zero (0) problems. I DID have it serviced at a dealership at the recommended intervals and I would say my driving style was not terribly abusive. But, if it was not towing or on a long distance trip, it was hauling heavy stuff in the bed. The truck was used as a truck.

I never used anything except regular gas (87 octane), but it was custom tuned by Bill Cohron at Power Hungry Performance, both for towing and for economy when not towing.

So, I suspect the reliability of a vehicle may just be "luck of the draw", unless the vehicle is put under unusual stress. Personally, I consider the 04-08 models to be very reliable.

- Jack

 

Yeah i think im gonna switch gears n narrow my search to an 01-03 screw or a 07-08.. I could prob afford a 2011 but honestly i dont want that new of a truck! I spend alot of time in the woods and outdoors in general! I dont wanna get a scratch or maybe a small ding in my fender n b worried about it! I wouldnt feel so bad with an older rig! Specialy a 01-03, problem is findin one with low miles! On top of that i want/need one with the front bench seat that seats 6!. Thanks again for your time and input

 

Glad to hear you had good luck. Unfortunately, my experience was quite different from yours. Worse yet, I maintain the hell out of all of my vehicles and pretty much baby them. So there was no way anybody could say I abused the truck either.

To prove how bad the truck was, my dealer didn't even put it on the lot when I traded it in. It went straight to auction. Apparently they didn't want to deal with all sorts of used vehicle warranty complaints on it given how bad it had been for the first 60,000 miles. Sad, it was a great looking truck.

 

It's really strange how some can be a lemon, one thing after another, when the next one is perfect. I put 135,000 on my 2005, with no problems except for two window regulators. 85,000 on my 2011 and 30,000 on my 2014. Mouthing but oil changes tires and wiper blades.

 

Sorry for your unhappy experience, and please don't think I was saying you abused it. I wasn't. I know some vehicles can be lemons - my Sister had one once (not a Ford).

But, the way some guys on this forum treat their trucks makes me wonder what they are thinking. It's painful to read about or watch on UTube.

- Jack

 

While I'm a relatively new F150 owner, I took a chance on a higher mileage 05 and after about 6 weeks of ownership I love it the more I drive it. The previous owner had it since new, wasn't abusive, and although had no records to show it claimed he always had it serviced at the local dealer and never had a single issue. The transmission started going out at 145k and he had it rebuilt before it completely failed, thst being the one and only issue he had with it. It has zero leaks, zero rust (California truck ) and visibly you can tell he maintained it. Cam phasers make noise at warm idle, and while it's slightly annoying I can live with it personally until I decide to tackle that. The guy absolutely loved the truck, commuted 7+ hours regularly with it for half its life, and was having strong second thoughts about selling it when I went to pick it up. I can understand why, it's an awesome truck!

My assumption was that I was going to run into issues with any truck of any year especially with the budget I was working with and the mileage that most trucks in my budget had. It seems as if the 05 I picked up just happened to not get jinxed with a lot of the issues the 04-05 trucks were plagued with.

 

My 04 5.4 has been great to me since I bought it with 96K. It now has 165K and runs great. I think some work is coming down the road to me but as with any vehicle that is 12 years old they will need some work eventually. The 5.4's are great motors but can be hit or miss, just the luck of the draw with any used vehicle really. My truck still looks great for how old it is and is starting to show her age but I plan to keep up and ahead with maintenance and regular cleaning and keep it till it wont run anymore, hopefully many years from now.

Another thing to keep in mind; how many thousands and thousands of the 04-08 F150's did Ford make? A lot! While you search these boards and see many topics about many different problems keep in mind that while it may seem like a lot I'm sure there are more trucks out there that haven't had any issues. It is common for the "squeaky wheels" to drown out the rest of the normally functioning machine, if you know what I mean. ;-)