do you have a bug shield? If so, there are posts for a very simple fix on this. I did it to mine and worked perfectly.

just hit 72,000.

the driver side door wont lock/unlock with remote anymore (bad actuator?)
3rd brake light leak
power window light fade (no biggie)
wore out upper balljoints with leveling kit
used to have wheel shimmy with 20's, now i have 33's on 17's with no shimmy
no noise complaints, but i have a magnaflow muffler so i cant hear much anyway lol

pretty reliable truck.

***drove home after being rearended by a car doing 45+ when i was stopped. other car was totaled. super strong rear bumper setup on these trucks :rocker:

Issues
 

Mine has been pretty good. 75K

-Window motor died when it was raining.
-The Ford stickers came off on all of the hubcaps .
-Driver and Pwr moonroof switch lights stopped working.
-Auto start and alarm had a loose connection, fixed free after warrenty was gone.
-Brake pad and rotors, the rims are no longer black after a week of driving. 8)
-Serpentine belt was making squeel, they replaced it under warranty.
-Rattling headliner, drove me nuts. Not covered under warranty, paid for it to be glued up.
-Pad thing.

All pretty much minor, love my truck. I just bought an Audiophile and sub from eBay. Looking forward to puttting that in.

2004 Ford F150 4x4 Lariat
32's with 17" custom rims. (got rid of the 18s)
KN air intake.
Spray bedliner.
MagnaFlow muffler w/ 3" pipes. Lovely sound, not duo's but nice.

I just bought my 2004 F150 Scab 2WD last month. I picked it up on the 25th with 24900 miles on it.

So far so good. You guys are scaring me a little bit, though. I traded in a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee on it, and was glad to do it.

I love this truck, it has the XLT package, and is absolutely beautiful!

I just added the P.I.E. adaptor for iPod and XM aux input, and that's working great. Also I dropped in a K & N air filter, we'll see how that affects the MPG, which isn't too good right now.

Next up is a tonneau cover to try to help the MPG.

So far, a great truck.

Don't be scared off by the stuff your reading here. Your F150 is built rock solid and will give many years of service. Anything mass produced will have issues, the majority of which are typically minor stuff that can be easily fixed. I was concerned about my warranty running out last July because of all the things that were fixed on Ford's dime. I have to say that all the quirks are fixed and my '04 hasn't been in for anything more then oil changes during the last 7 months. Drive your F150 with confidence and use it for what it was intended. It'll take whatever you dish out and come back for more.:thumbsup:

Not me, man, I don't scare easy. :lol:

I love the truck so far, and all of the quirks mentioned above don't really sound as bad as Chryslers I've had over the years. I could go on for days about the Jeep I just traded in, but why bother? It's gone, and that's that.

Glad to be back driving a Ford. In the past I've had a Ford Aerostar and a Mercury Sable LS. Both were excellent vehicles, I'm not sure why I didn't stick with Ford.

Good stuff!:thumbsup: Now go thrash that Ford!:lol:

Mine is holding up strong! I've had a lot of vehicles in my lifetime never really held on to anything more than 2 years but I fell in love with my 04 FX4 and still drive it today :thumbsup:

45000 miles and my left rear brake caliper needed replaced a week ago. Other than that it's been pretty solid.

mikebaby

Hi, I just read all 12 pages. A lot of info on things I'll keep an eye out for.
Overall, I love my truck, handles great, decent power, great breaking ability, looks great.
My only issue i'm scared about is the vibration that I have.
Only vibrates at 3k and above rpms, like if i'm at a stop and punch it, or go to pass someone, and it shakes pretty violently. The shop I brought it to said it's normal. Well, it may be normal for Fords but I don't think it's "normal" in general, and I feel something is def wrong.
After reading about all the people that had rear ends replaced, new drive shafts, clutch packs, etc... i'm pretty scared to find the problem. I just hit 100,000 miles, no extended warranty. So it'll be all out of pocket.
It is in the shop as we speak, the front left wheel bearing just went out, front right axle seal went out, i think the pully on the fan belt is out also, and then they just told me my battery won't keep charge all of the sudden.
Only other work i had done was this past summer. The A/C stopped, it was a short, they put a new wire in, re charged it, and it' ice cold now...

I bought my truck from a DLR auction, it was a Walmart parts deliver truck in MN, so that is why it has so many miles. My question is, is there a way to find out if i had been in to the dlr for warranty repairs before, so that i can see if they ever did any rear end work, drive shafts, etc...
Thaks for your time.

^ nope... you can try asking for any paperwork to show a regular maintenance schedule.

You can call and ask if any of those things have been replaced, most places keep a record and will be upfront and honest with you.

*They do not have to tell you. They do not have to provide you the paper work to prove it. And they do not have to use those "CARFAX" reports.

Its worth a try to look around.

Thanks for the info :thumbsup:
when you say i can try asking for any paperwork to show maintenance, do you mean, call ford and ask them? or try to get a hold of walmart and ask them? I'm assuming since this was a company veh, that they kept the regular maintanance up fairly well, it had pretty much brand new tires on it and last oil change sticker, all walmart stuff.

and are you saying, if ford does work they don't have to report it to carfax like if it were in an accident? and that ford never has to tell me if there were things replaced in house...
Thanks again for the info and help.

State laws are different. They are called "disclosure laws".

Around here, nope they don't have to tell you chit about the truck. Foundout mine suffered rear passenger fender damage during transport. I found out WAY later dow the road ! They did a cheap-o job tryingto fix it too... I have re-done their Fu(k up tho

I would call Wally World to see if they have some records and if they would be willing to help you out (don't be surprised to hear some excuse tho).
Yeah, you can call Ford too (might as well, whats the harm ?) see if thye have any paper work on it.

Thanks for the advice and info, I'll try giving both a call and see if it turns up any dirt.
I might have another way to get some info but i cant' say how, lol.
It turned up some great dirt last time i test drove a car, I thought it felt like it needed an alignment, and asked if it had been in a wreck ever, they said no. I called a friend , found out it had been hit front left and front right...maybe he can give me a little back ground on mine...Thanks again for your time and help. i really appreciate it.

I have a 04 and has 39k. I have 35" tires and a 2.5 level on it. All good except the rear windos motors installed 2 already. Everything else is in good shape.

I just ran a carfax, and it was in an accident before i owned it. air bags were deployed... infact it says 01/19/06, and i bought it in 04/20/07,


Minnesota
Police Report
Case #
Accident reported
in Stearns County
Involving a front impact
with another motor vehicle
Severe damage reported
Front airbag deployed

56,000 miles, 05....

I have had Many Many Warranty problems (maybe 12 things fixed under warranty). The last two problems have been non-warranty and really did convince me that Ford Quality means nothing....These problems were:

1) Trasmission light went out (the one that lights up and tells you your in Drive, 1st, 2nd etc.)

2) The whole driver side window switch panel went out and had to be replaced.

These are trivial things but the fact that the small Ford dealer I had the work done at actually had the repair parts in stock shocked me. Makes you wonder how common these two problems are in our trucks.....

What the heck??? There's something supposed to light up and tell you if you're in D, R, 1, 2, etc??? Where the heck is that supposed to be? I've always wondered why at night you can't tell what gear you're in.:eek: Maybe mine never worked from Day 1? I'd love to see this gauge in a pic so I can believe it exists. Damn, that is whack. I knew Ford couldn't be that forgetful.

why? having parts in stock apparently means bad QA :confused:

your truck is about 3, but more likely 4 yrs old, that area is commonly subjected to rain and is probably the most commonly used set of switches on any vehicle besides the radio button...

My truck has been good, a few warranty issues during the first 2 years.
Clutch Paks replaced
Battery replaced
Drivers seat cover replaced
Gas tank door replaced

Thats it, hope it stays that way.

60k and mine runs perfect:banana: :beers: :banana:

I believe he means the light that comes on with the headlights to illuminate the gear positions at night.

I'm trying to recall if I ever saw that in mine. Maybe it's always been broken? Are the numbers next to the center console shifter supposed to light up? Cause mine don't. Or is there supposed to be something in the dash display that's supposed to be there? I always thought it was weird that Ford would design a truck with no way to tell what gear you're in at night. Maybe mine's been busted since the factory delivery to me on day 1. :cool:

There's nothing on the dash to show what gear your in unless you have a column shifter. The floor shifter has a light that illuminates with the dash lights to show the gear positions. I would say the bulb in yours has been burnt out or even missing since you got it.

I have almost 62K, and no major problems yet.

Minor problems...

I have the burnt out LED on one of the window operator buttons that it seems many people have.

I had the problem of my power rear window not operating for awhile, but the day I saw some rain water dripping INSIDE by the rear center window, I pulled the 3rd brake light, changed out the puny stock gasket with some serious weatherstripping, and haven't had any problems with the window or leaking since.

I have the "ghost whine" still when it's colder than say, 35F, and the rpm's are between 1500 and 1650. Never have heard of anyone being able to solve that one. Coincidentally, our new 08 F350's at work with the V10 has the same noise in the cold.

Otherwise, this has been a FANTASTIC truck. It's a good thing too, because I really don't care for the new front ends on the 09s. If my 04 craps on me during the life of the new body style, I will either replace the motor completely in the 04, or buy the new style Dodge with a diesel. I'm not much on Dodge, but I really think they have the best looker now, and you can't go wrong with the Cummins.

ya... the same thing happened to me... the light went out and i could not remember if it had a light in the first place.... i figured it HAD to so i took it in and they put a new light bulb in........

Actually its a couple months shy of being 3 years old.....

I can only compare it to previous new vehicles that i bought before as they never had either of those 2 problems or as many total problems....

96 Honda Civic 2 Door (New - 60,000 miles) Exactly 1 warranty repair, one of the headlights was allowing condensation to get in it.....

2000 Nissan Xterra (New - 100,000 miles) Exactly 1 warranty repair, replaced top plastic basket that sits on top of the sun roof due to excessive wind noise.

2005 Ford F-150 (New - Now (56,000 Miles)
* Slip yoke replaced due to clunk/kick during shifting from 1st to 2nd
* Read power slider window adjusted due to rattling (still a problem)
* Bumping coming from roof, some foam block inserted
* Right driver side window pilar plastic replaced due to warping
* Side F-150 badges replaced due to black paint falling off
* Famous steering wheel nimble problem (still a problem)
* High beam went out, not the lights but the switch that turns them on
* Driver Door adjusted as it woud catch intermittanly when openeing it
* Floor shifter lights went out
* Driver window controls went out
* Now this injector 7 year exteneded warranty
* there were a few more i can't even remember.......

I mean, thats ALL i have to compare this vehicle with, the ones i had previously.. this is my first Truck, first Ford and first V8 vehicle......I can say my next vehicle won't be a Ford although i'm not saying i'll never give them another whirl down the line......just too many headaches... what a pain dropping your truck off and having to pick it up after work, getting a ride to and from and also for lunch with buddies etc... it's an all around pain in the arse to have to take a vehicle in for work, i'd rather do it less often.... which was what i was used to with my previous 2 vehicles....

67,000 Miles. Lariat 4x4 Supercab. Doing very well. Only real problem is the AC vents don't work right all the time. The flaps inside the blower box are getting stuck sometimes. Other than that, no problems I can think of. Still looks great and runs great.

Thanks guys. Thought I was going nuts thinking there should be a light to show the gears somewhere. I can't recall if mine ever lit up, perhaps it has always been busted since I got it or perhaps they plain forgot to put a bulb in there when they built it for me. Oh well, here's hoping I can get an '09. If not, someday I'll take her in for the engine whine and bulb (gears & driver's side). Maybe for the rear slider too, it only works once or twice a year. Won't do anything until I decide if I want to take the financial plunge on an '09 or not, prob sometime in May I guess by then I'll make up my mind. :p

2004 F150 Lariat SuperCrew 4x4, purchased in 8/04, now has 19,654 miles.

*Replaced 3rd Brake Light, 5 weeks ago, out of warranty, new one started leaking 1 week ago (waste of $85), so I put epoxy around it to seal it up. A common problem according to my Ford dealer service rep.

*Just replaced the Drivers side front Window regulator myself today ($154.00 part). Dealer wanted $365 to fix it. Out of warranty. I understand that the rest will be failing in short order according to what I have read.

*Truck has been making an occasional grinding noise for the last 6 months but goes away if I turn the 4x4 selector on and then off. Not good im sure!

Folks, Ive owned Toyota's, Honda's, Mitsubishi's, and one Subaru, and have never seen such poor quality in a vehicle. Ford should be ashamed, and yet they fail to stand behind their product when it is obvious that there are some common defects to these trucks. I don't want to offend, but some of you folks sound like Ford 'moonies' in your devotion to this flawed vehicle. Yes, it is an attractive looking truck however, I wish I had bought a Tundra back when I had the chance. I won't make that mistake again. Ford Quality...., Right.....:(

Bought mine new in 8/04 and it's been to the dealership once when i drivers side window motor went out



other than that..no problems at all


it's got 68k on it



edit, my f-150 emblem on my fender did fly off on me..only a $20 fix though lol

I don't want to turn this into a Tundra bashing thing because this thread has been going along pretty well. It kind of gets forgotten for awhile then it pops back up with some fresh info, then disappears again only to resurface a few months later.:beers:

Seriously though, have you read/heard about any of the quality issues with the Tundra? That truck has been coming apart at the seams since the first one left the factory. The first run of Tundras had camshaft problems, paint issues and dashes that were fading badly in the sun after only a few months, not to mention the tailgates that were/are buckling under as little as 200 lbs. More recently there's been driveline and differential issues. The worst part of the tailgate problem was Toyota wouldn't stand behind it. They were telling the owners that it was normal and to avoid putting anything heavy on the tailgate. That may have changed now, I don't know since I don't follow Toyota news (why would I?). You think the F150 is a poorly built truck? Please.:rolleyes:

If I understand correctly, you've had three issues come up with your Ford recently and that makes it a lousy truck. The problem with the 3rd brake light I'll give you, Ford could design a better seal to fix it for good, with the amount of trucks leaking water it should be done. Every manufacturer uses similar window regulators, it's one of those areas where they all try to save money. So it's not a problem you'll get away from no matter what truck you own. The noise from the front hubs is an issue that's common to any vehicle that uses a shift on the fly 4x4 system. The only solution is to replace it with something aftermarket, or convert it to manual.

90k Miles on mine, and other than gears that i have had done to the truck, Nothing factory has screwed up except the power window/door locks driverside will not illuminate at night.

Other than that.... trucks been a great investment, and we'll be in the family for a long time! I love my truck!

Excuses!! I have had power windows on trucks and cars for 20 years now (my 1994 Toyota Tacoma) and never had a problem, in fact, I had a 1987 Honda that I sold at 276,000 miles with no power window problems ever. I just gave my 1995 Mitsubishi Diamanti to my dad-in-law and it never has had any power window problems even at 216,000 miles. Oh, and my 1998 Mitsubhishi Montero with 151,000 miles on it does not have any power window problems either. Yet, my 2004 Ford F-150 with only 19,632 miles on it has window regulator problems. This is unacceptable on a darn near 40K truck (which I am still making payments on for one more year). Come on, why stick up for this truck? If American automakers are going to compete, they have to produce quality vehicles. This is NOT quality. Blind devotion to a particular brand is no substitue for rational logic. The Tundra may indeed have problems, I don't know since I did not buy one. However, Ford has been making their trucks forever and should have it down by now. By the way, my first car in my life was an old 1959 Ford F-100 that I bought for $900 right before my Senior year in High School back in 1984. Now that was a great truck! It was my fond memories of that truck that led me to buy my current truck the year before my High School 20 year reunion. I guess I am a sucker for sentimentality. I don't wish to get into a pee-pee match with anyone but I am going to call a spade a spade when I see one.

Boy, talk about being stuck in the past!:rolleyes: I'm not talking about how things were built 10, 15 or 20 years ago, I'm talking about the here and now. When it comes to the manufacturers trying to save money, things like window regulators are one of the first places they'll do it. As I've already said, on TODAY'S vehicles it's not a problem you'll get away from.:coffee:

Good and Reliable for Me
 

2004 XLT Screw 4x4 117,000 Miles
2" Leveling Kit
Firestone Air Bags
33x12.50R17 Mastercraft Courser C/T(Getting Ready for Second Set first set has 60k miles on them and not even close to bald great tires!!)

-Change brake pads often but I tow heavy trailers(4k-8k lbs) a lot
-New Rotors @ 99k
-Started Clunking recently when I let off the gas and coast then get back on the throttle. From what i read here i need to get the slip yoke lubed.( If anyone has another solution please let me know)
-Has a rough idle periodicaly
-Gets an avg mpg of 14( better than 8-10mpg from my old 01 F250 SD ext cab W/ v10 which is still in my fleet @275k)

All around i am very pleased with the truck. I am a contractor and i don't baby this truck one bit. I plan on driving it until about 200-250k. It still drives great and pulls great for a 1/2 ton. I drive a lot and the truck has never let me down. I have 80 gal of diesel and 3full tool boxes in bed and its no mustang but has plenty of get up and go when i need it.

2004 STX, bought it with 28K Jan 2007, now have 65,000 on it

-2 New cowl panels, never fixed, had to drill hole and put screw in
-Leaking conduit under hood leaking water into cab, fried fusebox and pad under carpet, was not found by one dealer, had to take it to another
-Leaking 3rd brake light
-faulty elbow on a/c condenser, leaked water all over floor when a/c was on
-2 ball joints
-2 sets of rotors and carquest blue pads
-aftermarket thermostat installed by dealer led to a 3 week fiasco with overheating, but got 2 free coolant flushes, a tranny flush, and my a/c recharged for free
-Faulty Airbag sensor---$300 was not happy

besides those simple problems I love the truck, no rattles or anything, runs and drives great, ive gotten as good as 20mpg on the highway too with a leveler and 33's

My father had a 1986 Continental with 376,000 miles, no power window problems, no engine problems, basically no problems at all. He now drives a 1994 Grand Marquis, it's had zero repairs, just maintenance and wear items, it's got 220,000 on it and still gets 29 MPG on the highway. My 2000 Taurus has had a squeaky CAM sensor in it's eight year life, that's it, The 93 Ranger I owned prior to my F150 was 11 years old with 120k on it when I got rid of it, still had the original hoses, belt and battery when I traded it. That winter saw a week of -14 degree mornings, and that battery started that Ranger every day.. Didn't put a nickel in it for the first eight years. I know people with Toyotas and Hondas that have problems. My ex-wife got rid of the 88 Couger I gave her because it had an incurable, intermittent rolling idle. She traded it for a Camry, which ended up with (hold on) an incurable, intermittent rolling idle. Basically, they all make good vehicles, with a few mistakes in the mix, and they all have good and bad dealers. Just because you got a bad F150 doesn't make them all bad, mine is fine.

This is an F-150 forum, were you expecting people here that do not love their trucks?