bought my truck in april with 60k on it.. it now has 70k and have had nothing break so far (Knock on wood). The only issue im worried about is changing the plugs. the trans/drivetrain still feels like a new truck (test drove low milage 08s and new 09's)

 

mY list is similar to yours... 05 5.4l xlt 4x4....

2 rotors, 2 sets of brakes, 2 coils, 1 blown injector, and its at the stealer now for my hood latch.. cant get the hood open... oh .. leaky 3rd light.. . fixed.. replaced the front window contoler twice, and the back one once.... been a long road.... not to mention the tranny issues... man... mine bucks bad....

chris

 

i bought mine 11/06 with 20k miles on it. now it has 120k miles and the only thing that i really cant contribute to being my own fault is the leaking 3rd brake light.

effect
1. replaced the rear driveshaft at 75k
2. replaced the transmission at 75k
3. replaced the alternator at 78k
4. replaced the throttle body at 79k
5. replaced the rear end at 80k
6. replaced the steering assembly at 80k
7. replaced the fuel pump/ sending unit assembly at 85k
8. replaced the shocks and struts at 90k
9. replaced the rotors at 95k


cause
1. dented it on a huge rock while offroading, didnt know it til i got on the highway and felt the vibration, it was -10 and snowing so i just drove til it broke. (95 mph)
2. cracked the case when the driveshaft broke
3. had a 2000 watt stereo at the time
4. probably from not changing the air filter often enough
5. bent the pinion flange when the driveshaft broke
6. driving too fast on extremely rough roads
7. the pump was fine but there was a 1" steel ball inside a plastic cage and i guess the rough roads caused the ball to break the plastic
8. lots of rough miles with ???? lbs of frozen mud under the truck
9. driving with wore out pads, i just never had time to change em

a few other minor things were wheel bearings, idler pulleys, headlight wiring harness, washer fluid nozzles but those were mostly my fault other than the idler pulleys but they had 115k miles so thats understandable.

 

bought my 04 december of 04 with 65 miles on it replaced clutch pack at 30,000 under warranty replaced original battery a month ago (can you believe i complained about that almost 5 yrs and 70,000 miles lol ) other than just brakes due to my overly aggressive driving no problems and still freakin love the truck now as i did the first day i bought it.

 

Bought my 04 Lariat SCrew 4x4 brand new. Now has 38k miles, and no major problems. We're very easy on it, it is mostly the family cruiser, and bike hauler.

1 window regulator replaced under warranty.
Leaky 3rd brake light replaced under warranty.
2 factory stereos replaced under warranty.
MAF sensor failed at 25k, 1 month after 3 year warranty was expired. cost $300. This happened the day after the truck was rear ended. Coincidence? I wonder if the jolt rattled it to failure. The insurance company and dealer said that is not possible, therefore I had to buy a new one.

Another window regulator broke after warranty, I replaced it myself.
Currently there is a slight brake shake from warped rotors.
Muffler is rotted out and ready to be replaced.

That's it. This is a rock solid reliable truck for me.

 

I had 143k on my 05 work truck. Never had a problem with it. I got laid off 2 weeks ago so it's gone now but it was great truck. So 2 weeks before I was let go I bought a new 09. Had to get out of a 06 6.0 F-250 with 40k on the clock. I was having probelms and new motor in comming in the spring resale at the highest for me.

 

Built in September of '03. The gray ghost is still running strong. Installed aftermarket rotors, and that's pretty much it. My driver's side window switch is starting to act up on me once in a while. She's got 98K on her now.

 

can you explain what they told you was wrong with your gears?

my 07 had my rear end go out at 34k miles, gears were soft metal and it destroyed every piece in the whole housing.

 

I am bumping this old thread, my truck has 97xxx miles on it and the ESP extended warranty is about to expire. I brought it again for what seems like the 10th time for the chronic brake problems which have re-occured. Also my tranny has been acting up. I took it in on Wednesday and got a call back Friday afternoon, they are replacing both front brake lines, both calipers, master cylinder, some hydraulic part in the transmission and will re-evaluate on Monday.

I demanded they give me a loaner vehicle and they gave me some piece of **** Focus, which is just too much of a letdown compared to my truck (when running)

You would think that my truck (an XL) without all the gadgets and stuff to break, would be pretty bulletproof, but I am finding that has been the exact opposite. I definetly got my $1100 worth out of that ESP.

I am gonna definetly shop around a lot harder in 2011 when I will likely replace this, if it makes it that far

 

I'm not going to lie, the 05's weren't the most reliable F150's. They were still working out the bugs. That's why you shouldn't buy a vehicle that in it's early years of it's generation. The 06's-08's had significantly less problems than the 04's and 05's.

 

New member & other than warped frnt. rotors, no problems here. 05 4x4, 5.4 with 45k, still has original batt. Have read much of the plug issue & somewhat concerned, also cam phazer noise which I do not have yet. Great truck and great site with much information.

 

Update, they still have my truck, supposed to finally be fixed tomorrow. That will be over 2 weeks they had it...

 

04 F-150 SCab 4x4 with 58K on it.

So far:
WARRANTY:
~25k, exhaust heat shield rattle. Ford would not replace the shield. Dealer worked on it twice trying to fix it. Still rattles when it gets <45 deg.
~25k, drivers side mirror mount broke. Top stud pulled out of plastic mount.
~27k, driver's side rear brake caliper locked up at 11:00pm on a country road, an hour from home. Caliper was glowing hot and me being tired and pissed to say the least, drove it home. Lucky it didn't catch on fire. Damage: entire rear braking system (both calipers, rotor, pads, lines), all axle seals (due to intense heat)
OUT OF WARRANTY:
~45k, Pinion seal on rear end replaced due to bad leak
~52k, stabilizer bar links (bad ball joints)
~57k, coil on #5 cylinder replaced, bad coil
~58k (pending), brake booster, starting to leak down and loudly hiss when braking
~58k (pending), pass side fog lamp collects moisture and blows bulbs, replace lamp
~58k (pending), 4wd actuators going out, making grinding noise
There has been so many issues; I know I'm forgetting something.

There are several other things that a more **** person would have probably had issues with that I have let slide (loud cam sensors, drive train vibration, etc.). I just really don't like going to the dealer, even for warranty work. I always feel like there is a high probability they will screw something else up in the process of fixing something.

I have had an mediocre experience owning this truck. When shopping in '04, I considered the Titan, but chose the F-150 because I wanted to support American workers and overall liked the interior/exterior aesthetics much more. However, if i could do it over again I would probably make a different choice. Although, I still think its one of the nicer trucks on the road in form, but obviously not function.

I have lost confidence in the truck due to all the issues I have had with it. This was my first Ford truck and may be my last, although my family has owned several 99+ F-350s (with their own issues). I have been very disappointed with the 5.4. It is the most anemic and inefficient motor i have driven extensively. A poor power plant, especially when compared to the competition.

I cannot understand Ford's current thinking/business model. It seems to be, from my experience: screw your customers.

As an engineer by education and occupation, I just cannot comprehend there actions. For example, how long have spark plugs been used in the internal combustion engine? A long time, huh. Well in 1998 Ford couldn't seem to design/engineer a head that would keep them in the engine on the first gen of the 5.4. Now, with the 04+ 5.4 we cannot get them out. WTH is that?

There is only one explanation for this in my mind. They didn't did do due diligence in R&D and testing. If they would have this issue would have been experienced and hopefully rectified on their parts. You would have thought they would have learned from their mistakes in the first gen of the 5.4, but they didn't. "Let the customers work it out."

That scenario could be applied to host of issues with not only the F-150, but also with the super duty. Don't get me started on the 03+ super duties,...... unbelievable.

Overall, Ford will not receive any sympathy from me if they go bankrupt, their employees, yes. They have dug their own grave, buy screwing their customers. It is a simple fix. Hire the best engineers; thoroughly test the product/truck before releasing it to the public. Resolve any and all issues at this time. Provide your customers with a product and service that will meet and/or exceed their expectations throughout ownership. If something does happen to slip through the cracks and an issue develops, address it proactively with the customer’s interest at the forefront. Keep your customers happy and they will keep you in business.

Sorry for the rant, just got an estimate from my dealer on repairing the issues list above; undoubtably only to have them fail again due to crappy design/engineering.

 

Had this truck since Nov 03, one of the first 04+ trucks off the assembly line.

Problems its had:

window regulator
rear end shimmy/squeek (will always have this)
heater stopped working
transmission: 3rd gear and OD bands destroyed
warped rotors
rear sliding window works spontaneously
ball joints warn/destroyed

Doing the plugs soon and anticipating them to break, 103k on stockers!

 

I guess I am lucky considering most of the other comments.

Bought my '04 in Oct. of '03. My truck now has 119,000 miles.

So far the only parts that have needed replacing was my front rotors some time ago. Just recently replaced my oem battery. The rest is normal ware and tear maintenance items.

I still need to replace my plugs. "Looking forward to that" lol

The Best Part:
Was in an accident in 2007. 82 year old man pulled out in front of me in the rain. I was doing 55mph so it was bad. I hit him and deflected and hit the first car in line sitting at the redlight.
Strangely the airbags didn't deply. "The dealer couldn't explain that either" They tell me that their in working order now.
Neither door would open so we had to climb out a window. Spun him around and he also hit my drivers side bed as I went through him so to speak. All three of us had to be towed from the scene.

$11,200 worth of damage "nope they didn't total it"
The Ford dealership did an absolutely great job. Replaced practically everything from the firewall up including the first 2 ft. of frame. Also replaced the left side of my bed. The engine itself survived and wasn't pushed out of place. Just lost the radiator and some front accessories. Luckily the front suspension survived as well. Just needed a little steering work and front end alignment.

This truck still drives like new. "Amazing"

I guess you guys can tell that I like my truck.