10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 8 / 3
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 5 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 48,860 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
Speed control doesn't work. I have heard reports of it being recalled. I also have heard of this causing fires
- Lynchburg, VA, USA
Think I bought a lemon truck from Ford after spending a lot of money to try and keep truck running but after all the time and effort I put into the truck it will only go in reverse and engin sounds rough.
- Grants Pass, OR, USA
With my foot on the brake, I put the truck in reverse to begin backing out of a driveway. I applied a little gas to slowly backup around the turn in the drive. As I was rolling backwards, I had my foot on the brake because I was navigating past other parked vehicles. As I was clearing one of the vehicles, the truck suddenly jolted backwards hitting a tree. So then, with my foot on the brake, I put the truck in drive so that I could pull forward away from the tree. As I began to press on the gas pedal and the truck instantly thrust forward, hitting another tree, stopping the truck & knocking the tree over. It happened with such power that the wheels spun down into the mulch bed before I was able to brake, put the truck into park and remove the keys to turn it off. While the damage on the back bumper was minimal, the damage to the front of the truck was extensive & the insurance company declared the truck a total loss. There was one other time, while on the local highway at a stoplight, with my foot on the brake, that the truck began to thrust forward on its' own. After it first rocked forward, I pressed the brake all the way to the floor which prevented it from actually moving forward any more. Once the light turned green, the truck seemed to return to normal functioning. This incident occurred around the time I was due for a tune-up so I figured it was a fluke and would have been resolved with the tune up.
- Midlothian, VA, USA
Most recently, (not including rear end replaced, reverse band on trans replaced, blown spark plug out of engine block) my truck has started to stall out for no reason that I can fathom,1st time was at 65 mph on a major highway, now more recently at lower speeds, coming to a stop at stop signs lights ect, turning street corners at lower speeds, or coming to a stop in my driveway. I see many complaints of this same problem in forums with no cause or repair that seems to be a root cause. Please help !
- Woodbine, MD, USA
The contact owns a 2004 Ford F-150. While driving approximately 65 mph with the cruise control activated, the vehicle involuntary accelerated. In addition, the brake system failed. The contact had to switch the vehicle to neutral and the rpms increased. The contact had to pull over to the side of the road to a complete stop. The contact pulled the fuses to the throttle and cruise control. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired and the failure recurred even with the cruise control deactivated. The contact recurred seven other times. The VIN was unknown. The approximate failure mileage was 79,000.
- Granger, IN, USA
The contact owned a 2004 Ford F-150. After the gear shift was switched into the drive position with the brake pedal engaged, the vehicle accelerated independently. As a result, the contact crashed into a ditch and the vehicle rolled over multiple times. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained a broken hand and arm, a severed finger, and bruising on the body that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.
- Pineville, KY, USA
I noticed that the cruise control started shutting off without ever touching the brake pedal or off switch. Then sometimes it would work fine for a few minutes then just shut off. When it does that it will not come back on again till the next day. I then checked the console shifter, I was able to shift of park with out pressing the brake pedal and even engine in off position. I am worried that the truck may jump out of park and run off and hit something or someone.
- London, KY, USA
I have a problem it pops up saying transmission fault and I want to fix it so help me please!!
- Greenville, TX, USA
Power loss and surge in flow of traffic at 65mph. Sudden stop and loss of power in traffic. Traffic had to come to halt around me. I had to stop vehicle and attempt to restart several times to restart. This is a known issue with this year and model of Ford and needs to be recalled. I have not had it happen at these speeds and it was terrifying.
- Los Osos, CA, USA
I was on the expressway and set my cruise control at 74 mph. When I pressed my brake pedal, the cruise control wouldn't disengage and the brake pedal became hard like a rock. I then pressed the off button to turn the cruise control off but it remained engaged. I pressed harder on the brake and was able to slow down to 65 mph but as soon as I released the brake the vehicle gradually sped up to 74 mph. I exited the freeway and had to put the truck in neutral to stop. When I did this the engine raced to 4500 RPM. I then put the vehicle in park and turned it off. When traffic cleared, I restarted the engine and it raced to 4500 RPM. I put the truck in drive and made a left turn into the center left turn lane and had to put the truck back in neutral while I waited for traffic to clear so I could merge. The engine raced to 4500 RPM. When traffic cleared, I put the truck back in drive and the cruise control finally disengaged. However, at this time I smelled smoke coming from the engine compartment. Since the cruise control was disengaged at this time I decided to re-enter the freeway and return home. I haven't tried the cruise control since then but I smelled smoke again this morning when I took it into the dealership. I should note that my vehicle is a 2004 F-150 heritage edition which in essence is identical to the 2003 F-150. The 2003 F-150 was recalled for a problem with the cruise control but according to Ford motor the 2004 F-150 heritage wasn't. both the dealership and Ford customer service have told me that I must pay for the repair since the vehicle is out of warranty. I think it was just an oversight that the 2004 F-150 heritage wasn't recalled along with the 2003 F-150. This incident could have been much worse than it was.
- Williamston, MI, USA
While attempting to accelerate onto a highway my vehicle sputtered and I was unable to get up to speed in a reasonable amount of time. Fortunately I was on a 4 lane highway and the approaching vehicles were able to avoid me by pulling into the passing lane. I brought my vehicle in for service and a corroded fuel pump control module was responsible for the hesitation. According to my mechanic, he categorized the problem as defective design. The module is mounted in a area susceptible to corrosion. This is a relatively easy fix however in my case the spare tire carrier had to cut off to access the module.
- Winnipeg, Canada, ND, USA
When the speed control is engaged it works fine on level or climbing highway, but on the downhill side, the speed control does not hold the vehicle to the speed set. The vehicle speed keeps increasing depending on long the downhill section is and the brakes must be applied to slow the vehicle down. It was taken to the dealership at the time it was discovered and I was told there was nothing wrong with it and that I had to take it out of overdrive for the speed control to work properly. However, I tried this and the speed control did the same thing, increased speed on a down grade. On every other vehicle I have ever owned, the speed control, when engaged, controlled the downhill speed to the speed which was set.
- Ukiah, CA, USA
At 50,000 miles, and earlier, the engine warning light came on, the truck lost all power, and the power steering failed. Upon taking the truck to the dealer, it was determined that the throttle body was defective, and needed replacing. Needless to say, I think that this should not have happened at such a low mileage and should be covered under a recall. Thanks for allowing me to vent. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
- East Granby, CT, USA
The contact owns a 2004 Ford F-150. The contact was driving approximately 55 mph when there was an abnormal increase of acceleration to 80 mph for a brief moment. The vehicle then resumed normal operation. On a separate occasion while driving, the brake pedal was engaged with a rapid increase in rpms, followed by an unexpected increase in speed. The gear was shifted into park in order to stop the vehicle. The failure recurred fifteen times and was taken to an authorized dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact planned to take the vehicle back to the dealer for a second diagnosis. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 24,000...updated 04/16/12 the consumer also stated there were times when he started the vehicle and the engine raced at high RPM's and it was not related to the engagement of the choke in cool or cold weather. Also in relation to increased RPM's above after the vehicle was shifted into par, the engine continued to race at 5,000 RPM's.
- New Tripoli, PA, USA
As I was parking my F150 I put my foot on the brake and the car began to accelerate on its on. I applied full force on the brakes but the truck continued to accelerate. I quickly put the car in park and shut it off so it would not hit the car in front of me. About an hour later I restarted the truck and drove home fine. This also happened once about 3 years ago, as I was approaching a stop sign. The garage found nothing.
- Henderson, NV, USA
The contact owns a 2004 Ford F150. The contact was driving approximately 60-70 mph with the cruise control in activation when suddenly, the cruise control failed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was neither diagnosed nor repaired for the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
- Lacenter, WA, USA
The contact owns a 2004 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the cruise control involuntarily turned off while the contact was driving 60 mph with it activated. He tried to turn it back on but it would not respond. The vehicle was taken to a local repair shop but the failure could not be diagnosed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was 86,500 and the current mileage was 87,900. Updated 01/13/11 updated 01/24/11
- Morehead City, NC, USA
The contact owns a 2004 Ford F150. The contact was driving 68 mph with the cruise control activated when the vehicle began to buck with hesitation causing the steering wheel to shake. Suddenly, the cruise control deactivated. The following day after the failure, the gear selector would not shift out of the park gear. The actuator switch was engaged whenever shifting into park. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer but they were unable to diagnose a failure code. The cruise control continued to not operate. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 69,500. Updated 01/24/11 updated 03/18/11
- Lincoln, IL, USA
The contact owns a 2004 Ford F-150. On several occasions, when wearing insulated or heavy work boots, the shoe would inadvertently engage the accelerator pedal. He also experienced sudden acceleration when attempting to apply the brakes because the shoe was too big and would also depress the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the brake and accelerator pedals were too close to one another. The vehicle was not inspected or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The current mileage was approximately 110,000. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
- Pennsville, NJ, USA
- Cincinnati, OH, USA