10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
114,462 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.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2005 Ford F-150:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #94

May 242017

F-150

  • 148,000 miles
Vehicle went into "failsafe" mode on two separate occasions within the last year! and most recently, two weeks ago! both at highway speed on two different interstates in Florida! very dangerous, and hard to control vehicle to "limp" to a safe place to stop! many possible causes from electrical, fuel, or engine issues that are well documented on many internet sites and F150 forums! also rust issues on roof of vehicle in rain channels! very common, and very poor design!

- West Palm Beach, FL, USA

problem #93

May 022017

F-150

  • 118,000 miles
My 2005 F150 XLT 4.6L engine blew out the #3 spark plug. This is a terrible inconvenience and frightening to think that it could happen at any time and leave you stranded in the middle of "no where", a very dangerous situation, could even be life threatening and yet Ford will not own up and take responsibility for their inadequate design. To think that this could happen at any time and leave me stranded in the middle of "no where" is very frightening and could be dangerous and life threatening. This could prove very costly at $280 a plug..

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #92

Apr 282017

F-150

  • 98,000 miles
I was driving in my 2005 Ford F-150 5.4 when the engine shut off on its own. It was not the first time. It has happened while I'm driving in the middle of traffic. Just recently I was driving when I started to loose power, but this time started hear a loud banging coming from the engine. I drove the truck with almost no power to the mechanic. There I was told that it a cam shaft issue. As they uncovered the engine II was told I would a new engine at the cost of $7500. As I later went online I found many people complaining about the same thing with Ford 5.4 engines. It seems to me Ford knows about the problem but are not willing to stand by their problem. I have kept up with the maintanance since have been the only owner of the truck. I love the truck but I'm very disappointed with Ford not taking responsibility for having engineered a bad engine. I the single provider of my family and don't have money to be throwing away on new vechical. I also believe the truck stalling out in the middle of a highway was completely dangerous and I was lucky not be hit by anyone else. Please help.

- West Covia, CA, USA

problem #91

Sep 192016

F-150

  • 88,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Ford F-150. While driving various speeds or while the vehicle was parked, a loud noise could be heard coming from the engine. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with a cam phaser issue. The contact stated that the cam phaser, solenoid, and tensioner needed replacement. The vehicle was repaired, but the issue persisted with an even louder noise. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.

- Seven Valeys, PA, USA

problem #90

Mar 132017

F-150

  • 76,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Ford F-150. While driving various speeds, the vehicle lost power and misfired, and smoke could be seen coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who initially diagnosed a fuel leak from the exhaust. Upon further investigation, the mechanic stated that injector number 7 was not closing correctly and causing the fuel to enter the cylinder. As a result, the motor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The dealer stated that the VIN was excluded from a recall on the injectors. The recall details were not provided. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.

- Mechanisburg, PA, USA

problem #89

Feb 262017

F-150

  • miles
I needed a new transmission last year. Just blew out of no where. This year alone I needed new hubs, all8 cylinders have a miss fire my truck dropped from 60 to ten in seconds so scary

- Milaca, MN, USA

problem #88

Feb 022008

F-150

  • miles
Bought truck new, has an engine ticking that continues to get louder. Properly serviced as per owners manual. Engine needs replaced per mechanic.

- Kearney, NE, USA

problem #87

Apr 012015

F-150

  • 108,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving the vehicle at 65 mph, the vehicle began stalling intimittently then the engine and maintanenence warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to a mechanic where it was diagnosed that the air filter was outdated and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 108,000.

- Buckeye, AZ, USA

problem #86

May 302016

F-150

  • 130,000 miles
Truck was bought and I replaced all spark plugs and even had to replace a clinoid because was told that was the problem. Its not... there is a ball valve in the transmission that keeps the truck from building enough pressure to be able to shift which throws a code and says misfire on 6 been replaced twice now so clearly not the problem. This is a major issue.. truck feels as if fixing to fie then check engine light will come on start flashing but throw no codes and you cant speed back up because it feels like your truck is about to die and you don't want to blow your motor.

- Pottsville, AR, USA

problem #85

Nov 202016

F-150

  • 160,478 miles
Bought the truck used at 150000 miles. After 5000 miles the loud ticking that these trucks are known for became louder. At 161000 miles the engine died. I started it up in my driveway one morning and instead of just ticking, it was knocking 100X louder. The truck began shaking violently. Then it just died. All this happened in a matter of minutes. Had it towed to a shop, and they said I need a whole new engine. I can't help but think if I was driving and this happened, what the outcome would be. I have read hundreds of complaints from people online saying similar things. Ford is aware of the problem, but no recall was issued. That is irresponsible, and very dangerous on Ford's part.

- Churchville, PA, USA

problem #84

Nov 112016

F-150

  • 178,000 miles
#8 cylinder spark plug blew out while driving. Replaced all spark plugs and torqued. Four days later #8 plug blew out again while driving.

- New Braunfels, TX, USA

problem #83

Mar 152016

F-150

  • 210,000 miles
Brake booster vacuum supply metal stand pipe ruptured. This was while driving. Loss of vacuum and loss of engine performance and brakes were sluggish. Have to push all way to floor.

- Columbus, MS, USA

problem #82

Jun 032016

F-150

  • 143,000 miles
While driving 75 on a toll road the engine went into engine fail safe mode, I lost all power and almost wrecked into oncoming traffic trying to get to the shoulder, I went to a mechanic and they replaced the throttle body, 3 days later same thing, I was told this is a common problem on this motor 5.4, why is there not a recall on this ??

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

problem #81

Jun 242016

F-150

  • miles
5.4 3V Triton. When the truck is at idle at a normal operating temp, it has a horrible knocking noise on the passenger side of the engine. From what I am reading this engine has major problems with the cam phasers and timing components. It sounds like the timing chain is about to fly out of the engine. I hope my truck doesn't give out on me because this is my only transportation to work and cannot afford to have it fixed. I bought a Ford for reliability, but until this is fixed I feel it's unreliable. I have used a full syn oil and the right motorcraft 820S filter. This is a major problem and Ford needs to pay for this and everyone else who has had this problem over and over! recall this Ford!

- Lutz, FL, USA

problem #80

May 302016

F-150

  • 155,000 miles
Truck began ticking very loudly, then began a knocking noise, and now the engine shakes the truck when idling. Cam phasers broke apart causing damage to the timing chain. Sudden loss of power to the engine as well as inability to maintain speed while ascending an incline is frequent. The loss of speed and power has caused us several close-call accidents. Truck will simply not accelerate while pressing the gas pedal. Additionally, it also feels like the truck cannot catch gears while in motion.

- Quantico, VA, USA

problem #79

May 062016

F-150

  • 138,400 miles
I was driving through the country, and something felt odd. At approximately 45 mph, the truck started to shake, (more than normal) and was then vanish after 55 mph. After the next few days, the shaking got worse. My first thought, "I have a misfire on one of my cylinders". on my way home from work my truck through a check engine light. I then proceeded to take it to my dealer because at this point it would barely go over 40 mph. They checked the code and turns out that the truck has a number of problems; that what I have seen on this website are a very common issue with this year and engine type (5.4L V8 tritton). I need new vct solenoids, new camphasers, timing adjustments, and new cam shaft position sensors. To make a long story short, the common problem that happens to this engine, happened yet again. Bad cam phasers. Happened around 138,4xx miles. Not sure if any previous owner replaced this part before or not. But, it seems even if replaced, the problem will still persist in the future. This is in need of recall.

- Alliance, OH, USA

problem #78

Apr 162013

F-150

  • 118,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Ford F-150. The stated while driving, there was an abnormal knocking noise coming from the engine. The contact stated he drove the vehicle to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the cam phaser, the bearing and the timing chain needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact mentioned that the vehicle was backfiring. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 118,000.

- Geneva, IL, USA

problem #77

Dec 232015

F-150

  • 110,000 miles
I drive a 2005 5.4 Triton and after 110000 miles the engine has died. The mechanic states its the cam phaser and I've seen several websites complaining the same issue.

- Corpus Christi, TX, USA

problem #76

Mar 252016

F-150

  • miles
Purchased my vehicle used at the dealership with 85,000. Which is typically a good break-in point for a truck. Well after having the vehicle home for less than a month I've noticed a ticking in the engine. A ticking that I knew little about until further research into these vehicles. Seems that along with thousands of other people in the world I've purchased a Ford lemon. The engines rarely make it past 75,000-100,000. Ford as a whole are aware of this issue and deliberately find ways around having to take the liability on. The only solution to the ticking is 1,500 in repairs of the cam phaser, which in a timely manner melts like butter or replace it with a remanufactured engine only to encounter the same issue. Whether or not this vehicle is over 10 years old this is an issue that needs to be addressed. An engine should be able to last more than 100,000 miles. I have driven this vehicle less than 500 miles and the problem is evident.

- Spanaway, WA, USA

problem #75

Mar 162016

F-150

  • 165,000 miles
My truck has a known issue with the 5.4L's cam phasers. The truck makes a very loud noise and shakes. To repair this, it's around $3,000 and also I have a known issue with all 8 coils which had to be replaced for $1,200 and a known misfire. I do not understand why Ford motor is aware of the ongoing issues in this year truck and has not done anything about it. Also if the cam phasers are not replaced the engine will blow!

- Greenville, SC, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »