2004 Ford F-250 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine And Engine Cooling (19) · Engine (17) · Vehicle Speed Control (13)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Ford F-250 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
125 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (1)
Exterior Lighting:brake Lights 2011-07-13 · campaign 11V352000 · 26,715 vehicles
Defect: FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 RANGER TRUCKS BUILT FROM JANUARY 25, 2011, THROUGH APRIL 25, 2011 AT THE TWIN CITIES ASSEMBLY PLANT, AND SERVICE PARTS DISTRIBUTED TO DEALERS FOR CERTAIN 2004 THROUGH 2011 MODEL YEAR RANGER TRUCKS, 2002 THROUGH 2005 MODEL YEAR EXCURSION VEHICLES, AND 2002 THROUGH 2007 MODEL YEAR F-250, F-350, F-450, AND F-550 TRUCKS FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQU
Risk: NON-FUNCTIONING LIGHTS COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE SWITCHES FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 15, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD MOTOR COMPANY CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP CENTER AT 1-866-436-7332.
Service bulletins (72)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Engine And Engine Cooling 2005-10-31 · 05215 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
buck/jerk or surge - 6.0l vehicles built before 8/22/2005. *tt
Power Train 2005-08-18 · 04B24 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
low/reverse gear set pinion shaft(s) that may walk out, causing metallic particle contamination. customer satisfaction program 04b24. transmission reverse planet replacement. *tt supplement #1 and #2. *tt supplement #3. *tt
Equipment:other:owners/Service/Other Manual 2005-08-17 · 08172005 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
customer satisfaction program 05b29: supplement#3. charge air cooler duct replacement. *sc
Power Train:transfer Case (4-Wheel Drive) 2005-02-21 · 0536 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
4x4 transfer case jump out of 4th or 4l - manual shift transfer case. *tt
Structure:body 2005-02-01 · 18406 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service tips before arc welding on the frame or body of a unit. *tt
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine 2005-02-01 · 18397 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
lack of power, surge, and/or diagnostic trouble codes p2263 or p0299. *tt
Showing the 6 most recent of 72 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-09-15 · Tires“the contact owns 2004 ford f-250 equipped with maxwrx tires, tire line: rcveita, tire size: 33x12.50 r20. the contact stated that approximately one month after the tires were purchased from dutchman's tire warehouse #2 , the tires started bouncing significantly while driving over 60 mph, causing the vehicle to shudder. the vehicle was taken to an i…”
2025-07-16 · Suspension“my 2004 f250 has developed the "death wobble" that is normally associated with newer models, but the shudder at or around 40-45mph is identical to the described problems of the newer models in the class action lawsuit and tech bulletins published by ford. older models need to be considered in the tech bulletins, customer satisfaction programs, and…”
2025-06-02 · Electrical System · 100,000 mi“the contact owns a 2004 ford f-250. the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle jerked and briefly lost motive power before the vehicle stalled. no warning lights were illuminated. after several attempts, the vehicle restarted. the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure becam…”
2025-01-23 · Unknown Or Other · 💥 crash“the tie rod broke while the vehicle was in motion. this caused the vehicle to lose control and crash into another vehicle, causing damage to both vehicles. there was no warning and no sign of any issues. vehicle has been very well maintained, in fact, it has been in the shop at least once per month for the past year due to a number of mechanical i…”
2024-07-24 · Engine · 140,000 mi“the contact owns a 2004 ford f-250. the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. there was no warning light illuminated. the vehicle was able to be restarted; however, the failure recurred. the dealer was not contacted, and the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the f…”
2023-08-06 · Fuel/Propulsion System“i purchased this truck in january 2023. drove just fine for 2 months and started having this issue. while driving my 2004 f250 sd 6.0l turbodiesel 4x4, (egr deleted, bulletproofed and studded engine, cold air intake, oil cooler, sct x4 tuner) a "fizzle" noise was heard more on passenger side; acting like fuel wasn't reaching engine; and truck …”
2022-03-22 · Fuel/Propulsion System“i was driving in nampa around 5pm when my truck lost power my fuel peddle had 0 response tried to pull off the road almost had an accident because truck died losing steering power and brakes was hard to push truck had lost the voltage board in the ficm. upon going over forums this is a major common issue amongst many ford owners. i also have a grou…”
2021-01-12 · Unknown Or Other · 200,000 mi“vehicle loses all power-stalls and loses function when idling. has occurred when exiting freeway way and in a regular neighborhood streets. need to restart after stall.…”
2021-01-11 · Power Train · 130,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford f-250. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled with several unknown warning lights displayed on the instrument panel. recently, the contact stated that after experiencing the failure, the vehicle failed to restart. due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to his resi…”
2020-12-16 · Engine · 227,600 mi“spark plug blew out. repair estimate $1300. ford apparently knew about the issue and settled in a class action lawsuit. they did not inform owners of the potential problem, so i feel they are still culpable for the damages.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.