"How reliable is the 2004 Ford F-250?"

"Based on 201 NHTSA complaints, the 2004 Ford F-250 has a median complaint mileage of 55079 miles. The most common issue is Engine And Engine Cooling."

"What are common problems with the 2004 Ford F-250?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2004 Ford F-250 is Engine And Engine Cooling, accounting for a significant portion of the 201 total complaints filed."

2004 Ford F-250: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 201 complaints

201

Total Complaints

55,079mi

Median Mileage

Engine And Engine Cooling

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

7,700 25th Percentile

55,079 Median Mileage

136,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Engine And Engine Cooling

Electrical System

Engine

Vehicle Speed Control

Diesel

Wiring

Fuel/Propulsion System

Steering

Power Train

Tires

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL STICKS INTERMITTENTLY. DEALER INSPECTED THE PROBLEM ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, BUT WAS UNABLE TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED ABOUT ONCE EVERY 100 MILES. ABOUT 30% OF THE TIME WHEN LETTING OFF THE ACCELERATOR, THE ENGINE FAILS TO DECREA..."

"VEHICLE STALLED WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. CONDITIONS FORCED DRIVER TO PULL THE VEHICLE OFF THE ROAD. UNABLE TO RESTART UNTIL 30-60 -SECONDS LATER. DEALER INSPECTED VEHICLE ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, BUT WAS UNABLE TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK"

"CONSUMER PURCHASED A 2004 FORD TRUCK IN NOVEMBER 2003, AND HAD NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS SINCE THEN. THIS VEHICLE SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE STREET/ ON THE HIGHWAY OR WHILE BEING ON A CURB. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER/MECHANIC SHOP 3 TIMES, BUT PROBLEM WAS NOT RESOLVED. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Engine And Engine Cooling 23 complaints

25th: 6,000 mi Median: 12,890 mi 75th: 86,000 mi

Electrical System 23 complaints

25th: 97,500 mi Median: 151,000 mi 75th: 164,500 mi

Engine 19 complaints

25th: 82,625 mi Median: 129,000 mi 75th: 155,814 mi

Vehicle Speed Control 13 complaints

25th: 1,500 mi Median: 5,100 mi 75th: 28,100 mi

Diesel 11 complaints

25th: 250 mi Median: 4,500 mi 75th: 9,800 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 37 TX: 18 WA: 10 GA: 10 OH: 10 FL: 9 VA: 9 AZ: 9 OR: 8 NC: 8

Who Files Complaints?

44.3%

Original Owners

55.7%

Second+ Owners

Ford F-250 — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1991	145	94,177	Switch	5
1992	149	91,000	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	6
1993	183	152,500	Tank Assembly	6
1994	156	114,581	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	7
1995	238	115,000	Front	12
1996	212	125,000	Tires	11
1997	348	114,000	Tires	21
1998	76	114,500	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	2
1999	702	94,000	Tires	61
2000	417	75,768	Tires	39
2001	269	67,000	Tires	20
2002	189	89,000	Engine	15
2003	148	90,000	Tires	7
2005	207	65,000	Steering	4
2006	332	61,200	Steering	14
2007	84	42,000	Steering	3
2008	255	75,000	Steering	12
2009	92	69,000	Steering	0
2010	109	80,400	Steering	2
2011	384	70,000	Suspension	8
2012	418	78,000	Suspension	5
2013	153	78,000	Suspension	2
2014	235	83,154	Suspension	3
2015	425	70,300	Steering	7
2016	424	62,000	Steering	9
2017	1713	30,000	Steering	18
2018	615	28,252	Steering	10
2019	1912	20,000	Steering	25
2020	336	41,900	Power Train	4
2021	200	43,000	Fuel System, Diesel	5
2022	136	40,000	Power Train	4

Active Recalls (7)

Federal safety recalls issued for this vehicle.

Tail Lights

Campaign 11V352000 | 13/07/2011

NON-FUNCTIONING LIGHTS COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.

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.

Headlights

Campaign 09E025000 | 11/05/2009

DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.

Exterior Lighting

Campaign 09E012000 | 07/04/2009

DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.

Electrical

Campaign 07E066000 | 28/08/2007

IF THE TRAILER LIGHTS ARE NOT WORKING PROPERLY, A VEHICLE CRASH CAN OCCUR.

ALL OF THE DEFECTIVE TOW PACKAGES ARE STILL AT THE DISTRIBUTOR LEVEL AND HAVE NOT BEEN SOLD TO ANY CONSUMERS.

Exterior Lighting

Campaign 06E049000 | 24/05/2006

WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

CK MOTORSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE NONCOMPLIANT LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 1, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CK MOTORSPORT AT 1-909-610-7211.

Headlights

Campaign 06E052000 | 12/06/2006

DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

SABRY LEE WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER FULL CREDIT FOR ANY NONCOMPLIANT HEADLAMP. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON JUNE 14, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABRY LEE ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE AT 1-866-467-2279.

Tires

Campaign 04V229000 | 17/05/2004

IF A TIRE WAS OPERATED IN AN OVER-LOADED OR OVER-INFLATED CONDITION, THE TIRE MAY RUPTURE RESULTING IN A RAPID AIR LOSS, WHICH CAN CAUSE A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE ANY INCORRECT LOAD RANGE TIRES. ADDITIONALLY, IF ANY TIRE REQUIRED REPLACEMENT, IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT THE WHEEL LUG NUT TORQUE BE CHECKED WITHIN 500 MILES AFTER ANY TIRE REPLACEMENT. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON MAY 21, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT.

Extend Your Engine Life

Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.

Change oil on schedule — this is the single most important thing you can do
Use the manufacturer-recommended oil weight and type
Replace the air filter every 15,000-30,000 miles
Don't ignore the check engine light — small issues become expensive fast
Let the engine warm up for 30 seconds before driving hard in cold weather
Address coolant leaks immediately to prevent overheating damage

Vehicle Rankings

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Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28