Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (door latches, locks, hood and tailgate latches).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Ford F-150 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2004 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the rear driver's side door failed to open. The contact removed the door and replaced the plastic ends with new metal ends. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 160,472.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Ford f-150. According to the vehicle owner's manual, the ignition key had to be used to open a lock in the rear of the vehicle to access the spare tire. The contact discovered that the lock was rotted out and needed to be replaced. The dealer (betten baker Ford in ludington, michigan) diagnosed that the lock to the spare tire was corroded and a special tool needed to be used to remove the cylinder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was invalid. The approximate failure mileage was 73,000.
2004 Ford f-150 crew cab lariat. Driving in rainstorm, the power window regulator fails and the window comes crashing down. This is the 3rd of 4 windows that has fell down for no reason in a 18 mo. Period. The shock and surprise has caused me to lose control and run into a fence. Had this been on a freeway it could be worse.
2004 f-150 crew cab 4-door, 77,000 miles. In the last 2 weeks, starting October 20, 2008, I have had 3 windows fall into the doors of my truck. Windows effected are the rf, rr and lr. The first was the rt front passenger window which fell in the door while traveling on the interstate at 70 MPH, at night and during a heavy rain. When I attempted to crack the window for air circulation, I heard a loud bang and the window fell all the way into the door causing me to swerve and nearly miss a vehicle in the next lane. The failure also soaked the interior of the truck and many items in the front seat. I had to continue driving in the rain for several miles to a gas station for a plastic bag because the door panel had to be removed to get the window back up. The rt rear was next followed by the lt rear windows. …
Second window drive failure in 6 weeks. Very loud bang from door (sounds like truck is hit by large rock/hard object) which is very startling, then window glass slides down into door. On the freeway this is extremely distracting and dangerous. The first window failure (one month ago) cost me $430.00 at Ford dealer to repair. I was never informed that this was a frequent problem. After second failure in 4 weeks, I went on the web and discovered that this is happening to thousands of 2004-2005 f-150's, and Ford refuses to address it! I'm waiting to talk to dealers service manager about second failure to try and get Ford to pay for the repairs, as well as inspect the other windows and repair them as necessary. It's only a matter of time before they fail as well. - this is a well-known design defect!!! …
While driving on I-70 in missouri during a rain storm, I was the passenger in the 2000 f-150 that I own when we hydroplaned. While spinning through the median in a counter clockwise manner, my passenger door popped open. It was only by the grace of god, I wasn't killed, as I hung out the door only held in by my seatbelt. As the vehicle continued to spin around, the door slammed shut. We could not understand why that door would fly open. The force of the sudden opening damaged the hinge, door, and front fender. Upon returning home to pennsylvania, I did some research and discovered others had similar problems. I contacted Ford and they refused to accept any responsibility for the door coming open..."after researching your complaint, we have nothing indicating any known problems that could cause that to happen". I am now almost afraid to drive my truck. …
On a Ford f-150 super cab pickup, the problem is this.. It started with me driving down the highway and noticing that there was a windy noise. Much like a window was partially lowered. What I finally discovered, was that the rear door was not completely latched in the full locked position. When I closed the driver door, it fully engaged the rear door and cleared the display light on the dash of an open-door indication, was non-the-less partially open. I have shown my dealer that I can do this, by just shutting the rear door as opposed to basically slamming it closed. Then when the front door is closed, the open-door light goes out. Incidentally, this same case is true for the passenger door side. I have come to make a special check through the mirrors, to see if there is a straight line along the door frame right at the base of the window. This tells me whether the door is fully closed. …
This vehicle was purchased new in this condition; on the supercab model of the f150, the rear driver door can be only partially engaged and with the front door latched, the door display light will be extinguished. This will leave the complete driver side door in a compromised condition. Usually not known until driving under highway speed and hearing a wind whistle from the door not being completely closed. I had contacted Ford motor co on December 10th of 2004, about this and their suggestion was to take it to original purchase dealer. However the dealer would not make any adjustments, simply telling me that I should make sure the rear door was secure in the full latched position. I even showed the same activity on another vehicle on the lot at that time. …
My Ford f150 2004 power window regulator broke while I was driving. Not only did it scare me because of slamming down so hard, it made me swerve off the road. Thank god I got safely over, but was so shaken I had to wait before proceeding. It was l09 degrees that day and had to drive with the window broken and down. I know many people have had this problem with this model and year, why haven't you done anything about this. It is a safety issue that needs to be addressed to all consumers who own or going to own this auto. I can't afford to fix it now, they want nearly 400.00. I am so afraid my truck is going to get stolen, but what can I do? I also worry that when I park my truck in a public parking area, that someone May easily take my truck with me in it!!!!!!!!!
No access to spare tire: 2004 Ford f-150 "heritage" (2003 body style) spare stored under truck bed lowers using "key" and winch.the winch and key are supposed to engage via a "star shaped" indentation. If this does not engage one cannot lower the spare tire for use. The replacement (Ford refuses to pay for)comes re-designed so that one actually inserts the lowering rod into the winch.there is no "star" to strip out or be worn down. With a flat tire on a busy road and one under the truck trying to access a spare tire constitutes a life threatening situation. Ford has sold the re-design as a replacement and this in itself is an admission of a defective product design. Dealership informed me that they simply cut the tire free and replace the winch at customer cost.
Door Lock & Latch complaints in other F-150 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are door lock & latch problems on the 2004 Ford F-150?
NHTSA has 23 complaints about the locks & latches of the 2004 Ford F-150, 1% of the model year's 2,029 complaints. The component named most often is doors › latch (12 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Ford F-150 door lock & latch problems?
No. NHTSA lists no locks & latches recall for the 2004 Ford F-150, though it has 5 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2004 Ford F-150 door lock & latch problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 46,000 miles, and 35% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 5 injuries to locks & latches problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.