Most common 2004 Ford F-250 problems
Share of the 154 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Ford F-250 complaints by model year
Best F-250 years: 2010, 2009, 2007. Years to avoid: 1999, 2000, 2012, 2011, 2006. Compare all years →
2004 Ford F-250 recalls (2)
Exterior lighting › Brake lights
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,…
Remedy: 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.
Tires
Certain lariat and king ranch model pickup trucks fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 120, "tire selection and rims for motor vehicles other than passenger cars." some trucks were inadvertently equipped with an incorrect load range tire.
Remedy: 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…
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 2 possible defects involving the 2004 Ford F-250:
Engine stalling
Twenty five of the odi failure reports are duplicative of Ford complaints.twenty odi reports do not contain a VIN (and May or May not be duplicative of Ford reports).the 14 alleged crashes and 2 alleged injuries were all minor.submitted during preliminary evaluation (pe) 04-070, Ford's response to odi's information request (ir) letter contained about 5,000 consumer reports (mors) and 8,700 field reports (cqis).Ford…
Spark plug ejection from cylinder head
On September 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 Ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or…
What 2004 Ford F-250 owners say
Engine & cooling all 63 →
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 failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
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 stalled right after noise was heard. Wouldn't restart on a hot engine. Crank-no start. Drained both batteries attempting to restart. Restarted after cold engine but would stalled out and not be able to restart while hot engine. Replaced both fuel filters, fuel pump, some module in front bumper relating to fuel system. A friend that knows diesel engines has been trying to find out why its operating the way it is. I treated the gas tank to (2) SEAFOAM for trucks and had valvoline in Ferndale, WA do an oil change after purchasing it. …
Electrical system all 36 →
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 became a regular occurrence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number 05V270000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
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 stalled right after noise was heard. Wouldn't restart on a hot engine. Crank-no start. Drained both batteries attempting to restart. Restarted after cold engine but would stalled out and not be able to restart while hot engine. Replaced both fuel filters, fuel pump, some module in front bumper relating to fuel system. A friend that knows diesel engines has been trying to find out why its operating the way it is. I treated the gas tank to (2) SEAFOAM for trucks and had valvoline in Ferndale, WA do an oil change after purchasing it. …
Speed control & acceleration
While driving on the freeway the accelerator got stuck causing us to have an accident. As the truck increased in speed my husband stomped on the break and the truck was only gaining speed. We placed the truck on park and the truck eventually came to a stop causing the truck an immediate stop and forced us down a hill. The truck was totaled because we were pulling a 5th wheel.
About 9/15/2010 the vehicle, while stopped at a red light failed to accelerate when light changed and the gas pedal was depressed. The truck then stalled and took up to 5 minutes to restart. The incident did not repeat for several months. The next incident the truck failed to accelerate after slowing to near stop at a yield at a highway crossing nearly causing an accident. Replaced fuel filter and had a tune up although it had recently been done and it didn't happen again for a few weeks. After a few weeks of hard driving with no incidence the truck again failed to accelerate on highway entrance ramp nearly causing another accident. After pulling over and turning off the engine and restarting it drove on the highway fine, but stalled when exiting the highway. The latest incident, driving on the highway the truck drove fine, until exiting. …
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2004 Ford F-250 a good car?
Based on 154 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2004 F-250 rates average: about as many complaints as a typical year of the F-250 at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2004 Ford F-250?
The engine & cooling — 63 complaints, 41% of all complaints for this model year, most often about engine › diesel. Next are the electrical system (36) and speed control & acceleration (19).
How many recalls does the 2004 Ford F-250 have?
There are 2 recalls for the 2004 Ford F-250, the most recent from July 13, 2011 (brake lights). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Ford F-250?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2010, 2009 and 2007. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 1999, 2000, 2012, 2011 and 2006. See the full Ford F-250 years comparison.
At what mileage do 2004 Ford F-250 problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 39,000 miles; 53% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.