Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Ford Ranger owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
If I left the engine idle more than two minutes it would not pass the state emissions test. Now the emission light came on and it will not go off anymore. Almost got an accident vehicle will not drive over 20 MPH anymore. I must have the same problems of thousands of other people. I was told I have to change the heads on the engine because of poor quality cast iron heads that was used for like three years. My Ford truck is one of these years they had the issues. Now I have to spend thousands of dollars fixing it this is nonsense with the low miles I have on it. These fords should be recalled because of the safety issue. I have taken such good care of this truck and it still looks like brand-new I have to fix it! Please help!!!
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Ford Ranger. While the vehicle was stopped at a red light, the check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle started to idle independently. The accelerator was depressed and the vehicle failed to accelerate. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 125,000. Updated 12/13/2017
While driving with passenger, the inertia switch can be easily unattached or loosened. This causes the truck to randomly die. If the manual vehicle dies while driving at high speed, in bad traffic, or turns requiring power steering, the vehicle can be dangerous.
Was driving and suddenly, my vehicle started to lose power. Was very scary because it was at night. Engine light came on and power was lost. Pulled off freeway into gas station. Checked fluids, etc.. Upon trying to leave, vehicle was sputtering with no compression. I did not think I was going to make it home. After a few minutes, I tried again, this time giving vehicle more gas. It seemed to do a little better. But, every time I had to slow down or stop for a stop sign or traffic light, vehicle was sputtering and acting like it was going to stall out. Was very nerve racking, as I was afraid of being rear ended by cars that were behind me. Now every time I slow down to where vehicle is in idle, it acts like it is going to stall out on me, which makes me very nervous. Had a mechanic install new plugs, new injector, coil package and vehicle is still doing badly and running very rough. …
Check engine light came on...called the Ford hotline no help there they said we where a few miles over the warranty to cover that part. So we took it to our mechanic and he new in five minutes what was wrong we had paperwork showing the problems Ford was having with theses trucks. So I called the nearest for dealer and asked them about it and they wanted to charge us so much to see if they can find the problem we told them we know the problem. They wanted to charge us over 2000 dollars to repair the truck.so we had to hold off due to the economy so bad. So we took it 1 week ago to our mechanic fixed the problem cost us 1900 for everything they where defective heads values where sinking into the heads cylinders had no compression ,so know we are out 1900 to have this truck repaired where all of this is due to fords bad parts they put in the truck. …
Complaint related to 2004 Ford Ranger 4.0l v6 sohc engine with 81,000 miles. On September 15th 2010, I started experiencing a squeak from the engine compartment on my 2004 Ford Ranger. I changed the pulleys that had bearings that could contribute to the noise but the noise persisted. I then changed the belt and the squeak went away for a while. After another 1500 miles the squeak was back and more pronounced. I investigated this incidence and found that the pulley separated from the harmonic balance and slid towards the timing chain case. The belt was now riding on the rubber hub of the crankshaft part of the harmonic balance. The squeak was coming from the belt rubbing on the side of the pulley replaced harmonic balance with after market model. Old part available for inspection.
My 2004 Ford Ranger started idling rough and the check engine light came on. I took it to the dealer and they could not find a problem. They reset the check engine light and a few months later it happened again. This time the dealer found that there was no compression in three cylinders do to the valves not seating properly. The correction is to have both heads replaced, a cost that neither Ford or my extended warranty company is willing to pick up. I am a 3rd generation Ford owner and extremely irate that Ford has not issued a recall considering that this is a very expensive mistake on their part, and that they are making the consumer pay for this. Ford is very much aware of the problem as they have issued a technical service bulletin for it.
Recently I encountered a problem with my 2004 Ford Ranger. The harmonic balance pulley came apart. The website carcomplaints.com has at least 14 incidence of harmonic balance failure on other Ford models. Can you investigate this issue and verify my findings? In my opinion, the problem has serious safety ramifications because of the systems involved. The harmonic balance pulley driving the serpentine belt that power the steering and brake pumps. The loss of both pumps has the potential of causing an accident. The loss of the serpentine belt will also cause over heating. I believe Ford should inspect and make repairs to this component on its vehicles without charge to the customer.
Tl contact owns a 2004 Ford Ranger. While driving approximately 10 MPH, the vehicle began making a noise. The vehicle then lost all power and the check engine light flashed. The contact turned the vehicle off and restarted it; the failure continued. The vehicle was towed to a local repair shop. The mechanic rebuilt cylinder one. 36,000 miles later, the failure occurred again. The vehicle was taken to a local repair shop where the contact was informed that cylinder one failed again. The vehicle had not been repaired again. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000 and the current mileage was approximately 126,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Ford Ranger. While driving at approximately 55 MPH, there was an abnormal scraping sound coming from the engine and then the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the contact's home where it was inspected by an independent mechanic. The mechanic advised that a valve spring had fractured and as a result, a piston fractured into the cylinder causing the engine failure. The manufacturer advised there was no recall for the failure and the contact would be responsible for any repairs. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 39,304.
Engine complaints in other Ranger years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2004 Ford Ranger?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2004 Ford Ranger, 6% of the model year's 404 complaints. The component named most often is engine (5 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Ford Ranger engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2004 Ford Ranger, though it has 10 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 Ranger engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 77,000 miles, and 20% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to engine & cooling 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.