2004 FORD F-150 Complaints

I WAS ON THE EXPRESSWAY AND SET MY CRUISE CONTROL AT 74 MPH. WHEN I PRESSED MY BRAKE PEDAL, THE CRUISE CONTROL WOULDN'T DISENGAGE AND THE BRAKE PEDAL BECAME HARD LIKE A ROCK. I THEN PRESSED THE OFF BUTTON TO TURN THE CRUISE CONTROL OFF BUT IT REMAINED ENGAGED. I PRESSED HARDER ON THE BRAKE AND WAS ABLE TO SLOW DOWN TO 65 MPH BUT AS SOON AS I RELEASED THE BRAKE THE VEHICLE GRADUALLY SPED UP TO 74 MPH. I EXITED THE FREEWAY AND HAD TO PUT THE TRUCK IN NEUTRAL TO STOP. WHEN I DID THIS THE ENGINE RACED TO 4500 RPM. I THEN PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK AND TURNED IT OFF. WHEN TRAFFIC CLEARED, I RESTARTED THE ENGINE AND IT RACED TO 4500 RPM. I PUT THE TRUCK IN DRIVE AND MADE A LEFT TURN INTO THE CENTER LEFT TURN LANE AND HAD TO PUT THE TRUCK BACK IN NEUTRAL WHILE I WAITED FOR TRAFFIC TO CLEAR SO I COULD MERGE. THE ENGINE RACED TO 4500 RPM. WHEN TRAFFIC CLEARED, I PUT THE TRUCK BACK IN DRIVE AND THE CRUISE CONTROL FINALLY DISENGAGED. HOWEVER, AT THIS TIME I SMELLED SMOKE COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. SINCE THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS DISENGAGED AT THIS TIME I DECIDED TO RE-ENTER THE FREEWAY AND RETURN HOME. I HAVEN'T TRIED THE CRUISE CONTROL SINCE THEN BUT I SMELLED SMOKE AGAIN THIS MORNING WHEN I TOOK IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP. I SHOULD NOTE THAT MY VEHICLE IS A 2004 F-150 HERITAGE EDITION WHICH IN ESSENCE IS IDENTICAL TO THE 2003 F-150. THE 2003 F-150 WAS RECALLED FOR A PROBLEM WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL BUT ACCORDING TO FORD MOTOR THE 2004 F-150 HERITAGE WASN'T. BOTH THE DEALERSHIP AND FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE HAVE TOLD ME THAT I MUST PAY FOR THE REPAIR SINCE THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY. I THINK IT WAS JUST AN OVERSIGHT THAT THE 2004 F-150 HERITAGE WASN'T RECALLED ALONG WITH THE 2003 F-150. THIS INCIDENT COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE THAN IT WAS. *TR

WHILE DRIVING THE TRUCK BEGAN VIBRATING, PULLED OVER TO SEE IF THE TIRES WERE THE ISSUE. NOTHING APPEARED TO BE WRONG, TIRE PRESSURE WAS FINE AND NO WEIGHTS HAD FALLEN OFF. AT TIMES THE VIBRATION WAS VIOLENT, SHAKING THE WHOLE TRUCK. DROVE ANOTHER 10 MILES WITHOUT ANY ISSUES AND THE VIBRATION WOULD START AGAIN, LOOKED ON LINE AND THERE WERE SEVERAL POSTS IDENTIFYING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH OTHER FORD TRUCKS. *TR

FORD HAS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE SPARK PLUGS. THIS IS THE SECOND "TUNE-UP I HAVE HAD ON THIS TRUCK. BOTH TIMES, PLUGS HAVE BROKEN IN THE ENGINE. IT IS NOT MY DESIGN, IT IS FORDS, SO WHY DO I HAVE TO PAY 891.99 IN LABOR TO HAVE PLUGS REMOVED. *TR

DEVELOPED DIFFERENTIAL CHATTER RELATIVELY SOON AFTER PURCHASE. CARRIED BACK TO DEALER AND COMPLAINED. THEY REPLACED THE DRIVE SHAFT AND UNIVERSALS, SAID PROBLEM WAS CORRECTED. THIS DID NOT LAST NO MORE THAN 6-8 MONTHS BEFORE CHATTER CAME BACK, THINK THEY ALSO REPLACED DIFFERENTIAL OIL ALSO. CARRIED BACK TO DEALER FOR REPAIR, THEY CLAIMED NOTHING WAS WRONG. DISGRUNTLED WITH DEALER, STATED I WOULD NEVER PURCHASE ANOTHER FORD TRUCK AGAIN. TEN YEARS HAVE PASSED, TO THE DAY ALMOST, CHATTER JUST AS BAD IF NOT WORSE. CHANGED DIFFERENTIAL OIL 2 TIMES SINCE, SEEMS TO HELP FOR A WHILE. DO NOT PULL A BOAT, PULL A TRACTOR, TRAVEL TRAILER OR DO ANY TYPE OF CONSTRUCTION WORK WITH THIS TRUCK. IT IS DRIVEN TO WORK AND BACK AND OCCASIONALLY TAKEN ON HIGHWAY TRIPS TO BEACH AND BACK, 500 MILE ROUND TRIP. TRUCK IS PAMPERED SO THAT IT WILL LAST, NOT DRIVEN HARD WELL MAINTAINED, DRIVEN BY ADULT MALE, BASICALLY IN PERFECT SHAPE OTHER THAN DIFFERENTIAL. DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL WITH THIS PROBLEM. HAVE READ ABOUT MANY OTHERS WITH THE SAME ISSUE. THESE ARE GOOD TRUCKS WITH ONE PROBLEM, THE DIFFERENTIAL, THAT SEEMS TO ME TO BE A FACTORY ISSUE. YOU WOULD THINK FORD WOULD STEP-UP TO THE PLATE TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. HAVE BEEN A FORD FAN FOR MANY YEARS,OWN A 2013 FUSION NOW ALSO. WOULD LIKE TO SEE ACTION TAKEN TO REMEDY THIS PROBLEM. DATES AND MILEAGE APPROXIMATE. *TR

FUEL PUMP DRIVER MODULE, BACK SIDE OF MODULE CORRODED AWAY EXPOSING CIRCUIT BOARD CAUSING THE FUEL PUMP TO STOP RUNNING AND LEAVING ME STRANDED DURING A SNOW STORM,SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM ON 2004-2008 FORD PICKUPS. I CONSIDER THIS A POOR DESIGN AND SHOULD BE A RECALL, LOT OF GARAGES INSTALLING NEW FUEL PUMPS AT 300.00 A CRACK WHEN ITS A EASY TO REPLACE 80.00 DOLLAR PART. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD F-150. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A RECURRING FAILURE OF THE HUB AND CALIPERS AS WELL AS THE FRONT AND REAR AXLE SPORADICALLY BECOMING FRACTURED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 46,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 79,000. *TR

ON PREPARING TO CHANGE THE BRAKE PADS, I NOTICED THE FRONT LEFT COIL SPRING HAS SNAPPED. AFTER CHECKING ON LINE AND MY LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP, IT SEEMS THIS IS NOT UNCOMMON ON 2004 FORD F150 VEHICLES, AND IT INDICATES THAT FORD IS NOT PREPARED TO ASSIST CUSTOMERS, EVEN THOUGH THEY REALIZE THIS IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. PHOTOGRAPH AVAILABLE IF NEEDED. THE FORD DEALERSHIP ADVISES THEY NEED TO REPLACE BOTH FRONT ROAD SPRINGS AT A COST OF $575.00, BUT THE SHOCK ABSORBERS MIGHT NEED REPLACING ALSO WHICH WOULD BE ADDITIONAL MONIES. A BROKEN ROAD SPRING ON THE FRONT CAN SEVERELY EFFECT THE HANDLING AND SAFETY OF THE DRIVER AND OTHERS ON THE ROAD, AND I BELIEVE FORD SHOULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. *TR

VEHICLE'S BACK WINDOW LEAK NOTED WITHIN 60 DAYS AFTER PURCHASE, RESEALED BY DEALER X2-STILL LEAKS. WITHIN A PERIOD OF ONE YEAR AFTER PURCHASE, THREE OF THE FOUR WINDOW GEAR BOXES WERE REPLACED DUE TO FAILURE. I'VE NOTED SEVERAL COMPLAINTS ABOUT THESE ISSUES, MET OTHER OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD THESE ISSUES FIXED UNDER WARRANTY, YET WE WERE REQUIRED TO PAY FOR REPAIR. AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, 65MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGINS TO SHIMMY, VIBRATE AND BECOMES DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF STEERING. VIBRATION MAKES RIDE UNPLEASANT AND NOISY. *TR

REPLACED FUEL PUMP DRIVER MODULE (FPDM) MOUNTED ON A SUPPORT ABOVE THE SPARE TIRE ON A 04 FORD F150.FIRST ENGINE CODE WAS P0191 FOR THE FUEL RAIL PRESSURE SENSOR, ENGINE WOULD CRANK BUT NOT START. RAN SCAN TOOL AND FOUND CODE P1237 FOR THE FUEL PUMP DRIVER MODULE. THE CAST HOUSING OF THE FPDM IS CORRODED AND CRACKED ALMOST SPLITTING IT IN TWO PIECES. HAD TO GRIND OFF FPDM AND THE MOUNTING BOLTS AND DRILL AND TAP NEW MOUNTING HOLES. AFTER REPLACING FPDM, TRUCK STARTS AND NO LONGER HAS A ROUGH IDLE. *TR

IN LOW SPEED AND HIGH SPEED TURNS, POWER RACK AND PINION, THE STEERING BECOMES VERY STIFF CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO TURN HARD, FEELS LIKE THE TRUCK HAS MANUAL STEERING. THIS ISSUE IS MOST COMMON ON SLOW SPEED HOWEVER I HAVE ENCOUNTERED THE ISSUE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. RESEARCH I HAVE DONE INDICATES THIS IS AN ISSUE, BACKED BY A MEMBER OF A LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPT, OF A FAILURE OF THE UNIVERSAL ON THE LOWER STEERING SHAFT. THE PART # FOR THE REPLACEMENT PART IS AS FOLLOWS... #8L32-3B676-B. FORD DEALERSHIP DOES NOT HAVE A RECALL ON THIS YET, I'M A DEPUTY SHERIFF WHO HAS KNOWLEDGE OF FORD RECALLING THE SAME TYPE PART ON THE FORD POLICE INTERCEPTORS WHICH WE CURRENTLY USE IN OUR FLEET. THIS LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL IS VERY SEVERE. *TR