Ford F-150 2004–2008
11th generation · P221
NHTSA data through 13 August 20265,617 complaints, 4,834 with mileageMethod
- Reports with mileage
- 4,834
- Median of reported failures
- 60,000 mi
- Most-reported system
- Visibility equipment (20.4%)
- Recalls
- 2
Before-you-buy checklist ↓Check this VIN — NHTSA ↗
On this generation, failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 30,000 and 93,550 miles.
Figure 1 · Ford F-150 2004–2008 · 4,834 reports with mileage
Mileage at failure
Complaints per 5,000-mile bin, 0 to 200,000 miles, equal bins on a linear scale. Tallest bar = 454 complaints.
- Rest of the range
- Median
- 200,000+ — 80 complaints (1.7%), plotted separately
- 10%
- 5,000
- 25%
- 30,000
- Median
- 60,000
- 75%
- 93,550
- 90%
- 132,000
Show the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–5,000 | 454 | 9.4% |
| 5,000–10,000 | 174 | 3.6% |
| 10,000–15,000 | 163 | 3.4% |
| 15,000–20,000 | 130 | 2.7% |
| 20,000–25,000 | 152 | 3.1% |
| 25,000–30,000 | 120 | 2.5% |
| 30,000–35,000 | 168 | 3.5% |
| 35,000–40,000 | 204 | 4.2% |
| 40,000–45,000 | 186 | 3.8% |
| 45,000–50,000 | 189 | 3.9% |
| 50,000–55,000 | 243 | 5.0% |
| 55,000–60,000 | 197 | 4.1% |
| 60,000–65,000 | 220 | 4.6% |
| 65,000–70,000 | 183 | 3.8% |
| 70,000–75,000 | 238 | 4.9% |
| 75,000–80,000 | 154 | 3.2% |
| 80,000–85,000 | 164 | 3.4% |
| 85,000–90,000 | 153 | 3.2% |
| 90,000–95,000 | 162 | 3.4% |
| 95,000–100,000 | 146 | 3.0% |
| 100,000–105,000 | 130 | 2.7% |
| 105,000–110,000 | 85 | 1.8% |
| 110,000–115,000 | 89 | 1.8% |
| 115,000–120,000 | 78 | 1.6% |
| 120,000–125,000 | 62 | 1.3% |
| 125,000–130,000 | 71 | 1.5% |
| 130,000–135,000 | 47 | 1.0% |
| 135,000–140,000 | 52 | 1.1% |
| 140,000–145,000 | 72 | 1.5% |
| 145,000–150,000 | 42 | 0.9% |
| 150,000–155,000 | 46 | 1.0% |
| 155,000–160,000 | 28 | 0.6% |
| 160,000–165,000 | 29 | 0.6% |
| 165,000–170,000 | 27 | 0.6% |
| 170,000–175,000 | 24 | 0.5% |
| 175,000–180,000 | 19 | 0.4% |
| 180,000–185,000 | 29 | 0.6% |
| 185,000–190,000 | 6 | 0.1% |
| 190,000–195,000 | 14 | 0.3% |
| 195,000–200,000 | 4 | 0.1% |
| 200,000+ | 80 | 1.7% |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain. Complaint counts reflect what owners reported and are not a measure of failure rate per vehicle sold.
What this can and cannot tell you: these are complaints owners chose to file, not a failure rate. Popular models accumulate more of them simply by being common. How this is built.
Owners filed 5,617 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004–2008 Ford F-150, and 4,834 of them record the mileage at which the failure happened. That is enough to show not just what fails, but when.
Failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 30,000 and 93,550 miles. The median is 60,000 miles.
The most-reported areas are visibility equipment (20.4% of complaints, typically around 60,000 miles), the transmission and driveline (9.2% of complaints, typically around 50,000 miles), the engine (7.9% of complaints, typically around 105,000 miles).
2 recall campaigns cover this generation.
If you arrived asking “is it reliable?” — this page answers the version of that question the data can support: which problems owners reported, and at what mileage.
How many miles does a 2004–2008 Ford F-150 last?
Half of the failure reports on the 2004–2008 Ford F-150 were filed by 60,000 miles and 90% by 132,000 miles — figures drawn from 4,834 NHTSA complaints that record an odometer reading, so they time reported failures, not the cars whose owners never filed one.
80 reports (1.7%) came in past 200,000 miles — each one proof a F-150 reached that mileage, not that it died there.
Before you buy a 2004–2008 F-150: the 3-minute check
Generated from 4,834 mileage-tagged complaints, 2 recall campaigns, 3 documented problem areas. Print this page — the checklist survives print.
- Run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. 2 campaigns cover this generation; an open recall is a free repair you can make the seller's problem.
- Check engine on 2004–2007 cars. 5.4L 3-valve Triton two-piece spark plugs seize and break off in the cylinder head on removal. Carbon builds in the gap between the plug shell and the head; the porcelain-tipped lower section separates from the upper…
- Check engine on 2004–2008 cars. 5.4L 3V variable cam timing phaser rattle and timing chain tensioner/guide wear, producing a cold-start rattle and eventual cam timing codes.
- Check fuel system on 2004–2008 cars. Fuel pump driver module corrosion causing intermittent stall and no-start.
- Complaint reports are not spread evenly across model years here — see the by-model-year table below before you settle on a year.
- End with a pre-purchase inspection of this car. Aggregate data describes the population; the example in front of you has its own history.
For a buyer, failures on this generation are spread rather than concentrated: the middle half falls between 30,000 and 94,000 miles, with a median of 60,000. There is no single mileage threshold to watch, which means condition and maintenance records are more informative than the odometer.
On inspection, visibility equipment and the transmission and driveline are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. The transmission and driveline in particular shows a median failure mileage of 50,000, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.
None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.
What fails, and when
Figure 2 · Ford F-150 2004–2008
When each system fails
Bar spans the middle half of reports; the notch inside each bar is the median. Miles at failure on a proportional scale — equal distances are equal ratios, not equal miles.
- Hydraulic brake circuit323 reports18,0005,500–39,000Hydraulic brake circuit: 323 reports, median 18,000 miles, middle half 5,500 to 39,000 miles.
- Transmission and driveline517 reports50,00013,000–88,000Transmission and driveline: 517 reports, median 50,000 miles, middle half 13,000 to 88,000 miles.
- Visibility equipment1,144 reports60,00041,000–79,000Visibility equipment: 1,144 reports, median 60,000 miles, middle half 41,000 to 79,000 miles.
- Electrical system304 reports65,00030,000–101,000Electrical system: 304 reports, median 65,000 miles, middle half 30,000 to 101,000 miles.
- Engine and its cooling system423 reports66,00035,000–96,000Engine and its cooling system: 423 reports, median 66,000 miles, middle half 35,000 to 96,000 miles.
- Airbag system294 reports78,00045,000–112,000Airbag system: 294 reports, median 78,000 miles, middle half 45,000 to 112,000 miles.
- Engine441 reports105,00075,000–140,000Engine: 441 reports, median 105,000 miles, middle half 75,000 to 140,000 miles.
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it in “Where your car sits”
Ordered by median mileage, earliest first. The first 12,000 miles are shaded: that is the boundary this site uses between a manufacturing defect and ordinary wear, not a property of the world.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
| System | Complaints | Share | Median | 25–75% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visibility equipment | 1,144 | 20.4% | 60,000 | 41,000–79,000 |
| Transmission and driveline | 517 | 9.2% | 50,000 | 13,000–88,000 |
| Engine | 441 | 7.9% | 105,000 | 75,000–140,000 |
| Engine and its cooling system | 423 | 7.5% | 66,000 | 35,000–96,000 |
| Hydraulic brake circuit | 323 | 5.8% | 18,000 | 5,500–39,000 |
| Electrical system | 304 | 5.4% | 65,000 | 30,000–101,000 |
| Airbag system | 294 | 5.2% | 78,000 | 45,000–112,000 |
| Body structure | 281 | 5.0% | 73,000 | 42,000–115,000 |
| Throttle and speed control | 253 | 4.5% | 44,000 | 9,000–78,000 |
| Steering | 250 | 4.5% | 62,000 | 31,000–94,000 |
Where your car sits
Failure reports by the odometer reading they were filed at. Pick the anchor nearest your car — or type the exact mileage: your marker lands on this curve and on the timing chart above.
Figure 3 · Ford F-150 2004–2008 · 4,834 reports with mileage
Share of reports below each mileage
Share of mileage-tagged reports filed at or below each odometer reading. Steps rise only at bin edges, by exact counted shares.
- 60,000 mi — 49% of reports below
- 90,000 mi — 72% of reports below
- 120,000 mi — 87% of reports below
- Median — the staircase crosses the 50% line here
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it below
The staircase tops out at 98%: the remaining 1.7% of reports (80) came above 200,000 miles.
Nothing is smoothed or interpolated. Linear axis, same as Figure 1.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
At 60,000 miles
49% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Hydraulic brake circuit — median 18,000 mi
In the reporting window
- Visibility equipment — middle half 41,000–79,000 mi
- Transmission and driveline — middle half 13,000–88,000 mi
- Engine and its cooling system — middle half 35,000–96,000 mi
- Electrical system — middle half 30,000–101,000 mi
- Airbag system — middle half 45,000–112,000 mi
Mostly reported later
- Engine — middle half 75,000–140,000 mi
At 90,000 miles
72% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Visibility equipment — median 60,000 mi
- Transmission and driveline — median 50,000 mi
- Hydraulic brake circuit — median 18,000 mi
In the reporting window
- Engine — middle half 75,000–140,000 mi
- Engine and its cooling system — middle half 35,000–96,000 mi
- Electrical system — middle half 30,000–101,000 mi
- Airbag system — middle half 45,000–112,000 mi
At 120,000 miles
87% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Visibility equipment — median 60,000 mi
- Transmission and driveline — median 50,000 mi
- Engine and its cooling system — median 66,000 mi
- Hydraulic brake circuit — median 18,000 mi
- Electrical system — median 65,000 mi
- Airbag system — median 78,000 mi
In the reporting window
- Engine — middle half 75,000–140,000 mi
Which systems, and when
Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 60,000 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.
Visibility equipment accounts for 20.4% of complaints (1,144 reports, 1,057 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 60,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 41,000 and 79,000 miles.
The transmission and driveline accounts for 9.2% of complaints (517 reports, 437 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 50,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 13,000 and 88,000 miles.
The engine accounts for 7.9% of complaints (441 reports, 388 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails late — a median of 105,000 miles, considerably beyond the vehicle's overall median. That pattern is consistent with normal service life rather than a defect, though it matters for anyone buying an example already near that mileage. The middle half of these reports falls between 75,000 and 140,000 miles.
The engine and its cooling system accounts for 7.5% of complaints (423 reports, 384 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 66,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 35,000 and 96,000 miles.
The hydraulic brake circuit accounts for 5.8% of complaints (323 reports, 273 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails early — a median of 18,000 miles, well before the vehicle's overall median. Failures clustered this far below the rest of the car usually point to a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear, because wear does not selectively target one system on low-mileage examples. The middle half of these reports falls between 5,500 and 39,000 miles.
The electrical system accounts for 5.4% of complaints (304 reports, 259 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 65,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 30,000 and 101,000 miles.
Differences between model years
Within this generation, complaint volume is not constant across model years. The 2004 model year drew the most — 2,431 complaints — while 2008 drew the fewest at 455. The median year sits at 742.
That makes 2004 an outlier: roughly 3.3 times the median year of this generation. A single year standing that far apart usually reflects either a first-year issue that was later corrected, or a component change introduced for that year. Anyone shopping this generation has a straightforward reason to prefer a different year, all else being equal.
Recalls and what they cover
NHTSA records 2 recall campaigns covering vehicles in this generation. A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator concluded there was a safety defect or a standard was not met, and that a free remedy is owed to owners — including second and later owners.
Recall status is specific to the individual vehicle, not the model. Checking a VIN against NHTSA's lookup is free and takes under a minute, and it is the only way to know whether a particular car has had the work done.
Reported severity
What owners reported alongside the failure itself, out of 5,617 complaints against this generation:
- Crashes
- 337 (6.0%)
- Fires
- 147
- Injury reports
- 237
- Fatality reports
- 15
These flags are self-reported by complainants and unverified by NHTSA; one report can carry several flags, so the counts overlap and do not sum to a total. They are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. No chart is drawn here on purpose: overlapping counts spanning very different magnitudes cannot be honestly encoded as lengths.
Documented problems
Engine 2004–2007
5.4L 3-valve Triton two-piece spark plugs seize and break off in the cylinder head on removal. Carbon builds in the gap between the plug shell and the head; the porcelain-tipped lower section separates from the upper body during service. Ford reverted to a one-piece plug for 2008.
Engine 2004–2008
5.4L 3V variable cam timing phaser rattle and timing chain tensioner/guide wear, producing a cold-start rattle and eventual cam timing codes.
Fuel System 2004–2008
Fuel pump driver module corrosion causing intermittent stall and no-start.
By model year
| Year | Complaints | With mileage |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 2,431 | 2,084 |
| 2005 | 1,364 | 1,174 |
| 2006 | 742 | 633 |
| 2007 | 625 | 553 |
| 2008 | 455 | 390 |
Recalls (2) — is your car included?
Sep 2011 · 2004 · Fuel System, GasolineAs a result of the corrosion, one or both straps may fail allowing the fuel lines to separate from the tank…
The defect. Ford is recalling certain 1997 through 2003 model year Ford F-150, 2004 model year Ford F-150 heritage, 1997 through 1999 model year F-250 less than 8,500 lbs. Gross vehicle weight rating (gvwr), and 2002 and 2003 Lincoln blackwood vehicles manufactured from june 20, 1995, through august 4, 2004, originally sold, or currently registered in, connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia.
What can happen. As a result of the corrosion, one or both straps may fail allowing the fuel lines to separate from the tank, or in some cases, causing the tank to contact the ground. Either scenario may result in a fuel leak presenting a fire hazard.
The free fix. Ford will notify owners and instruct them to take their vehicles to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to have the fuel tank straps replaced with straps that have increased corrosion protection. Early in this campaign, if replacement straps are not available, dealers may install a cable support under the strap as an interim repair or a steel reinforcement over the existing strap as a permanent repair. Any repairs will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on september 16, 2011. Owners may contact Ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's recall campai
Mar 2011 · 2004–2006 · Air BagsThe driver side frontal air bag could inadvertently deploy increasing the risk of injury or loss of vehicle…
The defect. Ford is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 F-150 pick up trucks as well as certain model year 2006 Lincoln mark lt vehicles. If the clockspring jumper wire comes in contact with the driver side frontal air bag lower horn plate, the wire insulation may become chafed, creating a potential for a short circuit. If this occurs the air bag warning lamp may illuminate indicating that service is required.
What can happen. The driver side frontal air bag could inadvertently deploy increasing the risk of injury or loss of vehicle control if occurring while in motion.
The free fix. Ford will notify owners and instruct them to take their vehicles to a Ford or Lincoln/Mercury dealer to have a new clockspring jumper wire installed that incorporates a protective mesh cover. Repairs will be performed free of charge. This safety recall began on some vehicles in march 2011. The recall campaign on the expanded population is expected to begin on or about may 9, 2011. Owners may contact the Ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332.
What owners reported
2004 Ford F-150 has extremely high amount of vibration. Vibration is felt throughout the entire operating range in the cab of the vehicle from the floorboard to the roof. The vibration is so bad that it will literally put your feet to sleep after about fifteen minutes and your hands begin to go numb after about thirty…
2004 · Transmission and driveline
Tailgate straps are the same length, but when you put pressure on the tailgate, only the lh tailgate strap supports the tailgate. The truck has vibration and steering wheel nibble problems. They have balanced the tires 4 times, replaced the tires. The fse from Ford took the vehicle for a ride and said it needs a new…
2004 · Transmission and driveline
Built from 4,834 NHTSA complaints with mileage · snapshot 2026-08-18 · open data · reproduce this page