U.S. public vehicle records

2004 Ford F-250 SD problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

254 owner complaints analyzed

2 distinct recall campaigns

55,838 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2004 model year. Data snapshot: 2026-09-12 (September 12, 2026). 226 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Diesel is the most frequently named component, appearing in 37 of 254 complaints (14.6%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Engine operation	73	28.7%
Electrical and battery issues	39	15.4%
Braking behavior	38	15.0%
Steering behavior	28	11.0%
Transmission and shifting	15	5.9%
Fuel system concerns	15	5.9%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Diesel

Electrical System

Engine And Engine Cooling

Electrical System:Wiring

Fuel System, Diesel

Vehicle Speed Control

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine

Engine

Component breakdown data
Category	Count
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Diesel	37
Electrical System	33
Engine And Engine Cooling	27
Electrical System:Wiring	21
Fuel System, Diesel	18
Vehicle Speed Control	17
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine	16
Engine	14

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Diesel: 37; Electrical System: 33; Engine And Engine Cooling: 27; Electrical System:Wiring: 21; Fuel System, Diesel: 18; Vehicle Speed Control: 17; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine: 16; Engine: 14

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 70; 25,000 to 49,999: 34; 50,000 to 74,999: 34; 75,000 to 99,999: 37; 100,000 to 149,999: 38; 150,000 and above: 13

Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (70). 28 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2018

2019

2004: 19; 2005: 48; 2006: 23; 2007: 20; 2008: 20; 2009: 27; 2010: 41; 2011: 15; 2012: 6; 2013: 11; 2014: 8; 2015: 6; 2016: 3; 2018: 2; 2019: 5

Pattern summary

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Diesel leads the component reports. Engine operation appears in 73 complaint narratives. Electrical and battery issues appears in 39 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 38 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10087416 · 2004-08-09 (August 9, 2004)

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, THE VEHICLE INTERMITTENTLY STALLED WITHOUT ANY WARNING. AS RESULT THE VEHICLE LOSS OF STEERING, AND THE BRAKES. THE DEALERSHIP TECHNICIAN, INDICATED TO THE CONSUMER SORRY WE CAN'T DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10087416 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10090236 · 2004-09-01 (September 1, 2004)

ENGINE IDLE IS DEFECTIVE AND THE VEHICLE STALLS INTERMITTENTLY. DEALER SERVICED THE VEHICLE, BUT PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. 5,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10090236 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10088968 · 2004-09-01 (September 1, 2004)

TRUCK "CUTS OUT" LOSING POWER INTERMITTENTLY WITH NO RHYME OR REASON. IT SEEMS ELECTRICAL SINCE BOTH THE GLOW PLUG LIGHT AS WELL AS THE WATER IN FUEL LIGHT COME ON FOR ABOUT 2 SECONDS AND GO OFF. ONCE THEY GO OFF, IT WILL RUN AGAIN UNTIL THE NEXT OCCURRENCE. I HAVE HAD THE COMPLETE FICM HARNESS (IT RAN FINE FOR TWO WEEKS AFTER THE REPLACEMENT) REPLACED BY THE DEALER.IIT HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP FOUR TIMES NOW FOR A TOTAL OF 10 DAYS FOR THIS PROBLEM AND IT ONLY HAS 7000 MILES. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. 6,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10088968 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10105222 · 2004-12-22 (December 22, 2004)

THE CONSUMERS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL REGARDING THE BATTERY CABLE AND SUBSEQUENTLY THE VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE. THE VEHICLE PROCEEDED TO BURN EVEN WHEN EXTINGUISHED WITH A FIRE EXTINGUISHER. THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD BY THE MANUFACTURE THE BATTERY CABLE RECALL DID NOT INCLUDE HIS VEHICLE. BATTERY HARNESS NHTSA RECALL. PLEASE PROVIDE INFORMATION. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. 21,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10105222 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10097967 · 2004-10-28 (October 28, 2004)

2004 FORD-F250 KING RANCH DIESEL SERIES: ENGINE REVS UP AT IDLE OVER POWERING THE BRAKES ENOUGH TO CAUSE THE TRUCK TO JUMP FORWARD BETWEEN 1-2 FT. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFTY ISSUE AT INTERSECTIONS. THIS OCCURRED 1 DAY AFTER DEALERSHIP UPDATED THE ENGINE COMPUTER CODE. THE ORIGINAL CAUSE TO TAKE THE TRUCK INTO THE DEALERSHIP WAS THE POWER LOSS AND MASSIVE ENGINE SHAKING AT IDLE AS DESCRIBED BY OTHERS.*AK

Owner-reported narrative. 12,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10097967 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10099134 · 2004-11-30 (November 30, 2004)

THE ENGINE STALLED WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO LOOSE POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES. THIS IS VERY HAZARDOUS WHEN PULLING A FIFTH WHEEL CAMPER. *JB THERE WERE A NUMBER OF STALLS THAT SEEMED TO HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT FROM THE ORIGINAL PROBLEM IN THAT THE VEHICLE BEGIN TO RUN ROUGH PRIOR TO THE STALLING. THE ENGINE ALOS LOST COOLANT. *SC

Owner-reported narrative. 1,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10099134 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10086137 · 2004-08-04 (August 4, 2004)

I OWN A 2004 FORD F250 DIESEL CREW CAB 4X4. WE HAVE THE LARIET PACKAGE ALONG WITH THE CAMPER AND OFF ROAD PACKAGES. CURRENT MILES ARE 3600. EHAVEN'T TOWED ANYTHING BEHIND THIS NEW TRUCK YET. ON SUNDAY AUG. 1,2004, MY WIFE WAS DRIVING AND NOTICED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO OVERDRIVE.THE TOW/HAUL LIGHT ON THE DASH WAS FLASHING. I TOOK THE TRUCK TO MIKE DAVIDSON FORD THE NEXT MORNING AUG. 2,2004. THEY DROPPED THE PAN OFF THE TRANSMISSION AND FOUND METAL SHAVINGS ALONG WITH A BAD SENSOR. THE TRUCK IS STILL IN THE SHOP. I WANTED TO …

Owner-reported narrative. 3,600 miles reported. Look up ODI 10086137 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10088267 · 2004-08-20 (August 20, 2004)

WE PURCHASED THE MOST BEAUTIFUL, 2004 F-250 POWERSTROKE DIESEL ON 4/3/04, LARIAT PKG,TOW/CAMPER PKG FROM A FORD DEALERSHIP IN KENNESAW, GA. IT DID WELL FOR A FEW WEEKS, BUT ODD THINGS BEGAN TO HAPPEN, ROUGH SHIFTING OF THE TRANSMISSION/DECREASE IN GAS MILEAGE/RIDING ROUGHLY. ON 6/8, BEFORE A TRIP TO FLORIDA, MY HUSBAND TOOK THE VEHICLE FOR SERVICE AND TO HAVE THE OTHER PROBLEMS CHECKED. THE DEALERSHIP'S SERVICE DEPT SAID THEY COULD'T FIND THE PROBLEM BUT DID MENTION THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING. WE LEFT FOR VACATION THE VERY EARLY ON 6/18…

Owner-reported narrative. 3,900 miles reported. Look up ODI 10088267 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10113930 · 2005-03-11 (March 11, 2005)

THE TRUCK WAS PURCHASED NEW ON 10/31/03 AND IMMEDIATELY WE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE ENGINE SURGING AND RUNNING ROUGH. THE DEALER TRIED 3 TIMES AND THE TRUCK CONTINUES TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS IS A HISTORY OF OUR PROBLEMS WITH THIS TRUCK: ON 8/23/04, ENGINE IDLE LOW AND RUNS ROUGH AND THE DEALER REPLACED THE EBP SENSOR. ON 9/2/04, THE DEALER AGAIN REPLACED THE EBP SENSOR AND THE TRUCK CONTINUES TO RUN ROUGH AND SURGE DURING IDLE. ON 9/9/04, WE SPOKE WITH THE MECHANTIC TO TELL HIM WE WERE STILL HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM.*AK ON 1/4/05, …

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10113930 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10168199 · 2006-09-13 (September 13, 2006)

THE COMPUTER (PCM) SHUTS THE TRUCK DOWN, KILLS THE ENGINE AND EVERYTHING ASSOCIATED WITH IT (POWER STEERING,BRAKES,ECT.). AT 4735 MILES THE COMPUTER WAS REPROGRAMMED DUE TO TRUCK NOT ABLE TO RUN. AT 51,698 PERFORMED RECALL 05S34 FIC MODULE WIRING HARNESS REPAIR. AT 57,377 MILES THE TRUCK SHUT DOWN TURNING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION LEAVING THE TRUCK IN THE PATH OF TRAFFIC. THE DEALERSHIP WAS UNABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE COMPUTER AT ALL. DEALERSHIP REPLACES AND REPROGRAMS PCM. AT 57,398 MILES THE TRUCK SHUT DOWN AGAIN FULLY LOADED WITH T…

Owner-reported narrative. 89,450 miles reported. Look up ODI 10168199 at NHTSA ↗